Goodbye Nero

You were a royal pain in the butt at times but you were our pain in the butt. We will miss you.

Ammunition for a later date.

My daughter goes to preschool in the morning which means that at noon one of us has to go get her and bring her to her babysitters house. Sometimes I lose track of time and end up rushing out the door without bringing her lunch with me. Today was one of those days. When I picked her up and I told her that I forget her lunch, her response was "When I go to work when I am old I will NEVER forget my child's lunch"

So it looks like I just dropped a peg or two on the Parent Poll. And I'm old. I'm definitely reminding her of this conversation when she has her own kids.

A quick about face

There are four TVs at the gym and since the gym is run by males the choices of programming in the morning is usually 2 sports channels, a news channel and, because over half of the people working out are women, some sort of token talk show or drama or reality show. This is usually the one that I choose. I watched 40 minutes of a show this morning only to have a male trainer come out and change it to sportsnet! I was so angry! I jumped off the treadmill ready with a few choice words for the muscle head when I realized that I would have to admit out loud that I was upset about missing the last 10 minutes of Felicity.

Haiku

Life continues on
Leaving me wondering why
I feel left behind

Living each day with
A mask of Ordinary
That hides hollowness

I am not this pain
Rather the understanding
That this too shall pass

Busted

Change rooms make me uncomfortable. My philosophy has always been don't make eye contact, never draw attention to yourself while getting undressed or dressed and never make conversation with someone who is naked or in the process of getting naked. That didn't work out for me last night. This is what I overheard while trying to get my jeans on my still damp legs while holding my towel.

I'm going up to the mall to get a cell phone tomorrow. What kind of a plan should I get?

Well since you are thinking about getting rid of your land line then you should look for a plan that won't charge you a lot for daytime minutes.

Ok (pause) Thank you for being my friend while I didn't have a cell phone.

I totally laughed out loud and then looked over at them. I'm so glad they were laughing too.

Stillness Speaks

I borrowed this book from a friend a while ago and I'm just now getting around to reading it. It is written by Eckhart Tolle - the same guy that wrote the Power of Now and A New Earth. I really like the format. It just gives little quotes to think about so you can read a bunch or just one at a time. Here are a few that made me stop and think:

Most People confuse the Now with what happens in the Now but that's not what it is. The Now is deeper than what happens in it. It is the space in which it happens. So do not confuse the content of this moment with the Now. The Now is deeper than any content that arises within it.

Even within the seemingly most unacceptable and painful situation is concealed a deeper good, and within every disaster is contained the seed of grace. Throughout history, there have been women and men who, in the face of great loss, illness, imprisonment, or impending death, accepted the seemingly unacceptable and thus found "the peace that passeth all understanding." Acceptance of the unacceptable is the greatest source of grace in this world. (I think this struck me because if what is happening in Haiti right now. I'm really struggling with images that I see on the news - I keep asking myself "why is this happening?")

Surrender becomes so much easier when you realize the fleeting nature of all experiences and that the world cannot give you anything of lasting value. You then continue to meet people, to be involved in experiences and activities, but without the wants and fears of the egoic self. That is to say, you no longer demand that a situation, person, place, or event should satisfy you or make you happy. Its passing and imperfect nature is allowed to be. And the miracle is that when you are no longer placing an impossible demand on it, every situation, person, place, or event becomes not only satisfying buy also more harmonious, more peaceful.

Excerpts from Sermon on Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a decision not an emotion or feeling.
Forgiveness is not earned.
Forgiveness does not excuse or ignore the offence
Forgiveness is grace and mercy.
Forgiveness is not conditional.
Forgiveness is not forgetting but rather facing the past.
Forgiveness is not probationary.
Forgiveness is permanent.
Forgiveness says “I won’t bring this up again in a manner that seeks to hurt you”.
Forgiveness says “I will not rehearse the offence in my mind”
Forgiveness says “I will choose to focus on the future not on the past”.
Forgiveness seeks to restore.
Forgiveness initiates reconciliation but does not guarantee it.

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace that comes from Christ rule.