as michelle...

and i welcome our new edition to our family; one leaves us...



jake was our 'outside' cat that we took care of as a stray. he was a good cat, in every sense that a cat is able to be. kind and loving, and he also caught mice, and birds.

i found him the other day, and his one paw was ballooned up five times it's size. he must have gotten into a scrap with something that scraped back. i can only hope what he got into a scrap with is worst off.

he will be missed by us.

amitabha...

meditation...

is a difficult thing. i have to admit that when i don't go to temple on a regular basis, i really don't 'sit' at home and meditate. although i try to meditate in everything that i do...a more of an 'active' meditation.

i started reading thich nhat hanh's book; buddha mind, buddha body. and in that he talks about, in essence, walking meditation. and again; outside of the temple i find this hard to do. to experience every inch of your foot touching the ground. to be mindful of every step.

he opens the first chapter with...'you can make a step and touch the earth in such a way that you establish yourself in the present moment, and you will arrive in the here and the now.' to touch the ground with your foot in a very mindful way. i understood what was being said, but i found it difficult to practice. it seems so simple, but is very difficult...just like many concepts i find in buddhism; the complexity in the simplicity.

that was until lydia came into our lives. i now spend hours walking with her. holding her. bouncing her with every step i take. she really enjoys when i walk up and down the stairs with her. these things calm her. however; i have to be very mindful of every step, every bounce; especially when i walk up and down the steps at all odd hours of the day. she has helped me achieve something that i would still be struggling with...mindful steps.

to be present in every step i take. to be mindful of every step i take. how i am making that step, and is it the right step to make...she lets me know.

i now have two sifus. one at the temple. one at home.

amitabha...

on tuesday...

may fifth my wife and i welcomed our new edition to our family...

lydia poppy hamad



amitabha...