Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Everything Else Is Secondary


Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
Don't be trapped by dogma -
which is living with the results of other people's thinking.

Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice.
And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
They somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Everything else is secondary.

~ Steve Jobs
co-founder Apple

Photo: Chairs at UW Student Union
Madison, WI

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Starry Night


“For my part I know nothing with any certainty,
but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

Monday, December 29, 2008

Leadership


“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

~ John Quincy Adams

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Al Pacino on Teamwork

Warning: This 5 minute video is inspirational but not for fragile ears. Enjoy!

Friday, December 26, 2008

Forget Not

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”

Lebanese poet and author of The Prophet (1923)
Painting: Mountain Ecstasy by Maxfield Parrish

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas, 2008!




"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:9-12


Jesus was born into this world as a guiding source of light.
May we always strive to recognize the same
Christ-like nature in each other.

Namaste,
Merry Cristmas

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Difference between Money & Wealth



"Money is a symbolic expression of what we give value to.

.

Wealth is:

A progressive realization of worldly goals,

The ability to love and have compassion,

Good health,

Caring relationships,

Getting in touch with the creative source inside you

Which is also the creative source of the whole universe."


~ Deepak Chopra


.

Excerpt of an interview with Deepak Chopra about his new book: Jesus - A Story of Enlightenment (see brief interview here)

.

Art: La Pie by Claude Monet 1869

early in his career

Sunday, December 21, 2008

"Nature is goodness crystalized." - Henry David Thoreau

Amazing ice formations...
Blue stripes in glaciers often occur when a crevice in the ice sheet fills up with meltwater and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Happy are those...

Happy are those who dream dreams
and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.
~ Leon J. Suenes

Painting: first continental congress

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The One Within


There's no reality except the one contained within us. That's why so many people live an unreal life. They take images outside them for reality and never allow the world within them to assert itself.

~Hermann Hesse (1877-1962)
German writer, winner of 1946 Nobel prize for literature

Monday, December 15, 2008

Do That


"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."
~ Harold Whitman

Photo: Belleruth Naparstek and Jackie
4/25/08

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Four Simple Keys to a Fuller Life


1. What’s Best for All

The Power of Choice. Every one of us makes countless choices every day. Every choice we make has an impact on our lives. Even insignificant choices can affect what we experience and how we feel. When hunger strikes, we can reach for a healthy, nutritious snack, or we can choose the sugar high of junk food. The more important the decision, the more profound its effect. For instance, how do I act towards that person who treated me badly? Do I generally choose to be passive, or do I actively set clear intentions and create what I want in my life? Every choice we make, however big or small, affects us in some way.

How Do You Make Choices? If you are interested in living a richer, fuller life, there is a foundation upon which you can base all of your decisions which can make life better not only for you, but also for all around you. This foundation is to choose based on what’s best for all. Imagine a world where every parent, spouse, friend, teacher, businessperson, and politician truly did their best to choose what’s best for all involved in every decision they made. We would certainly live in a more caring, supportive world.

It’s the Intention. “But how do I know what is really best?” you might ask. The answer is simple. It doesn’t matter. What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention behind your choice. What matters is that whatever decision you make, you are clear in your intention of choosing based on what’s best for all. If it later turns out that you made what appears to have been a bad choice, there’s no need for guilt. Knowing that you did your best to choose with a sincere desire for what’s best for all, your conscience stays clear and open. This then allows you to more easily learn from your mistakes, and to live with a clear heart and mind.

What’s Best for Me, Too! Choosing what’s best does not mean you have to always sacrifice yourself for others. An overly exhausted mother can lose her temper easily. Some time off for this mother might seem selfish, yet in the long run, it can help her to be a better mother to her children. So as we move through each day of our lives, let us remember to include ourselves as we do our best to choose what’s best for all.

2. Divine Guidance

Many Meanings for Divine. Guidance can come from many sources. Yet by opening to guidance from the divine, we open to the support of powerful forces greater than ourselves. The divine has different meanings for different people...

Read remainder of article here...

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Congratulations to Tyler & Carrie


Dear Tyler and Carrie:
Congratulations on your engagement!
(They plan to wed in Summer, 2010.)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Happiness is Contagious


From the Deacon's Bench:

In a study published online today by the British Medical Journal, scientists from Harvard University and UC San Diego showed that happiness spreads readily through social networks of family members, friends and neighbors.

Knowing someone who is happy makes you 15.3% more likely to be happy yourself, the study found. A happy friend of a friend increases your odds of happiness by 9.8%, and even your neighbor's sister's friend can give you a 5.6% boost.

Read the whole article here.

