Smiles

I never will understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.

Peace begins with a smile.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Connectedness

I am developing an awareness of my connection to all things--to God and to everything else in the world. When I feel connected to all things, I tend to treat them with more care and compassion and I am reminded that I am not the master of the world.

Adapted from Simple Kabbalah by Kim Zetter

Humility

I cultivate humility by releasing the poses and images I project into the world and remember that I matter no more and no less than anyone or anything else.

I accept who I am and recognize that I am a spark of the Divine. I treat all beings as if they are God—because they are.

Adapted from Simple Kabbalah by Kim Zetter

Renewal

Nothing can block or impede the progress of Life.

It flows and flows and flows.

Nothing can interrupt the process of continual renewal.
With the renewal of the mind, old thoughts are passed away.
I let go of past failures, depressions, grudges, and unhappy memories.
I am renewed in spirit, mind, and body.
I am made new through the continuous action of God.
.
adapted from Your Needs Met
by Jack and Cornelia Addington

When Joy Is Elusive

When joy is elusive, we must actively seek it out.
We must put ourselves with people and things that bring us delight.

Julia Cameron

Buddha Quote

Do not dwell in the past.

Do not dream of the future.
Concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Quarryhill Botanical Garden

I took this picture of a paper mulberry tree in blossom a few weeks ago at Quarryhill Botanical Garden, a unique and beautiful Asian woodland in the Valley of the Moon, on the rolling hills above Glen Ellen. Although the garden is quite showy in the spring, it is a wonderful place to visit any time of year. Founded in 1987, Quarryhill features one of the largest collections of documented, wild-collected Asian plants in the world. It is hard to imagine that every plant, bush, and tree has been grown from seed. www.quarryhillbg.org.