LOVELIGHT
Magazine
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Vol. 2, no. 1***January 2005
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Managing editors: Adamaria Francis and Richard Shiningthunder Francis. Contributors to this issue: Ramona Abella, Christine Finer, Linda Jung, Barbara Quinn, David Rasaily, Ty Scharrer, Seo Jang-Ho.
THE WORLD'S
A-CHANGING! sent in by Christine Finer
Some US statistics for 1904:
1. Average life expectancy: 47 years.***2. 14% of homes had bathtubs.***3.
8% had telephones.***4. A three-minute call (Denver-New York)
cost $11.00.***5. 8,000 cars, and 144 miles of paved roads.***6. Maximum
speed limit in most cities 10 mph.***7. Alab., Miss., Iowa, and Tenn.
Each had a higher population than California (1.4 million, the 21st most
populous state.)***8. Average wage: 22 cents/hour.***9. Average worker
made $200-$400/year.***10. Over 95%
of births were at home.***11. 90%
of physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended "medical schools," many
condemned as "substandard."***12. Sugar was 4 cents/pound, eggs
14 cents/dozen, coffee 15 cents/pound.***13. Most women washed hair
once/month, using borax or egg yolks.***14. Six leading causes of death: Pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis, Diarrhea, heart disease,
stroke.***15. The flag had 45 stars (minus Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico,
Hawaii, and Alaska).***16. Population of Las Vegas: 30.***17. 20%
of adults were illiterate. (6% had
graduated high school.***18. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were
available over the counter.***19. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin
clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and
bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."***20. 18% of households had at least one
full-time servant or domestic.***21. 230 reported murders.
What a difference a tiny century makes! We shall all see together what the still-coming centuries bring, on the Way to total enlightenment and universal Love!
*******
GAGS, GROANS, GUFFAWS, SNORTS, SMILES,AND SNICKERS: MORE HUMOR THERAPY!
DIRTY BIRD, sent in by Christine Finer
John received a parrot. It had a bad attitude and vocabulary. Its every word was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity.
John tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and doing anything else to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary. Finally, he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. He shook the parrot and it got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, grabbed the bird and threw it in the freezer.
It squawked, kicked, and screamed. Then, total silence. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.
Fearing that he'd hurt it, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said, "I believe I might have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions, and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."
John was stunned at the change in
the bird's attitude. As he was
about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change, it continued,
"May I ask what the turkey did?"
***
BUMPERSNICKERS, sent in by Ty Scharrer
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If You Can Read This, I've Lost My Trailer.
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Horn Broken. Watch For Finger.
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The Earth Is Full - Go Home.
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Cleverly Disguised As A Responsible Adult.
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If We Quit Voting, Will They All Go Away?
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Honk If Anything Falls Off.
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I Refuse To Have A Battle Of Wits With An Unarmed Person.
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(Seen Upside Down On A Jeep) If You Can Read This, Please Flip Me Back Over!
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If Walking Is So Good For
You, Then Why Does My Mailman Look Like Jabba The Hut?
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Ax Me About Ebonics.
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Body By Nautilus; Brain By Mattel.
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Boldly Going Nowhere.
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Heart Attacks . God's Revenge For Eating His Animal Friends.
"POLITICIANS & DIAPERS
BOTH NEED TO BE CHANGED, AND FOR THE SAME REASON"
***
REMEMBER ETERNITY!, sent in by Ty Scharrer
One day, Gator died. When judged, God told Gator that he had committed a sin: He had cheated on his income taxes. The only way he could get into heaven would be to sleep with a 500 pound, stupid, ugly woman for the next five years. Gator decided that this was a small price to pay for an eternity in heaven. Therefore, off he went with this enormous, ghastly woman!
As they were walking along, he saw his friend Andy. Andy was with an even bigger, uglier woman than he. When he approached Andy, Gator asked him what was going on.
Andy replied, "I cheated on my income taxes and scammed the government out of a lot of money-- even more than you!"
They both shook their heads and decided that, as long as they have to be with these women, they might as well hang out together to help pass the time.
Gator, Andy, and their two beastly women were walking along, minding their own business, when they saw their friend Fred. Fred had on his arm an absolutely drop dead gorgeous supermodel / centerfold. Stunned, Gator and Andy approached Fred. They asked him how he got this unbelievable goddess, while they were stuck with these god-awful women.
