Glacier

The hydrangeas have faded, but a new flower have won my attention. These beautiful Glacier morning glories. I love the Heavenly Blue, but these have been so sweet and delicate. The plants have been robust and have given me many flowers. Flowers truly ARE comforting.

I apologize for the blurr I was in a hurry to take his picture before I bit his arm off. I was surprised to find a gingerbread man at Johann's in Boyne City in August. He was more molasses tasting than ginger. My recipe has more spice and I use mild molasses. But he was very tender to the tooth.

The lovely cupcakes were made by Wendy at Dr. Garza's office. She had bake sales on Fridays to raise money for relay for life. The pink swirl was soooo good. It was pink lemonade flavored. The violet hydrangea was red velvet cake, and the sunflower? I don't know. Never tasted it.

The Sun Sets in the East

On sunny evenings the light from the setting sun can be seen in my north/east living room. The light is reflected off the windows of the old school across the street.
It is a strange phenomenon that I'm sure isn't Feng Shui approved. But it gives me a thrill when it happens. On this day I took pictures of the school. It appears that the radiance of God is beaming from the windows, or that the sun is actually inside the building.

Forgive, but do not Forget

The Cats of Mirikitani is a fascinating documentary.
Trained artist Jimmy Mirikitani lost his family and American citizenship while placed in a California internment camp for Japanese Americans. The scars following the experience eventually left him homeless and living on the streets of NY. In spite of his circumstance he devoted his life's energy to creating art(cute cats) and artfully documenting his painful experience in the camp.

When he is offered help to improve his living status he is reluctant. Help can seem intrusive. But his persistent friend helps him obtain the fifty or more year old documentation (passed out in the 1950's) restoring his citizenship. He never received the papers and never knew the government's regret over asking him and others to renounce their citizenship.
His life for more than 60 years had been fueled by this injustice placed on him.

At first I felt saddened that his life had been consumed by this act of discrimination. I wondered what would his life had been like if he had received the papers. In reflection I think the intensity of what he remembered and the manner in which he expressed his story was needed. History was waiting for just the right moment, for the right people to hear and apply wisdom gained by acknowledging the tragedy of Jimmy's experience.

Jimmy's life was restored so that he got a home off the streets, but even more amazing is the love, forgiveness, and joy which now consumes his life.

Forgive, but do not forget
Do not forget to forgive

Seeker

"A seeker is a person who makes honest and sincere efforts on a daily basis to grow spiritually."

It has been a long while since my last entry. I have allowed myself to become consumed by many distractions.
My last entry was about seeing and giving full attention. Today I am thinking about seekers. I guess I accept the definition above. I think a lot about:
"life is a journey about becoming a better version of yourself"
"create conditions for success"
"there are no ideal conditions"

I recently read in Time magazine "Reading, in its quietness and sustained concentration, is the opposite of busyness." Lev Grossman, writing about author Jonathan Franzen made other insightful comments that struck a chord in me, "The place of (internal and external) stillness you have to go to ... to engage productively ..."

Reducing the external (and to a lesser degree, internal)distractions has been a challenge. For me the steps toward a "better version of self" requires "quietness and sustained concentration" to work at exploring/exposing my potential.

I feel a need to write a list.