the path before us will always challenge our attachments and push us to let go.
but there is Love. the path is always paved with Love. the Love from which all things arise, all things are carried, and to which all things return. reconciled and restored.
Love wastes nothing. all is enveloped and transformed by the inherent luminous beauty that is Love.
may we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts open to Love.
my Aunt Dee Dee, Linda Blackstock, my mom’s only sister passed away last night.
she had just turned 71 July 26th, the same birthday as my nephew Levi. birthday twins. my aunt loved sending cards – birthday, Christmas – she didn’t miss one that i can think of. it’s a lost art most people don’t appreciate anymore. i loved it. i tried in my own feeble attempt to join her and send one to her as well. i sent this year’s a week late with a little addendum since i heard she had just gone to the hospital. i added my well wishes for healing and a full recovery. we all expected that. we had no reason not to as far as we knew. i don’t know if she ever saw it.
most of my childhood, Christmas’, Thanksgivings, Easter’s were shared with her and family. so much life shared. my heart is with them and holding them all – my uncle, my cousins, her grandson, my mom’s side of the family, all with love.
i’m grateful for her life, i’m grateful she isn’t suffering, i’m grateful for the love shared.
i’m grateful she got to make her move to Pahrump, Nevada five years ago to her new home which she so wanted and loved. i’m grateful we got to see her, post pandemic, this past winter and visit.
i’m including some pictures, the last i have with her, from their send off to Pahrump. i gave her an enso calligraphy for her new home as a going away and housewarming gift. it reads:
“Breathe, you are home.”
and now, i’m thinking that message is even more appropriate.
i’m also including a quote from a Buddhist text, the Bardo Thodol. i find it so beautiful and comforting. it’s a prayer said for those who have passed. my Aunt had a deep belief in God from her Christian faith, but the description doesn’t feel too dissimilar to share. where else may we find Home?
prayers all who inhabit Maui, human and animal alike, for safety, well-being, and relief from these crazy wildfires.
it’s important to recognize that these are the scenarios climate scientists warned about decades ago, all coming to fruition. this is what we can expect in the coming years – and worse – if world governments and corporations don’t drastically scale back emissions and all that’s contributing to climate change. it is our job as citizens to use our voices and pocketbooks to force their hand. 🌎💚🙏🏻
On a relative level, wisdom is not wisdom when compassion is not also present (it is simply moralism); and compassion is not compassion when wisdom is not also present (it is some kind of foolishness). On an absolute level, the union of wisdom and compassion is nothing more or less than our true nature, the silence that gives rise to all sound and the space that exists between all thought.
Of course our meditation practice is the way we cultivate a connection to this profound wisdom. As we sit, we practice letting go, over and over, thought by thought. When we space out, something comes from somewhere, completely fresh and utterly spontaneous, saying, “hey, come back.”
We can trust our practice, implicitly and completely. Wisdom is as omnipresent as space itself. To see it, all we have to do is relax.
Where do you experience how compassion and wisdom intertwine in your own life?
i was 11 when Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure came out (1985). directed by Tim Burton with a Danny Elfman score with the incredibly unique creative stamp of Paul Reubens who had spent years creating and perfecting the character of Pee-Wee Herman – having a stage show and HBO special about it prior. it was, perhaps, destined for success and cult status.
although he had many other memorable roles (i’m thinking Nightmare Before Christmas. and remember Mystery Men?! 😂) Pee-Wee stands the test of time through generations. just a couple of years ago, my nieces, nephews and i happened upon Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday (made in 2016) and they LOVED it. they still want to see it each year and it’s become a tradition. imagine that – creating a character that still connects with kids nearly 40 years later.
may he be remembered for all the good, laughter, and joy he so uniquely brought into the world.
where there is cruelty may we choose to embody kindness in our words and actions, reminding the world that there is love, there are those who continue to choose love, who choose to practice kindness.
wanting to look honestly with genuine interest in tending to the wounds still present and in reconciling the past, with genuine interest in bringing healing and restoration, and in not repeating the harm done, is an act of love. a love for each other, a love for country, and a love for this world.
this is the work necessary for healing, the work love calls us to do, along with setting a new path of non-harming, of inclusion, equity, and justice.
The Metta Garden 