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
I have already lost touch with a couple of people I used to be
Joan Didion
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Death: The Final Stage of Growth,
Mindfulbalance 