Fred replied, "I have no idea! But this has been absolutely the best time of my life-- and I'm dead-- and I have five years of the best sex any man could hope for still to come! There is only one thing that I can't understand: Every time that we have sex, she rolls over and mumbles to herself, 'Damn' income taxes!'"
***
MORE
PUN-ISHMENT, AND SOUNDS OF GROANING, sent in by Linda Jung
1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The flight attendant says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."
***
2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says: "Dam!".
***
3. Two arctic inhabitants sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
***
4. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron."
The other says "Are you sure?"
The first replies "Yes, I'm positive."
***
5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
***
6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were
standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the
office and asked them to disperse. "But why?" they asked, as they moved off.
"Because", he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."
***
7 A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving it, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal.
Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."
***
8. These friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town, to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that: only Hugh, can prevent florist friars.
***
9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.
***
10. There was the person who sent ten different puns to his friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did!
***
THOUGHTPROVOKING
BUT AUTHENTIC GRAFFITI
Make love, not war. Hell, do both: get married!***It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.***If voting could really change things, it would be illegal.***A Woman's Rule of Thumb: If it has tires or testicles, you're going to have trouble with it.***No matter how good she looks, some other guy is sick and tired of putting up with her annoying habits.***If pro is opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress?***Religion is for those who are terrified of hell; spirituality is for those who have already been through it.--
Sent with and by Love.
***
LOOPEY KIDS: WHAT COLOR IS THEIR SKY?, sent in by Ramona Abella
Everyone has probably seen this before. However, it is still good for a chuckle or two again.
This comes from a Catholic elementary school. Kids were asked questions about the Bible.
1. Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree.***2. Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark.***3. Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night.***4. The Jews were a proud people, and throughout history they had trouble with unsympathetic Genitals.***5. David...fought with the Finklesteins.***6. Solomon... had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.***7. Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption.***8. The people who followed Jesus were called the 12 decibels.***9. One of the opossums was St. Matthew.
***
FUTURE
HEADLINES
California Seventh Largest Country in World***Lighter-skinned Minorities Still Try to have English Recognized as California's Third Language***Baby Conceived Naturally; Scientists Stumped***Last Remaining Fundamentalist Muslim Dies in Middle East American Territories (formerly Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon)***Iraq Still Closed; physicists estimate Ten Years before Radioactivity Decreases to Safe Levels***Castro Dies at 112***President Chelsea Clinton Bans All Smoking***Postal Service Raises Price of Firstclass Stamp to $37.89. Reduces mail delivery to Wednesday only***Thirty-five year Study: Diet and Exercise Keys to Weightloss***Massachusetts Executes Last Remaining Liberal***Supreme Court Rules Punishment for Independent Thinking Should be Execution***Upcoming nfl draft focuses on mutants
Average height of nba players nine feet, seven inches***Microsoft Announces Newest Version of Windows (579.0). Crashes Before installation completed***Congress Authorizes Direct Deposit of Illegal Political Contributions***Capital Hill Intern Indicted for Refusing to Have Sex with Congressman***Irs sets lowest tax rate at 75%***Average Price of Single family home $2,500,000***Average One-bedroom Apartment $8,000/month***Celebrating Christmas A Felony; Offends Too Many
***
IN HONOR OF ALL BEAUTIFUL WOMEN
At age 3: The beautiful woman to be looks at herself and sees a Queen.***Age 8: She looks at herself and sees Cinderella.***Age 15: She looks at herself and sees an Ugly Sister ("Mom I can't go to school looking like this!")***Age 20: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"-- but decides that she's going out anyway.***Age 30: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"-- but decides that she doesn't have time to fix it, so she's going out anyway.***Age 40: She looks at herself and sees "clean," which is okay, and goes out anyway.***Age 50: She looks at herself and sees "I am" and goes wherever she wants to go.***Age 60: She looks at herself and reminds herself of all the people who she has known, and smiles. Goes out and conquers the world.***Age 70: She looks at herself & sees wisdom, laughter and ability, goes out and enjoys life.***Age 80: Doesn't bother to look. Just puts on a purple hat and goes out to have fun with the world!
***
KNOW YOUR
FRIENDS: A MINIPARABLE
John had been in business for twenty-five years. He was finally sick of the stress. He quit his job and bought 50 acres of land in Alaska. It was as far from humanity as possible. John saw the postman once a week. He got groceries once a month. Other than those mild interruptions, all was total peace and quiet.
