LOVE WORKS DAILY 03/14/07 - Readers Respond 5 - Deborah, Andrea & Jen

LOVE WORKS DAILY 03/14/07 - Readers Respond 5 - Deborah, Andrea & Jen



Love To You! And Welcome to this thing called

LOVE WORKS! I wish you the greatest of peace, the most

abundant happiness, and the fullness of joy that is

LOVE!




http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/



INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:

(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)



There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day.



-Alexander Woollcott





TIM's BLOG


(Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):



Hey, Thanks to those who have written me the last few days.

Every so often, I love to throw a curve ball to get people

thinking....glad I could go that....





And now, and few of the letters that I have been

posted to the group in years past...I love them, re-read them,

and share them with you all from time to time.




Note, however, even though I do reprint responses posted to the

group from time to time, and I encourage you to

send in your take to add to the legacy of LOVE WORKS...



I never reprint the private email send to me....if you are not

sure..just mark...do not post to group...or private email....

and it's just be between you and I.










FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)



Lately at our house, we've been unpacking the meaning(s)

of the phrase "I love you". We say "I love you" a lot,

and (I certainly hope!) with feeling and thought and energy.



But we've found that we've been digging down through

all the layers of crud that have been laid on the phrase


to find out what some of our core beliefs about

that phrase might be.



Started when a close friend of ****'s was hospitalized,

near death from kidney failure....lots of back story here,

but it really doesn't help get to my point so I won't go

into it all.



Bottom line is we started thinking about what this friend

seemed to mean by "love"...which was "get treated like crap,


not worth taking care of, be abandoned". If someone was nice

then they must not be loving...you get the idea.



And we started looking at how that applies for each of us,

because we sure as heck all have some baggage about what does

"Love" mean, anyway?



Like:

Love means "I'll tell you what you want to hear"

Love means "you'll never stick around"


Love means "as long as you look good, who cares how you feel?"

Love means "only my intentions matter, my behavior is irrelevant"



Ick.

I mean, really ICK.



Intellectually I know darn well that those are NOT definitions

of "love" that I care to have active in my life...and yet they

are, in many ways. Subtly and not so subtly. And we have been

looking at them (to paraphrase the song) "from both sides now"


as well...if someone I know grew up with "love" meaning "hit you",

how do they act towards someone who says "I love you" to them?

what do they mean when they say "I love you" to someone else?



So now I (at least) have some kind of process running in the

back of my mind to identify, tease out, and dispute these

"ugly" layers of meaning that "love" has accumulated over the

years.



Has anyone else done this kind of analysis? Does anyone else


have an insights or ideas about how to best counter the ugly

stuff?



Thanks,

Deborah







Would oreos be COMMUNION to you? or is there a

significance to a certain type of food or drink?


We don't have communion, obviously, but there are different prayers said

over different classes of food - "fruit of the vine", "fruit of the

tree", "food from the ground", etc. The last one refers to all grains

and grain products, and is called a "motzi"; it is just as appropriate

(necessary, to an Orthodox Jew) to say a "motzi" over Oreos as it is

over a loaf of challah (bread). The requirements for Shabbat require a

"motzi" and the prayer for the wine or grape juice. Although challah is

traditionally used for Shabbat motzi, it isn't required - just baked

goods based on grain flour.




Of course, that leaves open the question, what wine goes best with

Oreos? I'd go for a late harvest Gewurtztraminer, myself ;@)



This coming Friday evening (2/6/04) is the holiday known as Tu B'Shevat,

or the New Year of Trees. Every year, I lead a special service at our

synagogue, in which we celebrate the different fruits and nuts of the

Holy Land, meditate on several kabbalistic interpretations, and do alot

of singing and reading out loud. What was a very minor thing, a tax day

really, has turned into a major ecological remembrance for modern Jews.


(BTW, the food plates we put together for the service use carob chip

cookies for both the Carob Tree and for the "motzi"!).



So even if you aren't Jewish, why not take some time Friday evening or

Saturday morning to go hug a tree, and eat some tree fruits and nuts

with mindfulness of the trees which produced them for you?



--








Andrea Frankel



It was good to hear from you again Tim. And just when

I needed it. I worked on a report from 8am to 1pm,

when my computer froze up and I lost everything. So I

lugged home 148 student files to work on tonight after

the kids go to bed. I was feeling pretty sorry for

myself. After all, I got into this profession where I

make not a lot of money for a whole lot of work just


so I could help kids and since this No Child Left

Behind thing, all I do is paperwork! Now I'll be up 4

or 5 hours doing more of it! But to stop and think, I

don't have to like it. I can be irritated at my

computer, the moon, or whatever I want. I can

complain about how they're ruining No Child Left

Behind and my life. But it won't change a thing.

Except make me have a bad attitude in front of my

students, my kids and my husband. So I've decided to


just stay up all night if I have to, get the report

done, and go to school tomorrow thankful that I might

have whatever time I can helping and loving my

students. Complaining has never changed anything in

my life, so why bother? Thanks for the "gentle"

reminder.



Jenifer



Wow, Tim what a great message. And timely as usual.


I too am rethinking the donuts in my life (ooo deep thought).

Yesterday I had a bad day at work. I was in several classrooms

to teach students, but the regular teacher didn't include me

and all I ended up doing was sitting in the back of the room

stewing about my wasted college degree and 8 years of experience.

Today the same thing happened first thing this morning.

A teacher had really planned to use my teaching skills with a


small group, but something came up and it didn't end up working.

So I sat and listened. In doing that I began to think deeply

about the difficulty my limited English kids were having in her

class and guessing that my other students are probably

experiencing similar difficulties. I used my time to think

of ways I can help next week in my own classroom to make

these kids have more success in their "regular" classroom. My


time was not wasted because I didn't just look at the blank

paper side of this

problem. Instead I looked deeper and used the time to my

students' advantage. Now if I could only stop judging

everything and learn to do this every time I'm faced with a

"blank page" in my time.



Thanks for making me think today!


Love to you.

Jen









Love In Thought! Love In Word! Love In Action!



Love To You Today!







"May we endeavor today to increase our understanding and appreciation of


what others have given and contributed to us. And develop constant,

mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will BENIFICIALLY

CONTRIBUTE to others"



The best to you today in discovering the answers to life's difficult

questions!







A Final Thought:




Love is always the right thing to do. Even if it isn't the easiest

thing to do.



May we have compassion for the struggles of others, wisdom to

acknowledge our own, and courage to address them both every day.



Respectfully,

Tim





This is a daily newsletter of LOVE WORKS DAILY:


A collective of individuals of different beliefs and

backgrounds, dedicated to a better world by living LOVE in thought,

word and action. Compassion. Wisdom. Courage.



Join one of our mailing list of online groups:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/

http://lists.topica.com/lists/loveworksdaily/prefs/info.html

http://groups.google.com/group/love-works-daily

http://groups.msn.com/LoveWorksDaily






Or read us on the web:

http://loveworks.ebloggy.com/

http://loveworksdaily.blogspot.com/



Or Email me at:

loveworksdaily@wildblue.net



Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Peace be with you.

LOVE WORKS DAILY 03/02/07 - The Same Road

LOVE WORKS DAILY 03/02/07 - The Same Road

Love To You!  And Welcome to this thing called
LOVE WORKS!  I wish you the greatest of peace, the most
abundant happiness, and the fullness of joy that is
LOVE!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/

INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:
(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)

Man has never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.

-Bern Williams

TIM's BLOG
(Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):

Good morning Friday!  The snow has stopped here, at least for
the moment and a few rays of sunshine are creeping through.
Very nice to see! 

Hope that you have been enjoying the LOVE WORKS...remember,
it's not just me on here...take the time to write in and
introduce yourself...make a comment on a topic...ask a question...
heck..I'll do the Dear Abby thing!

Love To You!

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

I have found myself growing sick and tired of driving
a short stretch of road between our house and the kids'
bus stop.  It's about 3 miles long...the only way to go...
and this time of year...icy, muddy, snowy, and full of ruts
and potholes.

