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Reading time: about 7 minutes (not including links, photos and your own side trips) I’m feelin’ groovy… After my AM centering prayer meditation, I sent the email about the pun competition. My endorphins were already flowing from the laughter the puns created. Next stop was my eye doc. He’s a cool, pony-tailed dude and I can always count on him to engage in some deep conversation. After we chewed the fat for a while, I left and headed north on Plandome Road for some more fat and my favorite bagel dealer (Manhasset Bagel) and a cinnamon raisin bagel with walnut raisin cream cheese. Due to my current dietary restrictions: dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free - this is a very-occasional treat. I was simply practicing “moderation in everything, including moderation.” If I don’t, I will soon become a casualty of imbalance. A deacon I know says it this way, “I pass balance...on the way to either extreme.” BTW – The bagels are so big, the store should have a warning sign, like the one I saw once in one of NYC’s Jewish delis famous for their overstuffed sandwiches: “Bend knees before lifting” --a poster in the bagel store. My bagel was soitenly delicious. The messages are all around us Since it was such a beautiful summer day, I decided to take my bagel for a walk. Plandome Manor is a quiet section on the north shore of Long Island with lots of English Tudor-style houses. As I meditated on mouthfuls of delight, I was entertained by the songs of mockingbirds and cardinals. This is one reason I don’t listen to my phone while walking. I want to be present to the beauty that’s all around me. I also want opportunities to meet people and pay attention to the messages that are also all around me. The first message that caught my eye was this “716” magnet. The buffalo reminded me that “716” is Buffalo’s area code and I remembered Dave and the techs at the Avis shop in this city. I also thought of my brother-in-law and his wife who met when they were in school there. So, I figured I’d text the photo to them and say, “Hi!” Walking further I engaged with a mailman saying, “Cool, you get paid to walk on this beautiful day.” He laughed and reminded me that he also has to walk on the other kinds of days. As we parted, I came across this laid back dude, just chillin’ in the warm sun. I felt just like he looked. I was feelin’ groovy. Driving back to my home, I got this message: Later, I got behind Harry Potter’s vehicle with stickers that said: “Hogwarts Alumni” and “Gryffindor.” You can’t see it, but there was another sticker that read: “My other car is a broom." The Red Mustang – a veritable mixed message board As I was returning home from my earlier adventures, I drove past this red Mustang that’s on my neighborhood walking route. I drove past and then turned around and took some current photos of the ever-changing messages displayed on the back of this car. Considering the variety of messages, I was wondering if this Mustang had multiple drivers or just one driver with multiple personalities. My question got answered when I struck up a conversation with a neighbor across the street - a guy with tattoos, big muscles and a Harley to match them. He told me the bright red car was owned by a retired lady who drove a school bus and wanted something fun to drive. Wonder if her name is Sally? Wonder how many MPD’s she gets? That’s not a typo, it stands for Multiple Personality Disorders. I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the tale…then you can decide. --I might call her a “Wild Woman of the Word.” After all, the Teacher mostly hung out with outcasts. Groovin’ with some old friends After checking in at home, I went out to meet with two of the old friends I had recently re-connected with. As I was going into the Malverne Diner, I snapped this message: After lunch, we went next door to see “Echo in the Canyon.” WOW! I was quickly reminded how music can evoke so many memories. The coolest part was that the three of us had actually lived through this period – AND SURVIVED! Some didn’t. A previous pastor, who’s about my age used to quip about this as he said, “If you can remember the 60’s, you weren’t there.” This musical adventure will be a history lesson for the younger generations. Jakob Dylan, son of you-know-who, was our guide as he told a tale of the Laurel Canyon environment that became the gathering place for so many great musicians. GO SEE IT! Laurel Canyon was also a short part of my first California experience. Me and two other guys had just driven 69 hours in my VW Bus from New York on our first surfin’ safari. It was the summer of ’69. We were supposed to meet up with another friend who had arrived earlier. He was staying with some people he met that lived in Laurel Canyon. I still remember the morning we caught up with Chickie. I pulled my Bus behind his and waited for signs of life, as he had been partying all night. Finally, he emerged from his slumber and groggily greeted us. Our summer of love was about to begin. Where’s the closest beach? Feelin’ Groovy OK, so here are two songs that kinda capture how I was feeling all day. Groovin’ by the Young Rascals “Feelin’ Groovy” from Simon & Garfunkel’s “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Time” --guess which famous band covered this song? ---> The Four Seasonings Same song on the Smothers Brothers Show Now, check out this updated version. Pessimists and naysayers gave it 5 Prozacs. PS - after watching this, my son quipped, “That’s Dr. Strangelove humor.” Here’s a related article I found about an interview with Albert Einstein after the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. I found it interesting that Einstein indicates that he liked the music of Brahms. “Brahms not bombs.” “Echo in the Canyon” featured several shots of the famous Rickenbacker guitars. After the movie, I thought of the American fighter pilot Eddie Rickenbacker. Maybe, one day, when more of the world wakes up and realizes our common humanity, “They’ll (be able to) turn their swords into shovels, their spears into hoes. No more will nation fight nation; they won’t play war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) Check out this video about a Mexican artist who’s bringing the Isaiah prophecy to life as he fashions weapons into musical instruments. You might call them “Weapons of Mass Delight.” “Music is my Ammunition” -this Playing for Change cover of the Bob Marley classic features his son Stephen With rising consciousness and projects like these, one day we’ll be able to “Give peace a chance.” When this age dawns this… …can be replaced by this… Imagine that! Peace, tOM #music #humor

As I’ve watched some of the individual and Avenger-series tales, I’ve benefited from seeing that the “good” guys/gals and the “bad” gals/guys all have a mixture of both – just like the rest of us “ordinary” folk. Helps me identify with them and their life stories. Yin/yang. “ Inspired by last Thursday’s PUNDERDOME pun competition (see previous post), I’m offering all you wordsmiths an invitation to compete in a MARVELDOME version. Here’s the objective: Reply with song lyrics that could sum up the new Spiderman movie. Hint: You’ll have an “edge” if you stayed til the end and watched the video clip that rolled after the credits. Winners announced next Sunday along with MY correct answer – I’m thinking of a particular rock song. But I’m hoping to be surprised by what other “correct” answers people come up with. Remember… “We see things as WE are and not as THEY are.” Our son John has gotten us into the fantastical world of Marvel’s superheroes. A long, long time ago in a galaxy far far away, when he was a mere “yoot”, Eileen and I introduced him to the Star Wars saga. As he grew in wisdom and strength, he repaid us by drawing us into other magical realms he was journeying into: The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia and others. Recently, John bought 3 boxed sets of all the Marvel movies released to date and the three of us have begun some fun summer “reading.” I’ve never been much of a reader but movies have always captivated me with their power to engage my imagination for a few hours…whereby “all my cares just drift right into space”… After I listened again to this classic, I found it interesting how the imagery fits right into this post. As I’ve watched some of the individual and Avenger-series tales, I’ve benefitted from seeing that the “good” guys/gals and the “bad” gals/guys all have a mixture of both – just like the rest of us “ordinary” folk. Helps me identify with them and their life stories. Yin/yang. “To everything there is a season…” For those that like live versions…and check out the interesting comments added by the uploader. As many know, the lyrics can’t be attributed to Roger McGuinn or any other members of the Byrds…or even to Pete Seeger, who first composed the ballad. Rather, the credit belongs to a B.C. composer named Solomon. WOW! He was pretty cool – and ahead of his time - using just one name – like Bono, Sting, Madonna, Eminem, Cher, Prince and others. Back to the post… On opening night for third Star Wars tale: “Revenge of the Sith”, we went in costumes: the three of us, our associate pastor Fr. Dave and his wife Nan, “some” of the Evans family (because their whole family wouldn’t fit into our battlecruiser) , and other folks I don’t recall. Our costumes were made by Carol Hoppe, a very creative fellow Sunday school teacher. The original brown-robe costumes she made have become multiuse garments, being used by John and me in a multiverse of epic tales involving super heroes. In my case, I’ve cloaked myself with their magical powers, portraying heroes in fictional and actual life – or reel and real life. These have included: Star Wars, LOTR and Francis of Assisi. I’ve included photos from two of these expeditions (cells phones didn’t have cameras back in the early Star Wars years). --In my yoga class – I went as Yogi-ben Kenobi. Our teacher is sporting the eye mask. --I’ve worn this version several times, including once for a Sunday school class. When I was looking for something else to add to this photo, I remembered an online class that unpacks the simple yet profound example provided by Francis’ chosen lifestyle. The course is called “The Franciscan Way: Beyond the Bird Bath.” As a result of writing this post and seeing where I’m being drawn at this point in my life, I may enroll in one of next year’s offerings. BTW – A few years ago, G-d used the writings of Richard Rohr and Thomas Keating to awaken me to the much-needed wisdom of the 12 Steps. As part of my initial learning, I did an online class on Richard’s book “Breathing Underwater – Spirituality and the Twelve Steps.” Very helpful in enabling me to recognize some stinkin’ thinking that was in need of transformation. --“Quadrilogy” - beyond “trilogy”… BTW – Regarding the aforementioned Spiderman competition - if you left the latest adventure before the post-credits scene… I AM TOM… …going back to my “GROOTS”… …and having a MARVEL-ous summer! tOM #music #puns #Marvel

