The hardest arithmetic

I love arithmetic and I love numbers.  As a Kindergarten  and Grade 1 teacher I would teach the children to count anything and everything:  buttons, cubes, shapes, crayons - whatever was handy.  However I don 't remember teaching them to count their blessings.  Of course I taught them to say "please" and " thank you". , but to recognize all the blessings they had was absent from the curriculum, aside from Thanksgiving Day.

Today I am a "little under the weather "  with an upset stomach and headache, so it is a perfect time to stop feeling miserable and acknowledge all the good things in my life.  Here are just a few.

I am grateful for:
1.  my son who has a generous heart and  makes me laugh
2.  my mother who supported me through all the years
3.  my dog who is getting old but who is always upbeat and  ready for an adventure.

I am grateful for:
4.  my garden,with the lovely flowers
5.  the tomatoes that I can pick straight from the vine, all warm and tasty from the afternoon sun
6.  the trickle of water from my pond which  invites birds and squirrels to visit.

I am grateful for:
7.  my extended family and friends  - for the  love and support they give me
8.  my fellow meditators  who join me in the silence and  help me stay on track
9.  my colleagues that helped and shared in the work load.

The list could go on and on...

 And finally
10.  I am grateful for the fact that I  live in a country where I can buy medicine to make my stomach feel better!

In gratitude for my many blessings, too numerous to count
Marg

Einstein : two ways to live

Yesterday was  busy day and quite windy.  I have had  headaches off and on for the past 2 days.    I hadn't yet walked the dog and looked out the window  in my home office and saw the most amazing sunset. I got the collar and leash and my dog and I walked out into the sky ablaze with gold, pink and red clouds.  The wind had died down and it was absolutely calm.  My dog and I changed our normal route to be able to walk towards the sunset.  Roof lines and trees were silhouetted against the ever deepening colours of the sky.  It was so calm, so still - a magical  experience.   I wondered how many people witnessed this beauty - how many were hunched over a computer screen ( as was I) or glued to the TV, oblivious to the show of beauty outside. Our life is full of  beauty and magic, if only we take the time to see,  if only we have eyes to see.  I felt in awe of this wonderful display, in awe of the beauty  and stillness . Albert Einstein once said: "there are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a  miracle". I choose the latter  -  to live  and witness  the miracles that abound in my daily life.

In gratitude for the awesome power and  beauty  of our universe,
Marg

Trees- silent sentinels of stillness

     Today I thought I would express my gratitude for trees. The picture above was taken while I was on retreat and I was drawn to this tree's beauty and grandeur. I was fascinated by this tree - it is such a metaphor for life.  It stands tall and strong with the roots searching deep into the earth. The branches  sway with the wind, but the trunk stays steadfast.
   Trees not only provide beauty especially, with the change of seasons, they  also provide cooling shade on a hot afternoon and protection from the cold winds in the winter.  We get heat, paper and furniture from trees.  They purify the air and keep the topsoil in place. Home for birds, squirrels and insects of all sorts, trees  provide food and protection for the animals.  Without trees I wouldn't experience the joy of birds chirping in the early morning, of squirrels chattering above.  Tress make  my city world come alive with nature.  They  purify the air, keep topsoil in place - the list goes on.
     I think of trees as silent sentinels of stillness -  they stand tall and still as generations of children play under them, lean on them, as generations of adults walk by them in their busy-ness,  often not even aware of the tree's beauty.  Trees give us so much - today I would like to acknowledge and be grateful for all that trees give us .  As I go for a walk with my dog today, I will try to be aware of that still presence of trees as I walk under their arching branches.

In gratitude for the beauty of  trees and all that they give,
Margaret