The bus comes to the end of the paved road.  From the paved
road it is 3 miles of dirt road to our house.  Most of the
year the road is fine...dry, mostly flat, and a nice
scenic tour through the trees.

This winter,  I have grown very tired of it.

I drive the road in the morning,  and then usually again
at lunchtime to deliver the mail and get the mail, and then
in the afternoon to pick up the kids (for the record the post
office is only open 10:30-1:30 so that's why the third trip).
I also usually drive it on Saturday for classes we teach,
and Sunday to church.

I have really grown weary of the same ole road. 

As I was bumping down the road the other day I got to think
about the road...and the road we call life.

Hey! A Love Works topic!

Sometimes,  taking the very same bumpy road over and over and
over again gets really tiring.

Does that ever happen to you?

Seem like your life is all full of potholes and ruts that you
are stuck in.

Get up in the morning..do the very same thing....noon...do
the very same thing...evening...the very same thing....to
bed and then start again the next day.

Reminds me of people I see working in government offices
sometimes...usually the DMV or Human Resources or the post
office or some other office that deals with hundreds and hundreds
of people every day - over and over - the same questions, the
same complaints, the same forms...over and over.

These people look like they could go Posta...um...I mean
could crack at any point from pure repetitive frustration.

A job that goes no place, that you have to do, that brings no
joy at all..and makes you crazy.

I got to that place lots of times with our store.  The same
group of customers working the system time and time again.
Enough to make one pull out their hair!

Well, not to sound trite...I don't think it has to be this way.

My challenge is to make this drive down this same road
somehow more interesting, more exciting,  even fun!

It's not the roads fault...It's not the jobs fault...
It's not the customers fault.....

They are just THERE....and we react the way we chose to react.

If we cannot chose to react anymore..than we do need to
seek mental health treatment before purchasing a hand gun.

Most of us CAN choose....and we can find a way
to remember that we are NOT STUCK.  There may be ruts and
bumps, and the road may get boring.

But we chose it!

I could live someplace else...I don't HAVE to live
at the end of a dirt road 40 miles from noplace.

I picked it!  And most of the time, I love it!

And for that choice,  I pay a certain cost.  I travel
a short track of bumpy road often.

So it goes with relationships, jobs, living conditions
and more....

We pick something...and some of it is great...and some of
it is not....

We can chose to throw it all away...because the road is
bumpy or even boring, at times.

Or we can keep all the good things we have,  and learn to
make the very best of that "same road".

That's a thing my wife and I do...we try to remember
that neither of us is a basket of roses all the time.

But we get alot of good things...and a few we'd do without.

And sometimes LOVE is just like the road....
bumpy, with some potholes, and you get a bit muddy at times...
and sometimes it's maybe even a little boring...

But those are all parts of getting from A to B.

And the payoff is so great...that it's worth getting
a little mud on the tires.

 

Love In Thought! Love In Word! Love In Action!

Love To You Today!

 

"May we endeavor today to increase our understanding and appreciation of
what others have given and contributed to us. And develop constant,
mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will BENIFICIALLY
CONTRIBUTE to others"

The best to you today in discovering the answers to life's difficult
questions!

 

A Final Thought:

Love is always the right thing to do. Even if it isn't the easiest
thing to do.

May we have compassion for the struggles of others, wisdom to
acknowledge our own, and courage to address them both every day.

Respectfully,
Tim

This is a daily newsletter of LOVE WORKS DAILY:
A collective of individuals of different beliefs and
backgrounds, dedicated to a better world by living LOVE in thought,
word and action. Compassion. Wisdom. Courage.

Join one of our mailing list of online groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/
http://lists.topica.com/lists/loveworksdaily/prefs/info.html
http://groups.google.com/group/love-works-daily
http://groups.msn.com/LoveWorksDaily

Or read us on the web:
http://loveworks.ebloggy.com/
http://loveworksdaily.blogspot.com/

Or Email me at:
loveworksdaily@wildblue.net

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Peace be with you.

(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry

LOVE WORKS DAILY 03/01/07 - Dark Skies

LOVE WORKS DAILY 03/01/07 - Dark Skies

Love To You!  And Welcome to this thing called
LOVE WORKS!  I wish you the greatest of peace, the most
abundant happiness, and the fullness of joy that is
LOVE!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/

INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:
(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)

The wisdom of this world brings doubt. The wisdom of religion soars
above the skies. Reflection on Truth opens the way to the kingdom.
Treasures and armies do not make a king. A true king is a king within
himself.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

TIM's BLOG
(Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):

 This Love Works Daily was originally printed
in 2003, and although it is years later,  my thought are still with
the people of Iraq and the Soldiers
fighting in Iraq and dying in Iraq to this date,  and the
conflicts that occur around the world when one religion takes action
to "correct" another.  I know that there is no simple answer.  Just
like my story on Hurricaine Katrina,  I didn't and still don't have
the facts regarding our attack of Iraq and continued presence there.

Oil?  Weapons of Mass Destruction?  Human Rights?  Religion?

A friend of mine left me an interesting article with detailed
facts regarding what the US public may or may not know regarding
our invasion and occupation of the Middle Eastern Nation.
What counties may have been involved...Did Saddam have Nukes?

And given that, I may have been tempted to re-write some of what I
wrote in 2003, the day we began our first strikes.
 

Much has happened since Day One..No we didn't kill Saddam Hussein.
We captured him, so that
we could eventually kill him..

And even though I thought I just might be writing something like
this four years later when we were still in Iraq, I had hoped not.

I will never like war. And I'm not sure I will ever be able to justify
it. 
As it turns out,  this is a week of pretty heavy topics at LOVE WORKS
DAILY. 

The world is filled with alot of Dark Skies today....

Skies darkened by the blood of innocent people.

To me, that will never be OK.

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

The wisdom of this world brings doubt.

Today we begin our attack on the country of Iraq with the intention
to kill Saddam Hussein and depose his government. I cannot tell you for
certain whether this is good or bad. Nor can I tell you for certain
what results it will bring. I can tell you one thing for
certain.....The wisdom of this world brings doubt!

The wisdom of religion soars above the skies.

Despite what may have heard....the two big religions in this conflict
both preach LOVE and PEACE. If you take some time to research the
matter you will discover that both ancient Christian/Jewish and Islamic
texts will justify the bloodshed .....but that Jesus and Muhammed (the
ultimate FINAL SAY in both religions) strongly CONDEMNED it!...The
wisdom of religion soars above the skies (now filled with bombs!)

Reflection on the Truth opens the way to the kingdom.

The only way is to love your neighbour and LIVE LOVE in thought, word
and action. This is the only universal TRUTH. All else is dogma and
up for debate. Rather than violent action in contrast to this
truth....Reflection on the truth opens the way to the kingdom.

Treasures and armies do not make a king.

You cannot use MONEY or FORCE to cause people to live at peace or
believe what you believe. And peace gained by those means will only
last until you run low on money and armies, or until the next guy
acquires MORE money and MORE armies.
Peace is achieved by LOVING UNDERSTANDING, COMPASSION and
COMMUNICATION. We may be able to win this conflict (HEY LET'S CALL IT
WHAT IT IS...WAR!)...but we will not be able to maintain it
because...Treasures and armies do not make a king.

A true king is a king within himself.

True victory comes from each of us bringing out the best of ourselves,
and sharing it with others. Living a life of love, by example, not by
force. Standing up for (and defending, if necessary) what we believe,
but not using force to ATTACK those who oppose our beliefs....A true
king is a king within himself.

I don't usually address political issues, and the polls say 65% of you
disagree with me....but I oppose the attack on the country and people of
Iraq at this time. Should Iraq or any other country choose to USE
weapons of mass destruction such as Nuclear, Chemical or Biological
weapons....the world should respond....and respond firmly and put an end
to the use of these weapons. I oppose the agressive use of weapons, and
most definately oppose the use of mass destruction weapons.

But I also oppose our attack on countries that have them, just because
they have them.

Should we attack them all? Pakistan, India,
China, Russia, North Korea....how about England or France (to name
just a few). France and India have done above ground nuclear testing in
recent years....shouldn't we attack them?

