Quote: Howard Thurman

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs;

ask yourself what makes you come alive.

And then go and do that. Because what the world

needs is people who have come alive.”

~ Howard Thurman

Howard Thurman (1899-1981) was raised in the segregated South by his grandmother, who had once been a slave. In 1925 he became an ordained Baptist minister, his first church assignment being Mt Zion Baptist Church in Oberlin, Ohio. After serving as a Professor of Religion at Morehouse and Spelman colleges, Thurman studied with Rufus Jones, head of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. In 1935-36 he took a group of African Americans to India to meet with Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi encouraged them to take the principle of non-violence to the world.

A PBS article on People of Faith stated “In 1944 Thurman left his position as dean at Howard University to co-found the first fully integrated, multi-cultural church in the U.S. in San Francisco, CA. The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples was a revolutionary idea. Founded on the ideal of diverse community with a focus on a common faith in God, Thurman brought people of every ethnic background together to worship and work for peace. ‘Do not be silent; there is no limit to the power that may be released through you.’ “

Howard Thurman was the author of 21 books.

My 70 Day Wellness Challenge

fresh fruits and vegetables isolated on white background — Picture Credit: Wikimedia

Yesterday, the first post I read was SeasonedSistah2’s My 70 Day Challenge to Wellness. Her post really grabbed my attention. I have been trying to change some health sabotaging behaviors for some time but making agreements with myself hasn’t worked. In particular, I continually give in to my desire for chocolate, donuts and cookies. I know from my own personal experience and in my experience as a psychotherapist that I will be more likely to succeed if I make a public commitment. Continue reading “My 70 Day Wellness Challenge” →

266,000 and More to Come!

Last Saturday, twelve of our local members of the PNW GreenFriends Litter Project met at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Our goal, to pick up as many cigarette butts as we could in an hour and a half. The Litter Project was formed in 2011. Most of our members come from the Pacific Northwest part of the United States, but we also have members from other parts of the U.S. and around the world.

When I started picking up litter, I thought that cigarette filters were harmless cotton and often passed them by in favor of the bigger pieces of litter. Soon I learned they were anything but harmless. They are made from cellulose acetate tow and they can take decades to degrade. Investigators in a San Diego State University study once discovered that if you put fathead minnows and top smelt in a liter of water that also contains a single cigarette butt, half of the fish will die. Continue reading “266,000 and More to Come!” →

Sanskrit Homework- September 2015

Every week our homework in my Sanskrit class is to write five to ten sentences in Sanskrit. To accomplish that I pick a theme, compose the sentences in English and then translate them into Sanskrit.

Sometimes I publish my homework on my blog. This is one of those weeks!

Generally I don’t show the direct translation in my posts. I included it this time because I thought it might be interesting for you to see that the structure of Sanskrit sentences is not the same as we use when we write in English. Notice also that the Sanskrit meaning is generally more poetic than the direct English translation.

प्रतिजनस्य जीवनं महत्त्वपूर्णं अस्ति ।
Direct translation: Every person’s life important is.
Meaning: Every person’s life is important.

प्रतिजनः विश्वाय योगदानं करोति ।
Direct translation: Every person for world contribution makes.
Meaning: Every person makes a contribution to the world.

युध्दं मा भवतु ।
Direct translation: War no be.
Meaning: May there be no war.

प्रतिजनाय पर्याप्तं आहारं भवतु ।
Direct translation: Every person enough food be.
Meaning: May every person have enough food.

प्रतिजन: प्रसन्नः भवतु ।
Direct translation: Every person happy be.
Meaning: May every person be happy.

प्रतिजनः अन्यान् गौरवेण पश्यतु ।
Direct translation: Every person others with respect see.
Meaning: May every person look at others with respect.

शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः
Peace, Peace, Peace

Finding Happiness

Yesterday, I discovered a blog created by a fifteen-year-old Finnish girl (This Girl’s Bucket List).) She is signing her posts as “ThisGirl” so that is how I will refer to her.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the pieces ThisGirl had written. When I woke up this morning I noticed she had published a new post, so headed to her blog to see what she had to say.

In the new post, ThisGirl described the guest speaker who talked to students at her school yesterday. The speaker’s name was Marja Korhonen and she “talked” by looking at a board with letters. A helper then voiced Marja’s message. ThisGirl ended her post with the trailer for Marja’s book.

As I watched the short video, tears started running down my face. Nine hours later, I re-watched it and had the same reaction. Once again, I have been presented with a person whose willingness to live life fully inspires me, profoundly inspires me. A person who teaches me that my life will be of value regardless of the circumstances. One who by example lets me know that it is possible for me to be happy no matter what challenges come my way. As I age, I find I need that reminder more often than ever.

