July 30, 2012

July 30, 2012


(All photographs are mine unless noted.)


   Tomorrow I go in for surgery to relocate two nerves that feed my right hand. I asked the doctor if he could relocate them to Los Angeles after all the trouble they gave me these past months. Without breaking a smile he said, "That's not how it works." Good! A serious and a most focused surgeon who took his time in evaluating the condition of the carpel and ulnar nerves along with carefully reading the EMG report which was a nerve transmission test I got earlier at another facility. I look forward to what I hope will be the end of pain which for awhile was a steady eight on a scale of ten.
   I think I have enough posts prepared to last through the rehab process after which I will be able to type at length and use the mouse with the right hand. I am learning to use my left hand and I am getting more proficient doing so. The old dog can still learn a few new tricks.


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      The following picture reminded me of a verse in a Russian Orthodox Liturgy which is printed below.

The Akathist Hymn: "Glory to God for All Things"

  This Akathist, also called the "Akathist of Thanksgiving," was composed by Protopresbyter Gregory Petrov shortly before his death in a prison camp in 1940. The title is from the words of Saint John Chrysostom as he was dying in exile. It is a song of praise from amidst the most terrible sufferings.

(Verse 4 below)

Ikos 4

   

When the sun is setting, when quietness falls like the peace of eternal sleep, and the silence of the spent day reigns, then in the splendor of its declining rays, filtering through the clouds, I see Your dwelling-place: fiery and purple, gold and blue, they speak prophet-like of the ineffable beauty of Your presence, and call to us in their majesty. We turn to the Father.

Glory to You at the hushed hour of nightfall
Glory to You, covering the earth with peace
Glory to You for the last ray of the sun as it sets
Glory to You for sleep's repose that restores us
Glory to You for Your goodness even in the time of darkness
When all the world is hidden from our eyes
Glory to You for the prayers offered by a trembling soul
Glory to You for the pledge of our reawakening
On that glorious last day, that day which has no evening
Glory to You, O God, from age to age

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Ilesford, Little Cranberry Island - a few days ago.

Friends... they cherish one another's hopes.

They are kind to one another's dreams.

                                                                                         Henry David Thoreau

Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.
                     

                                                                                                        Aristotle

   You may meet a person and instantly know that you will be best friends forever. Other friendships develop over an extended period of time. In some friendships you may feel a sense of equality, while in others there may be a clear sense that one is giving more to the friendship then the other. There are no rules about how a friendship has to be. If you are able to share your life with another human being, by all means go right ahead. All friendships are unique and special in their own way. Each one is valuable.

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   Pema Chodron is a remarkable Buddhist teacher who has a center in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Here is a talk by her on finding true happiness with some most helpful directions to go in. A most worthwhile talk.


Click to listen. There are six tracks which can also be downloaded to convert to MP3 for all devices that play this format. 


           https://www.box.com/s/e6ae8e8594f5986c4e15

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The flower that prefers to look at Mother Earth for energy

When the stairs appear to take you to a new or the next door, take them.

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Some humor:

See you next week,  Peace,  Bill Lagerstrom

July 23, 2012

July 23, 2012


(All photos are mine unless noted.)


   Every once in awhile someone comes into the sphere of our life that has something special to offer, they are something of a rare human being who are in their own right beyond what the ordinary hours of our life are about. I have been fortunate to have been mentored and befriended by several remarkable men and women over the years. They are those who have found a "Way Of Life" that suits them well and are willing to share the person they have become because of the compassionate generosity that has infused them to their very core. 
   We do recognize those who somehow have the ability to reach into our heart and become safe there in our interactions with each other. We may not always reach out when they come into sight, but even a short encounter can have a lasting effect on us. One such person for me was a Buddhist Nun who gave a short four week seminar at the Health Care Chaplaincy in New York City. I forget what the topic was but I will never forget the peace that this woman exuded. It was, and still is a clear memory being strongly enveloped in a cloud of serenity that emanated from the heart and soul of someone who became the path she followed. She was perhaps the safest person I may have ever been with. There was no need or desire to be anything else other than myself in her presence. 
   Here in the Bangor area of Maine I have met someone who has the ability to be a safe refuge to all he meets and works with. I would like to introduce him to you and ask that you visit his Blog which appears regularly in the Bangor Daily News.  Jim LaPierre is a Recovery Ally, someone not in recovery from any form of addiction but a friend to those who who are. 
   Please visit the site below and if you find it useful let all you know who might be interested know how to get to it. We don't get the opportunity to meet many people who help us shape our life in meaningful ways, I know that Jim's postings have value and I highly recommend taking a look and also subscribing to it. There is an overwhelming amount of material out on the net with not that much really worthwhile. This site is really worth looking at.


                                       http://recoveryrocks.bangordailynews.com


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When help is available, loneliness is not an option.

The lesson to be learned is how to be alone without being lonely.

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The door to the refuge where I am rarely lonely.

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   It is always another moment to take a few breaths and start again on the journey to fullness in life. Here is a letter to Mother Earth from where I do not know as it was sent to me without reference. 

Dear Beloved Mother Earth,

Dear Ancestors, both Spiritual and Genetic,

   We present ourselves before you at this solemn moment of the New Year to express our awareness, our gratitude and our aspiration as a spiritual family. We know that our ancestors are always alive in us and that we can always take refuge in you and in our ancestors.

   Dear Mother Earth, breathing in, we see that we and all of our ancestors are your children. With your patience, stability, endurance and creativity you have raised us and guided us through many lifetimes. You have given birth to countless Great Beings, Buddhas, Saints, and Boddhisattvas.  You are the great Earth, you are Terra, you are Gaia, you are this beautiful blue planet. You are the Earth Refreshing Bodhisattva–fragrant, cool, and kind.  We see that though we and our ancestors have made many mistakes, you have always forgiven us. Each time we return to you, you are ready to open your arms and embrace us.

