Practice is essential to making progress. Because of the nature of brain function, a regular daily practice routine is much more effective than one cramming session the day before the lesson.
Upon Meeting My Great Grandfather on Memorial Day
Dear Charles,
I met you today on the net
The internet, that is -
Because I realize I know you in other weavings.
Died at your own hand, at 48
Romance
And gambling.
I was looking for an uncle,
The one who edited in Oakland,
He knew Jack London, Bret Harte -
I was looking for Romance.
When I look in your eyes
The tears well up in mine.
I feel as if I miss you.
My grandfather’s father took his life
And one of his sons did the same.
The others died of natural causes:
Your namesake - tobacco and drink,
My father, bacon.
I am clean and I am free -
Your brother gave us Tahoe,
His wife, this poem:
“Lake of a thousand hues from dawn to set of sun
Lake of silver and pearl as the course of the moon is run,
Lake with voice of thunder when wind and wave command,
Lake silent as time, still as space at rest on sand.”
Agnes Claypole Moody
Blazed Pine, 1941
which you may have published in “Out West”
had you stayed.
Each person who connects with their inner center radiates a beneficial energy to the world around them, much as a pebble dropped into a still body of water generates circles of gentle waves. In today’s frontier of the human spirit I believe that when we live by the universal spiritual values of love and honor and respect and compassion, guided by the knowledge of our human condition gained by modern science, there is a possibility that we can live in peace - the serenity of inner peace, the safety and security of peace in the world.
Those of you who have had trouble coordinating your right and left hands might get some inspiration from this epiphany from a student: “I get what the left hand does - it keeps the music stuck together!” - an important function!
I am re-reading John Welwood's "Journey of the Heart."
Here's a great passage:
“Path” is a term that points to the great challenge of human existence: the need to awaken, each in our own way, to the greater possibilities that life presents.
Depression creates a pattern in our cells. With each occurrence, the pattern deepens. The good news is that, with awareness and a little effort, the pattern can be released.
At the darkest time of the year - the Winter Solstice - as we celebrate the earth turning once more toward the sun, we also honor the renewal of the light which is within each of us, the rekindling of the Spirit of Wonder, by offering each other gifts, just as the Wise Men brought gifts to Baby Jesus.
Another result of impersonal or love-free sex is emotional hardening. When we harden our emotional bodies the tender and vulnerable sense of wonder within us suffers, often becoming lost altogether. Would you rather live in a society of openhearted, friendly, well-adjusted people, or a society of callous, selfish and unfulfilled people?
It all begins with me - each me inhabiting each body here on Planet Earth.
May your light shine bright. May you know faith in your courage and in your inner guidance. May every step be blessed. May every moment reveal new and inspiring vistas. May you experience aliveness and love.