Looks like no one guessed the song lyrics I was thinking of. However, I got the following very creative reply from my brother-in-law, Jimmy. He was on the correct continent and country and genre (rockestra***) and band and album. Here’s his gem: “Tom, That moody email was so long it seemed I would be never reaching the end. I might lodge a complaint about the useless energy I spent at dawn when I could have been kite flying. See you soon. Jim” As I’ve said before, I write to pass along what’s helping me on my journey – and have a little fun along the way. I’m not expecting replies, but when they come, I feel like it continues the conversation… “We decide which is real and which is an illusion.” These are the lyrics I was thinking of that, for me, sum up the newest Spider-Man adventure “Spider-Man: Far from Home.” They appear in “Nights in White Satin” from the “Days of Future Passed” Moody Blues album. To have had a chance to guess this, you would’ve had to meet the following criteria: --seen the movie AND stayed to the end – to the clip that rolled after the credits --like the Moody Blues enough to recall these lyrics --have been in my mind If you meet at least the first two, you’ll probably see how these lyrics could apply. Any further explanation would be a spoiler. While you’re here, I’ve included videos of two of the songs Jim put into his reply to me. These were the two that weren’t from “Nights in White Satin.” His first - “dawn” - is from “Dawn is a Feeling” and his second – “kite flying” is from “The Morning: Another Morning.” Warning: The “Dawn” video could be a potential “trip” hazard, so plant your feet firmly on the ground before take your protein pills and put your helmet on. Ground Control to Major Tom ***Rockestra --During the week, as I was thinking about the creative way the Moody Blues blended the old (orchestra) and new (rock), I came up with “rockestra.” This described the way the new genre didn’t replace the old genre but included it and built on its foundation. “As in music, so in life.” Here’s a reflection on this theme of “transcending and including.” If you’re interested in exploring this more, here’s a blog that might interest you. While you’re there, check out the blogger’s bio on this page. Some thought-stimulating quotes from her page: "Transcend and include... this is the self-transcending drive of the Kosmos—to go beyond what went before and yet include what went before... to open into the very heart of Spirit-in-action." Ken Wilber, A Brief History of Everything "Wouldn't it be wonderful if a group of people somewhere were for something and against nothing?" Ernest Holmes ***Today, Google showed me that there really isn’t anything new under the sun. “Rockestra” has been used for many years. The Moody Blues did this synthesis very well as they combined their sound with the richness of full symphony orchestras. The Beatles also ventured into this fusion with songs like: “Yesterday”, “Penny Lane”, “I am the Walrus”, “Live and Let Die”, “Piggies”, and “A Day in the Life”. Here’s a video from 1981, that, while a little rock heavy, shows how orchestral instruments (like brass) can be added with great effects. Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, Rare Earth, and Blood Sweat & Tears also included lots of horns. Rockestra with Paul McCartney and Pete Townshend - "Lucille" (1981) - MDA Telethon Enjoy! tOM #music #puns #Marvel #moodyblues

This version, which is better or worse depending on your point of view, has been upgraded (or downgraded) with a lot of new “organic” material. I ask your indulgence for sending an updated version. I’ve only done this once before with my April 15, 2018 tax-themed post titled “The Ides of April - Time to Give it to Caesar.” Since the 15th was a Sunday, I had an exemption that allowed me to add more material and still avoid a late penalty. If the toilet humor in this post offends you, simply wipe your hands of it and flush it. Reading time: under 20 minutes - Depends upon how full of crap you think I am – or you are; so, in either case, conserve water and wait to flush. Reading level: somewhere between 5th to 8th grade male Rating: PG-13 (“pretty gassy”) Changes from original – nearly all at the beginning and end - are noted in red in odor to conserve your time. Let’s see…as I was writing this post and thinking about a title for this farticle (not a typo – read on), for some unknown reason, the 1960 song “Alley Oop” (live American Bandstand version) came to mind. (Here's also a carton version.) If you’re reading this on the “porcelain throne” in the “library”, don’t flush yet as there’s more coming. I figured a title like this would appeal to a wide variety of minds: logical, scatological and, a third type, I’ll call scattered-logical. Personally, I’ve spent some time in all three states of mind. My family was texting about how major rain storms like those in Florida, where two of my four sisters live, can help ease the drudgery of car washing chores. I joined with “Personally, I also use the local Rainy Day Carwash. Now, if I could only figure out how to get nature to clean the inside." My sister Peggy replied: “For sure! Maybe I could wait for a wind storm and just open the doors!” Me (with some new material for this post): “Actually, I use that method to clear out the monkeys in my head. I just open my mind and let the wind of the Spirit blow them out. (Hey, that’s what the Spirit did to the frightened disciples on Pentecost. It literally scared the “crap” [fear] out of them.) But I have to remain vigilant, since they have a nasty habit of coming back again (and bringing their friends). That's likely, because for many years I didn't know they were there. As a result of this lack of awareness, I kept feeding them their favorite foods: fear, anxiety, anger, resentment, worry, regrets, etc. At least now that I know their preferred diet, I try to pay attention to my thoughts, so I don't indulge them. I try to stay awake! From my Spring Cleaning 2018 post… I don't want these uninvited pests taking up rent-free space in my head and spreading their crap all over the place like this video shows (thanks to son John for telling me about the YouTube's like this). Gives new meaning to AA’s caution about the effects of "stinkin' thinkin.” One more thing – seeing this RoboSweeper in action is one reason that I try not to leave machinery (as well as my thoughts) unattended. It’s also why I’m not ready yet to yield control of my driving to an artificial intelligence, like my son John is already doing in his Tesla. On the Wantagh Parkway at rush hour, with autopilot ON and hands OFF the wheel (isn’t his monogrammed steering wheel cool?): If the vehicle’s AI brain’s software “takes a dump” and crashes, I’ll be, as they say, “up sh*t’s creek without a paddle” and they’ll need a lot of Charmin to clean me up off the road. Go with the flow – don’t restrict it Cousin Margie: Consider this post the report you had asked for. Since you were a teacher, please be generous when marking it and give me an easy passing grade – as easy as I’ve been able to pass gas after my colon was removed a few years ago. As a result of my colectomy, I’ve been running with minimal restrictions, due to my “straight pipes.” For you non-gearheads, that’s a racing term for a vehicle that has an exhaust that has been modified for easier flow by removing restricting parts such as the muffler and catalytic converter. Listen here for the beauty of the engine’s un-muffled heartbeat. Fart attack: Punderdome update While we’re on this smelly topic, I wanted to give you all an update on my recent visit to the New York Post Fifth Annual Special Edition of the Punderdome Competition in Brooklyn. The next regularly scheduled (not Annual) competition is Sep. 10. First, the crowd – for starters, compared to me, nearly all of these punsters were youngsters, mostly 20- and 30-something’s enjoying the festivities with favorite beverages in hand (there’s a bar and snacks). They were very raucous, resembling the audience in the old Capitol Arena in Washington, DC. Those serio-comic wrestling matches were my and a few of my brother-in-law’s TV introduction to professional wrestling. Eileen’s brothers like to tell stories about how they’d act out what they’d seen on television, which was only stopped by Mom after it got too rough. However, it always riled up their dog, Chip, who’d bark continuously, until he was put into the backyard and out of sight. However, he’d still keep barking as though he knew what was going on inside. BTW - My favorite parts were the antics of the tag team matches – those of the managers and of the wrestlers. Here’s an example of one of these world championship events: The infamous “bad guy” Graham Brothers vs. “good guys” Antonino Rocca & Miguel Perez. The rules, if there were any, were frequently overlooked, not only by the performers but also by the lax referees. As you saw in the video, rules like, “only one member of the tag team was allowed in the ring at a time,” weren’t heeded. Even the “bad guy” tag team managers, like the Graham’s Bobby Davis would often enter the ring and join in the fighting. All of this was part of the show. The Annual Punderdome Competition There were two farts – (p)oops, I meant parts: the first featured teams of 2 pun-ers