Small voice within

I took this picture on my phone yesterday at "All Fired Up" a paint your own pottery place. I love that quote.....It is one of my favorites.


Today is our 19th wedding anniversary.
We are going out to dinner at Mustard Seed......my favorite.


In honor of our anniversary, I will post a poem that Mark wrote for me 7 years ago for
our anniversary....and yes..the motorcycle part is true.
have a great day!!
Namaste,
Michele


anniversary poem (for michele)

by Markk



once a guy in a bar full of drunks offered

me his motorcycle in exchange for you,

& for a second there i gave it some thought.



there's nothing like

the feel of the wind

full against the face

roaring 80 mph down

the asphalt ribbons

of america, the sunset

behind, a two-wheeled

shadow passing over

hard pavement, broken

white lines shooting past

like blurry bullets.



but then again, there's

nothing like a barbados sunset

a maui morning, the salty

san francisco waterfront,

melrose street in l.a., the

solitary tropical islands of

the bahamas, grand florida

palatial hotels, great silent

national forest campsites,

the utter madness of a

put-in-bay weekend, the

energy of lake chatauqua,

even the casa linda, with

hookers & junkies or a

tacky las vegas italian

restaurant with bad wine

& an accordian player.



there are three tiny comedians still asleep

upstairs while you're

downstairs looking for

your keys & shoes,



yeah, once a drunk guy offered up his

harley in exchange for you, but i turned

him down, & in the long run no doubt

i got the better end of that crazy deal

believe

Here is another view from our dining room table.
and below is a quote in honor of Nurse's week.....this week.
Actually, tomorrow is National Nurses' day.
I feel so grateful to be able to be a nurse.
I have gone through many stages in this career....lots of ups and downs.
But I truly can say that this is a career path that I was meant to follow.
I come home so many days with so much gratitude for my job...and being able to connect with the people that I connect with. It is truly a very sacred job for me..... so in honor of Nurses' week, I am posting this beautiful poem.
Namaste,
Michele

To be of use
by Marge Piercy


The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who stand in the line and haul in their places,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

the story of stuff!!

My friend, Laura that I work with gave me this link.
Please watch it when you have a chance.
It takes about 20 minutes to watch...but I promise you that it is
an eye opener!!
It is very powerful....I sent it to everyone on my email address book.
It has me thinking so much.
I made my kids watch it as a "chore" for today.
At first they complained and then they got into watching it.
We are trying to make some changes.....first thing is to pack everyone's lunch in reusable
bags and containers.....I have so many things to reconsider.
Here is the link:
the story of stuff

Namaste,
Michele

Love what you do!!

Above is a picture from our kitchen....this is a Buddha.
"Buddha" means "Awakened One" - someone who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and sees things as they really are. A Buddha is a person who is completely free from all faults and mental obstructions. Every living being has the potential to become a Buddha.


Those who awaken never rest in one place.
Like swans, they rise and leave the lake.
On the air they rise and fly an invisible course.
Their food is knowledge.
They live on emptiness.
They have seen how to break free.
Who can follow them?
- Buddha.

"It isn't easy being green"

The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.
--Native American Proverb

Alive, Alive, Alive

above is a picture of JimBob and Dwier
taken a few years back when Dwier was home visiting. Hope you enjoy the quote below. Namaste, Michele

Seek out that particular mental attitude which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, "This is the real me," and when you have found that attitude, follow it. --William James

God Speaking

a view from our porch






Why Not Be Polite?


Everyone

Is God speaking.

Why not be polite and

Listen to

Him?



-Hafiz

come together!

Our Story

And if we don't know our own story, then we sit empty
— and the danger is there are all kinds of people waiting
to fill us up with a story they can control.
~Donald Davis
New Morning Treasury

God Bless the whole world...No exceptions!!!

These are some bumper stickers that I made at work with the kids.
I stuck them on our garage wall.


Below is a link to a trailer from the documentary called Dhamma Brothers....just click on the link to watch it.

Link to Dhamma brothers

It is not playing anywhere near me....but it looks oh so good.
It is about a 10 day meditation course that was taught in this high maximum security
state prison in Alabama....and shows the freedom that some of the prisoners found through meditation.

I hope it is available in video someday soon!!
Namaste,
Michele

flashes of light

My picture blog

click on the link above.
hope you enjoy!

Rise Up

Macy sent me this picture from her phone last night.



Thank you so much Uncle JimBob for inviting Mark and Macy to the Cav's playoff game.
Macy was so excited.
She loves, loves, loves the Cavs!!!
She knows every player and a little bit about each one of them.
and her friend Maddie (who is just as much a cavs fan, ) enjoyed the game too.
Everyone even got a free "Rise Up" play-off shirt at the game.
Thanks so much for sharing your loge with us!!!
Your are one awesome friend!!!!!

Each friend represents a world in us,
a world possibly not born until they arrive,
and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.
--Anais Nin

harmony

My friend Lynn got this for me last year for my birthday.
It is in our front yard....a very special gift!!

Click on the below link to read this article on Donna Kelly:

Donna Kelly Article

Donna Kelly is this amazing nurse that works
with the homeless here in Cleveland.
I have had the honor of working with her a few times.
She has such a passion for what she does
and she does so much good for the community.
People really trust her to help them.

All paths are the same: they lead nowhere.
However, a path without a heart is never enjoyable.
On the other hand, a path with heart is easy
-it does not make a warrior work at liking it;
it makes for a joyful journey;
as long as a man follows it, he is one with it.
-- Carlos Casteneda

taking time to remember

self portrait by Mira

What I know in my bones is that

I forgot to take time to remember

what I know.

The world is holy. We are holy. All life is holy.

Daily prayers are delivered on the lips of breaking waves,

the whisperings of grasses, the shimmering of leaves.

- Terry Tempest Williams