Surprise Visitors Update

On September 27, 2020 I wrote a post about two hens and two roosters who visited our neighborhood daily. I can’t believe it was that long ago.

For most of this year, the two roosters have made quite a ruckus; crowing endlessly at many times of the day. Then all of a sudden the crowing stopped. I didn’t think about it at the time but I wonder now if the roosters are still living. Had they been killed by a raccoon, or a dog or had somebody or several somebodies complained about the noise.

Since then only one hen has been visiting. But she’s been coming by almost every day for a while. I have tried to take her picture. But by the time I find my phone and get the camera ready she is walking away.

Three days ago, a young woman was outside my house when the hen came. She said there were still two hens but didn’t say what happened to the roosters, and for some reason I didn’t ask. I told her of my futile attempts to get a picture of her. She asked if I wanted her to hold the hen so I could take a photo.

It still took me too long to take the photo. And the hen wiggled free.

I asked if the hen would let her pick her up again and she said “Sure.” This time I was ready.

The next time the hen came I was outside walking. This time the other hen wasn’t far behind. I didn’t even attempt to get a photo!

Nessun Dorma

A friend sent me an America’s Got Talent YouTube video last week. It was from a year ago, so I may or may not have seen it before. Regardless, when I watched it I started crying. The child’s singing touched my heart as so often happens when I watch that show. I hope you enjoy it too.

Amma Quotes

Amma is an internationally known humanitarian and spiritual leader. I met her in June of 1989 and have spent time with her every year since then. From time to time, I share Amma quotes on my blog. This is one of those times.

In real prayer there is nothing to ask, nothing to demand, no suggestions. Real prayer is sincere surrender.

When going to bed recollect the day’s activities and try to discriminate between the good and bad.

Never be depressed seeing the obstacles on your path. You have the lamp of faith with you. Light it.

The attitude “I will only accept success” is wrong. Learn to also accept the responsibility of defeat.

If we look at the world with eyes of wisdom and give solace to the suffering through compassionate hands, we will surely reach the shore of peace and bliss.

Amma Quotes

Amma is an internationally known humanitarian and spiritual leader. I met her in June of 1989 and have spent time with her every year since then. (I was going to add except in 2020 but then I remembered I was with her in India in January 2020!) From time to time, I share Amma quotes on my blog. This is one of those times.

Traveling by bus, we see many things on the way and just let them pass by. Watch the thoughts of your minds in the same way.

Never forget God. Never forget your real Source. Never move away from the real center within you.

In times of tragedies, our duty is to lend a helping hand to those in grief and thus light lamps of kindness and compassion.

Grace is the factor that brings the right result to your actions, at the right time and in the right proportion.

Lessen the quantity of unnecessary thoughts and allow more space for the energy of love to flow within you.

Photo Source: Amma’s Facebook Page

A Fascinating Plant: Update 3

To read the original story about this indoor sweet potato plant and to see the updates (Update #1 and Update #2) click on the links.

In Update 2, I shared how the plant was sending out so many shoots that I had put up a trellis to support them in going up rather than taking over the dining room floor. Since then they have continued to grow. A few of the lower leaves have begun to wilt. These photos were taken on December 6th.

  • December 6
  • December 6
  • December 6
  • December 6
  • December 6
  • December 6

And the ones below were taken December 13. Notice in the last photo that some of the leaves near the pot have dried and fallen off.

  • December 13
  • December 13
  • December 13
  • December 13
  • December 13
  • December 13

One of the shoots has grown about 15 inches since November 28 when I put the trellis up. Between December 6th and December 13 it grew 4.5 inches. Since then it has grown another 3.5 inches. In fact, you can see a difference between how it looked this morning and how it looks this afternoon. It has almost reached the top of the trellis!

    • December 16 (morning)
    • December 16 (early afternoon)

    I wonder if the plant is likely to produce sweet potatoes. Does anyone know?

    Accepting Parkinson’s

    Those of you who have read my blog posts for some time might remember that one of Amma’s teachings is to “Be like a bird sitting on a dry twig, ready to fly at a moment’s notice.” She also encourages us to focus on the present moment, rather than dwell on the past or the future. I have had many opportunities to apply those lessons in my life. Each experience has helped in preparing me for what I am dealing with now, Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

    During my years as a psychotherapy client and as a psychotherapist, as well as during my spiritual journey, I have had plenty of opportunities to learn that Resistance=Pain. Leap of Faith went so far as to say that Resistance=Death. Amma teaches us to accept whatever comes. Byron Katie wrote a book entitled Loving What Is. These teachings and plenty of experiences in learning the value of acceptance and the futility of resistance have also helped me to accept that PD is part of my life now and will probably be for the rest of my life.

    My younger brother died at 39. Shortly before his death he wrote an essay, The Truth I Live By. The sections of that essay that impacted me the most were:

    Is cancer unfair? Is it fair that we should expect billions of cells in our body to reproduce over and over again, over an entire lifetime, and always get it right?

     I can’t walk outside without seeing the beauty of our created world, from the rainbow in a line of earthworm slime, to another visible ring on Jupiter. 

    Even though I have enough things to interest me another 10 lifetimes, I must take solace in knowing that, at least compared to others, I’ve had much more than my share even in half a life time.

    I am now 72 years old. No matter what happens in the future, I believe I was given and have lived a full lifetime.

    Right now, every day is filled with puzzles to be solved, whether it is getting dressed, figuring out meals or at times even walking. I’m grateful to Ramana for housesitting when I stayed in Woodinville and for staying on to help me when I returned home. I am grateful for the love and support I get from other friends and my neighbors. I am grateful for my doctors. I am grateful for my physical therapist and for all the zoom exercise classes he and his staff provide. I am grateful for the medicine I am taking to relieve the symptoms of PD. I am grateful for the love and support I receive from my adult children, Satvamrita and Chaitanya, and my ex-husband, Al. I am grateful for Amma’s never-ending love and guidance. I am grateful that I have so many things to be grateful for that I can’t list them all here.

    I used to teach a workshop called Lessons on Lessons. When I started this blog, I decided to call it, Living, Learning and Letting Go: Lessons on Lessons. I am realizing that as I learn from Parkinson’s Disease I will have the opportunity to share those life lessons here. Consider this the first in a series! I don’t know how often I will write but I will write. As I wrote those last lines I remembered that the pastor’s wife of a church I used to attend always prefaced her weekly announcements with “If the Lord shall say the same we will……..”

    With that in mind and knowing that I don’t even know “what is around the next corner” I will amend one of my last statements to say that it is my intention to write about the lessons I learn from this experience.