sound of silence

From Emerson

joanromaine — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:03:41 +0000

“finish each day and be done with it. you have done what you could. some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. tomorrow is a new day. you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

From Lao-Tzu

joanromaine — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 14:05:40 +0000

In dwelling, live close to the ground.

In thinking, keep to the simple.

In conflict, be fair and generous.

In governing, don’t try to control.

In work, do what you enjoy.

In family life, be completely present.

The Value of Boredom

Meredith Mengel — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:04:30 +0000

The latest technology makes it easier than ever for you to surf the Web from wherever you happen to be. But is having the world at your fingertips necessarily a good thing?

Check out one person’s experience with the shiny new technology du jour–and the surprising outcome: http://bit.ly/cTCwSn.

Prayer – Maya Angelou

joanromaine — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:56:28 +0000

Father, Mother, God,

Thank you for your presence

during the hard and mean days.

For then we have you to lean upon.

Thank you for your presence

during the bright and sunny days,

for then we can share that which we have

with those who have less.

And thank you for your presence

during the Holy Days, for then we are able

to celebrate you and our families

and our friends.

For those who have no voice,

we ask you to speak.

For those who feel unworthy,

we ask you to pour your love out

in waterfalls of tenderness.

For those who live in pain,

we ask you to bathe them

in the river of your healing.

For those who are lonely, we ask

you to keep them company.

For those who are depressed,

we ask you to shower upon them

the light of hope.

Dear Creator, You, the borderless

sea of substance, we ask you to give to all the

world that which we need most — Peace.

joanromaine — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:07:02 +0000

May you always be blessed with walls for the wind,

A roof for the rain,

A warm cup of tea by the fire,

Laughter to cheer you,

Those you love near you,

And all that your heart might desire.

(Irish Blessing)

A Prayer from Thomas Merton

joanromaine — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:24:15 +0000

My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself,

And the fact that I think I am following

your will does not mean that I am

actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please

you does in fact please you.

And I hope that I have that desire in all

that I am doing.

And I know that if I do this, you

will lead me by the right road

though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always

though I may seem to be lost

and in the shadow of death, I will

not fear, for you are ever with me

and you will never leave me

to face my perils alone.

What do you really love?

Vivien — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:30:36 +0000

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.”
– Rumi

Thomas Merton

joanromaine — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:36:25 +0000

I realize some of you are already very familiar with Thomas Merton, however for those of you who are not, you may enjoy exploring around on The Merton Institute website and learning more.

A short excerpt from the website:

Thomas Merton is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential American spiritual writers of the past century. Thousands of readers have drawn strength from his words as well as the witness of his life, which was essentially the living out of a contemplative vision. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain appears on lists of the 100 most important books of the century.

Peace be with you,

Joan

Teabag wisdon

Vivien — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:57:52 +0000

It’s not life’s challenges that matter, it’s the courage that we bring to it.

The Technology Experiment: Days 1 – 2

Meredith Mengel — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:53:01 +0000

It’s a few days before the Thanksgiving holiday and I’m telling my colleagues about my family’s plans to make our home technology-free for a week. The reactions are mixed.

Several colleagues say, “That is so COOL.”

One, someone with whom I’ve just begun working but have quickly built a strong relationship based on mutual trust and respect…guffaws. Seriously. Guh-FAWs. “Let me know how that works out!”

Just to provide some context, I work in an office of application developers, multimedia hot-shots and tech-nomads. We don’t do anything without our technology. Not even whatever it is you’re thinking of at the moment.

Though determined to make him swallow his belly laughs, I arrive home and quickly discover I need to fire up the computer to print out a letter. It’s for a good cause–the teacher’s holiday fund for my daughter’s school–and I turn it off as quickly as possible. But then I realize I also need to alert another parent, who is helping with this endeavor, that the letter will be distributed the next day. I fire up my cell and send her an e-mail.

Then, I really slip. I turn on a puzzle game and play for a few minutes. It’s timed, and I can immediately feel stress building as I work quickly to destroy blocks in rows of three or more before they reach the top of the screen. My daughter comes out to see if I’m ready to read her stories. I hear myself respond in a distracted tone and realize I’ve just blown off my child for a brain-melting electronic diversion.

Suddenly it hits me: There’s a big difference between using technology as your servant and letting it own you. A bit ashamed, I put my cell on it’s charger and head for bed.

* * * * * * * * * *

Do you ever feel like technology is running (or ruining) your life? How do you manage it?