It's cherry blossom time in Japan and a moment that bears special possibilities of transformation. When we are aware that we are like the blossoms--we're born, here for just a brief sojourn, and then we die--we might learn how to truly live our lives. Speaking on the lessons in living and dying from our love of Sakura that could guide us in saying YES to life, despite everything. (Talk is in English with Japanese translation) https//heartfulness-intellect.peatix.com ..read more

People said funny stuff like this when I was a child, especially on St. Patrick's Day. It was nicer than, "Go back to China!" which others spat out. When you're told things like this you might feel a little different, isolated, even alienated. You could become a person who thinks they don't belong. I like to remember what the poet Audre Lorde warned us: if we don't "define ourselves for ourselves we will be crushed into other people's fantasies for us and eaten alive." Maybe I didn't look it or act it but I knew I was Irish as my paternal grandparents were born and raised there and fled the o ..read more

As we prepare to leave our job or this world we might reflect on our legacy and what kind of elder or ancestor we want to be. Ten years after she passed at 111 I remember my grandmother every day. And when I do I laugh, because she laughed often, made others laugh, and I love to make people laugh too. I feel courageous when I remember her dignity, morality, and outrage at injustice. When I do what needs to be done to the best of my ability without complaining I know she's passed on a valuable life lesson. Grandmother is with me when I give from my heart without concern for what's in it for me ..read more

It was hailed as a miracle when on January 2 all 379 people on board a burning plane in Japan were able to escape without harm. This miracle is attributed to thorough planning and perfect execution by a well-trained crew. It was also aided by well-prepared and well-behaved passengers. I think that the behavior of both the staff and the passengers are intimately related to sunao. This cultural concept describes the way that despite the seemingly dire conditions on the plane as smoke filled the cabin there was relative calm as people sat and waited patiently. They listened to the clear directio ..read more

“A seeker of silences am I, and what treasure have I found in silences that I may dispense with confidence?” (Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet)   Aging brings treasure in its deepening silence. Birthdays remind us of who we have been and who we continue to be. My latest birthday reminds me of what a fool I've been. Trying to reinvent myself in my twilight years as a wise elder I laugh at what a half-ass character I've been in this play of life. So many missed opportunities to love, so often taking the wrong way from fear, repeatedly falling short in meeting the challenges life has gi ..read more

The day I was born Thrust from the warmth of the womb Into the cold world You held me in your arms And gave me the milk of life ..read more

In the film, Avatar: The Way of Water, Jake struggles to raise two boys. The older one, Neteyam, Jake sees as the perfect son, while the younger one, Lo'ak, he sees as a bad kid who is nothing but trouble. Lo'ak acts out by repeatedly defying Jake's commands, making it hard for his father to fulfill his stated purpose of protecting his children. But when Neteyam dies Jake realizes the bitter truth that he can't control many things in life. He experiences vulnerability, opening his heart to the possibility of transformation in seeing the world differently, with beginner's mind. And when Lo'ak ..read more

My friend Totoro I really want to see you Want to be with you You spirit of the forest Be my friend and I'll be yours   A tanka I wrote after meeting Totoro, the magical character in "My Neighbor Totoro,"  Miyazaki's animation. Totoro shows how children use imagination and spirituality to help them get through difficulties. The little girls Satsuki and Mei are coping with their mother's illness and move to a new town to be near her hospital. Totoro appears when they are worried about her health and discouraged that her illness continues and she cannot come home. The spirits of the f ..read more

Giving a talk in English and Japanese in Tokyo if you're interested ..read more

Cherry blossoms now? What a wonderful surprise Can we wait till spring? Haiku celebrating the rare Jugatsu Sakura in Tokyo ..read more