love the moment

In the midst of chaos, there is a place of calm No matter how insistent the voices There is one voice quietly speaking This is always true But the challenge is to hear the quiet It's like that tricky picture I remember from Psych class Is it the beautiful, young woman Or the frightful, haggard one It is the shift of perspective That is the effort required Was is too much coffee or Not enough sleep Too much fear or Not enough faith Too much - Too Busy or Not enough - Not now, I'm resting It requires faith to say no to worry Just like it requires trust to believe in Yes dg 9/30 Sent from my iPad

One who knows others is smart One who knows himself is wise One who conquers others is strong One who conquers himself is mighty One who approaches life with force gets something One who is contented surely gets everything One who gives himself to his place in life lives long One who gives himself to the Way of Tao Surely lives forever Tao 33 So many distractions So many voices, together Like a siren's song they call Like city side streets they shout "Turn here!" "Go this way!" Although the cul-de-sac seems quiet An easier path I soon encounter the inevitable This road is so tempting All that running Roundabout While never moving forward dg 9/28 Sent from my iPad

Too many colors blind the eyes Too many sounds dull the ears Too many flavors drown the palate Rushing, racing, looking all about Only disturbs the mind Using your power to get only things Impedes growth The holy man is led by what is inside The holy woman attends to the deep Never to that which is only seen Tao 12 (my version) All my life I waited Everywhere searched For a place of affirmation A dwelling of hope What I could not see was The obvious solution Outside, out there Never works Inside, inside, inside There I find My true home There I find a constant Abiding Rest dg 9/26 Sent from my iPad

The endless fountain of soul Never dies She is called the Mother of Heaven Although she has become the whole world Her purity remains ever true The eternal Tao Is only reached through Her She is the face of One The door through all time Listen to Her voice, echoing through all creation Without fail, She will show herself Without fail, She brings us to our perfect self Tao 6 (my version) Before time The truth of you was Pure, unrestrained by lies or half-truths The dust, the dirt The grime of time has hidden Somewhat Your shine But the wonder The gleam in God's eye That began with you Still shines No matter how dark However strong the storm that blows You will prevail First one foot, then the other Only your surrender can stop The continuing dream of you dg 9/23 Sent from my iPad

A way that can be walked is not The Way A name that can be named is not The Name Tao is both Named and Nameless As Nameless, it is the origin of all things As Named, it is the mother of all things A mind free of thought, merged within itself, Beholds the essence of Tao A mind filled with thought, identified with its own perceptions, Beholds the mere forms of this world Tao and this world seem different But in truth they are one and the same The only difference is in what we call them How deep and mysterious is this oneness How profound, how great! It is the truth beyond the truth, The hidden within the hidden, It is the path to all wonder, The gate to the essence of everything! Tao 1 I don't know But there is an answer I don't see it But the path is there I can't hear it But goodness is ever calling Only by diving deep down Inside I see, I hear, I know dg 9/22 Sent from my iPad

Become totally empty Quiet your restless mind Only then will you see Everything unfolding Out of nothing Tao 16 Get rid of Plans to save the world Clear the bookshelf Of all the stories you've written The tales of missed chances The dramas of regret There are no mistakes in this place It has been emptied of Oughts, shoulds, and what ifs In it's place The quiet emptiness of Admitting the plain truth We really don't know all that seems so It is better to accept the uncertainty Of unlimited potentials Only you can decide "I can't" The universe is waiting To those accepting Yes dg 9/21 Sent from my iPad

See everything as part of the One It will unify the body, and merge it with soul It will clear your vision, and reveal the world's perfection It will focus your energy, and make you supple as a newborn As you love and lead, can you be free of self-seeking? As the heavens open and close, can you keep as steady  as a mother bird on her nest? As your wisdom shines, can you remain unknowing and avoid doing? This Power, Guides without forcing Serves without seeking Brings life without possessing. One who holds this power Can bring Tao to this Earth Can overcome the raging fire or freezing winter Can lead with the gentleness of a feather How does a stone flow like water? How does steel bend with the wind? Only by letting go, renounce knowing The rock, still buried The ore, yet to be refined - must wait Buried deep, they are yet to be revealed Their time to become Still awaits them dg 9/20

