Calling All "Hearts and Souls"
"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."
~ Leonard Cohen
"Fear is the culprit that religiously rules so many peoples lives. If more of us made our decisions from our hearts and souls, instead of our fearful minds, we could make this a better world." ~ Patty Ann Smith
One Day at a Time
The simple gifts of life
A peaceful walk
A truthful story from the heart
The re-enchantment of everyday life
The Greatest American Patriot of the 20th and early 21st Century ~ Ted Kennedy
I'm going to take a little diversion for a few minutes here from my normal type of blog post and tell you that I was thinking about our country's leaders the other day. I thought about the ones that have made the greatest contributions to the ordinary hard-working Americans who are the backbone of our nation. And although, thankfully, there were still several that could come to mind, the name that popped up "so above all" to me ~ was Senator Ted Kennedy. I have never ceased to be amazed by this man's energy and commitment to all of us over the years that have spanned decades. In so many directions and on so many levels, the kindness, compassion and wisdom of Ted Kennedy has at one time or another touched the lives of every one of us...and THAT'S A Lot of People!
So, I'd like to send this "out there" and see what happens:
I propose that the Honorable Senator Ted Kennedy, as of this 26th day of September 2005, be recognized as: "The Greatest American Patriot of the 20th and early 21st Century".
Bless You, Ted Kennedy. And, Thank You for all the good work you continue to do everyday for the ordinary American and our country.
Sincerely,
Patty Ann Smith
What It Takes To Change the World
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead, anthropologist
Lines from a poem by Dave Pollard from "How to Save the World"
"....your walk becomes a dance as the sound of the wind in the trees
and the owls and other creatures of the night becomes your music,
a music of the spheres and of the universe,
embellished by a counterpoint you create inside your head,
expressing the elation of being here, now, in this moment."
from "Moonstruck" by Dave Pollard http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/
"Compassion Is Not Religious Business, It Is Human Business"
"My religion is very simple, my religion is kindness....I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness...I am a simple Buddhist monk....This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart, is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." ~ Dalai Lama
Letting The Light In
The news has been taking me down for a long time now, and I'm tired of it. I'm going to make a change. The beginning for me was the Election 2000. I thought I could make a difference. And, then in 2004, I thought the same again. Justice does not appear to be a reality, and I was on an endless path of defeats. I have now thoroughly learned that it is "impossible" to have "balance" and "crap" in the same time and space! So I'm giving up the "crap"!
Jack Kornfield says, "If we set a long-term intention, it remains empowering no matter who wins a particular election, or what governments rise and fall." (I like that!)
"Do not worry about immediate results. More and more you must concentrate on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself." ~ Thomas Merton
I like that, too!
Living History
"The same dynamics that created the galaxies created the stars and the oceans. The powers that build the universe are ultimately mysterious, issuing forth from and operating out of mystery. They are the most awesome and numinous reality in the universe. Humans are these dynamics, brought into self-awareness, becoming now fully aware of our creative work. We already have these powers in the forms of stars, mountains, atoms, and elephants, but we do not yet have them in human form. We are probing still, exploring, experimenting. Having only just arrived on this planet, we are still learning what it means to become fully human."
from Dr. Brian Swimme's book, "The Universe is a Green Dragon"
Communities
Communities were not meant to "weed" people out but to bring people from all different beliefs and walks of life together.
It seems that there is a growing number of "ex"clusive communities popping up. Communities that become a means of segregation and discrimination by class, race, religion, politics, etc...membership (either initially or eventually) required, and some with strict beliefs to adhere to in order to stay in. Almost without words, it is understood that unless you believe in what they believe in, if you are not like them ~ don't bother to apply. At the same time, there seems to be an ever decreasing number of "in"clusive communities. Where does that leave everybody else. Where does it leave those who don't want to belong to any one group but to be on good terms with ALL? Many of them will end up having no community at all because the ones that are inclusive of every citizen in town are disappearing. What does that say about our society. We aren't supposed to be re-gressing, we're supposed to be pro-gressing. We should've learned better by now.
Mindfulness
"It was the natural instinct of our ancestors. Mindfulness is the spark that makes the simple things in life important and casts a spell of wonder on what is marvelous but that too often goes unnoticed." ~ Patty Ann Smith
1.jpg)
The word "Community"
"I think we're missing the boat when it comes to the word "community" ~ It's the "community of mankind" we're looking for!" ~ Patty Ann Smith
The Simple Gift of Life
I've always liked this quote....and I especially like it now:
Teach us
Delight
In simple things
~Rudyard Kipling
Ordinary Citizens
It's really something to see how many ordinary citizens are helping in this disaster. If you'd like to be uplifted a little, you can witness an outstanding example of team effort by a "whole bunch" of ordinary citizens at Andy Carvin's Katrina Aftermath http://www.katrina05.blogspot.com There's a lot of good positive "stuff" going on there!
What About The Next National Disaster? (click to listen)
Who's to blame for the lack of response to Katrina?
And, do we have enough time to find out before the next national disaster occurs?
This is an urgent issue for the safety of all Americans!
Greed and arrogance have no place in humanity.
And, it is an abomination to see segregation and prejudice when it comes to the family of man...and for that matter, any other living thing.
Poverty should not be acceptable anywhere.
And, we can no longer tolerate any more leadership that is not in tune with the pulse of this Earth.
The Family of Man
As a result of the loss of a huge part of a place in our United States and so many of its people, it seems like all of our sense of place has a hole in it. And every time someone prays "instead of " getting up and doing something....life gets worse somewhere on the planet. The value is in what we do.
The family of man is all that's important now, and it's all that should've ever been important. Greed and arrogance have no place in humanity....except to teach us that we never want to be that way. Understanding the people of New Orleans, and what they're going through, is the beginning of greater understanding for all mankind. New Orleans will be burned in the hearts of man forever as the historic beginning of people simply really loving each other...or not.
International Blogging For Disaster Relief Day
Please also check out what other bloggers are doing today to help relieve some of this immense suffering. Click on the "International Blogging For Disaster Relief Day" link on the sidebar and you will find many ideas to choose from if you are looking for some extra ways to help. Right now there is a real need to take digital cameras to shelters and start getting as many individual pictures of survivors as possible. Since it is such a massive undertaking, many people are needed to do this. If I were near one, that would be something I'd very much like to do. Because, it would truly relieve some of the anxiety of the survivors to know that their picture might reach their loved ones. But, "I" am not near one. Anyone who is and is interested, go to Andy Carvin's Katrina Aftermath http://www.katrina05.blogspot.com for more information.
The song below is Dedicated To All The Victims and Survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Our thoughts are with every one of you!
Gulf Coast Song (click to listen)
This song came to me in the middle of the night ~ after a long day of seeing horrific images of thousands of people struggling to survive.
Gulf Coast Song
words and music by Patty Ann Smith
I sailed a boat
through a water way.
I didn't reach the shore
until the next day.
Others stayed afloat
on rubber rafts,
but couldn't share a ride
when others asked.
Carried my things
in a plastic bag.
One that wouldn't
make me lag.
Had no water
for a day or two.
Sometimes wondered
what I'd do.
Lost my mother
and my father, too.
Don't know why
I ever came through.
Now I'm here
on the other side
even though,
a part of me died.
To download this song FREE, click-on Patty Ann Smith Music
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
