The Christmas Present

One of my favorite quotes is…

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow’s a mystery, today is a gift, that is why it is called the present. In Zen, ( teaching that contemplation of one’s essential nature to the exclusion of all else is the only way of achieving pure enlightenment ) living in the here and now, for you are a result of your past, your enviorment and all that you have obtained and gone through with a positive outlook that tomorrow will only get better as you get wiser in your journey through life. I wish for all, peace with-in, this is not always easy.

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This morning, the strong winds had knocked the power out. My little sunshine came knocking on the door at 5 am, she was frightened because it was dark and she could not see. This is the base of a lot of fears, we can not see the future and fear what is ahead. We are all in the dark as to what will be. So we must close our eyes and open our hearts and minds then go into the future with nothing more than the knowledge we have obtained. Little sunshine held tightly to my shirt as we walked down the hall in the pitch black darkness to the desk where I fumbled to find the flashlights. Once the flash lights were turned on she was fine.

I walked out side and the silent night was bright. No moon to light the way but brilliant sparkling stars, the trees danced in the wind and the river laughed in the darkness. “Nature is not afraid of the dark,” I told her as she asked what was I doing outside in the dark. She stepped outside with me and looked up. “The Stars are bright!” She said. I told her they were shining bright to help her feel safe and to help her see. That nature will always be there even if the electricity is not. (grin) I reminded her that one hundred years ago and back in the days of baby Jesus they did not have electricity, people had learned to live in the dark. It is easy to take things for granite till we don’t have them anymore. (so what did she do? She found comfort in playing games on her I-pad till the school bus came…(grinin)) We had a special morning due to the power outage. Funny how, making memories comes from the strangest of times. In those moments there was no tomorrow, no yesterday, there was me and sunshine, brightening the darkness of the present.

(~_~) ~Art (12-20-2012)

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As I mentioned before, I will be working this Christmas day, so I am making posts/drafts for the four 12 hour days that I will be at the prison. Prison life is an alterante universe that can only be explained in a book at length. I will wake at 4 am and start the coffee and wipe my eyes with a brief read of the daily news online, post a draft, read a blog or two and out the door I will go while others are still snuggled in their beds and soon will wake to share gifts and a grand christmas meal. Once again I ask you to remember those who are patroling the streets to keep america safe, those who are abroad to ensure our freedom and those who will be wprking behind bars to ensure that hardened criminals are locked up tight.

What present can I give you? None that match the present you already have… the present, and the gift of life.

Merry Christmas to all and may there be peace on earth.

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Life is not about finding ourselves, life is about creating ourselves

life is not a destination, it is a journey

may there be… peace of mind, peace in your heart and peace on earth

“Merry Christmas”

peace out

(~_~)