We have a tendency to live out of the past and to limit different experiences and the people we encounter today to what we expect of them. In this way we lose any sense of wonder or newness
The day you teach the child the name of the bird,
the child will never see that bird again.
Krisnamurti
Abba Poemen said about Abba Pior that every single day he made a fresh beginning.
Sayings of the Desert Fathers
This is the time to be slow,
Lie low to the wall
Until the bitter weather passes
Time will come good;
And you will find your feet
Again on fresh pastures of promise,
Where the air will be kind
And blushed with beginning
John O’Donohue, from To Bless the Space Between Us
Today is Candlemas, so I could post about light and darkness, as the days begin to noticeably lengthen in the Northern Hemisphere and hope returns. But instead, sticking with an idea in yesterdays post, different tradition:
Every blade of grass
has a constellation in the heavens
that strikes it and says, ‘Grow! Grow!’
The Talmud
The first day of Spring in the Celtic Calendar, even though you would not think so with the cold snap which has hit us after a mild January.
A text I have posted before but I really like its simplicity.
It is often wiser just to let things happen rather than forcing the universe into how we think it should be
Sitting quietly, doing nothing,
Spring comes, and the grass grows, by itself
Basho
A first month over. Time passes and seasons change..
Become Passers-By
Gospel of Thomas, 42
Another possible but less likely translation is, ‘Come into being as you pass away’; A medieval author, Petrus Alphonsi, preserves a saying much like saying 42 in his Clerical Instruction: ‘This world is, as it were, a bridge. Therefore, pass over it, only do not lodge there.’
In other words, by meditation practice get grounded in a still center during this life, finding a permanent home there instead of being tossed around by samsara, this world of changes.
Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas at earlychristianwritings.com
I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou
Mindfulbalance 