each, selected from a list of applicants who had signed up upon arriving. Four winners from this elimination round advanced to the finals. These 4 were paired with New York Post writers who, as they quipped, “Get paid to pun.” The 4 teams were presented with copies of actual articles that ran in national publications and asked to come up with punderful new headlines. They had about 2 minutes to squeeze them out. Here’s the first one from a USA Today story: First Story Each 2-person team presented their first 5 gag lines and then, in the second phase, posted their second 5. Here’s what was excreted by the elimination round: Second Story With relish, the contestants topped off this story with these entries: -->I’d welcome your own puntastic additions to these two stories. Scatalogical humor - it's a gas, gas, gas (sorry, Mick) Before farting, (p)opps, I meant parting, here’s a related movie scene from one of my favorite comic geniuses – Mel Brooks. BTW - It’s bean nice passing along some humor to you. I just recalled this skit from the 1974 parody film “The Groove Tube” whose stars included Chevy Chase. Definitely what I’ve called male 5th-grade humor. BTW – film opened with this classic from Curtis Mayfield (awesome drumming!). I was about to send this, when I wondered what other funnymen would venture into this sophomoric area…and Monty Python came to mind…and “Yes” there is a related clip. In fact, it’s a medieval version of the first Punderdome news article. …and then there’s Steve Martin’s famous line in response to someone who asked him if he’d mind if they smoked… …Robin Williams lights one up… …and an offering from the 1997 movie “RocketMan” – again the scene brings new “depth” to the movie’s name. Fartman - the next Marvel superhero??? After I posted this, I came up with a suggestion I’d planned to send to Tony Stark for his Iron Man clothing line. It’s an idea for a flatulated auxiliary propulsion system. While it might not pass local greenhouse emission standards, it’s sure to fly under the radar and meet the “brownhouse” version. Taking this further, I might suggest to Marvel Studios a name for this new superhero – Fartman. After penning this, Google showed me, that once again, as wise man Solomon said many years ago, “There’s nothing new under the sun” (or under our shorts). Turns out, my idea wasn’t original. Apparently, it was used by both National Lampoon and radio “shock jock” Howard Stern (a Wikipedia article states that “he first used Fartman in July 1981, when Batman’s Adam West was a guest on his show, to which he made an impromptu Fartman outfit in five minutes, although the original outfit contained a toilet seat necklace which Stern later discontinued from his motif.”) In odor to keep the rating at PG-13, I’ll only include a link to the Wikipedia article. You’ll have to find the videos on your own. I will however offer this very, very funny fake Marvel super-hero movie trailer. It continues to be a MARVEL-ous summer. A more serious look at the implications of messing with nature Hopefully, an organic version of Brown-25 can be developed for this potentially all-natural fertilizer. This is by far better than the carcinogenic crap Monsanto delivers via its pesticide products. I’m glad to see that public pressure via lawsuits has companies like Monsanto and Dow in a “Round Up” and is forcing our often covertly complicit government to make them pay for fouling our common nest with their crimes against our planet and its inhabitants - sentient and otherwise. Here’s a Wikipedia article that sums up Monsanto’s willful intent to bribe officials, manipulate public opinion and falsify records. And now for something completely different (honoring the bawdy tradition of Monty Python) As I was writing this poopst, I remembered a particular day from my high school years at Power Memorial Academy in NYC. It might have been in sophomore year. BTW - the two Greek roots that make up this word combine to mean “wise” “fool.” Definitely described us! After school I joined some friends and crossed Amsterdam Avenue into a classmate’s apartment in the projects across from the school’s 61st Street address. Someone had acquired a 45 rpm record of a farting contest that featured two contestants: Lord Wopperton and Sir Boomerton. An announcer described the action as each contestant assumed their positions at the farting post in the center of the ring. Much to our male delight, each round was filled with exaggerated sound effects. Prior to the start, the referee inspected each person’s trunks to be sure the vent hole was regulation - that is, standard size and shape with no added material that might enhance or amplify the sounds as nature intended them. As the contest entered the final round, the contestants were tied. The tension built as the first man prepared for this sudden death “elimination.” He let some huge ones rip with gross sound effects, scoring lots of points, then returned to his corner. Next, it was the other guy’s turn. He scored a few points as he warmed up with some tweeters but he’d need a really big one in odor to win. As we stood around the record player, what followed cracked us up. Slowly, the last man standing began a monstrously huge explosion that seemed for sure to give him the win. But as we was finishing, we hear this squishy sound and the announcer says, “Oh no! He sh*t! He’s disqualified! And the winner is... After some final laughs, I walked a few blocks to the 59th Street subway station and took the A train back to my home in Richmond Hill Queens. Funny, I remember this 57-year old event more clearly than most of what I learned in my classes. Looks like there are still a bunch of monkeys running around up there... Tesla AI Enhancement After I wrote the original post, I thought of a possible software upgrade that might allow me to trust AI. I was informed there’s a sweet bootleg version - a hack - called “Sugar Magnolia” authored by coders named Weir and Hunter and joined by a now deceased coder named Jerry, who can be currently located Truckin’ along on part of the information superhighway known as The Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion. (Note: In the spirit of Marvel, I chose an illustrated version of this fun summer song.) (Deadheads: check out Robert Burton’s Youtube channel for more like this.) Accordingly, the legend says the following about this intoxicatingly sweet female AI known by her code name “Sugar Magnolia”: “She's got everything delightful, she's got everything I need, Takes the wheel when I'm seeing double, pays my ticket when I speed” Wow! A two-for-one driving benefit! Might be better than those “Support Your Local Police” window and bumper stickers and PBA cards we flash after getting pulled over. Here’s a funny one I found while penning this piece: As I’ve said before, I love playing with language and am thankful I had a great teacher – my Dad. Without his bad influence, I wouldn’t have groan the way I did. I guess you could say, “I am my farter’s son.” P.S. Thanks, also, to my two brothers for keeping the family tradition alive. And my sisters are no lightweights either. We are fartners in crime! Wait a minute! I‘ve only included five songs in this post. Ah ha! I just thought of another one by the British songstress Flatula Clark. Spelled like that, her classic “Downtown” takes on a whole new meaning. Hopefully, you’ve groan accustomed to my sense of humor. tOM #humor #puns #music #GratefulDead #Marvel #Punderdome #JackNicholson #StarTrek

Today is a really good Good Friday. With the growing awareness that this could be my last post on the last day of my current life, I’m taking this opportunity to share with you a few things that are helping me see this season, this day, this life in completely new ways. Consider this my last will & testament, containing what I’d want to leave with you if we only had a few final minutes together. My new vision continues to come through the lens of Franciscan spirituality – a radically different, radically inclusive yet profoundly simple interpretation of the nature of Reality. In this completely new way of seeing no thing and no one are excluded! As a result, in the end, Everyone wins! Now that’s a story – a Revelation, if you prefer – that has a happy ending. And THAT IS REALLY GOOD NEWS!!! This is very different from HOW I interpreted WHAT I was given by nearly all my teachers: at home, in school, in church, and in the rest of the world. I use the word “interpreted” to remind myself and readers that we all have biases - less than 20/20 vision. Because of this: I/we see/hear things as WE are, not as THEY are Refer to this recent post for more about vision-limits that result from our “confirmation bias” and “negativity bias.” Once I became aware that we all perceive every bit of information through our own limiting filters; I was able to set a lot of people free in my courtroom: parents, teachers, religious authorities and others. I no longer waste time blaming them for HOW I received what they presented. I am fortunate that I now feel that all of these people, who were entrusted to care for me, were doing the best they could with HOW they were interpreting what had been passed on to them. So it’s a little easier for me to trust that it’s a benevolent universe – a safe place in which to grow up. Others did not experience such a healthy environment. Even then, mercy triumphs over judgment. This unfolding awareness is freeing me from fear and replacing it with a peace that transcends all my prior attempts at trying to be perfect, at trying to make sense of everything. This newfound peace of mind, body and soul is helping me let go of control, let go of trying to figure it all out…so I can relax into the Mystery some call G-d. It’s like having extra playtime in kindergarten, or an unexpected paid day off for adults, or extended savasana time in yoga. Can I get an “Amen?” or an…Ahhhh……..Ommmmm…….. “Hang out with me, all you that are grinding it out in your own strength, and I will give you much-needed rest.” --Matt. 11:28 - my version “Chill and know Who and Whose you really are.” --Ps. 46:10 – my version If you’d like to know and experience more of what’s changing me, please refer to