We have Nuclear and Chemical and Biological weapons stockpiles.

Do we attack ourselves?

After all, we are only country to actually use nuclear weapons to kill
people, and thousands of unarmed civilians at that. Probably necessary,
but still something to think about.

Now don't get me wrong. Saddam Hussein is not a nice guy. The
government of Iraq is agressive and has commited terrible crimes against
it's own people and it's neighbours, and certainly fuels the
terror attacks abroad.

But there are alot of "bad guys" out there. Is the US the country that
is in charge of eliminating the "bad ones", and protecting the "good
ones". And to do it by using massive firepower to attack and destroy?

I support defending the innocent from harm , but oppose the attack of
Iraq at this time, and in this manner.

I think that..."The wisdom of this world brings doubt."

And so did Rumi (an ancient Muslim prophet).

 

Love In Thought! Love In Word! Love In Action!

Love To You Today!

 

"May we endeavor today to increase our understanding and appreciation of
what others have given and contributed to us. And develop constant,
mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will BENIFICIALLY
CONTRIBUTE to others"

The best to you today in discovering the answers to life's difficult
questions!

 

A Final Thought:

Love is always the right thing to do. Even if it isn't the easiest
thing to do.

May we have compassion for the struggles of others, wisdom to
acknowledge our own, and courage to address them both every day.

Respectfully,
Tim

This is a daily newsletter of LOVE WORKS DAILY:
A collective of individuals of different beliefs and
backgrounds, dedicated to a better world by living LOVE in thought,
word and action. Compassion. Wisdom. Courage.

Join one of our mailing list of online groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/
http://lists.topica.com/lists/loveworksdaily/prefs/info.html
http://groups.google.com/group/love-works-daily
http://groups.msn.com/LoveWorksDaily

Or read us on the web:
http://loveworks.ebloggy.com/
http://loveworksdaily.blogspot.com/

Or Email me at:
loveworksdaily@wildblue.net

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Peace be with you.

From Love Works Daily 3/20/03
(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/28/07 - READERS RESPOND #4

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/28/07 - READERS RESPOND #4 - Andrea, Jenifer & Deborah

Hello Friends! I hope today finds you happy and well
and filled with the infinity that is love and the
capacity to give and receive it freely today!

Join one of our mailing list of online groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/
http://lists.topica.com/lists/loveworksdaily/prefs/info.html
http://groups.google.com/group/love-works-daily

Or read us on the web:
http://loveworks.ebloggy.com/
http://loveworksdaily.blogspot.com/

Or Email me at:
loveworksdaily@wildblue.net

INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:
(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)

There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day.

-Alexander Woollcott

TIM's BLOG
(Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):

Today, I continue by series recapping responses sent in
by readers over the years. 

I know, I harp on this topic alot...but when you read
the thoughful and reflective contributions by readers
of the group...I hope you can see how incredibly valuable
these insights are.  Not just to me, but to us all.

Thanks to those who send things in..and thank for
being a continued readered and supporter of the group

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

My definition of courage is from a book title years ago:  "Feel the
Fear, and Do It Anyway."

Just as we can learn attention, compassion, and gratitude for a
multitude of things every moment and every day, we can learn to be
courageous and acknowledge courage for a multitude of things every
moment and every day.

It takes courage to get out of bed in the morning, if you are in pain,
disabled, or depressed.  It takes courage to make plans when you know
that you may be physically or emotionally unable to carry them
through.  It takes courage to reach out to people when you are
grieving, hurt, scared, or depressed.  It takes courage to be present
in our lives.  It takes courage to feel what we are feeling, without
trying to distract ourselves or run from the feelings.

This evening starts Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe.  To any Jewish
readers (heck, to all of us!), I wish you L'Shanah Tovah, a sweet and
love-filled new year.

Andrea K. Frankel

Tim,
Wow! What powerful thoughts you shared today. We so
often don't stop to think about how lucky we are in so
many ways. A good friend of mine has been sharing
with me lately about her marriage to an alcoholic with
a very severe gambling problem. I've been counting
myself very lucky to be married to such a wonderful
man, who may not do the dishes as much as I'd like and
plays on the computer more than I'd like, but is
nonetheless the perfect man for me. He works hard to
make our family a successful partnership. And he
luckily doesn't blow our paychecks at the casinos,
despite the fact that we live in the gambling state.
There are billions of things for us to be thankful for
everyday. Thanks for reminding me of some more
reasons I too am very blessed.
Jenifer

 am SO BLESSED to have your Love Works Daily (or Weekly ;-) ) come into
my ebox. It never fails to lift my spirits and focus me on something
more worthwhile than my aches, pains, and limitations.

I'm sorry if I haven't responded often enough to sustain you - it's so
easy to fall into the trap of feeling that there are "zillions" of other
readers doing that, why would I think that my words would make a
difference, etc. But that's just passing the buck, dropping the ball,
(fill in your favorite metaphor). So I am going to remember (or try to)
to send you loving feedback for all you give us!

Right now, wrap your arms around yourself, and give yourself a big hug
from me!

--

 

Andrea Frankel

It's been very quiet on this list...is anyone out there?

I woke from an interesting dream two nights ago, and when I woke I was left
with an odd thought (which since "opened up" for me) and two songs running
though my head.

The odd thought was: If Jesus were doing his thing in this era, communion
would consist of a latte and a biscotti. Or maybe Folgers and an oreo.

Which expanded to: When Jesus was having his last supper, and telling the
people around him "Whenever you do this, remember me", he was using wine
and bread..two things that were staples for most meals in that era, two
things that people used often. So why did communion turn into something
special, once-a-week-or-less-often, needing major ritual etc. Seems to me
he was trying to tell us that we needed to "remember him" (remember what he
taught about love, and our own god-hood, and peace and the beatitudes and
stuff) EVERY DAY. Several times a day. Whenever we ate or drank something.

That seems to me that it might be a very powerful idea. (Right up there
with my question: "Would you do that to JESUS?")

And the two songs were: "Love Lifts Me Up Where I Belong" and "Your Love
Has Lifted Me Higher". Pretty appropriate, I think.

Deborah

Speaking as a Jew, if I practiced my religion as the Orthodox Jews do,
I would be saying a prayer blessing God for creating the food every
time I went to eat something, and a prayer of thanksgiving to God after
having eaten.  In other words, the Jewish approach is to make every
action a "holy action".  (Did you know there is a specific prayer for
going to the bathroom? :@)

As a Reform Jew, I get pretty lax about this.  But on the rare
occasions when I'm having dinner with someone else, we hold hands
around the food and silently either pray or do mindfulness over the
food.  I like the idea of starting to do this all the time, when dining
alone.  A pleasant side-effect of "doing the b'rucha" every time you
eat (or drink something other than water) is that it really cuts down
on mindless nibbling!

Andrea K. Frankel

Love In Thought! Love In Word! Love In Action!

Love To You Today!

 

"May we endeavor today to increase our understanding and appreciation of
what others have given and contributed to us. And develop constant,
mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will BENIFICIALLY
CONTRIBUTE to others"

The best to you today in discovering the answers to life's difficult
questions!

 

A Final Thought:

Love is always the right thing to do. Even if it isn't the easiest
thing to do.

May we have compassion for the struggles of others, wisdom to
acknowledge our own, and courage to address them both every day.

Respectfully,
Tim

This is a daily newsletter of LOVE WORKS DAILY:
A collective of individuals of different beliefs and
backgrounds, dedicated to a better world by living LOVE in thought,
word and action. Compassion. Wisdom. Courage.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Peace be with you.

(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/27/07 - GRATITUDE AND HOPE

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/27/07 - GRATITUDE AND HOPE

INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:
(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)

It is vital that people "count their blessings" to
 appreciate what they possess without having to undergo its
 actual loss.

-Abraham Maslow

TIM's BLOG
(Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):

Welcome again to some new readers!  Love to You!

