today i tried ("tried"?) to meditate ...couldn't quite settle my mind, couldn't quiet my mind.

at first, i felt the usual warm, heavy/light floating feeling...

then, i was thinking... thinking...

so... 

shhhhh....

be quiet, mind.

then, after that didn't work,

i somehow realized, that i was still meditating -- even though i was thinking and thinking

i realized that, the meditating was like a quiet, comfortable undertow... underneath my thinking and thinking and thinking

like something that is always there... the meditating

and that the thinking-thinking-thinking did not STOP the meditating, only obscure it... like maybe the meditating is like a stream, and the thinking-thinking-thinking only obscures the stream,  causing it not to disappear, but to run underground.

I recently learned that my dear old friend, Marvin, has leukemia.  He lives in Las Vegas, and we have been out of touch physically (not mentally/spiritually) for quite some time.

I wonder if any of you could maybe say some prayers, light a candle, meditate, for his healing.

I belive in the power of many minds coming together, for healing, and though you do not know Marvin, all I can say is that he was a kind friend who helped me when I needed help. 

This is Marvin: 

I am asking if any of you could please say a prayer, meditation, or just light a candle for Marvin.  Or even just a kind thought (though you do not know him).

Thank you,

-- zen 

This fell out of the tree on Mothers Day. He/she is actually eating (special baby bird formula via a special feeding syringe).  But I am a bit worried... he/she doesn't go after the food as eagerly as he/she should.

Anyway, Be careful what you wish for (you just might get it).  Ever since my last little sparrow (Liberty) suddenly disappeared, about two weeks after I set her free (after raising her from about a week old)... well... I have thought about her every day and wished that I had another little one to raise.

Wouldn't you know, on Mother's Day (right after calling my Mother), there this little one was on the ground, right under the 35-40 foot or so Itallian Cypress Tree in our front yard, which holds no less than 30 sparrow nests.

She is smaller than my pinky, just born, I am guessing.  (Notice I have decided that he/she is a she.)

 oooOOOoooo! My friend just sent me this one.  I like it!

I'm Not Lost, I Am Exploring

by Jana Stanfield

My friend the communist 
Holds meetings in his RV
I can't afford his gas
So I'm stuck here watching TV
I don't have digital

 And they threw in this beautiful mansion!

But I turned it down... would much rather live in the mountains, in a small cabin. 

I once had a cassette tape (remember those?) of maybe 12 different versions of Pachelbel's Canon in D...

That is long gone, but here are several versions/variations that I found on youtube.

The bittersweet music reminds me of birth, death, ecstatic joy, bitter sadness, life, nature, the green color of nature (SO much green, so intense!), sunshine, water, trees, skipping and galloping... among other things. :-)

I'll leave out the Irish version, which I heard for the first time a couple of weeks ago, but that is in another post here.

I especially like the 3rd one (piano) and the very last one (guitar) -- just a guy who says he wants to play this for his daughter's wedding, and that since she is only three, he has a lot of time to practice.

Please feel free to add any versions that you may like to this post.  And feel free to just ignore the whole thing, if you are not a fan of Pachelbel.   lol 

I just heard this for the first time!

The screen is meant to be black, so just listen ...and about 1/2 way through the piece, it becomes very Irish.  So fun!  Makes me want to do an Irish Jig, lol.

Here is a bit of info about Eileen Ivers, from about 3 yrs ago:

    I am so sorry for what has happened to your beautiful country.  My heart, prayers and good thoughts go out to you, and to all of your citizens.

It is a MULTI-user sketch site. You sketch with your mouse, and other users sketch right along with you! In real-time.

It's like drawing a mural, with several other people from around the world!

Sometimes there are immature kids on there, but it's okay, just ignore.  I almost didn't go back to this application, because a few kids spoiled the experience.  But let me tell you, it's well worth it to endure, and ignore, because there are some great artists here.

I just found this site, so I don't really have much to say as far as how to use it ... but you can learn as you go.

The reason I posted this is because of the FUN of sketching along with other people from anywhere in the world! You could, say, draw a circle, and someone else might come along and add to it! Or vice-versa.

I hope this post isn't like spam ...it's just that all the while I was on this site, I kept thinking some people on iThou would LOVE this! 

Multiple moons over AZ

(or are they orbs???)  ;P

Oh what fun we are having as we learn to use our new camera. lol. We have no clue yet why these anomalies occur. 

big argument, big fight at home.

i am just trying to stay sober

and i feel so alone right now

sorry 

just an old song, nicely recorded.  Felt like sharing.  (sorry, no good video, just the album cover)

Once in a Blue Moon ...

What, and when, exactly, is a Blue Moon?  Opinions and definitions differ...  but i'm going to be watching tomorrow, because i don't want to miss what comes only once in a blue moon.

 http://earthsky.org/tonight/is-the-november-21-2010-full-moon-a-blue-moon

okay, i don't really do facebook (maybe i should "get with it") ...but i thought this was pretty funny.

By the way, if i did do facebook, i would never "unfriend" any of you! :)

xoxoxox 

I haven't been on iThou for a bit, so I will catch up with all "The Latest" posts.

One thing that happened in my life is that the cute little sparrow I raised just disappeared overnight, around Sept. 15th.   I know it's no big deal, in the grand scheme of things, but I sure got to love her during her short little life :)

She would fly to me when I called her, and I would feed her.  This took place at least five or six times every day.

But one morning, she just quit coming to me.  And we had heard Great Horned Owls at night, for several nights, around that time.

I saw her at night, just before dark, then never saw her again.   I did find feathers, I don't know if they were hers.

It's strange, how a little bird can touch your heart so much, in just such a short time.

on July 4th, "Liberty" fell into our lives.  Well, first, she fell out of the 35-ft Italian Cypress in our yard, from one of the estimated 35-40(+) sparrow nests.  Then, she "fell" out of Tundra's mouth, luckily, because that's when we noticed her -- when he pounced on her and I yelled "Tundra NO! " and he dropped her.  Amazingly, she was not injured!

Tundra has, sadly, killed other baby birds.  It just seems to be instinct. He does it so quickly, it's like a flash, before I can even get a sound out or leap up to stop him.  So this little baby is lucky, (I hope).

Since I didn't have my own photo to show, I got one from the internet.  She looked exactly like the baby sparrow on the right (above).  And so tiny and helpless.

Sometimes we need a little humor...

Thanks to all who were here, or will be here, in spirit or otherwise, as we cast our Net of Light (thank you Dorothy T) and meditate for the Gulf of Mexico and all it's inhabitants.

Aho Mitakuye Oyasin (All My Relations)

I felt the warmth and energy in the Meditation House.