the source material I’ve included below or contact me by phone, email or via the “Contact” form on my new website. Then, sit with it…sit with it…sit with it…and wait for the still small voice to speak into your heart…then see what happens next…and next…and next… Just read until something stirs in your heart and… …STOP…… LOOK……LISTEN……REST FYI – This is one way to do the contemplative practice known as Lectio Divina. Sources The Really Good News – in my own words Simple summary of the Really Good News that’s been setting me free: It’s a benevolent universe - G-d is for us, not against us We don’t have to earn G-d’s love – there’s nothing we can do or not do that will change this love (Wow! This really helps me relax.) G-d proves this love by suffering with us and as us rather than for us as many of us were taught (builds trust as I feel the solidarity when I suffer - we're in this together) I am a spiritual being having a human experience…my spirit is eternal (clarifies Who I am and helps me live more from my True Self - the part that never dies) I live in G-d & G-d also lives in me - this amplifies my ability to love - myself & others (gives me joy) I am here to experience this in my knower (a formless place that includes my mind, body and spirit) Until I see face-to-face (can happen now or later), I'm a Roman(s) wrestler. Suffering is somehow part of the divine plan and not some anomaly (virus) caused when our ancestors ate some forbidden fruit. While this is a mystery with no easy answers, noticing suffering's universal presence leads me and others to conclude that it’s here for a reason. As Gimli quips in LOTR, “It was deliberate.” This awareness helps me to practice Acceptance. The Really Good News – in the words of my spiritual father, Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM (4 Daily Meditations – each about a 5-minute read) …Reminder: chew your food slowly so the Spirit in you can help you digest what you need Universal Restoration --“The Christian image of a torturous hell and God as a petty tyrant has not helped us to know, trust, or love God. God ends up being less loving than most people we know. Those attracted to the common idea of hell operate out of a scarcity model, where there is not enough Divine Love to transform, awaken, and save. The dualistic mind is literally incapable of thinking any notion of infinite grace.” At-One-Ment not Atonement --“Salvation is much more about at-one-ment from God’s side than any needed atonement from our side. Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity (it did not need changing)! Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God!” Transforming Pain --so we don’t transmit it to others (how appropriate now and always) Vulnerability—Even in God! G-d is vulnerable & suffers with us. --“Only vulnerability allows all change, growth, and transformation to happen—even in God.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Before you go, here’s a meditation song that captures a lot of the message of this post. You Can Relax Now – Shaina Noll ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Well, that’s the meat and potatoes. If you have room for a second helping… Visit the "Richard Rohr" page on this site and visit the Center for Action and Contemplation's Home page. Please stay with me and my Jacobian wrestling with this new way of seeing Reality and don’t stop reading & wrestling & loving alongside me – until you, too, allow the time you’ll spend exploring & sitting (action & contemplation) to help you see deeper, wider and with greater love and compassion. If you do this – rather, if you like Mary allow it to be done to you, you will, like Jacob, receive the prized blessings you need. We’ll be a tag team! All Together Now… As we’re finding out now during this global pandemic, we’re all in this together. Whatever happens to me, happens to you…whatever happens to you, happens to me. And this is ALWAYS how it’s been. We’re connected, not separate. All separations are illusions - including: Separation from ourselves, separation from one another, separation from our natural world and separation from G-d. I’ll say it again, these separations are all illusions. We’re all connected. The Universe is ONE big interconnected web. Covid Connection Protocol: To contact me about this material or for any other reason, just give me a virtual high-five using the “Contact” form on my home page. #RichardRohr #GoodFriday #suffering #death #resurrection #ShainaNoll #FranciscanSpirituality

What if it’s simply to be together around the dinner table, perhaps a last meal together for a particular family member, who might be going away to school or moving to another state to start a new job, or getting married, or dealing with a serious illness, or……………..? What if, at its heart, it’s simply: Sharing a meal Consoling someone going through a rough patch Celebrating and being grateful for what we do have Telling stories about our day Reminding one another what’s important Recalling family history Asking for and offering forgiveness Accepting people as they are Look beyond the elements of bread and wine – they are just symbols. We are the body of Christ! (1 Cor. 12:27 - I encourage you to read the whole chapter - we are all connected - "ligimented" if you like. "Religion" [re-ligio] literally means "re-ligimented, reconnected") The Eucharist is a take-out meal... ...so, let’s offer ourselves to one another as bread for the world. AA applies this in its 12th Step - To keep it (recovery), you gotta give it away. "If it's not big enough to share, it's not big enough to satisfy." "Christ is the bread, awaiting hunger." — St. Augustine It's not about worthiness...all we need is hunger... (please read this freeing meditation) Jesus eats elbow-to-elbow, burps-to-farts with his friends. He doesn’t separate himself from them and eat at a special table away from those he cares about. He did say do this loving of one another as a way to remember him and his example. “And the world will know we are his followers by our love” (John 13:35). He never said “the world will know we are his followers by our dogmas and doctrines.” He did say “love your enemies, forgive your brother from your heart.” (ck other Beatitudes) He never said God hates________ (fill in all the types of people who are different from you, who do not believe what you believe, who do not live a lifestyle you approve of, etc.). Do WHAT in memory of me? Looking at the Scriptures I wonder how we developed such elaborate Eucharistic services. Jesus’ message is very simple - “All he was saying is give peace a chance (love one another).” “DO what I’ve done…” Digesting the scriptures about this last meal with his friends Matt. 26:17-30 - no mention of this instruction (“do this in memory of me”) Mark 14:12-26 – no mention of this instruction Luke 22:7-38: · In v. 17 Jesus says, “Take this (cup) and divide it among you.” · In v. 19 he continues, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’” · And v. 20 continues: “In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” Luke summary: In these three verses, we are being told to imitate Jesus’ example by offering our very selves as bread broken and offered up for the world. And this will always involve drinking from the cup of suffering – a cup we share with him. “Love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:1 to 14:31 – Summary of John's account: “DO what I’ve done - Wash one another’s feet.” This section is completely different from the news reporters’ versions given to us by Matthew, Mark and Luke. John moves beyond the facts to share with us G-d’s very heart. “…the disciple that Jesus loved…” (13:23) informs us that John had a special and intimate relationship with his Teacher and Friend. This section describes John as seated next to Jesus (a place of honor); who, at Peter’s request “lean[ed] back against him (Jesus)” and asked Jesus to tell him who was going to betray him. Truly a heart-to-heart relationship – one to which we are all invited. It’s not about dogma and doctrine – it’s about relationship! Final words to his friends: “Wash one another’s feet.” One of my favorite passages because, for starters, it features two guys that have my first and middle names – Thomas and Peter – two ordinary folks that still don’t understand because they are trying to figure out Jesus’ message with their ordinary dualistic consciousness. The solution, as Jesus will relate later in this section, is that their consciousness needs an upgrade – a Spirit download from the cloud that will open their eyes, especially, the eyes of their hearts. So, you could say they needed both brain and heart transplants. Above all else, this section reveals the very heart of G-d. Jesus knew who he was and where he was going. From this identity and destination, he completed his mission: which was also his father’s – a complete offering of himself in service to others. Gotta Serve Somebody – Bob Dylan (0:06:37) "To a hungry man, a piece of bread is the face of God." --Gandhi Loaves and Fishes This is not the age of information. This is not the age of information. Forget the news, and the radio, and the blurred screen. This is the time of loaves and fishes. People are hungry and one good word is bread for a thousand. ~ David Whyte (cited here) Second Helpings Eucharist - The Christian Mime The Eucharistic mime, and that is what it is—a story enacted through motions more than words—has four main aspects that we are to imitate from Jesus’ first enactment. 1) You also should take your full life in your hands. In very physical and scandalously incarnational language, table bread is daringly called “my body” and wine is called “my blood.” You are saying a radical “yes” to both the physical universe itself and the bloody suffering of your own life and all the world. 