After he had enjoyed six months of almost total isolation, someone knocked on his door. He opened it, and there was a huge bearded man standing there.
The giant said, "My name's Art, your neighbor from forty miles up the road. Having a Christmas party Friday night. Thought you might like to come. About five in the evenin'."
"Great," said John, "after six months out here, I'm ready to meet some local folks. Thank you."
As Art was leaving, he suddenly stopped. A thoughtful look came over his face. He turned back to John and said, "Gotta warn you, though. There's gonna be some drinkin'"
"Not a problem," said John. "After 25 years in business, I can drink with the best of em."
Again, as he started to leave, Art stopped. "More 'n' likely gonna be some fightin' too."
John replied, "Well, I get along with people. I'll be all right. I'll be there. Thanks again."
Once again Art turned towards the door. He said, "More'n likely be some wild sex, too."
"Now that's really not a problem, either," said John. "I've been all alone for six months! I'll definitely be there. By the way, what should I wear?"
Art stopped in the door again and said, "Whatever you want. Just gonna be the two of us."
***
NOSTALGIC RETROCYBERNOTES, sent in by Linda Jung
A Computer was something on tv,
From a Science Fiction show of note.
A Window was something you hated to clean,
And "ram" the father of a goat.
Meg was the name of a girl who sings,
And "gig" was a job for the nights.
Now they all mean different things,
And that really Mega Bytes.
An "application" implied employability,
A "program" was a tv show.
A "cursor" used profanity,
A "keyboard" was a piano.
A "memory" was lost at ninety,
A "cd" was a bank account.
And if you had a 3-inch floppy,
You hoped that no one found out.
"Compress" was what you did to the garbage,
Not something you did to a file.
And if you "unzipped" in your old age,
You'd be in jail for a while.
"Log on" was adding more wood to the fire,
"Hard drive" was a long trip on the road.
"Mouse pad" was a rodent's home in an old tire,
And a "backup" happened to your commode.
"Cut" you did with a pocket knife,
"Paste" you did with glue.
A "web" dominated spider-life,
And a "virus" was the flu.
My pad and paper don't work in a flash,
But my "memory" is in my head.
I hear nobody's been killed in a computer crash,
But when it happens they wish they were dead!
***
TAKING RELIGION TOO SERIOUSLY?
Five-year-old Tommy (who was Jewish) was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything: tutors, mentors, flash cards, even special learning centers. Finally, in a last ditch effort, they took Tommy down and enrolled him in the local Catholic school. After the first day, Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn't even kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and papers were spread out all over the room, and Tommy was hard at work. His mother was amazed. She called him down to dinner and, to her shock, the minute that he was done, he marched back to his room without a word and in no time he was back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day, while his mother tried to understand what made all the difference. Finally, Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly laid it on the table, and went up to his room and hit the books. With great trepidation, his Mom looked at it and, to her great surprise, Tommy got an "A" in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity. So, she went to his room and said, "Son, what was it? Was it the nuns?" Tommy shook his head no. "Well, then," she replied, "was it the books, the discipline, the structure, the uniforms? WHAT was it?"
Tommy said, "Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that guy nailed to the plus sign, I knew they weren't fooling around."
***
ORIGIN OF FOODS: AN EDENIC ALLEGORY, sent in by Linda Jung
In the beginning, God filled the earth with broccoli, cauliflower,
and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives. Then, using God's great gifts, Satan created tons of junk food, in a thousand varieties!
And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?"
And Man said, "Yea".
And woman said, "And another one, with sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds apiece.
And God created the healthful yogurt that woman might keep the
figure that man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from
the wheat, and sugar from the cane, and combined them. And woman went
from size 2 to size 6.
So God said, "Try My fresh green salad." And Satan presented
Thousand-Island Dressing and garlic toast on the side. And man
and woman unfastened their belts following the repast.
God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive
oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish
and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And man
gained more weight; and his cholesterol went through the roof.
God then brought running shoes so that his children might lose
those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so
Man would not have to toil in changing the channels. And man and woman
laughed and cried before the flickering light, and gained still more pounds.
Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and
brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced
the starchy center into chips, and deep-fried them. And man and woman gained still more pounds.
Later, Satan created McDonald's and it's 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then, he said, "You want fries with that?"
And man replied, "Yea! And supersize 'em."
And Satan said, "It is good."