What are my intentions for today? My intention is for good The good of everyone I meet Regardless of race or creed No matter their intentions for me I intend for their good My intention is for light in darkness Hope in despair Peace in pain I intend to leave everything and everyone I meet Better than I found them - if only a little bit I believe a little good Built on itself through eternity Really adds up... dg 9/17 Sent from my iPad

Life and death are born together Difficult and easy Long and short High and low - All these exist together Sound and silence blend as one Before and after arrive as one Tao 2 I don't know But it will come to me I don't see it - yet But I will Now, then So much closer than I ever imagined The flowing waters so much swifter than I had heard All I need comes to me, like the foamy waves The ocean is never empty It ever gives - always blessing - The waiting shore's intentions dg 9/15 Sent from my iPad

It is not so much the days that are hard to handle, it is the stories we make about our days that cause us grief. "This happened for THIS reason. It means this!" One leak in the roof means the house is falling down around us. One cross word from our lover means dying old and alone. I suppose we are conditioned to expect the worst. It seems the world lauds the dark and brooding artist - rarely praising the painter of sunshine and daisies. But the world's voices are often mistaken, and we must do the work to see clearly through the fog. Think of all the days - make a list of all the armageddon scenarios you've feared in your life. Now, how many of them actually came true? Now, make a second list. On it, write all of the unexpected calls from friends - when you really needed them - and all of the kisses you've been blessed to give or receive. Also, list all of the kittens, puppies, ripe watermelons and rainbows you've seen. Feel free to add anything else you co...

Those who have Tao want nothing else Though seemingly empty, they are ever full Though seemingly old They are beyond the reach of birth and death "I have a dream" is so different From I have a plan Yearning for a better world so unlike Hating this one Wanting to be a better me is nothing like Original Sin Loving this world means letting go Of getting more For Me And embracing more For all of us dg 9/15 Sent from my iPad

the lie is that it can be fixed whatever "it" is the river, no matter how unwieldy needs no fix the inconvenient weather must be left alone one who knows the truth that underlies all things lives in this world without danger to him, every word reflects the universe every moment brings enlightenment rivers and streams are born of the ocean all creation is born of Tao Tao 32 there is no wrong all is as it must be the falling leaf has no cares it settles to the grou nd contented by the blowing wind the raindrop falls joyfully it knows the ocean awaits brothers and sisters, too no matter the length of days no mountain can stop that family reunion no matter the nautical miles we must return to the sea to that lovely home from which we were born dg 9/6

Lisa & David Outer Banks September 6, 2010 this voice, this call this faraway longing has always been at seven, I knew it a yearning intense, sometimes painful an inner pull, an attraction towards what - i did not know but through the darkest night even then, i walked, stumbled towards the sound sometimes so faint, it was more like a half-forgotten song i could not forget but lately, the song has begun to shine the chorus of voices stronger they call me as the music swells, my ears are clearer i remember with joy, with happy tears i sing, at first with halting notes but each day i remember more the tune when i soon arrive i will have remembered all the songs of home dg 9/11

The ability to live with uncertainty is an act of faith. The ability to choose faith in the face of uncertainty is the sacred task of living. Rabbi Tamara Miller We believe That salt thrown over the shoulder Protects from black cat disasters We believe in The Lord's Prayer, Shema, or The Star Spangled Banner Sometimes We believe fervently in Newton's Laws of Motion Ergo Things will keep on keeping on But What if we fail to believe What happens when doubt prevails It is not that Newton erred It is only our failure to see the silent hand of fear Slowly stopping our own spinning wheel It is the ever tightening grip That will surely prevent any forward motion So like that automotive cell Depleted by that errant dome light We must recharge our faith to restore the inner drive When internal regeneration fails to spark A friend or lover with jumper cables Will gladly suffice Recharged We will again believe In the ever winding road dg 9/2 Sent from my iPad