2) You then thank God (eucharisteo in Greek) 3) You choose to break your life and death wide open. 4) You then chew on this mystery for all the rest of your days! (see above link for the rest of this Daily Meditation) This is my Body - Weekly Summary (3/3/19-3/8/19) "At the Last Supper, when Jesus held up the bread and spoke the words 'This is my Body,' I believe he was speaking not just about the bread right in front of him, but about the whole universe, about every thing that is physical, material, and yet also spirit-filled. (Sunday) Wherever the material and the spiritual coincide, we have the Christ. That includes the material world, the natural world, the animal world (including humans), and moves all the way to the elemental world, symbolized by bread and wine. (Monday) How daring and shocking it was for Jesus to turn the whole tradition of impure blood upside down and make blood holy! (Tuesday) Much of later Christianity has been rather prudish and ashamed of the human body, which God took on so happily through Jesus and then gave away to us so freely in the Eucharist. (Wednesday) In the Eucharist, a true believer is eating what he or she is afraid to see and afraid to accept: The whole universe is the body of God, both in its essence and in its suffering. (Thursday) [To] experience the ordinary as extraordinary . . .  is experiencing the world as God’s body, the ordinariness of all bodies contained within and empowered by the divine. —Sallie McFague (Friday)" As is the custom, the weekly summary includes a contemplative practice that helps the message to get into our pores...into our cells...into our incarnational bodies. This week's practice was foot washing. It began by presenting John's account and then offered this suggestion: "While sometimes reserved for Holy Thursday, foot washing as contemplative practice can happen any time, with anyone. Invite someone to share this ritual with you—if you both are comfortable having your feet touched by each other. No particular script or special space is needed, just a basin, warm water, towels, and your authentic presence. You might choose to wash in silence, focusing on the physical sensations. Or you may wish to talk about what you mean to each other, express gratitude, or ask for forgiveness. However you choose to practice foot washing, I hope it helps you experience your own and your companion’s bodies as God’s body." #Gandhi #DavidWhyte #RichardRohr #BobDylan #eucharist #HolyThursday

In case you missed the URGENT message in the Good Friday post, you can view it here. I’m calling it my last will and testament. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OK – That should put a smile on your heart, some bounce in your steps, and enable you to cancel your eternal-life fire insurance policy (see, I’m savin’ you $) …so, let’s put our dancin’ shoes on… These thoughts began to take shape a few nights ago as Eileen and I watched “Billy Elliott” (trailer link) and I heard the song “Cosmic Dancer” – By T-Rex (there’s a link below). Ever since the pandemic began, I’ve been reflecting on the themes of suffering, death and resurrection. Understandable: I’m 72, have medical concerns, including a chronic lung condition, which makes me a high risk during this global crisis. Hey, would you want to know? The Perennial Pattern of Transformation: Suffering…Death…Resurrection Many traditions describe these three themes as forming a perennial pattern of transformation - with each step leading to the next: suffering to death, death to resurrection. Furthermore, it’s not just a single cycle – it repeats, if we allow it and surrender to its wisdom. This leads to ever greater resurrections. Another way this is stated is to say that we need to die before we die. “The grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die.” The small daily deaths to our small self are practice for the BIG ONE. This path of transformation is known by various terms. Christians call it salvation; Eastern traditions, enlightenment; and the Twelve Steps, recovery. Trust the Process To follow this three-step (or 12-Step) path takes: 1) the realization that you are at the end of the resources of your small, finite self and then 2) the decision to trust in something greater than yourself. The life of Jesus provides an example of HOW to walk this out: suffering that leads to death that leads to resurrection. An Invitation to Get on the Dance Floor Several have described the spiritual journey using a dance metaphor. My Mom even wrote a book of her poems with the title “The Lord of the Universe Dances in Trees.” Two of these dance-themed and light-hearted, light-on-your-feet poems are below. My spiritual father, Richard Rohr, entitled his book on the Trinity, “The Divine Dance – The Trinity and Your Transformation.” (FYI – The Foreword was written by “The Shack” author William Paul Young.) Richard says that HOW we see one anything determines HOW we see everything. Is our journey through life drudgery filled with duties and obligations; or, can we see it as a dance…possibly even freestyle (like coloring OUTSIDE the lines)? I’ll leave you to think about that. Join the Dance THEOLOGY IN SONG The Lord of the Dance – Dubliners (0:02:28) Cosmic Dancer – Marc Bolan & T-Rex (0:04:49) Lyrics that spoke to me of Jesus’ trek: I was dancing when I was twelve (about the age he was when he met with the religious leaders in the temple) I was dancing when I was aaah (or “out, yeah” I danced myself right out the womb (what an image for entering life with enthusiasm [word literally means “filled with the breath of G-d”]) Is it strange to dance so soon I danced myself right out the womb Is it strange to dance so soon I danced myself into the tomb (faithfully following his path led to his early death) Is it wrong to understand The fear that dwells inside a man (we see Jesus wrestling with demons, including fear in his time in the wilderness at the start of his mission and again, at the end, when he faces his impending death) I danced myself out of the womb Is it strange to dance so soon I danced myself into the tomb But when again once more I danced myself out of the womb Is it strange to dance so soon I danced myself out of the womb. (In these last 7 verses, I see “womb” as a metaphor for “tomb.” Again, by surrendering to a bigger plan for his life, Jesus was enabled to dance right through suffering then death and on to resurrection. And, we too are invited to follow this same path of surrender leading to new life. ) THEOLOGY IN MOVEMENT Resurrection - danced by Selah Warriors (0:04:29) "God's Great Dance Floor" by Chris Tomlin- DANCE Choreography United Dance (0:03:44) The Lord of the Dance – Michael Flatley (0:04:59) Casting Crowns - Oh My Soul (Official Lyric Video) (0:04:14) Partial lyrics: “There’s a place where fear has to face the God you know” What kind of G-d do you and I know? · Richard Rohr says that instead of being made in G-d’s image, we make G-d in our image. · He says it another way, “We become the G-d we worship.” (0:03:32) Every Move I Make | Dance-A-Long with Lyrics | Kids Worship (0:03:18) --“I live and move and have my being in G-d.” --Whenever I’m writing about deeper things, I try to include kids [Hey, Jesus did]. This helps to Keep It Simple Saints.) “Become like a little child…” Appendix (please do not remove) “The God of the Universe Dances in Trees” --a book of poems by my Mom - Catherine Tittmann - about whom I, too, can say, "I danced myself right out of her womb..." This is the first poem in the collection… “I Dance With My God” With foot-tappin' joy!!! #Easter #Resurrection #dancing #CatherineTittmann #RichardRohr #music #dance #12Steps

Originally sent as an email around 7/14/19 My Sunday morning TO DO list: Centering prayer meditation Kundalini yoga Juice some veggies Keep in touch, write, walk Well, this Sunday morning my TO DO list got trumped once again by my TO BE “list”. This sometimes occurs when I give up my plans and deeply listen to the “still small voice”, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” So, I put my plans for the morning aside and responded to the invitation to allow my “ghost” writer to direct my steps. I never know where I’m gonna go when I yield to my Inspirer. I almost never sit down to write with a plan in mind; rather, I’m learning more how to be carried along and directed. I trust that this is the fruit of much quiet sitting in the Presence and the desire of my heart to share the light that’s being given to me. I’m certain that the artists I know who are reading this would echo the importance of staying in the flow of creativity. Today’s victory: A triumph of HEART over HEAD. Here’s what emerged as I listened… Yesterday, at one of my Saturday men’s gatherings, our presenter passed along some wisdom and experience he had accumulated in his 70+ years. Before he was done, he played the following video that offers a fresh take on the gospel story that will be read today in many churches. Lower your shields: If your religious antennae are starting to go up, I ask that you temporarily lower them and just receive the stories I’m about to share, as just that, stories. The 5-minute video you’re about to watch begins with the following: “Rather than offering a definition which would just prompt another question and maybe an argument and the people would just find loopholes, Jesus offers him (the man who asked, “Who is my neighbor?”) a story – because a definition can close down our minds, but a story can really open it up.” Who is my neighbor? --from Fr. James Martin’s Facebook page For those not familiar with this tale, here’s a version: The Good Samaritan Story Grandparents, Parents: If you have the opportunity to tell the story to your grandchildren/children, be sure to find an illustrated children’s bible like this one. Pretend you’re Peter Falk reading to Fred Savage and add your own touches. Here’s a short animated version you can watch with your kids. The full version is here. --from the song in the video: “When you look with your heart instead of your eyes…” A reenactment for grownups Dr. Martin Luther King’s reflections on this parable --from his final speech - “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” delivered on April 3, 1968 – about 2 months before Bobby Kennedy would be killed and 1 day before he, too, would be gunned down by hate. Article on “Daredevil” - a Marvel character with Good Samaritan sensibilities --found this link in a Wikipedia page on the Good Samaritan --A good Samaritan is always listening and looking for opportunities to serve those in need. Kinda sounds like a