Wednesday, December 21, 2005
New Year’s Resolutions
Family and friends - My goal is to nurture bonds with those who desire to mutually and equally share our life experiences - good and bad.
And what does sharing mean?
Most of all it means BEING THERE in times of need and times of celebration and times of holiday. It means simply being together to strengthen the bonds that connect us. Sometimes, it means discussing (or heatedly arguing about) values or politics or religion or spirituality. It means reviewing our daily lives or old shared experiences or purposefully creating new ones. Good food, the right music, great lighting and aromas, a little mind altering substance, stimulating discussions and intimate activities make the closest bonds. May there be many.
Faith - I would like to be wrapped up in the white blanket of my higher power. But that closeness eludes me. More time for meditation, prayer, contemplation, silence and a continued awareness of the Presence is my goal.
Finances - I would like to live comfortably with some of the niceties of life, but without overt consumerism and ostentation.
Fitness - I would like to develop a routine and diet that means better fitness as I age to allow me the freedom to get around, explore and be useful without the baggage of damaging illnesses.
Work - This is the goal most dear to my heart. I still want to do something important. I want to do something that means more than fame for me; to help humanity reach a new level of understanding. What that is I do not know. After I retire I plan to return to college to pursue a doctorate and do some sort of research related activity. This sounds like fantasy to me, but one never knows.
For this year, I plan to keep plugging away at this job to pay the bills, or perhaps finding a new and more challenging position. That is might be hard as age discrimination is beginning enter the picture.
Learning - I must get into a Spanish learning routine at least fifteen minutes a day. I want to learn to play the harmonica and I will keep watching those TV documentaries. I also want to continue my science fiction story about the submarine in the ocean of Europa. I have to do research on submarine life. There are only three paragraphs so far, but again, one hour a day…
Rosalind 1:49 PM
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
In Response to Your Response to my Last Entry
Betty,
"Suffering has become an opportunity to love... and therefore to be redemptive for others." (Fr. Stephen F. Torraco on 02-06-2002)
And how do we accomplish this? It is by transforming the suffering into love, taking away the sins delivered to us and giving back compassion, caring, gentleness, and kindness.
This is truly a miraculous feat. The strength, discernment, and transformative energy to do this come from our relationship with our Greater Power.
Do I need the doctrinaire and politics of a church, or temple, or synagogue, or mosque? Should I use my pittance of wealth to support enormous buildings and a huge bureaucracy, all designed to mold and manage my freedom to think for myself?
Doesn't the fellowship of members often lead to sin through sexual liaisons, gossiping, and shunning? Doesn’t the hierarchy take us into crusades and jihads and the Inquisition? Doesn’t religious fervor at times end in pogroms, ethnic cleansing, suicide bombings, intolerance and self-mutilation?
The difficulty in the "by oneself" approach is maintaining a continued awareness of one's relationship with the Greater Power without group guidance and/or pressure.
How quickly the mind flits from idea to idea during prayer, meditation and contemplation! How quickly one's attention turns to entertainment, social activities and pleasure-seeking!
So is the dilemma. Perhaps friends-at-a-distance to discuss spiritual matters is a compromise suitable for me. Be that friend, Betty!
Rosalind 12:40 PM
Friday, December 02, 2005
What now is the Noble Truth of Suffering?
Birth is suffering;
Decay is suffering;
Death is suffering;
Sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are suffering;
Not to get what one desires is suffering;
In short the five groups of existence are suffering.
-- Samyutta Nikaya
But where does joy and love fit in? Ephemeral stuff like gossamer wisps in the wind.
To settle for the mundane, the humdrum of a busy but empty life… There must be more.
To suffer -- to take away the sins of the world, to transform hatred, jealousy and violence into a loving, peaceful and tranquil soul.
Will the higher power nurture me in this quest? That is the promise…
So rare to feel the whispers of grace,
The gentle breath of God fluttering in my soul,
The stunning awareness of the Other.
Is it time to get back to communion? If only I could tolerate the church.
I must find my way back home.
The new arrival rejoined: the only thing that ever really lasts is
that which is reborn everyday; that evolves and is free.
There is a price for everything -- even caution.
The point is that if I close the door for protection from the wolf then my
soul mate may pass by and never see me.
Thoughts to ponder.
Rosalind 3:36 PM
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