I was notified by Google that I had an old Blog that they would delete soon because of inactivity:
"This email address has a legacy Blogger account associated with it that
hasn’t logged in since 2007. In 60 days it will lose access to the
account and associated content; the data will be permanently deleted
unless migrated to the Google Account system at Legacy migration page."
Apparently in 2004 I started my first Blogger blog called Grains of Sand. I had forgotten about it and began my current blog: The Universe Smiles in 2009.
Just five posts from years gone by constitute a snapshot of my emotional life and the world around me in 2004. I was 53 years old. I was living and working in San Diego and going through some difficult times. I had been notified by my company (where I had worked for 27 years) that I was to be laid off December 31, 2004. My boyfriend that I deeply cherished had suddenly died in June, 2004.
Friday, September 17, 2004
Remembering Neal Lawrence Burstein
The
sage does not distinguish between himself and the world;The needs of
other people are as his own.He is good to those who are good;He is also
good to those who are not good,Thereby he is good.He trusts those who
are trustworthy;He also trusts those who are not trustworthy,Thereby he
is trustworthy.The sage lives in harmony with the world,And his mind is
the world's mind.So he nurtures the worlds of othersAs a mother does her
children.
Tao 49 as interpreted by Peter A. Merel
Neal
How do I remember you
now that the day is done,
when the sun has set,
and night has come?
You were the gentle caretaker
of the smallest creatures,
of wounded souls and broken bodies.
Your heart was like a hearth,
warm and inviting,
to stranger and friend alike,
embracing all pain
as a gentle lover does,
burying it deeply into tender folds.
In this world of forgotten intention
you were a man of integrity and wisdom.
Life for you was a pool of infinite possibility
from which you always drank deeply.
Now when I hear the dove call out
with the first morning light,
I remember your sweet smile
and gentle glowing eyes.
And I hear your soft voice
once again remind me:
“This is a day of infinite possibility.”
-Vicki Powers, July 23, 2004
I wrote "Grains of Sand" in 1997 as an expression of my world view that our true value as a person is in the context of our social selves.
Grains of Sand
We are but grains of sand on this earth -- our lives largely
affected by forces beyond our control. There are times when an
individual grain may find itself transformed and valued among all other
grains of sand. By chance, a small speck becomes trapped within the body
of an oyster and, after many years, becomes a beautiful iridescent
pearl. We enjoy this pearl and admire its uniqueness and incredible
beauty. Other times, a grain of sand is distinguished by its ability to
irritate and cause pain as when a single grain becomes lodged within the
eye and we curse its presence.
Most of us make up the vast
grains of sand on the earth -- our purpose linked with the purpose of
other like grains; and our significance apparent in the result of our
combined presence. We become glass, useful and beautiful. We become
cement, strong and permanent. We become the playground of children, a
place of delight and creative imagination.
Free will is an
important quality in human beings. It often influences our destiny.
Still, only a few of us will have the opportunity to become the pearl.
Our lack of such opportunity does not make us worth less. Our worth most
often is dependent upon the combined activity of like-mined individuals
facing similar conditions. Together we become transformed and valued,
like the millions of grains which become the road, the playground or the
ceramic vase. Strive to become the pearl. But remember, most of life’s
accomplishments will be the result of the joint effort of many. Always
value this as your greatest achievement. Vicki Powers
In 2004, people were hardening their hearts and putting up walls to communication as they retreated to their tribal circles and I was dismayed by the unraveling of our Social Contract.
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Contentious Times That Try Men's Souls
Do
we want to do something now or wait until it all falls apart into civil
war? We need to look deeply into what is happening to our Nation with
extreme partisan politics and self-righteousness dominating civil
debate. Differences of course exist and they are profound. But common
interests are oft forgotten in the rush to pound the "other side" like
some football game that becomes deadly as the participants and fans
embrace violence for the sake of vanity or showing who is the most
powerful as if "might makes right."
Solutions are not to be found in sound bites and talk shows or even in "fair and balanced" news.
We must not allow special interests and selfishness take control of our
country. Hitler became strong because of emotional and ideological
appeals to ordinary German citizens who felt powerless in the face of
great changes in their country and the world. Ordinary citizens who
turned a blind eye to the abuses of power later paid a heavy price for
their silence and inaction (not to mention the price rest of world
paid!).
Saturday, September 18, 2004
See What Is -- Letting Go of Judgement
For us, as people sitting here
meditating, as people wanting to live a good, full, unrestricted,
adventurous, real kind of life, there is concrete instruction that we
can follow, which is the one that we have been following all along in
meditation: see what is. Acknowledge it without judging it as right or
wrong. Let it go and come back to the present moment. Whatever comes
up, see what is without calling it right or wrong. Acknowledge it. See
it clearly without judgment and let it go. Come back to the present
moment. From now until the moment of your death, you could do this. As a
way of becoming more compassionate toward yourself and toward others,
as a way of becoming less dogmatic, prejudiced, determined to have your
own way, absolutely sure that you're right and the other person is
wrong, as a way to develop a sense of humor about the whole thing, to
lighten it up, open it up, you could do this. You could also begin to
notice whenever you find yourself blaming others or justifying yourself.
If you spent the rest of your life just noticing that and letting it be
a way to uncover the silliness of the human condition -- the tragic yet
comic drama that we all continually buy into -- you could develop a lot
of wisdom and a lot of kindness as well as a great sense of humor.
Excerpt from: "The Wisdom of No Escape" by Pema Chodroin
http://www.shambhala.com/pc/html/winoes-ex.cfm/
I moved to New Mexico in March of 2005, ready to start a new life. I found love and was married for a second time in 2006. We will have been married in January for 18 years.
Some of these posts are as current as ever.