   Because of our wrong perceptions and discrimination we have lived a life of separation, hatred, loneliness, suffering, and despair.  We have allowed individualism to prevail, and it has caused a lot of damage and hardship to you and to ourselves. We have run after fame, wealth, power, and sensual pleasures  and have forgotten that these pursuits could never bring us true happiness.

  

   We have spent many lifetimes not able to recognize your presence as the Pure Land, as the Kingdom of God, as the most wondrous home that we have. We have run after a distant Promised Land, in heaven or in the future. This has caused us and you much suffering. Tonight as we touch the Earth, we let go and offer you and our ancestors our true presence. We have arrived. You are our home, our only home.

   We have learned that only love and compassion can make our lives meaningful, allowing us to protect and preserve your beauty, and allowing us to heal ourselves.  We can learn to live as one family --  as a community of brothers and sisters, all children of the same Great Mother Earth, giving our descendants a chance for a healthy and a bright future. We know that only through building brotherhood and sisterhood in the present moment can we make this future a reality.

   Dear Mother, tonight, on the occasion of the New Year 2012, we make the vow to learn to live in harmony and peace, in the very heart of our family and our community, just as bees in the same beehive and cells in the same body.  We promise that we shall remain openhearted and capable of communicating with the members of our family and our community.  We promise to always listen deeply and to use peaceful and loving speech.  We shall learn to listen to your voice, Mother Earth, to understand you deeply and to hear your guidance and the guidance of our ancestors.  We vow also to listen to our brothers, our sisters, our friends, and to our children so that we may live in peace and harmony with them. We promise to learn to see the happiness and well-being of our family and community as our own happiness and well-being.

   Dear Mother, with great reverence, we give rise to the deep aspiration to begin anew. We promise to you and also to our children: that we shall learn to breathe and walk mindfully each moment of our daily life, to use the eyes and ears of the family and community in order to understand, to live simply and to love without discrimination, as you do. We promise to stop running from our suffering, but to recognize, embrace and transform it. Only by understanding our suffering can we heal and touch true happiness, and at the same time, restore your beauty and freshness.  You have been calling to us, and some of us have heard your pain. You have been asking us for many lifetimes whether you can count on us. Tonight, with palms joined and with one heart, we say “yes, Mother, you can count on us.” We shall practice for you and for all our ancestors so that joy, peace and harmony will become possible again. Please accept our offerings of incense, flowers, fruit, tea, and our love.  Yes Mother, we will be faithful to you.

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Here are two photos from a few weeks ago that easily show something of the serenity that I find on Campobello Island where Lee and I go regularly.
The first is the view from the deck of the cabin we rent taken in the very early morning. the second is a view from the lighthouse looking out on Cobscook Bay at dusk. I get only a feeling of belonging from both places at any time of the day. Morning has its own special moments as it is the start of a new day, another day that the Lord has made. Dusk is the end of the day where gratitude can be expressed for another day in God's Creations.

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A little humor:

Peace and Joy at any time of the day or night,

 no matter what others may think.

Bill Lagerstrom

July 16, 2012

July 16, 2012


(All photos are mine unless noted.) Double click on any picture to bring them all up in full screen. Click anywhere to return here.

- Spirit's Arrival -

Our Creator is coming to us

 from the distant shore

on the wings of the Spirit

straight into an open heart –

Stay awake as the dawn rises from morning's mist,

open to the new day arriving on the winds –

Across the shoals of denials,

to the shores of heart's longings –

The Ever Present Love of the God of everyone

is already in flight – hoping for locked hearts

to be vulnerable to Love's desires.


                                                           Bill Lagerstrom,    July 2012

   I would like to suggest that you enlarge the photo above and listen to the following song by Mavis Staples which is a message from our higher power be it God, Jesus or the Buddha.

                                       https://www.box.com/s/cafe2a708766c612a33c

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   Finally I was able to see an orthopedic surgeon here in Bangor and a date for surgery has been set for July 31st. Two nerves will be relocated to relieve the stress that has been causing all the pain. I will not be able to type for awhile post surgery but I will try to have several posts ready beforehand.


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   Listen to this song, also by Mavis Staples, about entering a door and how to go about doing just that. If you can stay in your seat and not get up and dance with your computer - let me know and we will send you the award for un-necessary self control. Be warned no one has won the prize yet. Mavis Staples is one of the great Gospel voices of the last fifty years - a true national treasure.


                          https://www.box.com/s/55e0f645b2b6e7520a16

A Door

The other side of the door

   - Home –

Don't sit with the strays at the Beloved's door !

That door is always open.

There is no gatekeeper, no butler to answer your cries of,

"Let me in ! Let me in !" 

One day, one minute, one second,

You may go in – you may not-

One follows Love, or they don't –

All you know, is a lonely longing.

God is wise, especially sly, and persistent,

Sending Angels to kitchen's door with fans –

Floating the rich smells of Real Food

To all who wander outside in the streets of denial.

Some test this welcoming house,

Putting one foot in the door and quickly stepping back.

They know instinctively that to enter fully with both feet

Removes forever all options for retreat.

Once in this house of All Joy and Wondrous Offerings,

Feet can only move to Another's Voice,

Calling the newcomer to the Kitchen's Table –

Where Love's Beginning's await the hungry soul.

                                  Bill Lagerstrom

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This week's humor:  The new way of learning the alphabet. No longer "A" is for the fruit apple, etc

            

             Peace,  Bill Lagerstrom