And man went into cardiac arrest. God sighed, and created quadruple bypass surgery. And Satan created HMO's.
*******
THE TRIBAL PEOPLE OF INDIA, by David Rasaily
The tribal people of India are endogamous (they
marry only within their own tribal groups). For they have a strong
ethnic identity. At times, they are
conscious of the homogeneity of their ethnic and territorial
uniqueness. Their powerful integration within the tribe causes
them to recognize social distances
from other tribes or castes. They have a distinct language or dialect of their
own. Irrespective of their legal status, they conform more to the social,
economic and cultural institutions of the tribe than to national Indian
standards.
In short, they live in seclusion, governed by
their own social norms. They have a
self-sufficient and self-boundaried economy. Their social and economic
conditions are at a less advanced stage than that reached by the other sections
of the Indian community as a whole. Although they are in the process
of losing their tribal characteristics, they are not yet integrated into
the greater Indian community.
They are still regressive and
backwardly primitive in some areas. For example, a
professional study-team of anthropologists found a sharp
increase in the number of
deaths of women labeled as "witches," over the years.
In several cases, whenever misfortune befell a village/community, a woman was
held responsible for it. In such
cases, people approach an ojha (exorcist)
and ask
him to declare a particular woman to be a "witch."
This occurs on the
pretext that she practices "black magic." So, she is thought to
be responsible for bringing misfortune. After a woman is labeled as
a witch she is socially boycotted, and shunned. Even her family members-- her
father, mother, brothers and sisters-- all show contempt for her.
They cease to have any social or economic interaction with
her. She is
then subjected to all sorts of inhuman tortures. Finally, she is stoned
to
death.
Areas where women are sold in the market have also been identified. Even young female children are facing the risk of falling into the "trade" of sex-workers. This study reveals that when naxalites (anti-social element) in a place called "Jharkhand," find a prostitute dancing at a marriage or a party, they often kidnap her.
The tribal photo that you see is of
Banjaras called "Lambadis." Lambadis have spread through
various states in India. Still, they have kept their culture alive.
Their population may be only a few thousand in total. The
Lambadis on the photos are members of the Banjara Adivasi
Nrityam Academy, with whom I am
associated. We have decided to try to help these tribal people
improve their lives. The
President of this Academy, Sri (Mr.) K. Ramulu, is one
of my good friends. I have received permission from him
to circulate this photo, and to ask for help for the improvement of their
lives.
These people are very poor,
uneducated, and not yet civilized. For their livelihood,
they sell Aryuvedic medicines (an ancient medicine-system that uses leaves,
stems, fruits, and roots. These are found mainly on Mountains
and in
jungles.) Some among them are hard laborers. Others tend
to flocks of sheep. Mostly
they live in huts. The government of India is also taking certain steps
to develop this
community. But there are still many things that need to
be done.
Programs need to be developed in the areas of Shelter, Social Development
and Education. They also need help with poverty, environmental
management, and
economic development. Many volunteers and organizations are coming, to
develop and educate people of the tribal communities.
*******
PHYSICS AND SPIRITUALITY, based upon an article sent in by Ty Scharrer
A few scientific experiments in the 1980's changed forever our views of the structure of matter. Some say that these same experiments might have also been among the great religious discoveries of the twentieth century.
Physicists use the word "entanglement." It describes the condition of two particles after having interacted. From that interaction forward, no matter where these two particles go in space, or when they exist in time, they will always be "related" or connected in some mysterious way. For example, a change in one will create the same change in the other, even if they are thousands of miles apart. Scientists believe that the same phenomenon will manifest even if the two particles are at the opposite ends of a galaxy, or even the cosmos!
"Entanglement" is not a fully accurate word to describe this, and so, some prefer "non-separability." This more accurate term might indicate an even deeper philosophic truth. Why?
Because all matter emerged from the very same energy-pool. This happened at the very beginning, in the so-called "big bang." At that time, all matter was a part of a "singularity," or a single mass. If non-separability is true, as it seems to be, then whatever affects any particle of matter in the cosmos affects all. In the language of the ancient mystics, the entire cosmos is "one." In scientific language, all particles exist in a state of correlation. While not literally "entangled," they have never, at the most fundamental levels, been "separate" in their energic structure.
This unity of energic patterns strongly implies the philosophy of "monism," in which everything that exists is part of a single, but ultracomplex, system. (Mystics call it "Mind.") The error that anything does, or can ever, exist "outside" of this system is "dualism." It is the source of all other errors.
