Tuesday, September 4, 2018

The Incredibly Simple...Bring Raw Beauty

Permit me to share some of our local flora...gathered as we stroll through Simcoe county Ontario, Canada.
Most of the names of these native plants I learned as a kid. If perhaps I have labelled them incorrectly...plz do speakup and let me know.
Peace,
c.



Milk weeds were so much fun to collect when we were kids...when you opened up a ripe milk weed, the seeds inside look like a brown scaled fish....and flew on silky wisps when you tossed them in the wind.

I pray that our beautiful humble and intelligent bumble bee population in Ontario are making a rapid comeback. 




Tuesday, June 26, 2018

What is the Premise of Reading and Understanding Scripture?

When one has a rather philosophical bent, it helps to understand the "why" behind commonly expected behaviors.

                         For example, in Christian circles it is commonly expected                                                        ( although less so in certain denominations)
that the members become familiar with the words contained within a book called "The Holy Bible".
There are many different versions and translations on the market of "The Holy Bible", but all of the copies of the bible have much more in common with one another than the verses they differ on.

So....back to my point. Why do christian people study, memorize and voraciously read the bible?
One answer is this major premise:
By understanding the entirety of the Holy Bible, we assume that we will be better prepared mentally and spiritually and in all other ways to understand the other parts of life and the worlds around us.

I must say that this premise does ring true for me. Bible study does seem to make humans "smarter"   "wiser" and more "skillful" in how we problem solve.

Do you agree?

Looking forward to your comments and thoughts,
Peace,


Tuesday, June 12, 2018

essence of fulfillment?

Soo ...I'm watching a cheffy show "Chef's Table" on Netflix and this particular episode.... it's the story of  Christina Tosi, the creator of "Crack Pie".

She was speaking about how she started her little Milk bar bakery beside Momfuku ( as David Chang's colleague) and the satisfaction she had finally found after more than a decade in the basements of restaurants in New York City.

She grinned as she said " I finally had something that was mine that I had figured out ".

What a magical sentence.

Let me say it again ....and again.


I finally had something that was mine that I had figured out ".


I finally had something that was mine that I had figured out ".


I finally had something that was mine that I had figured out ".



Isn't that the essence of fulfillment? Of knowing you've achieved something on your own terms.... in your own version of what it means to be creative?

Not every idea is a winner...not every effort is rewarded...but
those who don't give up on those hunches, those creative nudges lead the way.. They find "quoi"...they find the  juice of life, that we creatives live for....to make something fresh and unknown. 

Then and only then, once we have firmly planted our feet in that unknown space and let others in to spy on us....that is when they begin to take the time to applaud and appreciate that new "thing" or "idea" or "cause" we have created from the dust....that ever present earth we find in our hands. At last, we feel at peace. we feel joy.


I am a fan of the late Wangari Maathai....whose passion for the mysterious circle of life between trees and water created a movement. One can not boil it down to simple facts.
When someone is passionate about what they need. Wangari needed trees. Wangari needed to protect what she loved . In her passion to protect what she loved, she took us along....to kneel by a stream and understand why it was the trees that brought the water, and the frogs and the well being. She helped us take a brief glimpse of that mysterious circle. She made us pause to dig a hole and plant something....anything.


what is it that you can help us understand? What is it that you understand better than your family and neighbors. Maybe it bears repeating. Maybe we need to hear you too.

Peace,
C.,