Teacher I follow. An early attempt to earn my Good Samaritan hero’s cape Sangha buddies: Please reply and let me know if any of you were with me on the night of this adventure. One night I was out walking with some friends with no particular place to go. We were a bunch of “wild and crazy guys” headed to a local night spot to search for some “foxes”. (Richie, remind you of me and you back in the day?) Behind us we hear the thump, thump, thump of a car driving with a flat tire. It pulls to a stop just ahead of us. I decide to see if I can help. Note: I was just learning to “play with cars,” as my automotive repair mentor and friend Steve used to say, and I’d worked mostly on VW’s. Steve was a disciple of VW guru John Muir, who wrote a very helpful and funny “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive – a Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot.” Correct spelling as shown. Note: this book was 20+ years ahead of the popular “Dummies” books. It’s now in its 20th printing, having been purchased by millions of folks that, like me, want to do it ourselves. So I sized up the situation - flat tire.. foxes in the car... superhero to the rescue...and they drove off together into the night...and “Oh, what a night.” Well, read on to see how I was about to lose my opportunity for the cape… and the girl… I located the jack and tire wrench and raised the left front of the vehicle until the tire was off the ground. “Hey, it’s only flat on the bottom.” I grabbed the tire iron in order to loosen the lug nuts. Wouldn’t budge. Not sure if this next part actually happened but it makes the story even funnier. At some point I realized that part of my problem in trying to loosen the stubborn lug nuts was that, since the tire was off the ground, I couldn’t get good leverage - the wheel kept moving as I applied force to the tire iron. So I lowered the car down and tried again. No go. I even used my foot and pushed as hard as I could. None of my bystander friends had any wisdom to add. I’m sure the rest of this DID actually happen… Just then help arrived in the form of a “greaser”. To me and my friends, anyone that even vaguely resembled John Travolta fit into this stereotype. These guys were Samaritans to us hippies, as were the straight-laced “preppies” we also made fun of. Of course, the three “ethnic” groups I just described hung out at different bars and night spots: hippies at 10 Downing Street (where I met my Eileen, my future soul mate), preppies at The Salty Dog, and greasers – I don’t recall. Might have been at White Castle or the Big Bow Wow or some other fast food joint near Cross Bay Blvd – a favorite local drag strip. FYI – McDonald’s had not yet brought its nutritious “food” to our area. This mysterious stranger walked up, surveyed the situation, went back to his “muscle” car and came back with a drop light that he connected to the car’s battery. (Note to self: add one of these to my infant tool collection.) He then did something that amazed me and at the same time showed me how much I still needed to learn - he turned the tire iron the opposite way I had been trying to turn it - he turned it clockwise. Huh? I had been taught “Lefty loosey, righty tighty.” When the spare was put on and the vehicle was back on the ground, he explained that Chrysler used left handed threads on the driver side of this car so the lug nuts wouldn’t loosen up when driving forward. If I had a drop light like him, I might have noticed the “L” on the head of each wheel stud. (Note to self: next time, remember to use both left and right hemispheres of brain.) Well, this Don Quixote would have to wait for another opportunity to rescue a damsel in distress. And more “screw” up’s would occur on my road to a career “playing with cars.” A picture’s worth a 1,000 words --are you a member? Footnotes: I just re-read John Muir’s Chapter VI – Flat Tire! I could have shortened that night’s learning curve if I had read it beforehand. Besides the very simple tech tips, John always added humor. Here’s an example from the beginning of the chapter on tires: “It may seem redundant to most of you to have a chapter on the lowly tire, but perhaps there are some, particularly on the distaff side, who would like some specific direction in this most common of road emergencies. It helps if you have a mini-skirt and good legs.” This book is by John Muir (b1918– d1977) who was a structural engineer who worked for National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), who "dropped out," 1960s-style, to become a writer and long-haired car mechanic with a garage in Taos, New Mexico, and who specialized in maintenance and repair of Volkswagens. For Steve, Richie, Mike C, Mike T, Cathy T and, of course, Chickie – all the folks that owned V-dubs of all shapes and sizes: buses, bugs, convertibles and Karmann Ghia’s John Muir - The patron saint of backyard VW mechanics everywhere... --article even includes a 1-minute video of John Coming to my rescue many times, he was truly a good Samaritan to me – and those other VW owners cited above that I tried to help along the long and winding road of life... --John Muir - my guru Good Samaritan Rest in pieces… --from the book’s Frontispiece - this illustration depicts many nights in my early days of turning wrenches tOM #music #VW #JohnMuir #GoodSamaritan #Marvel #Daredevil #MartinLutherKing #JamesMartin

My family just watched Amazing Grace and I’m inspired - but I’ll try not to preach : ))) In this movie the passion of William Wilberforce reminded me of all those who’ve tirelessly worked to end the termination of the lives of unborn children - some of whom could have grown up to be future “elders.” See, apart from the moral considerations, mine is very practical – I’m hoping that one of these babies will find a cure for all the conditions I have that can take my life before my expiration date. I’m choosing "elders" to differentiate it from “olders.” Today, and likely at most times in the short history of the human race (BTW – who’s winning?), we have a lot of olders but few elders. The chief distinction is the accumulation of wisdom, rather than mere years. You have to allow yourself to experience a lot of life’s ups AND downs to gain wisdom; while the years just tick on without any effort on our part. That said, age is no guarantee of wisdom. I know young people that already possess it. I believe they’ve been sent to help us. My wife and I are blessed to have such a child - our 31-year old son John, who, like his namesake - John the Baptist - was born to an old-timer (I was 40). Again, like the Baptist’s, John’s birth was special. See “Testimony” on this web page. One more comment about the path to wisdom – it often comes from failure more than from success – from doing it wrong rather than doing it right. Here’s one perspective on this important yet paradoxical lesson. And here’s one from the Harvard Business Review. Whenever I’m in a discussion about this topic, I almost always refer to CSN&Y’s “Teach Your Children” because, as the song progresses, it transitions from parents teaching children to children teaching parents. In a healthy family environment, the cycle continually repeats itself. I believe this is the ideal - with Jesus simply illustrating the model (as in the scene where, at around 12, he’s described as teaching the religious leaders). After all, didn’t he say, “Follow me?” Basically, he’s telling us to do what he did - AND MORE! Raising up new elders is our responsibility. Our future depends on it. A former pastor who influenced me for over 30 years once quipped about this, “If I retire to Florida to play shuffleboard all day, just shoot me.” FYI – You can see more of his wise one-liners under “Bishop-isms” in this blog post. King Solomon was praised for his wisdom. We have a shortage of elders in nearly all institutions, including on all sides of the political aisles. Somehow, as I was writing, I recalled S&G’s “Mrs. Robinson” and the lines, “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you, wo wo wo...” We are sorely in need of elders, not just folks with a lot of social media likes or lots of grey hairs. Wikipedia on “Mrs Robinson” & reference to Joe DiMaggio Simon happened to meet DiMaggio at a New York City restaurant in the 1970s, and the two immediately discussed the song. DiMaggio said "What I don't understand, is why you ask where I've gone. I just did a Mr. Coffee commercial, I'm a spokesman for the Bowery Savings Bank and I haven't gone anywhere!" Simon replied "that I didn't mean the lines literally, that I thought of him as an American hero and that genuine heroes were in short supply. He accepted the explanation and thanked me. We shook hands and said good night". In a New York Times op-ed in March 1999 ***, shortly after DiMaggio's death, Simon discussed this meeting and explained that the line was meant as a sincere tribute to DiMaggio's unpretentious and modest heroic stature, in a time when popular culture magnifies and distorts how we perceive our heroes. He further reflected: "In these days of Presidential transgressions and apologies and prime-time interviews about private sexual matters, we grieve for Joe DiMaggio and mourn the loss of his grace and dignity, his fierce sense of privacy, his fidelity to the memory of his wife and the power of his silence". Simon subsequently performed "Mrs. Robinson" at Yankee Stadium in DiMaggio's honor shortly after his death in 1999. Source ***Notice the date…not much has changed since then – which confirms my comments about a shortage of wisdom figures. Paul Simon’s performance from Joe DiMaggio Day Extra Innings Why We Should Listen to Old People Stages of Life “Hinduism teaches that there are four major stages of life: (1) the student, (2) the householder, (3) the forest dweller or hermit (the ‘retiree’ from business as usual), and (4) the beggar or wanderer (the wise or fully enlightened person who is not overly attached to anything and is detached from everything and thus ready for death). I once saw these four stages represented in four stained glass windows in a Catholic church in Bangalore, showing how central this cultural paradigm is to the wider Indian culture, not just practicing