Today's Love Works was originally written on August 30th
of 2005.  If the date doesn't jump out at you..that was the
first date of the devisation of hurricaine Katrina in
New Orleans.  News reports were just coming in, and at
least at first, it seemed like things might not be that
bad.  Well, the news was wrong...it was terrible, and at
the time I felt rather bad about writing my story that
day.  When I re-read it a few days later I felt like
I was saying that Katrina was not all that bad and
that others had it much worse.  Reading it now...I realize that
what I think I was really trying to say was that no
matter how bad it is we really can "count our blessings"
that it is not worse.

For those in New Orleans that week, and in the weeks
and months to come, I don't think it could have seemed
or been any worse.  I can only imagine.

But most of the world did not live in Katrina's wake...
and I'm not sure how really grateful we all are about that.

I know the rescue workeres who were shipped into the area,
and all of the other terrible disasters to occur around the
world (including war and famine) can see it first hand
and really appreciate that this was NOT happening to them.

So, from August 2005...Gratitude and Hope...

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

Today my mind is with those that have suffered losses of life,
home and employment due to the destructive powers of mother nature
and the natural disasters she sends to us.

A thunderous rain storm hit where I lived for about
5 minutes yesterday,  flooding the street for a moment,  and
then the sun returned.

I knew in my mind that this was nothing like the terrible tragedy
going on elsewhere today.  For today, as of the time of this writing,
a tremendous hurricane had ravaged and destroyed much of the southern
U.S. coast line. 

Hurricaine Katrina!

***************************************************************

Writes Mark Wallheiser
BILOXI, Mississippi (Reuters) -

 A widespread disaster unfolded on the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday
as up to 80 people were reported dead in Mississippi, and
floodwaters poured into low-lying New Orleans through levees
 battered by powerful Hurricane Katrina.

The death toll was expected to grow as rescuers
struggled through high water and mountains of
 debris to reach areas devastated by Katrina when
it struck the region on Monday. Hundreds needed to be
 rescued from rooftops,     U.S. Coast Guard officials said.

The storm inflicted catastrophic damage all along the
 coast as it slammed into Louisiana with 140 mph (224 kph) winds,
 then swept across Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.

It shattered buildings, broke boats, smashed cars,
toppled trees and flooded cities. Risk analysts estimated the
 storm would cost insurers $26 billion, the most in U.S. history.

*****************************************************************

Now, this was a big storm,  and history will tell just how big, when
all is said and done.

I don't want to diminish what a horrific event it must have been for
those who were there. 

But today, I thought about gratitude.  I thought about my little
rainstorm in Oregon.  And my thoughts also went to
other disasters that have happened in history.

Certainly,  I felt gratitude that in my corner of the world,  I did
not have a hurricaine or any major disaster....

I thought about other huge disasters to hit this planet ...

An earthquake that hit the Kanto Plain, Japan, on September 1, 1923,
destroyed an estimated 575,000 dwellings in Tokyo and Yokohama.
 The official total of people killed and missing in the quake
 and its resultant fires was 142,807. Measuring 8.19 on the
 Richter scale, this disaster devastated southeast Japan.
The cities of Tokyo and Yokohama, with populations of 3 million
and 423,000 respectively, were hardest hit. The quake caused
fires to break out in both cities, further adding to the
devastation.

Around 890,000 dwellings were destroyed when the Hwai
and Yangtze rivers in eastern China flooded in August,
1950. In addition, 1.4 million ha. (3.5 million acres) of
land in the area were left untillable for the entire
planting season.

The tsunami that struck South East Asia on December 26,
 2004 has been confirmed as the most devastating in
 modern history. The series of waves were caused by an
earthquake off the coast of Northern Sumatra that measured
 9.0 on the Richter scale.
The countries directly affected are Bangladesh, Burma,
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka,
 Seychelles, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and India, including
 the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, many small islands
and archipelago were also devastated. The scale of
devastation has resulted in a death toll over 300,000 and over
 five million homeless –­ the largest death toll from a tsunami.

The Kobe earthquake of January 1995 resulted in overall losses
of $100 billion (£63.04 billion), making it the
costliest natural disaster to befall any one country.
More than ten years after the earthquake that caused such
devastation, there is little sign of life in Kobe returning
 to normal. With such enormous damage to people and
property, it was inevitable that life in the region
would be changed forever. Many people must now pay
two mortgages - on the homes they currently own and the
ones they lost in the quake.

On April 26, 1942, 1,549 people were killed by a coal-dust
 explosion at Honkeiko (Benxihu) Colliery, China. Coal
dust continues to post serious risks to miners – as recently
as May 15, 2002, 18 miners were killed in an explosion at
a coal mine in Wentang township in China's southern
 Hunan province.

The most individuals killed in a terrorist act, according
 to the official count from the authorities, is 2,823 as
a result of the attack on the World Trade Center, New York,
 USA, on September 11, 2001.

The fire following the April 18, 1906, San Francisco
 earthquake in the USA caused damage amounting to an
estimated US $5,748,000,000 (in 1906!)

When the Tambora volcano in Sumbawa, Indonesia
(then the Dutch East Indies) erupted from April 5-10, 1815,
92,000 people were killed.

The highest earthquake death toll in modern times
was caused by one that hit Tangshan, China, on
July 28, 1976. The official figure of 655,237 deaths was
 first adjusted to 750,000 and then to 242,000.

Do these numbers and events make me feel different about
Hurricaine Katrina or it's victims?

No.

Does this make me feel that we should be any less compassionate
or extend thoughts of love and hope any less?

Of course not.

What is it does make me realize is that we are all, for the
most part,  very fortunate.

Most of us were not in any of the above mentioned disasters...
including Katrina....

 And we are not nearly grateful enough!

Regardless of how bleak our problems may look today, Today...
someplace in the world...it is most likely even worse...

TODAY there is hope. Things can and will get better...

There is always hope!

And because of that hope.

Today I remember how fortunate we all are.

How fortunate everyone living today really is.

Today, I have hope and gratitude gratitude!

Adapted from LOVE WORKS DAILY 08/30/05
(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/26/07 - BIG BIG LOVE

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/26/07 - BIG BIG LOVE

Hello Friends! I hope today finds you happy and well
and filled with the infinity that is love and the
capacity to give and receive it freely today!

Join our mailing list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/

Or read us on the web:
http://loveworks.ebloggy.com/
http://loveworksdaily.blogspot.com/

INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:
(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)

People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes.

-Abigail Van Buren

TIM's BLOG
(Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):

Good Morning to you on this Happy Monday!

Happy Monday?

Yep, Every Day can be a Happy Day is you decide that
is it one!

I'd like to again say a big Welcome and those who joined us
over the weekend. 

For those of you that have been here a while this will
be repeating what I have said before,  but for the sake of
the new readers, I thought I would recap what LOVE WORKS is,
where it came from, and why it continues.

First off...LOVE WORKS in a phrase that came to me in 2001
at a time when things were particularly low for me.
A number of times in my life LOVE seemed to be just another
4 letter word.  People said LOVE,  but it didn't mean much.

Then came 9/11.  I wrote my first LOVE WORKS essay on 9/10/01,
and the next day...all hell broke loose.

I decided to write a daily diary and send it to my friends
about my thoughts on LOVE...hopeful thoughts...about what COULD
BE....

So that's what I did...and have been mostly doing it for
the last 5 1/2 years...

Speading the world that LOVE WORKS...Hate DOES NOT WORK...
LOVE WORKS!

AND Besides all that...LOVE does not just sit there...

LOVE gets off it's butt and WORKS!

Love IS NOT easy...sometimes it's a good-ole pain in the
you-know-what!

That's what LOVE WORKS is about....Loving youself, Loving
your friends and family...and most importantly Loving those
you don't agree with..or are not loving toward you!  Loving you
enemies as well as those who are not!

When you Love in general...people stop being enemies...
and become other people that just need a little more
time to let Love Work!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

Sometimes you need to have BIG BIG LOVE!

Tossing a little bit of love in whenever it is convenient
is an easy thing to do.  Love those who love you back, but
not until it hurts.....

Sorry....

When it really starts to hurt....that's when the REAL LOVE
kicks in.

