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Archive for April 10, 2012

Kindness Daily: A Homeless Woman Bought Me A Coffee!

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A Homeless Woman Bought Me A Coffee! April 10, 2012 – Posted by kufda
My father and I started our morning by darting into the local grocery store. I waited on line at the Starbucks counter while he shopped around to pick up a few things.

As I was standing there I became aware of an elderly woman, hair disheveled, wearing layers upon layers of old torn clothing, hunched behind me in line.

She had a few toiletries and seemed to want the Starbucks cashier to ring up since that queue was shorter than the grocery store queues were.

At some point I became aware of her edging closer behind me – closer than I was comfortable with! I instinctively placed a hand over my purse and drew it closer to me. My fear and imagination raced creating wild stories about this homeless woman who might try to steal from me.

Then it was my turn to order. As the barista rang up my total I discovered I was 67 cents short. I called to my father but he is hard of hearing. He asked me to repeat what I said but he still couldn’t make me out.

At that point a long, grey arm, with holes in its sleeves, reached over from behind me. She laid 67 cents out on the counter, saying, "Here, We all need some help sometime."

I was stunned! Here was a woman who clearly had very little to give and in great need herself. I had judged her wrongly and she had reached out, unsolicited, to help me!

What an amazing gift and lesson this woman gave me about judging others. Thank You, God!!

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How To Think Like An Ecosystem

I’m neither an optimist nor a pessimist. I am a dyed-in-the-wool possibilist! By this, I mean with an eco-mind, we see that everything’s connected and change is the only constant. — Frances Moore Lappe

~~~~
Good News of the Day:
“A new way of seeing that is opening up to us can form a more life-serving mental map. I call it “eco-mind”– looking at the world through the lens of ecology. This worldview recognizes that we, no less than any other organism, live in relation to everything else. As the visionary German physicist Hans-Peter Durr puts it, “There are no parts, only participants.” This fascinating article from Yes Magazine describes — what it means to think like an ecosystem, why this crucial mindshift is necessary for our planet and what we can do to foster it.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB505:C3009629A010612CB23AFA4477613DE4B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
“If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper.” Thich Nhat Hanh shares a beautiful reflection on inter-connection
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB506:C3009629A010612CB23AFA4477613DE4B4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB507:C3009629A010612CB23AFA4477613DE4B4B847859706E37D&

InnerNet Weekly: Song of the Soul

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InnerNet Weekly: Inspirations from ServiceSpace.org
Song of the Soul
by Kahlil Gibran

[Listen to Audio!]

794.jpgIn the depth of my soul there is

A wordless song – a song that lives
In the seed of my heart.
It refuses to melt with ink on
Parchment; it engulfs my affection
In a transparent cloak and flows,
But not upon my lips.

How can I sing it? I fear it may
Mingle with earthly ether;
To whom shall I sing it? It dwells
In the house of my soul, in fear of
Harsh ears.

When I look into my inner eyes
I see the shadow of its shadow;
When I touch my fingertips
I feel its vibrations.
The deeds of my hands heed its
Presence as a lake must reflect
The glittering stars;
My tears reveal it, as bright drops of dew
Reveal the secret of a withering rose.

It is a song composed by contemplation,
And published by silence,
And shunned by clamor,
And folded by truth,
And repeated by dreams,
And understood by love,
And hidden by awakening,
And sung by the soul.

It is the song of love;
What Cain or Esau could sing it?
It is more fragrant than jasmine;
What voice could enslave it?
It is heartbound, as a virgin’s secret;
What string could quiver it?
Who dares unite the roar of the sea
And the singing of the nightingale?
Who dares compare the shrieking tempest
To the sigh of an infant?
Who dares speak aloud the words
Intended for the heart to speak?
What human dares sing in voice
The song of God?

–Kahlil Gibran

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Year of Dancing with Life – Week 27

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Dharma Wisdom: An integral approach to practicing the Buddha's teachings in daily life.
Week 27:
Starting Over

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