Once upon a time, there was a cat who liked to sit with the Buddha, sniff at him, and rest at his feet. They had “Dharma Talks.” He taught her about meditation: **"**As you practice remaining attentive, passionate, and firm in purpose, those memories and conflicts of life are let go, and with their letting go your mind centers and becomes calm, it strengthens. This is how you develop mindfulness of, and in, the body." ...
“If variety is the spice of life, enjoyment of a variety of different foods has to top the list.” (Late Blooms) Food is near and dear to the hearts of most people. If we have enough or more than enough, we’re grateful and happy. If we have very little or just enough to get by, all our energy is directed to the acquisition of this precious life-giving commodity. This is true for all cultures and peoples on earth. ...
[caption id=“attachment_1672” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Icicles taken from inside the Grenadier Restaurant - High Park,Toronto [/caption] Icy Cold Ice-covered Crystals Lustrous Earth Spectacle to behold [caption id=“attachment_1673” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Even in the depth of winter, the evergreen is a reminder that some things are still alive - Lustrous Earth.[/caption] ...
[caption id=“attachment_1630” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] With Toronto’s freezing cold weather and ice storm this winter, my heart has many a day reflected on sitting out on a beautiful Summer’s Day.[/caption] To make myself feel better about the extremely cold weather we’re experiencing now, I took a look at some of last year’s images. These collages are a result of that time. Seeing these does make me feel better and brighter in spirit. ...
Niagara Falls has always been one of my favorite places that makes for a nice get-away from Toronto. Fortunately for me, through the generosity and kindness of a friend, my visits there are once a month. It doesn’t matter what time of year it happens to be, the Falls are spectacular. As you can see from the images above, the recent ice storm left the Bridal Veil Falls (American side) frozen. The Horseshoe Falls (Canadian side) continues to flow and is the larger of the two. Such natural beauty! ...
A new heart for a New Year, always! (Charles Dickens, The Chimes) As the New Year draws closer, some of us are already thinking about what resolutions we are going to make to usher this ritual event into our lives. It’s definitely a chance for our hearts to be filled with hope for new beginnings and further realizations of our dreams and wishes - for ourselves and for others in 2014. ...
[caption id=“attachment_1492” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] By The Fireplace[/caption] “_So if a Christian is touched only once a year, the touching is still worth it, and maybe on some given Christmas, some quiet morning, the touch will take.” (Ha_rry Reasoner) It’s fascinating to take in the sights and sounds of Christmas around this great city of Toronto. “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere I go” as the popular song says. All kinds of people get caught up in the Spirit of Christmas, whether they are celebrating the Birthday of Jesus or just having fun. There’s so much to be done before Christmas Day - cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, decorating, writing, travelling, rehearsing, praying, singing, meditating, playing, just to name a few of the important things to be done. ...
[caption id=“attachment_368” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] “CATS”[/caption] You now have learned enough to see That Cats are much like you and me And other people whom we find Possessed of various types of mind. For some are sane and some are mad And some are good and some are bad And some are better, some are worse — But all may be described in verse. T. S. ELIOT, “The Ad-dressing of Cats,” Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats ...
[caption id=“attachment_213” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Pottery by Jason L’Abbe[/caption] Birthdays are wonderful celebrations and especially milestone ones like a 60th. It was with great joy that I attended and celebrated my cousin’s 60th birthday with her recently. There was lots of good food, family and friends to eat all of it, and we all had fun together. The birthday cake always brings these special occasions to an exceptionally “sweet” culmination. ...