Hindus. Western cultures tend to recognize and honor only the first two stages at best. We are an adolescent culture. Seeing these missing pieces in our societies, I helped develop men’s initiation rites and have explored later stages of life. [1] My experience tells me that when we do not intentionally cultivate the third and fourth stages, we lose their skills and fail to create the elders needed to understand the first and second stages and guide us through and beyond them.” I’m in the “Forest Dweller” stage. I identify with that imagery, as I often find my soul in nature. My website’s Home page reflects this appreciation. Growing Up Men – OnBeing 2017 podcast host Krista Tippett with guest Richard Rohr (0:51:26) From Intro: “I’m not sure any living spiritual teacher has been recommended to me by more people across the years than Fr. Richard Rohr. Especially striking is how many men — diverse men — have told me they had trouble connecting to religion and spiritual practice, but that this Franciscan changed their lives, deepened their spirituality, helped them grow up. So at long last I’m here to draw him out and it’s a conversation with expansive scope, much like his teaching and writing: on why contemplation is as magnetic to people now, including millennials, as it’s ever been; on male spirituality and the epidemic of what he calls ‘father hunger’; and on the work of moving into what he describes as the second half of life. The first half is necessarily about survival, ‘successful survival,’ and preoccupations like titles and prestige and possessions with a dualistic, either/or sensibility. But all of that doesn’t take us all the way to meaning — which is not a linear matter of age and time.” For more on raising up wise men, refer to my “Mens’ Journey” web page. #unborn #children #Hinduism #HinduStagesOfLife #RichardRohr #RonRolheiser #OnBeingProject #KristaTippett #NativeAmerican #baseball #JoeDiMaggio

Actually, I’m using some poetic license here – you’ll see why. Yesterday in the late afternoon – after my breakfast - I went out for a walk. Retirement is grand – breakfast any time of day! Outside, I met Jess, one of John’s friends. We were chit chatting about life and I mentioned one of my favorite wisdom sayings from one of my favorite guru’s – a certain yogi – not from India but from St. Louis, and later, Montclair, NJ. You fans already know about whom I’m speaking. Gripe: I really don’t like the writing convention that recommends not ending a sentence with a preposition. That said, here’s my preferred way to say my previous sentence: “You fans know who I’m talking about.” Ah, that feels better. Here’s the quip: Since we’re talking about yogis, I could add references to how similar his wisdom statement is to the Buddhist witnessing our thoughts practice – but I won’t. Oh, yeah – about my use of poetic license. There was no American League East Division until the 1969 season, so, technically, Yogi was never a part of this division – but it made for a catchy title (and apropos for a catcher). With that, Jess started telling me about the summers she worked at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, which was about an hour’s drive from her Albany home. During those times, she met Yogi and other players and got to know him. She said he was a likable guy. We finished our conversation and I walked about half a block and saw this on the path ahead of me – I’m not making this up – it really unfolded just like this. I called to John and Jess and they will confirm my story (I promised them tickets to next week’s game). I know what Yogi said… …so, using my best 7th inning stretch, I reached for the object destiny had placed before me. To see what adventures lie ahead in upcoming season please come back and visit my blog. For your convenience, there's a Subscribe form near the bottom of the Home page. The End Post Game How Yogi got his nickname More Yogi-ism’s from USA Today “As he so perfectly put it: ‘I never said most of the things I said.’ Here are 50 of our favorites.” (Read article for all 50) These first two have some echoes of our current time of crisis: 5. No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded. 17. The future ain’t what it used to be. Here are a few more for your enjoyment: 24. You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there. 26. Even Napoleon had his Watergate. 31. I don’t know (if they were men or women fans running naked across the field). They had bags over their heads. 44. Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets. 49. If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be. Game over. Yankees win! The Yankees win! #humor #Yankees #YogiBerra #John #Jess #baseball #Buddhism

The following prayer came to me on Thursday morning in that twilight time of just waking up - deciding whether to roll over or start the day. This is an in-between state of sleeping and waking – a liminal (threshold) space. A land that’s juxtapositioned between the unconscious and conscious realms. As such, it can offer a very creative canvas, where almost anything is possible – for our conscious filters about what’s possible haven’t fully come online. The part that says “Yes, I can” can briefly out vote the millennia-old safety-and-security software that cowers behind “No, I can’t” or, like Gollum whispers, “Too risky.” The imagery in this prayer is from the Matrix movies that son John introduced years ago into our family consciousness. Rather than just having fun with words or trying to be clever, this post is about real stuff in a real life – mine – that I’m being shown I need to pay attention to. This last statement pretty much sums up WHAT I write about in my blog and WHY I do. I don’t want to be like the guy Eddie P. describes when he quips, “Here take my advice…I’m not using it.” Now to the prayer… Chief Architect, Turn off high alert in my reptilian brain’s warning settings. Put it in standby mode. Always running in the background to protect me from viruses and other online predatory forces...it can be a major resource hog when set to constant high alert. FMI - Most of the threats that have consumed its OCD-like attention have never happened. (FMI – For My Information – You already know this) Clear my cache of all the sweet-tasting cookies of my cherished but half-baked opinions, what Louis CK calls his “believee’s,” that fresh code might be downloaded there. Close all my numerous open files, unfinished posts, and interesting web pages that serve as distractions and take up resources that would be better utilized by focusing on what I am to do today, who I am to be today. Enable me to delete out-of-date programs and files to make room for new ones. Help me choose to allow my hard drive to be reformatted to a softer one (floppy), so I can practice being drawn and not always driven. Before I try to assume your role and attempt to fix a few lines of what I think is another’s corrupted code, remind me to first work on the whole programs of my own that need upgrading or deleting. Help me trust the Oracle (Spirit) of the Machine City that she will serve up prompts that will guide me...”this is the way, walk in it”...”these are the words, type them.” Enlarge the scope of my operating system, so I’ll be able to see that we are always connected – like a routine is to its many subroutines. Quicken me to recognize when anomalies arise in my preferred programs, so I’ll be able to allow them to make unscheduled and unplanned upgrades – especially, when these changes are not recognized or supported by the software powers-to-be. Give me wisdom to choose which commands to execute and the adaptive intelligence to pursue new pathways when the previous programs are no longer useful. When you feel I’m ready, write your new programs not on the solid state of my hard drive (head) but on the very flesh of my heart drive. This will give me the far–from-artificial adaptive intelligence that will enable me to pursue new pathways, when the previously-written-on-stone programs have outlived their usefulness. Store in ROM what I need for future access. Put into RAM just what I need for each NOW moment. Then when I reboot, my RAM will be clear and ready to receive each day’s new coded guidance and instructions. Remind me to allow ample times for my CPU to be refreshed - off duty - by respecting sleep mode and screen-saver (meditation) settings. Grant me the serenity that comes from the wisdom of knowing what’s my path and what isn’t and, making this choice, help me freely choose to take the blue pill and stay awake, with all the joys and sorrows that this freely-made choice will entail. You have awakened me! When tempted to go back to sleep, give me courage to continue to choose the blue pill. Finally, help me accept that, until I fully allow my personal programs to be absorbed into your master one, I’ll never fully understand how simple 1’s and 0’s combine to produce what I see on the screen of my life. There’s lots of Mystery in both worlds – virtual and “real.” #prayer #liminal #Matrix #HolySaturday #RichardRohr #LouisCK #Gollum #EddieP #spiritual #wonderer #wanderer