The Dalai Lama was exiled from Tibet many decades ago...
it was decided that for the benefit of the world, he should
leave his mountain home...and not die...when the Chinese
invaded.

Hundreds and Hundreds of other monks DID NOT go...they stayed
at the monestaries and held hands and made a human line
between the temples and the soldiers.

They stayed hand-in-hand until machine gun fire killed
each and every one of them.

Many years later, the Dalai Lama was asked about the
massacre, and asked how he felt about the Chinese who did
this to his brothers.

He said, "I Love them.  I love them very much."

What!?!

"I loved the monks who stayed and died..but I loved and love
the Chinese more..."

"I love them more...because they need it more...."

Jesus expressed the almost identical sentiments
2000 years earlier....

He hung out with the sinners, because the sinners needed
Love and forgiveness the most.

Ultimately, it is those terrible situations in which
things go so badly and so wrong...that LOVE is needed the
most.

How could I love the killer who murdered my child?

Not loving him will not bring the child back....Adding
a little love in the world is the only way that anything
will get better. 

How can I love the man who cheated on me and divorced me?

Not loving him will not bring him back,  but continuing
to exhibit a loving, compassionate attitude toward him
and about him WILL change the world.  It will change the world
of the small child who sees that LOVE is bigger than
anger..and that a break-up doesn't mean the end of the
love of his parents.  Children who grow up in hate..learn
hate....divorced parents can still live love...if not live
together...

How can I love the politicians that continue to plunge us
further into war?

You can, because you need to...Send them a loving, yet
passionate letter pleading the case of peace....put a loving
vote in the ballot box by voting them out of office and
encouraging the new administation to make a change.

How do we love people who blow up airplanes and skyscrapers?

How can we?

One person at a time. More loving people mean less hateful
people.  It's simple math.  If you hate the terrorists...
you are on the side of hate...and not on the side of love...
You ARE NOT making it better...just changing the focus.

That's what I always remember in terms of my children (and
those of you with teenagers will relate to the challenge
to live LOVE).....

I always LOVE my children.  Always. Always. Always.

Even when I impose a consequence,  I love them, and say
I love them.

I don't always like what they do...and in some cases
I'm sure that people could come to a place where you don't
like the person they have become or the life they live.

But we always love them. Because they need our love, and love
in the right thing to do. Always.

I don't like murderers...but I don't hate them either.
I don't understand murderers...but I do send out my
love and compassion to them.

Anyone who has worked in prison knows that even the most
violent convictt got to that place somehow...and it wasn't with love..
only LOVE has any change to bring them out of the dark place
they live.

I don't like terrorists...but the same applies..only love..not
hate will turn them around....

I don't like, condone, or support a very large number of
actions....

But without LOVE....I am only making the hate bigger....adding
fuel to a fire that is already burning way to brightly already.

I have no interest in adding to the hate....

But sometimes you have to take a deep breath...bite your
tongue...reach down for your most far way smile.....

And put out your hand and offer that....

BIG BIG LOVE!

The alternative just doesn't work...LOVE works!

Love In Thought! Love In Word! Love In Action!

Love To You Today!

 

"May we endeavor today to increase our understanding and appreciation of
what others have given and contributed to us. And develop constant,
mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will BENIFICIALLY
CONTRIBUTE to others"

The best to you today in discovering the answers to life's difficult
questions!

 

A Final Thought:

Love is always the right thing to do. Even if it isn't the easiest
thing to do.

May we have compassion for the struggles of others, wisdom to
acknowledge our own, and courage to address them both every day.

Respectfully,
Tim

This is a daily newsletter of LOVE WORKS DAILY:
A collective of individuals of different beliefs and
backgrounds, dedicated to a better world by living LOVE in thought,
word and action. Compassion. Wisdom. Courage.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Peace be with you.

(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/23/07 - Going All The Way

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/23/07 - Going All The Way

Hello Friends! I hope today finds you happy and well
and filled with the infinity that is love and the
capacity to give and receive it freely today!

Join our mailing list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/

Or read us on the web:
http://loveworks.ebloggy.com/
http://loveworksdaily.blogspot.com/

INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:
(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)

The giant oak is an acorn that held its ground.

-Anonymous

TIM's BLOG
(Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):

Hello again from this frosty Friday morning in
beautiful Southern Oregon.  In case you don't already
know,  my name is Tim Henry, and I am the host and moderator
of this group.  I'd like to welcome a couple new readers
today...Welcome! 

If you've wondered what this is about..and how you got here..
you got here because of LOVE.  Our mission is to enhance
connection and understanding amongst all types of people
to bring down hate and anger and bring up love and happiness.

Yeah, Yeah...I know...Hippy Dippy...Oh, Well...I usually
write this while hugging a tree anyway...so....

So...toss me a guitar and lets have a "Love In!"  Woo Hoo!

Truthfully, I welcome you all to get involved.  If have a comment
about something I've had to say,  or just something on your
mind...everything said in a loving and respectful way is welcome
here.  There is no right or wrong answers...and after all...
that's the point...learning to love even those you don't agree
with...

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

In March, my 12 year old is going to State!
He's won the local Klamath County contest of MathCounts,
a $1000 scholarship to Oregon Tech, and the chance to
compete in Corvallis to maybe win a slot at the nationals
in Texas!

This boy can do more math in his head that I could ever do..period.
By all accounts, he is a mathmatical genius. And he's only in
the 7th grade.

Which brings me to my LOVE WORKS topic and a question we have
been wrestling with the last few weeks.

When he won the competition in Klamath Falls,  we, as parents,
were thrilled beyond belief.  Our son was very happy,  but
not terribly surprised, I think.  But WE were out of our
minds.  Neither of us had ever WON a scholarship in an academic
challenge.  For me, however,  It would have been such an
exciting moment.

Now that he has the chance to go to state and maybe on
to nationals...we are thrilled...we are hyped...we are
amped....

And he is rather ho-hum.

I think that he thinks he has a chance...but not a very ggod
one...to win at State...but for him the task has been accomplished.
He set out to win at Klamath, and he did.  He wanted
to be one of the few people ever from Klamath to qualify for
state, and he did. He wanted to be the ONLY student from
his school to ever qualify for state, and he did.

But now...going to state doesn't seem really motivating.

For us, the parents,  we see this as a huge opportunity.
He could end up going to the schools we have only dreamed
of...having the job offers that we could have only begged for.

But what do we do now?

What is the most loving action?

I have visions of "beauty pageant" moms and "Child actor" parents
flashing through my mind.  Adults living vicariously through
the success of the child..at the child expense.  The pressure,
the expectation..the loss of childhood.

Because our son is a math and science prodigy, does this
mean we should push his to fame, fortune and the Nobel Prize?

On the other hand,  if we don't push at all....will he
let his talent wither.

Ultimately, I think that his happiness is the the very most
important thing.  I want his to know without any question
that he is LOVED, and LOVED just as much, no matter what
he does, or how he does in life.

If he is happy being a mechanic or a plumber (both very
skilled jobs, by the way) then that's what he shoud do!

But we feel like we should put SOME fire under him
to do his very best,  especially when faced with opportunities
not afforded many other people.

So here we sit...

He said to me the other day..."dad,  you said that when
we were going to the county Mathcounts that you'd be happy
no matter how I did, but now with me going to State you
seem to want me to win"

Did I?  Was that what I had been saying?

I responded by saying that when someone gets a chance at
something big...something that they want....they should go at it
with the mindset "I can get it!" and try their very hardest. We
would be oh so proud to know that you went and tried hard
but did not win!  We love and support you no matter how
you do. But we don't want you to let something pass you
by that you would regret because you didn't try.

But even after saying that...it wasn't clear to me.

Was it our 12 year old regrets we were worried about...
or were we having regrets about what WE let pass by.

I know, I would have done some things different.

As a man of 40,  I know I would spend every hour between
now and March 10th studying math....to give myself the
best chance...to WIN!

But as a boy of 12,  I think I would want to go out
and build a snowman...which is exactly what he did.

