Quote of the Day - Belief in God?

"I don't know whether I believe in God or not. I think, really, I'm some sort of Buddhist. But the essential thing is to put oneself in a frame of mind which is close to that of prayer." - Henri Matisse

La Desserte rouge, Henri Matisse

La danse, Henri Matisse

Quote of the Day - letting go & changing your mind

“Until you get the measure of your own soul, Jim, don't be quick to condemn a priest, or anyone else for that matter. I'm not scolding you, sweetheart," she said hurriedly. "It's just that, until you've been there, you can't know what it's like to hold yourself to promises you made in good faith a long time ago. Do you hang in there, or cut your losses? Soldier on, or admit defeat and try to make the best of things?" She'd looked a little sheepish then and admitted, "You know, I used to be a real hardass about stuff like this. No retreat, no surrender! But now? Jimmy, I honestly don't know if the world would be better or worse if we all held ourselves to the vows of our youth.” 

― Mary Doria Russell, The Sparrow

Oprah's Lifeclass: Deepak asks, "What Are Your Unique Skills?"

The fifth question Deepak Chopra encourages us to ask ourselves in order to create a soul profile is "what are my unique skills."

I was recently told, "you are the most hopeful person I know." I had not realized it was hope that I had been feeling, but now I see it and appreciate it as a gift. I manage to find hope through any situation. I always return to it, especially regarding matters of love and faith.

"If you can find hope, you might find faith."
              - Sister Delores Hart

I want meaning, I seek meaning, I find meaning. I inspire others to find meaning in their own experiences. I am good at crying, and I enjoy making other people cry - as horrible as that sounds. When people cry it makes me believe they are in a deeper place in their minds or hearts that they do not normally visit. I take pride in being able to cry over one well-written line, one note in a song, a commercial, an idea.

I am good at listening without judgement. People often come to me if not for advice, then to just have their story heard. In return, I am open and honest as often as possible. I see the good in people and choose to trust them. I am not afraid to tell people how much I care and how I feel about them. I can find good compliments to give. I am compassionate and empathetic and some say I can write well. Sometimes, I think I can (or have), too.

I am not skilled at improv, at giving speeches on the fly. I can't think of come-backs, witty one-liners, and I am not great at answering questions under pressure and without careful thought. I am not good at small talk. I am not patient. I am not good at simple math.

I am skilled at sending letters by mail or e-mail and brightening people's day in that way. I can inspire. I am good at reflecting and overthinking. I recognize good dancing, good movies, and good writing. I am good at finding quotations.

Sometimes it is easier to have someone else tell you what your unique skills are. This was one of the more difficult questions to answer.

What are your unique skills? What makes you different than everyone else? What can you do better than anyone else?

Prayer

The fewer words, the better prayer. - MLK

My favorite prayer is saying "thank you" over and over and over.

Oprah's Lifeclass: "What Do You Want?"

The second of seven questions that Oprah and Deepak Chopra encourage us to ask ourselves in developing a "soul profile" is "what do you want?" In order to pull out and discover what I yearn and ache for, I close my eyes to focus on the specific question and let the words and ideas surface and become my answer.

I want health. I want to find the right person, to find true love. I want to connect with someone, the person with whom I choose to spend my life, on the deepest possible level. I want that connection to be intimate, intelligent, emotional, and a connection of great friendship, empathy, understanding, and trust. I want to be changed. I want to see myself reflected in another. I want to live simply. I want to continue to travel. I want to let education be forever a significant part of my life.  I want to complete good works of writing, not necessarily to publish. I want to change people's lives by changing their days with my words. I want to help people live in greater self-awareness, happiness, and depth. I want more. I want to read more. I want to be more spiritual. I want to live to the point of tears quite literally and on a daily basis. I want to always see meaning in the small and seemingly insignificant as well as the big. I want to develop closer relationships to people I already consider close. I want to push myself to become an expert in something I love.

I do not want silence.

In order to answer these questions, I am finding it easiest to make a list, think simply, think deeply. I am afraid to lose my answer and get lost in fancy language, trying to make it sound in writing more than what it is.

Oprah's Lifeclass asks, "Who are you?"

After watching Oprah's Lifeclass on Monday, I tried to answer the question "who am I?" Deepak Chopra said that your answer should have nothing to do with what you do or the role you play, like mother, teacher, or writer. So, who am I? Who are you?

I am not a friend. I am not a daughter or a sister. I am not a waitress or a college graduate. I am not a child. I am not counselor, advisor, or teacher. I am not a girlfriend. But I am here, and I am alive. I am a spiritual being in a human body facing human experiences. I just am. I AM. And that means something. I am hopeful. I am compassionate. I am not my past. I am not my thoughts, but I am thoughtful. I am not my mother or my father. I am soul. I am energy. I am connected to the universe. I am proud. I am brave. I am my own savior. I am not the one who listens. I am not the life of the party. I am not quiet, even if you think I am. I am not too serious, no matter who tells me I am. I am free. I am free from what I am not. I am not what other people think of me. I am not lost. I am not scared. I am creative, but I am not your inspiration. I am not yours at all. I am not the day dreamer or your secret keeper. I am not a writer. I am what I believe. I am goodness. I am love. I am a gift. I am light. I am movement. I am change. I am growth. I am strong. I am forever. I am now. I am words, and I am action. Those are not the roles I play. It is not what I do. It is what I believe, and I am what I believe.

Thanks, Oprah and Deepak!

Oprah and Deepak Chopra in NYC

"Our whole life is a meditation of our last decision - the only decision that matters." From Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton

Also,

"Hence the things that we love tell us what we are." (22)

"The murderous din of our materialism cannot be allowed to silence the independent voices which will never cease to speak: whether they be the voices of Christian Saints, or the voices of Oriental sages like Lao-Tse or the Zen masters, or the voices of men like Thoreau or Martin Buber, or Max Picard." - Thomas Mertin, Thoughts in Solitude, 12

Romantics

• From the movie The Romantics.
• "Romanticism/Romantics" refers to the literary, artistic, and intellectual movement of the late 18th century. The dialogue below refers specifically to English Romantic poets like John Keats and Lord Byron.
  
• Dialogue between a guy and girl who are in-love with each other. Yet it is the night before his wedding to another woman. The group of friends in the movie call themselves the "Romantics" and their purpose of being together is to inspire each other.
  
• A descent film, though I really dislike Katie Holmes
  

Guy: "The Romantics weren't writing about love, they were writing about religion."

Girl: "Then I don't know the difference."

Do we not talk about love in the same way we talk about religion? With the same emotion and even the same language? Does it not require the same dedication, faith, etc. Are love and religion, in a sense, the same? The girl in the dialogue implies that she interprets the Romantic poetry she has read as being about love. She applies it to her own life. She feels and is effected by the poetry. It inspires her.

"I was on a road, and there was no one with me. And in the dream I said, 'Idon't understand but I can learn if you will teach me." - The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell.

Garden State

Dialogue from the movie "Garden State." I utilize the conversation to summarize what I think faith is all about (not knowing but choosing to believe).

"Do you lie a lot?"
"What do you consider a lot?"
"Enough for people to call you a liar."
"People call me a lot of things..."
"Is one of them a liar?"
"I could say no, but how do you know i'm not lying?"
"I guess I could choose to trust you."
"You can do that?"
"I can try."