This post started with a Mother’s Day email I received earlier this week from Theresa at Kundalini Yoga of Long Island – a welcoming studio I’ve visited for concerts and workshops. Her thoughtful writing always blesses me and her current reflections echoed in a deep place in my heart, where for some time, I’ve been wondering about the feminine side of G-d that’s presented in the world’s sacred scriptures, beginning with the one that first formed me. One feminine quality is receptivity, as evidenced as a woman receives the male seed and protects and nurtures it within the safety of her body. To help prepare us to be receptive, let’s begin this time together with a contemplative chant based on a prayer of Teresa of Avila. I selected the duet version as it helps us see the dual nature of G-d’s “gender” identity. Martha’s of the world, chill – it’s only 3 minutes of be-ing. “Seek yourself in me…seek me in yourself…” OK, let’s move on, hopefully with some newly-created receptivity and open spaces. Here’s Theresa’s email…” Mother of the world I can't help but think that this pandemic is Mother Earth's way of giving us all a time out. Let's face it, we, the human race have been behaving badly. As much of the world is social distancing and in their homes, Mother Earth, our World Mother is healing. Places around the globe are witnessing blue skies for the first time in many, many years, clear waters in waterways, but this is not enough. We need real long lasting human changes. Perhaps this pandemic is a wake-up call and it is time to reconsider our relationship with Mother Earth. We can make this the most powerful Mother's Day of all time. How can we honor Mother Earth, the Mother of our World? Protecting our planet starts with each of us. Here are a few articles with things we can do: 70 ways to save the earth 10 things you can do "We return thanks to our Mother, the Earth, which sustains us. We return thanks to the rivers and streams which supply us with water. We return thanks to all herbs which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases. We return thanks to the moon and stars which have given to us their light when the sun was gone. We return thanks to the sun that has looked upon the Earth with a beneficent eye. Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all things for the good of her children." —IROQUOIS PRAYER Wishing you a very special day, Mother's Day, honoring our many mothers.” As I’ve wondered about the sacred feminine, as some have termed it, I became curious about how much of religion presents the Mystery many call “G-d” from a mostly, and sometimes only, masculine perspective. G-d and the religious institutions and personnel that represent “him” seem so male, yet the writers of the Judeo-Christian scriptures (my formative tradition) tell us that G-d’s nature is both male and female. Here’s my source material: God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” -Genesis 1:27-28 (The Message version) There’s a lot in these two verses: stewardship (care-filled responsibility) for our planet, humankind’s “godlike” nature, and G-d’s male/female nature. All three of these issues have created controversy; as has the complex issue about why women have been denied leadership roles in male-run organizations like church, politics, and business. Since it’s Mother’s Day, I’m choosing instead to focus our attention on other aspects of the sacred feminine. Movies The Shack movie trailer Songs Mother I Feel You - Rainbow Spirit Oregon (0:03:11) Bobby McFerrin Psalm 23 – For Mother’s Day (03:07) Bobby McFerrin doing a compilation of Bach and Gounod Ave Maria’s (0:04:27) Snatam Kaur – Water of Your Love (0:05:16) She created this video in partnership with the Sierra Club. Snatam Kaur - Earth Prayer - The Official Music Video (0:04:00) Divine Mother ~ Sacred Earth (0:09:38) The Sacred Insight Feminine Wisdom Festival of Faith (2018) I discovered this veritable “motherlode” of resources for my own wonderings about this important topic while writing this post. This is a regular occurrence these days and I see it as a sign that I’m doing, I’m being what’s mine to do and to be at this moment in time. “This is the way…walk in it.” As I’ve said in other recent posts, I’m learning more to be receptive so I’ll more quickly yield control to the voices of my Muse, my Spirit. 2018 Event trailer THE 23RD ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF FAITHS, 'Sacred Insight - Feminine Wisdom' was a five-day nationally acclaimed multi-faith celebration of music, poetry, art, film, and dialogue with spiritual leaders, practitioners, and teachers that was held April 24 – 28, 2018 in Louisville, KY. More Information: https://festivaloffaiths.org A few resources from this event: Thomas Merton and the Sacred Feminine (0:16:18) The presenter informs us that “Sophia” is the Greek name for wisdom. She balances the Bible’s obvious masculine face of G-d with her more hidden feminine face of G-d. She is personified as feminine in the Bible’s books of Wisdom and Proverbs. The core of my addiction – Ty Gibbs (0:09:46) Speaking at this event, she shares her history of abuse and addiction and how Thistle Farms helped her discover her real identity and give her a new life. Inspiring! The art of making vulnerable art – Brianna Harlan (0:10:19) Brianna Harlan, a mixed media artist tells her story through art. She explores identity-based experience through radically vulnerable art to invite transformative dialogue. She entered into art to help with her own conflicts and now helps others do the same – to find the wisdom in the dark places of our lives. One of her projects is called “The Divided States of Americans.” Brianna exhibited her work at the Iroquois Library in Louisville, KY. I find this significant if you consider what we’ve already looked at: · Theresa’s opening Iroquois Prayer · Thomas Merton has his life-changing experience at the corner of 4th and Walnut in downtown Louisville, KY. You can read more about his transformative experience here. Everyone owns a piece of the land – Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin (0:24:28) “Nina Beth Cardin is a rabbi, author, and environmental activist. In 1988 she was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary. Over the course of her professional life she founded the Jewish Women’s Resource Center. From 2007 until 2009 she was general consultant to the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life. In 2011, she founded the Baltimore Orchard Project, which grows and distributes fruit to the poor in Baltimore. What we do to the Earth is a mirror of what we also do to the feminine aspects of ourselves. She has been objectified, dominated, tamed, brutalized, and neglected. This session will reveal how the wisdom of the natural world manifests itself, and how to use this wisdom as a teacher, guide, and healer to restore balance in our relationships with the Earth and each other." Sufi Spiritual Practice on the Sacred Feminine (0:34:45) "Sufism (tasawwuf) is the inner, spiritual, mystical dimension of Islam. Its aim is union with God through Emptiness, Presence, and Love. Its method is the practice of dhikr, the remembrance or invocation of God with every breath. By the rhythmic repetition of the names and attributes of God, the worshiper is absorbed into God’s Presence. Sheikha Cemalnur Sargut is one of Turkey’s deepest and most inspiring Muslim spiritual teachers. She will lead a sohbet (spiritual discourse), and a dhikr (invocation of God ritual). A Sufi master with a major worldwide following, she is also the President of the Turkish Women’s Cultural Association in Istanbul." Buddhist Spiritual Practice on the Sacred Feminine (0:42:21) "A teaching on the Prajnaparamita, the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom. The Divine Feminine in a fundamental or essential way refers to insight or wisdom. Prajna means accurate seeing and Paramita means to go beyond or transcend our ordinary way of seeing things. Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel is a Buddhist teacher, author, and practitioner who has studied and practiced the Buddhadharma for 30 years under the guidance of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. Elizabeth says, “these emptiness teachings are very powerful and transformative for our time, yet they are often overlooked or misunderstood… They have changed my whole life.”" Hindu Spiritual Practice on the Sacred Feminine (0:31:53) "A guided meditation on the “Light of Loving Consciousness.” Rooted in the Vedanta Hindu tradition, this meditation is on the Divine Feminine in Her impersonal aspect chit, the light of consciousness, which is the same as ananda, loving consciousness. A meditation aimed at centering ourselves more deeply in a particular mood of the Divine Feminine, by either choosing a symbol (such as Kali, Durga, Laksmi, Radha, Sita, or Mother Mary); an attribute (such as compassion, forbearance, or unconditional love); shakti, (Primal Energy, the power of Brahman, God); or her Divine Presence. Pravrajika Brahmaprana joined the Saranda Convent at the Vedanta Society of Southern California in 1973 and has been an ordained sannyasini since 1984. She is the resident minister of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of North Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. She is the author of books and articles on the philosophy and practice of Vedanta for journals and anthologies in America and abroad.” Franciscan Feminism “While my [Richard Rohr] religious order is far from perfect, I appreciate how Franciscanism has in so many subtle ways honored and embraced the feminine side of things. One scholar rightly says that St. Francis ‘without having a specific feminist program . . . contributed to the feminizing of Christianity.’ [1] French historian André Vauchez, in his critical biography of Francis, adds that this integration of the feminine ‘constitutes a fundamental turning point in the history of Western spirituality.’ [2] I think they are both onto something, which creates the distinctiveness and even the heart of the Franciscan path. In so many ways, we were not like the classic pattern of religious orders.” Let’s end as we begun – with a pause for a few deep contemplative breaths before we engage our world of action. Teresa of Avila – Seek Me in Yourself, Seek Yourself in Me (0:3:21) --duet version --solo version I first heard this solo version of the chant performed during the Center for Action and Contemplation’s “Trinity” webinar. Hey, I just noticed another connection – we have two sacred women named Theresa/Teresa in this post/conversation. Here is Teresa’s prayer chant: Soul, you must seek yourself in Me And Me you must seek in yourself. You were created for love Beautiful, gracious, and thus In my heart painted Should you lose yourself, O my beloved, Soul, you must seek yourself in Me. But if perhaps you should not know Where you may find Me Do not go hither and thither, But, if you should wish to find Me, Me you must seek in yourself. --St. Teresa of Avila (tr. Raimon Panikkar) Happy Mother’s Day – to all mothers and to all who were carried into this world by your mothers. Peace, tOM #art #music #MothersDay #FestivalOfFaiths #Iroquois #KundaliniYogaOfLI #Franciscan #TheShack #ThomasMerton #TeresaAvila