Nonseparability was verified in laboratory experiments over twenty years ago. Still, the general public has not been informed of it, or of its vast philosophical ramifications. It is simply too immense, and far too abstract, a topic for the average person. Or, at least it is until its meaning is embedded in a deep spirituality.
For this is where matter meets "Spirit." For "matter" is the dream or manifestation of Mind or Spirit. Matter, btw, is also the school in which we learn and grow. So, in these two ways, "matter" is very "spiritual," and the separation between the two is only a convenient idea, not a reality.
So, the "oneness" of matter then supports, and even implies, the core mystical teaching of the "oneness" of all Mind ("Spirit"): All minds exist within the One. Your mind, for example, is a part of a larger Mind called the Unconscious; why, then, could the Unconscious not be a part of a still larger Mind called "Soul," and Soul part of a vast Mind, "Spirit"?
Mystics have always insisted that "separateness" is an illusion. If you are a mind, and I am a mind, the only thing that appears to "separate" us is bodies-- and they are also dreams within the Mind!
It is Love alone that brings us into the clouded awareness that we are minds, not bodies. Since minds are non-physical, they can interpenetrate each other like clouds of steam merging. One mind can exist within a larger mind; or many can exist within one. This is precisely why the message or Way of Jesus was the Way of Love.
In the time of Jesus, a God that was Love-- simple affection-- was revolutionary! It was rebellious against tradition, and quite alien! During his day, most were traditionalists. And the only "god" whom they ever knew, or wanted to know, was the vengeful, hateful, vindictive Jehovah. Yet in every way, he was the opposite of the God taught by Jesus. Traditionalists were not at all accustomed to worship their god out of Love, but because "He" threatened them with severe, even everlasting, punishment and agony if they did not do so.
So "Love one another" came to be seen as a law, an order, given by a god who would otherwise punish. It was obeyed, not because of the "oneness" of all minds, but because if you disobeyed it, "god" would getcha! And that would be anything but pleasant! It is only with the dawning of the mind-boggling discoveries of modern physics that we can begin to understand that Jesus' words were based upon the ultra-advanced knowing of oneness of all minds.
This kind of Love is no act of supreme holiness, merit, or special virtue. No, instead, Love is the inevitable flower of enlightenment. There is no special merit, for example, in loving your body, so that you refrain from violence-- deliberately driving nails into your hands, or sawing off your fingers, or stabbing some part of your body with a knife. This abstention from violence simply makes sense, for who but an insane person harms her body voluntarily? IT HURTS!!
And, to a being in the Light, harming another would hurt as much, and make as little sense. To refuse to love would be to place yourself in opposition to the cosmos, and that can never feel "natural," "normal," or even comfortable!
Since we are all a part of a greater Mind or Reality that is superpersonal, the traditional Christian obsession with "personal" salvation seems to make less sense. Instead of being greedy and selfish, a person needs to care about the wellbeing of others, and not just herself. We need to be concerned with the "salvation" of the community, the human race, and the whole planet.
The insights of true spirituality are never grounded in mere belief, but work hand-in-hand with science and the discoveries of "truth" (reality) that are also "scientific." Spirituality does not conflict with science, but respects it, and listens to it. This liberates the mystic from blind (and often stupid, or ignorant) belief-systems. It grants a new and solid basis for belief, and implies a purpose for each of us in a world starving for Love. We no longer live selfishly, because our highest "Self" includes all others. When this level of enlightenment arises, offensive violence against another becomes inconceivable, and the desire to help others irresistible. God is Love, and each and every one of us is a very unique and special reflection of God. For no one in the cosmos can love the people whom you love, in precisely the ways in which you love them!
*******
A
PARABLE OF LOVE
Our last college class was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring! She had qualities with which it could be wished that every human being had been graced. Her last project of the term was called "Smile."
The class was asked to go out and smile at three people, and document their reactions. This promised to be cake.
Soon after we were assigned the project, we went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden, everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. An overwhelming feeling of panic welled up. Why had they all moved? A horribly dirty body-smell floated in the air. There were two poor homeless men standing there.
The shorter man was smiling. His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance.
He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.
The other man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. This second man was mentally challenged. And the blue-eyed man was his salvation.
Tears were stifled, with great difficulty. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.
He said, "Coffee is all, Miss." That was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm.)