Thanks for the post, Char!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Graduation Week


Just a few thoughts as the 2008 class of the Program of Integrative Medicine traverses the final week of our fellowship - together.

Dec 7, 2008
The fellows trickle in... many beautiful moments becoming reacquainted with such wonderful people, kindred souls. We gather to share a meal at circular tables. The buffet held the familiar sights and aromas of healthy, tasty food. Happy faces, hugs, laughter - wow, how blessed I am to be back in this space. I share conversations with Layth from Michigan (a familiar face, an unfamiliar story) and Randy Horowitz, one of the fellowship instructors, who was amazingly a fellow in Allergy at the University of Wisconsin 1n 1993 when I was a medical student. What a small world.

What follows is another circle. A circle of beings in a room to greet each other, fill each other in on the last year. As our opening ceremony begins, Tieraona Low Dog and Victoria Maizes lead the way. The fellows sequentially present to their classmates gifts - tokens of themselves symbolizing what the fellowship has meant to them. 70 small but thought-filled, meaning-filled gifts. Lotus flowers, acorns, mandalas, poems, songs - expressions of our uniqueness, our journey, our compassion. As the ceremony closes Tieraona sings a song in her native tongue - we know not the words but are moved none-the-less. What a great beginning to that which is promising to be a wonderful week...


Photo: Sunset in Tucson 12/07/08

Family

The great advantage of living in a large family is that early lesson of life's essential unfairness. ~Nancy Mitford

Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted. ~Paul Pearshall

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown

Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go by any rules. They're not like aches or wounds; they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald

Blood's thicker than water, and when one's in trouble
Best to seek out a relative's open arms.
~Author Unknown


Monday, December 8, 2008

May today there be peace within


May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be confident knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

~ Saint Theresa

Thank you for the post, Dad!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Meditate.
Live purely.
Be quiet.
Do your work with mastery.
Like the moon,
come out from behind the clouds!
Shine.

~ the Buddha

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Happy Birthday, Joanna!


Dear Joanna,

I cannot adequately express how grateful we are to have you in our lives. You are a beautiful, gracious, energetic and intelligent woman. We look foward to celebrating many more wonderful years with you.

All our love, Stuart and Jackie


Friday, December 5, 2008

Stillness

St. John of the Cross (1542 – 1591) says: “The soul must be attached to nothing, whether of sense or spirit, which would introduce noise into the deep silence, for it is there that God speaks to the heart, in this secret place, in utmost peace and tranquility.” And he adds: “The soul must keep a simple, pure and loving awareness, like one who gazes with the awareness of love.”

Stillness is a gateway to the spiritual. When we sit quietly long enough, stillness of body, mind and heart gradually develops. The body’s fidgeting, itching, and restlessness settle down as it becomes quiet and at rest. Often as we sit, waves of emotion and thought cascade one over another in our consciousness, but as we watch them pass, unmoved, not participating in them, they begin to slow, and may at times cease altogether. In that still place we can let go of our attachments and intentions, let go of our desires (even the desire to be still), let go of our willfulness. When we let go of our willfulness, our intentionality, then we are open and receptive to being touched by the Will of the Ultimate Source.

It has been said that “stillness is the language God speaks, and everything else is a bad translation.” Stillness transcends space and time. Becoming conscious of stillness whenever we encounter it, in ourself or in another, will connect us with the formless and timeless dimension, which is beyond thought, beyond image, beyond ego. It may be the stillness which pervades the world of nature, or the stillness in your room in the early morning. It may be the stillness on your bench or cushion or the silent gaps between sounds. Stillness has no form. That is the reason thinking cannot make us aware of it. Thought is form. Being aware of stillness means just being still. To be still is to be conscious without thought. This is our practice. You are never more essentially, more deeply, yourself than when you are still. When you are still, you are truly your Self beyond temporal existence: conscious, unconditioned, formless, eternal.

Today is Important

"There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day."
~ Alexander Woollcott

Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Direction of Your Dreams


If you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, and endeavor to live the life which you imagine, you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

~ adapted from Henry David Thoreau

Monday, December 1, 2008

Happy Birthday, Mom


Mom, you're a wonderful mother,
So gentle, yet so strong.
The many ways you show you care
Always make me feel I belong.
You're patient when I'm foolish;
You give guidance when I ask;
It seems you can do most anything;
You're the master of every task.
You're a dependable source of comfort;
You're my cushion when I fall.
You help in times of trouble;
You support me whenever I call.
I love you more than I can express;
You have my total respect.
If I had my choice of mothers,
You'd be the one I'd select!
By Joanna Fuchs
Photo: John and Grace
September, 2007