LOVING, to me,  is about going all the way.

Not kids going all the way to Nationals because you think they
will let their parents down....

But parents going all the way to show that they care about
and support their kids no matter what....

Would I be walking on air...to be at the televised competion
in Texas with my son, the math genius.  And when he won
that...going to the White House to meet and shake hands
with the president....?

I makes me nearly pass out just thinking about it....

But my son being happy and being a kid is just as important.

We're gonna keep coaching and pushing a little...but
if he makes it clear that he needs a break...or just wants
some Snowman time...we're gonna back off and
go all the way..to show him we love him.

 

Love In Thought! Love In Word! Love In Action!

Love To You Today!

 

"May we endeavor today to increase our understanding and appreciation of
what others have given and contributed to us. And develop constant,
mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will BENIFICIALLY
CONTRIBUTE to others"

The best to you today in discovering the answers to life's difficult
questions!

 

A Final Thought:

Love is always the right thing to do. Even if it isn't the easiest
thing to do.

May we have compassion for the struggles of others, wisdom to
acknowledge our own, and courage to address them both every day.

Respectfully,
Tim

This is a daily newsletter of LOVE WORKS DAILY:
A collective of individuals of different beliefs and
backgrounds, dedicated to a better world by living LOVE in thought,
word and action. Compassion. Wisdom. Courage.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Peace be with you.

(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/22/07 - The Unexpected Snowstorm

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/22/07 - The Unexpected Snowstorm

Hello Friends! I hope today finds you happy and well
and filled with the infinity that is love and the
capacity to give and receive it freely today!

Join our mailing list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/

Or read us on the web:
http://loveworks.ebloggy.com/
http://loveworksdaily.blogspot.com/

INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:
(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)

The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is
 not to hate them, but to be indifferent to
them; that's the essence of inhumanity.

-George Bernard Shaw

TIM's BLOG
(Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):

Hello all and welcome to another glorious Thursday in Oregon!
I wanted to welcome the new readers that have joined us today.
I am going to be doing a very active membership drive over the
next couple months.  We started with about 12 readers in 2001,
and have grown to about 200 on 2 lists and 2 blogs. This is very
exciting but I am now ready to double those numbers.

Why?

Cause bigger is better! No..not really,  but just because I
think that adding new voices and new ideas to the group
is a good....and just makes life more interesting in the process.

If you are new, or have been with the group a while, I hope
you will take the time to click REPLY and introduce yourself,
and likewise if you have people on your email list that might
really be into this kinda thing...please email me a list
of the emails and I will send them an invite.

On to today's thrilling tale of arctic adventure.....

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

The kids are out of school today.  Again. 
It's the second time this week that the roads have made
going to school impossible.

They, I should add, are not upset by it at all.

What is UPSETTING is that we don't have any milk for
cold cereal!

You see, this all started when I was but a small tot in Kansas
during the depression.....

Ah, but alas, I was not alive during the depression.

But I am sure that it started then.

The sudden...the unfortunate...the unexpected.

It's like that story with the chipmunks (or squirrels or whatever)
that put away the acorns until winter...and the other
animals are not prepared.

I'm sure, in a lot of ways, the depression was like that...
took everyone by surprise, and people were not prepared.

I am fortunate that my story is not quite so dramatic.

Starting Tuesday, we had a snowstorm.  And the forcast says
for the next week or so it will continue to snow.

There is about  foot on the ground now, and maybe double that
by the time we are done.

Why, in February in Southern Oregon, is this surprising and
caught us off guard?

Because up until Tuesday it had appeared that Spring had arrived.
Every last flake of snow was gone...daytime temperatures were
climbling into the 60's at times....it was muddy and warm.
It was Spring. 

And then...poof....4 inches, then 4 more...then 4 more...

Now, we are not unprepared like some people may be. We have propane
in the tank and wood for the stove and food in the cupboards.

But suddenly and without warning, after all was clear....

The unexpected snowstorm!

We never really now what life is going to hand us.
It can be all sunny and bright one day, and completely
call apart the next.

The key, in my oh-so-humble, opinion is HOW we deal with it.

Do we collapse in despair?
Do we hide our heads under a blanket until it goes away?

Or do we ROLL WITH IT?

That's one of the greatest things I have learned since moving
from the Salem, OR area to a small town in deep south of Oregon.

Down here, we are kinda on our own...and you never know what
might happen next.

So far...propane problems, plumbing, auto repairs, livestock,
finances, illness...and of course...weather....

I couldn't plan for them.

One morning, my battery was dead in my car....And the next..
dead again.  NO way to know.

We can't know.

And in alot of cases, we can't prepare.

Even if we do have a spare in the jockey box!  (you know who you
are!) Note: I've come to use Jockey box since moving to
Oregon,  but those in other parts of the country KNOW that
it is really a GLOVE COMPARTMENT.

Some times the Unexpected Snowstorm hits us and we just have to
GO WITH IT.

Let Go!  Let the Universe sort out the meaning, and let the
Powers That Be provide for us....

Like I wrote in another Love Works,  one year I was caught
in a snowstorm on the fourth of July!

How do you plan for that?

You don't.

That's where we can be a manifestation of the grand scheme of
things.  We can be the voices and the hands and the bodies
that "Show Up with a snowshovel" and help our neighbours
who can't quite roll with it the way we can.

So...we're out of milk today...we'll roll with it....
not the worst thing that's happened in the world, by far.

But when I do get to the store,  I'm gonna pick up an
extra gallon for the neighbours...just because.

Love Works!

 

Love In Thought! Love In Word! Love In Action!

Love To You Today!

 

"May we endeavor today to increase our understanding and appreciation of
what others have given and contributed to us. And develop constant,
mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will BENIFICIALLY
CONTRIBUTE to others"

The best to you today in discovering the answers to life's difficult
questions!

 

A Final Thought:

Love is always the right thing to do. Even if it isn't the easiest
thing to do.

May we have compassion for the struggles of others, wisdom to
acknowledge our own, and courage to address them both every day.

Respectfully,
Tim

This is a daily newsletter of LOVE WORKS DAILY:
A collective of individuals of different beliefs and
backgrounds, dedicated to a better world by living LOVE in thought,
word and action. Compassion. Wisdom. Courage.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Peace be with you.

(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/21/07 - THE ROAD TO SOMEWHERE

Hello Friends! I hope today finds you happy and well
and filled with the infinity that is love and the
capacity to give and receive it freely today!

Join our mailing list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/

Or read us on the web:
http://loveworks.ebloggy.com/
http://loveworksdaily.blogspot.com/

INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:
(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)

Every new day begins with possibilities. It's up to us to fill it with
the things that move us toward progress and peace.

- Ronald Reagan

TIM's BLOG
(Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):

As many of you know, I've been writing LOVE WORKS for a number
of years now.  From time to time I gotten too discouraged to
continue and gave it up for a few months only to return
again with full steam.

At this point in the game, I have written so many, on so many
topics that I find that writing a complete new essay each
day to not only be a daunting task, but one that simply
covers the ground I have already covered.

So now I write 1 or 2 brand new ones each week, and repeat material
from the past that I think is worthy of another view.

The ROAD TO SOMEWHERE is one of those examples.  This was
written in the Spring on 2003 and is one of my "rules for
living" stories.  It recounts a terrifying mountain trip
in my childhood, followed by another I had as an adult.

Only goes to show..you can preach it...but you can't always live
it....

Still gives me the chills reading this today...but a great
lesson for me, and I hope for you as well!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

Some of the following is true.  Some of it is not.
The names and places have not been changed...and thus, we
have not protected the innocent.
Memories can work that way. 

However,  the message is clear.

FLASH BACK - 1978

I am twelve years old, and the only thing I remember is our car nudging
ever so close to the edge of the mountain pass. As I looked out my
window, the drop was easily a mile down. I was terrified. My father
had become ill while driving and on the narrow two-lane highway
had no place to stop or pull over. So as he became more and more ill
the inside of the car became filled with the horrible smells of illness.
He couldn't stop and we couldn't get out of the car. We were on an
incline going up the mountain pass with a large line of cars behind us
including several semi trucks. The traffic jam had built up as my
father did his best to watch the road between episodes of illness. If he
were to just stop the pile up behind us would most likely lead to a
dangerous, if not fatal, accident.