It hit like a ton of bricks: The compulsion was so great to just reach out and embrace the little man with the blue eyes.
After they went to their table, the young lady behind the counter was asked to prepare two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. At the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot, the tray was set on the table. My hand gently caressed the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand.
He looked up, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you."
"God is here working to give you hope."
Crying started again. My husband extended his hand, and it was received warmly, with a smile. we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give. We are not church goers, but we are believers.
That day showed the pure Light of God's sweet Love. Back to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.
The project-story was turned in, and the instructor read it.
Then she looked up and said, "Can I share this?"
"Yes, of course." She got the attention of the class.
She began to read: "We are part of God. We all share this need to heal people, and to be healed."
Unconditional acceptance might be our greatest lesson on earth.
Much Love and compassion are sent to each and every person who might read this and learn how to love PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.
If this story has touched you in any way, please send it to others. God Gives every bird her food, but does not throw it into her nest.
*******
ALL OUT
PEACE!
A "blisskrieg": A Statement of All-out Peace!
Hold your peace, then let it out!***Peacekeepers keep the peace everywhere!***Our planet-- Love It Or Leave It!***Play For Nonjudgment Day!***Disarmaggedon Is Near!***When it comes to political, mental, social, and religious toxins, don't take things poisonally!***Emerge-n-see measures are demanded.***We have met the Savior, and She is us.***We cannot expect divine intervention. The time has passed to be fed intravenously.***Grow up, for Christ's sake!***Seriousness is the leading cause of war and terrorism. Have you ever heard a Moslem laugh at his religion?***Laugh-threatening, if not terminal, seriousness is our planet's most serious problem.***Levity lifts us above all that is joy-killing.***Don't take up arms, but open your arms in Love for all.***Secretly plot peace!***"My dogma's better than your dogma" is a game for toddlers.***Aggressively wage peace!***Experts say that nothing will bring peace, so let's prove 'em right. Our lives are so filled up with some things that we have no room for nothing anymore! After a busy day thinking of everything, what a welcome relief it is to think of nothing!***Of course, this is a peacemeal approach!***Commit random acts of harmless comedy.***Practice Fun-Shui by creating playful beauty everywhere.
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EVERYDAY, ORDINARY "HIGHS"
1. falling in Love.***2. laughing so hard that your face hurts.***3. a hot shower.***4. getting mail or email.***5. taking a drive on a pretty road.***6. hearing your favorite song.***7. lying in bed listening to rain.***8. hot towels fresh from the dryer.***9. chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla milkshake (or Slimfast).***10. A longdistance phonecall.***11. a bubblebath.***12. giggling.***13. good conversation.***14. any beach.***15. laughing at yourself.***16. running through sprinklers.***17. laughing for absolutely any reason.***18. waking up and realizing that you still have more time to sleep.***19. any kiss that comes from Love.***20. making new friends, or spending time with old ones.***21. playing with a puppy.***22. having someone play with your hair or rub your head.***23. Sweet dreams.***24. hot chocolate or tea on a cold winter day.***25. roadtrips with a friend(s).***26. swinging on swings.***27. wrapping gifts under the Christmas tree.***28. singing like no one's hearing.***29. dancing like no one's watching.***30. giving or getting any gift from Love.***31. making chocolate-chip cookies.***32. tickling or being tickled.***33. holding hands.***34. riding a rollercoaster.***35. taking a scrumptious bite of anything delicious.
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STILL
MORE NATURAL "HIGHS"
For your happiness, here are a few more naturally occurring everyday things that bring brightness, peace, pleasure, and joy into our lives:
1. listening to friends' stories.***2. sipping hot chocolate.***3. sipping lemonade.***4. sipping tea.***5. sipping anything else that is wonderful.***6. sipping slurpies or icees.***7. Good cheese.***8. popcorn.***9. good bread.***10. fruits, sweet, sloppy, cool, and delicious.***11. good fresh veggies.***12. walking with your mother or grandmother.***13. walking with your father or grandfather.***14. picnics with friends or family.***15. horrible puns.***16. ironies.***17. paradoxes.***
18. good writing.***19. clear thinking.***20. walking in the woods.***21. smelling the woods.***22. listening to the sounds of the woods.***23. pups at play.***
24. any cute critter sleeping.***25. young people engaged in serious conversation.***26. people goofing off.***27. basking in the quiet presence of a loved one.***28. shared singing.***29. knowing joy from others' inspiration.***30. knowing joy from your own gifts.***31. creating, and sharing, anything new or beautiful.***
32. pure, kind honesty, giving and receiving.***33. pure, kind courtesy, giving and receiving.***34. humor, in any honorable form.***35. knowing agape Love.***
36. "ordinary" friendship.***37. loving simply, without complexity.***38. giving Love without any expectations or demands.***39. satisfyingly organized spaces.***
40. everyday amenities (nice bed, hot water, fresh foods).***41. plants and flowers.***42. good books.***43. soft fabrics.***44. stained glass.***45. polished stone.***46. fine woods.***47. creeks; waterways.***48. shared projects.***49. a job that you know that you can do.***50. a computer that works.***51. the sound of wind-chimes.***52. the floral or other scents of pot pourri.***53. holding, seeing, or being in the presence of, beautiful crystals.