I will leave you with the same video. Be sure to turn on the subtitles by clicking on the CC at the bottom, unless you speak Finnish that is!

Written for Dungeon Prompts: Getting to Our Happy Place

broken and ready

I remember a time when Sreejit mentioned in one of his posts that he considered Ra to be his blogging mentor. I, of course, headed directly to her blog to find out why. Since that time, I have discovered for myself what an amazing person she is. In addition to all of her other positive qualities, I have discovered she is a role model for how to live through adversity. I love the post she wrote this morning and decided to reblog it so you have the opportunity to read it too.

Pretty Amazing!

This video was taken two years ago when a raven perched on a fence and cawed for an hour. A family came closer to see what was happening. They soon discovered there were three porcupine quills stuck in the raven’s face and one in its wing.

Light Amidst the Tragedy

Right now there are wildfires burning all over the west coast of the U.S. In Washington State, 100 fires cover 390,000 acres. Two days ago, near Twisp WA, a fire overtook a vehicle carrying seven firefighters, killing three of them and wounding four others.

While the tragedy related to these fires is far from over, I was so moved when I saw this sign on a King 5 TV news report last night. The sign was left by a family who lives near Twisp.

CM0SkTdWIAAvCer — Photo credit @King5Seattle and Scoopnest

Being the Hands of the Divine

When I read the Dungeon Prompts: Our Magic Powers writing challenge for the week I was perplexed. The prompt was:

We are all gifted with certain magical powers. We may not have fully harnessed them, or we may rebel against the powers we’ve been given, but we know that they are there. The power may be so potent that we are scared to use it, or we may have come to terms and learned the intricacies of it. We may have used them for evil or for good, but when we think that we can go unnoticed, we have surely tested them out.

Magical powers go beyond a talent for something. It involves bending reality to your will. When your will comes in tune with the cosmic will you may notice your powers flow like a raging river. Whether you hide it or not, you know that it’s there. So this week, tell us about your magical powers.

To me, the magic in life is the work of the Divine, whether it be a seed turning into a beautiful flower or the wondrous nature of all life forms. All the synchronicities that occur in my life feel like a Divine play. I will never forget my last trip to India when I was told I would be upgraded to Business Class if I was willing to sit in a seat where the video didn’t work. Soon I discovered that the man sitting next to me, who was also gifted with an upgrade, was a Sanskrit student and teacher. In fact, he was teaching from the identical Sanskrit textbook that I was struggling with at the time. He had even gone to the same Sanskrit camp I had attended the previous summer! To me that whole scenario felt like magic, but I believe it was actually a gift from the Divine.

I see all of us as instruments of the Divine, tasked with being His/Her hands. When we do that work it may seem like magic to others, or even to ourselves. So in that spirit, what kind of magic is it that I do?

I thought back to my 65^th birthday when a small group of friends celebrated that milestone with me. At one point in the evening, they talked about me. It was like being a witness to one’s own memorial service. I was amazed at what they said about me and the impact they believed I have had on their lives. I also thought about things other people have said about me in the past and to a post (When They Think of Me….) I wrote last year after having asked friends what objects they thought of when they thought of me. At that time, one person responded:

Well, my first thought of you is your abundant beautiful hair, but that’s not an object. When I just stopped for a moment and visualized you, I immediately saw you with a tool in your hand. The tool could be anything – a garden trowel, a spatula, a pen, a hammer, a paint brush, a computer, one of those long grips for picking up litter – but you very much (my impression anyway) – interact with the world and use many kinds of tools. So it would be Karuna, Jill-of-all-trades, with a tool.

I believe the following may be seen as my magic:

Sometimes my psychotherapy clients think that I must be able to see right through them, or read their minds.
The craft projects I do such as making tiny dolls, crocheting, knitting, quilting, etc.
Creating and inspiring others to join in new projects, such as the PNW Litter Project and the PNW GreenFriends Newsletter.
The amount of energy I have and what I accomplish with it.
My use of words in the books I have written and on my blog.

To me though, that isn’t magic. All of it happens when I am “in the flow” and willing to be used as an instrument, i.e. being the hands, of the Divine. May I continue to live in this manner until the end of my days.

A Favorite Prayer

Many years ago, I was given a handout at a workshop that contained this prayer. I laughed when I read it then and I laugh when I think of it now. I can so relate.

I believe finding humor even in a dark or frustrating situation can help us lighten up.