We swerved back and forth on the road with my mother occaisionally
grabbing the wheel to keep us in our own lane. This went on for a very
long time. This pass was 30 miles long with no exits, and with us
driving recklessly and at only about 20 miles per hour, you can imagine
the extended terror for the family of five including two younger
brothers.

I imagined myself leaping from the car as it
crashed off the cliff and grabbing the edge as the car, and the rest of
my family, dropped to the rocky ground thousands of feet below.
I also imagined myself realizing that no one KNEW I had jumped out.
I had saved myself from death but only for a moment.
If someone knew I was hanging over the edge they could reach down and
pull me up. But my shouts were absorbed into the endless echoes of the
canyon and my grip was loosening from the crumbling edge.
Finally, I imagine myself falling endlessly into the clouds.

I am startled out of the daydream by the noise of my father vomiting
again onto the dashboard of the car, and my mother jerking the wheel
back into our lane. For the longest time this went on. Finally, we
reached a turn-out and came to a stop. But our journey was not
finished. Though my mother took the wheel, we were still miles from a
place to stop for the day, and the stench of the car that we were
unable to clean up very much, was a reminder of the peril we had just
experienced. Our trip that summer continued several more days until we
reached our planned destination. The smell remained with the car for
weeks. The memory of the event has remained with me for 27 years.

Despite this event, my entire life I have always taken a summer driving
vacation. Even if it is for only a few days, I never fail to find a
way to do it. Usually the trip is one to two weeks long. Currently, my
family and I have the luxury to take a full month off
and travel wherever our heart desires.

When I was young, I learned the RULES about summer driving vacations.

1. Have a ROUGH IDEA where you want to GO.

2. Provide enough time and resources.

3. FOLLOW YOUR HEART until you arrive wherever you are SUPPOSED to end
up.

4. Have a clear plan to get back.

And so every summer, I have done this. Many of my friends and family
(outside the HENRY group that understands) think I am crazy.

But I have had some of the greatest times of my life. I really look
forward to the journey. I've been to 47 of the US states, 7 provinces
in Canada, and ventured into Mexico in my life. On one trip, we
travelled 10,000 miles in about 4 weeks.  It was an amazing, once in a
lifetime experience.

Vacations in recent summers have bee particularly easy and relaxing and
trouble free.

But it is not always the case. The times that have not gone well, are
the ones in which we did not follow the rules.

from LOVE WORKS DAILY 03/18/03 & 08/29/05

(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/21/07 - THE ROAD TO SOMEWHERE

PART II

I'm always fine with rule #1. I plan several possible destinations,
over a wide area. One trip for example, we had destinations in
Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Tennessee, Illinois, North Dakota and
Colorado. This is not unusual. We have places to go, if we get there
we do, if we don't we don't. No expectation. The journey is more
important than the destination. I got that part.

Rule #2 is always fine. There always seems to be enough time, and even
if we are turning in pop cans and sleeping at rest stops, there is
always enough resources. WHAT WE NEED is always PROVIDED. We don't
overplan (or even actually plan) anything, so if we do more or less,
or spend more or less, it works out fine.

Rule #3 is the killer. When we turn right...when all the signs are
pointing left....we get very very lost.

FLASH FORWARD 1994 -

We were travelling and decided while in Wyoming to visit Yellowstone.
We wandering through the park and saw Old Faithful and some other sites.
When we had seen all we desired, we asked a few people the best way out
of the park. The only thing we wanted to avoid was tall narrow
cliffside mountain passes. (been there, done that!) We were recommended
several routes, but most concluded the best way to avoid heights was to
return the way we came, backtracking about 50 miles and get back on the
free way.
The only route to avoid for sure, we were told was the southern route.

Well, instead of going with SPIRIT WITHOUT HESITATION, we spent several
more hours considering our options, finally concluding that we would
save nearly 200 miles by taking a short twenty mile stretch of road
going into Nebraska. Twenty short miles due SOUTH.

Six Hours later we were atop an 8000 foot narrow two lane highway going
twenty miles an hour with no guardrails, bad tires, and it was
SNOWING. It was snowing on the 4th of July in Yellowstone!

All signs pointed toward going SOUTH being the wrong choice. Going
south FELT like a BAD idea. What had we done? Why hadn't we followed
our hearts?

I spent several hours sitting in the back seat of the car, with pillows
over my head imagining that I could jump free from the car and
cling on to the edge. I spent several more hours in panic mode,
feeling like I did when I was twelve years old.

My father revealed to me sometime later that he had also been advised,
and my mother had had a feeling that THEY shouldn't have taken the
SHORTCUT that lead to the illness filled mountain pass journey of my
childhood. And
decided to go against the GUT feeling, and save a few miles and a lot
of time.

So when travelling on vacation or just in life, I almost always KNOW
roughly where I am trying to go without any real concrete plan, I have
the means and ability to do it, but the clear and present PATH evades
me. The path without the cliffside, and the swerving cars, and the
vomiting.

When successful with rule #3 I look VERY VERY closely...not at the FACTS
of the matter.....but the intuitive FEELING or HITS I get from the
situation at hand. I go with them one HIT at a time, and go with them
quickly and without a second thought.

So sometimes FACTS seem to tell me I SHOULD go one direction.....my
feelings and conditions tell me I've taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque!

I've always done best when I've gone with the gut feeling, rather than
the logical conclusion.

When I use my brain instead of my heart I always end up on winding
mountain passes.

Are you heading toward a dangerous mountain pass your logical
destination... or are you going toward the right destination on the
wrong road?

And what road is that?

It might be right before your eyes!
But it took one road to get to another!

I have never planned the roads I was going to take on a vacation,
but I could always spot a bad one.

I have never planned the roads I take in life, but I can always spot a
good one.

Sometimes I took that bad road anyway, and really regretted it it.

Are you heading the right way, on the wrong road?

Fortunately for me, RULE #4 has always worked out as well,
once I get back on the right road.....

I always find my way home.

A big part of this journey we call life is following the map and
following the road signs.....the biggest part is FOLLOWING YOUR
HEART...even if it leads you someplace you don't expect or think you
desire......and even if it leads you the long way from where you are
right now.....

to where you are really SUPPOSED TO BE.

You can choose to follow your heart, to follow spirit, to be in "the
flow of the universe" today.

LOVE is a great big place to travel, endless in it's possibilities.

Happy journey! Rememeber the 4 rules of travel! and BE WELL!

 

Love In Thought! Love In Word! Love In Action!

Love To You Today!

 

"May we endeavor today to increase our understanding and appreciation of
what others have given and contributed to us. And develop constant,
mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will BENIFICIALLY
CONTRIBUTE to others"

The best to you today in discovering the answers to life's difficult
questions!

 

A Final Thought:

Love is always the right thing to do. Even if it isn't the easiest
thing to do.

May we have compassion for the struggles of others, wisdom to
acknowledge our own, and courage to address them both every day.

Respectfully,
Tim

This is a daily newsletter of LOVE WORKS DAILY:
A collective of individuals of different beliefs and
backgrounds, dedicated to a better world by living LOVE in thought,
word and action. Compassion. Wisdom. Courage.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Peace be with you.

from LOVE WORKS DAILY 03/18/03 & 08/29/05

(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/20/07 - HELP YOURSELF

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/20/07 - HELP YOURSELF!

Hello Friends! I hope today finds you happy and well
and filled with the infinity that is love and the
capacity to give and receive it freely today!

Join our mailing list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveworksdaily/

Or read us on the web:
http://loveworks.ebloggy.com/
http://loveworksdaily.blogspot.com/

INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:
(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)
Life isn't a matter of milestones, but moments.

- Rose Kennedy

TIM's BLOG
(Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):

Hi!

Thanks to several people who wrote me today about yesterdays
question. Several asked me to keep it "off the list"
and I am, but the input and responses have really been
helpful.  Thanks!