Did you come up with any other "natural highs" while you were reading? Please feel free to share your list with us! We'd love to hear them!:)
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SPIRITUALITY ALTERS BRAIN-STRUCTURE, based on an article sent in by Ty Scharrer
Neuroscientists are often in agreement that physical brainprocesses explain all the lovely, exquisite, fascinating, incredible beauties of the human mind. But this pure materialism is actually a leftover relic from the sixteenth century.
But mystical Christianity, mystical Judaism, mystical Islam, and Buddhism have always insisted that the brain was not the source of thought, but its mere "transmitter." They agreed that a nonphysical (spiritual) "mind" was the origin of thoughtfeelings.
One of the most explosively hot topics in neuroscience has been, recently, "neuroplasticity." This is the very radical belief that actual brain structure can be altered by the uses of that brain. It has indeed been discovered that the brain can and does alter its circuitry, strengthening circuits in parts of the brain that are used often, and weakening, shrinking, or deleting brain-areas that are not used. For example, a piano-player who plays often will have an enlargement in areas of the brain relevant to the playing.
This change is in response, obviously, to environment (external stimuli). But can a perpetually repeated thought actually alter brainstructure? Or, can a state of consciousness? Studies involving long-time meditators indicate that it can indeed. It seems that consistent thoughts or states can alter the physical structure of the brain!
In fact, in all of the fields of neurochemistry and neuroanatomy, it is neuroplasticity that is most relevant to, and exciting in, spirituality! For if brainstructure is altered by meditation, the nonaction should get very much easier as one progresses.
For example, monks practiced (ten thousand hours) a form of meditation called "compassion meditation." In this practice, the mind is emptied of all thoughtcontent, and filled with compassion only. This form is designed to create Love for all sentient beings. When examined carefully, and monitored, their brains were found to be significantly different than "normal" or "average" brains. The monks generated much more "gamma wave" activity than usual. Gamma waves are thought responsible for the higher (or highest) functions of the brain. They link up, and integrate, distant brain-areas, coordinating brain-activity. This phenomenon has never before been recorded during the entire history of neuroscience.
The left prefrontal cortex was especially activated. This is the part of the brain that generates (or processes) joy, exhilaration, happiness, deep satisfaction, rapture, bliss, and ecstasy. This has never before been observed due to purely mental activity. This implies that brains, like bodies, can be "sculpted" by what and how we choose to think, or not to.
INVITATION
If you have any humor, miniparables, short articles, quotations, brief spiritual pieces, practical lessons, or commonsense suggestions that you would like to share with your efamily and friends, please send them to us at: rmfrancis@juno.com
PHOTO ALBUM
We thought it would be a good idea, this month, as we begin a new year to begin a new section of our magazine. This section, called "Photo Album," is not for the emphasis of the ego, but is a way of sharing Love among ourselves as a family. So, if you have any photos of interesting events, persons, places, objects, new kids, or anything else, please forward them. If we have enough space, we will try to include them in the February 05 issue, or a later one.
This month we are including photos of two relatively new persons in our world. Babarba Alice (see below) came into our world sixteen months ago when her great uncle, our pal Frank Merriman, was visiting from Dublin.
The other little one below, Seo Ho Hangyar, was born to our good Korea friend Jang Ho and his wife Hana, only a few days ago. So, with great joy we welcome this soul to our world J
Our dear friend Jang Ho and Hana's baby boy, Seo Ho Hangyar in South Korea
Barbara Alice Quinn, Dublin, Ireland