NOW,  Helpful, is today LOVE WORKS topic...and although
this next story isn't one particularly filled with hope
and joy...it is about how people can choose to make
things better or worse...by contributing to the process,
or simply taking from it.

That's why I'm taking this break from our regular program
to talk to you about making a pledge to Public Television...
Just kidding...

Hey...We should have a pledge drive....people could make
pledges to do so many NICE and LOVING things in the next
year..and I'll send you a handy tote bag and subscription to
our program guide....

An idea!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

(From 03/08/02)

You may have heard the phrase "don't bite the hand that feeds you..."

Well, I have a story of someone who did just that.

As you have likely heard, we run a community resource called the "HELP
YOURSELF CENTER".

It's basically just a room full of free stuff.

People donate things, other people come in to get them for free.

As part of this center, we have a "food bank" area. It's a shelf that
we stock with lots of bread, canned goods, beans, rice, pasta etc.
as well as hygiene suppies like toothpase and shampoo etc.

We try to keep it stocked so that if someone comes in
we have at least a days groceries available for them.
Sometimes, when we run low of certain things, we use our own money to
keep this area stocked. It's not a large expense and one that we have
found to be satisying.

We have about a dozen or so people or families that
take food from the center regularly. (Other take once in a while but about
12 come in every other day or so)

One of these folks is a young man in his twenties, who lives close by
with his mother and several siblings.
Without giving more detail, he and his family seem clearly in need and
this young man comes in regularly to get food. (almost every day)

A couple weeks ago, he came into our retail shop (which is connected to
the center) and while he thought I wasn't looking, stole a $20
Playstation Game Disc and
ran home with it. He didn't even try to conceal that he had done it.
He just took it and ran.

What do we do?

Do we ban him from the shop? His mother is obviously in poor health and
they seem to be depending on the food we provide them.

Should we have called the police?

Do we confront him and demand a return of the item, and threaten to ban
him from our store?

He may come in again and attempt to steal other items, if we do nothing
at all.

Letting him get away with it wouldn't be fair...
what about justice?

In the end, we decided to let him bite the other hand.

We decided to have compassion for him and his situation and give him the
opportunity to make it right or do it right the next time.

I've made it clear that I know he stole from us.
I've made it clear that, in my heart, I hope that he
will not steal from us again.

I've made it clear that sadly, he has lost my trust, and that I will
have to watch him closely.

I hope he just brings back the game, but it's not likely. I hope that
he will be able to come to right decision about this matter.

But, in the end, if he doesn't....he has to live with it.

I only have to live with what I do and how I react.

And I'm chosing to react with LOVE, rather than anger
or resentment. I'm chosing compassion rather than justice. I'm chosing
to focus on hope rather than fairness.

Is it the RIGHT thing to do?...I think anything done with LOVE in your
heart, at least has good intention and can't be the WRONG thing. Will
it produce the desired results?

I don't know.

But the $20 game doesn't change my life. It dented my faith in
humanity. But it didn't change who I was.

I can only hope , that this $20 game that he stole from people who were
already offering help and will continue to offer help in spite of it...

will change his.

UPDATE 3/17/03 - This individual continued to visit our store and within
two weeks atempted to steal another item in plain view.
I had to escort him out of the store and tell him not to come back.

The very next day he came into the HELP YOURSELF CENTER to get bread
and some clothes. He continued to visit the HELP YOURSELF CENTER for a
few months and finally (possibly thinking I didn't remember him) came
back into our regular store. This time he came in to sell some items
(INCLUDING THE GAME HE HAD STOLEN FROM US MONTHS BEFORE! I have a very
good memory by the way!)

I refused to buy the items from him, and later that same day a person
claiming to be his mother came in to sell the same items. I refused
them again.

On a second visit, the mother tried to sell the same items again, and
when I refused, attempted to steal an item from the store herself.
After spotting her trying to put an item in her purse, she put it back
down and left.

On yet another visit, this same woman came into the store and yelled
and scolded me that we were not getting enough FREE food in our help
yourself center and that her son DEPENDED on the food to survive and
I was making him go hungry. She was upset at me for treating her son,
who was 30 years old and living at home and has not been able to get a
job, so badly. She was UPSET at ME for treating HIM badly. She told him
to just come in anyway. Wow!

A year later he still comes into the HELP YOURSELF CENTER for food and a
change of clothes (most days I see him he is wearing the same outfit day
after day after day). He still comes into our regular store under heavy
surveillence (and we have everything he wants to steal under glass),
and he acts as though I don't know who he is, or remember what he has
done, or that I've asked him not to come into the store anymore.

He seems fully unaware that he ever committed any offense or caused any
problem.

The key point, to me, is that he still seems fully unaware - and
without any sense of remorse.

I'm not sure what, if anything, has been or can be accomplished.

My behavior has stayed consistant....that of compassion and love.
I do have a deeper understanding of his situation. And actually
rather pity him.

But he is exactly the same over a year later.

Am I expecting TOO much, to expect LOVE to work miracles?

Or are some people beyond hope?

What do you think I should do? Keep on the path....or
knock this guy down a few pegs by giving him a larger dose of reality?
(i.e. maybe call the police?)

And if I did ...would THAT even make a difference?

I suspect he been knocked down and beaten up so much - he doesn't
even notice it any more.

Right now, I keep turning the other cheek.....but I'd love to hear your
opinion? Any ideas?

 

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Peace be with you.

From LOVE WORKS DAILY 03/08/02 & 03/17/03, 08/26/05
(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry

LOVE WORKS DAILY 02/02/07 - HELP YOURSELF!

PART II

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
(Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

UPDATE - 08/26/05

Our HELP YOURSELF CENTER has been closed for nearly a year now. 
After repeated abuses by the folks we were trying to help,  we decided
that is was in the best interest of all to support other causes rather
than contribute to a continued problem.

Amongst the problems...  repeated thefts from our retail store by
users of the HELP YOURSELF CENTER,  several occaisions of patrons
bringing a pick-up truck to haul away every good usable item from the
center and taking them to consignment shops, flea markets and garage
sales,  repeated (to this date) dumping of broken,  damaged,  and
destroyed items including old mattresses and broken TVs,  the leaving'
of bags of household trash at our drop off site (yes, garbage....
bottles, old food,  meat wrappers,  burned out light bulbs),  and
the wholesale demolition of the center by unattended children and
adults who tossed everything on the floor and walked away.

Sadly,  we had to give up on the HELP YOURSELF idea...because
it really did appear that many were just HELPING THEMSELVES....
at everyone else expense,  including ours.

The HELP YOURSELF CENTER was not a success, although I did enjoy the
attempt and did have quite a few people benifit from it over time.

But it was a wake up call to remind me that alot of  people really
DO need our love and compassion,  even if that does not mean
giving things away for free.

We still do give out free bread, two times per week.

But just today...moments before writing this....someone pulled up
in a VW van,  and loaded EVERY BOX,  EVERY LOAF of bread into it
and drove away.

FREE BREAD is FREE BREAD.

And so they took it all.

They were the only person to get any free bread today.

My son asked me..."Why did she do that?"

My only answer was..."Because that's just what some people do."

LOVE DOES WORK....but it's sure not easy sometimes.

Update 02/20/07

Well, It's been almost five years since the Help Yourself
Center opened.  And over 2 since it closed.  We've moved to
southern oregon and are still involved in charitable
organizations, and seek to provide aid whenever we can to
those who need it.

I don't think we will start another HELP YOURSELF CENTER here,
at least not right now.

People are people wherever you go, and maybe I'm not ready
to have our experiences repeat themselves quite yet.

I have noticed that there is a much greater sense of "giving"
here.  There are the takers...yes...but maybe it's because it's
such a small town, and people have so little...that they are
willing to share whatever they can with the next guy. 

At least in our little corner of the world...there does seem
to be a bit more "help others"...and a bit less "take for
myself".  It's very refreshing!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Peace be with you.

From LOVE WORKS DAILY 03/08/02 & 03/17/03, 08/26/05
(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry