Friday, February 28, 2014

Feb 28 Tip: TONIGHT: Hear a Louisville Imam Speak at a Louisville Synagogue

TONIGHT: Hear a Louisville Imam Speak at a Louisville Synagogue

(The February 28 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

At 7 pm tonight, February 28

Hear 
Imam Mohammad Wasif Iqbal of the
River Road Mosque 
speak at 

The Temple
(Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom)
5101 Hwy. 42


(Corner of Lime Kiln and Hwy 42)

http://www.thetemplelouky.org/

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Feb 27 Tip: Attend Tonight's Suicide Prevention Presentation in Jeffersonville, Indiana

Attend Tonight's Suicide Prevention Presentation in Jeffersonville, Indiana

(The February 27 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.afsp.org/local-chapters/find-your-local-chapter/afsp-louisville-metro/upcoming-chapter-events/suicide-prevention-workshop

Join us for this powerful workshop at 6:30 pm, Thursday, February 27, 2014 at St. Lukes United Church of Chirst, 329 Walnut Street, Louisville, Kentucky. For details call:
This project is sponsored by the Downtown Churches of Jeffersonville, the LifeSpring Foundation of Indiana and the Southern Indiana Suicide Prevention Coalition.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

March 1 Tip: Sign up now for the "Peace is Possible" Kentucky license plate!

Sign up now for the "Peace is Possible" Kentucky license plate!

(The March 1 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.peaceandjusticeky.org/plate.htm

Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice has until May 31, 2014, to recruit 900 applicants and receive $25 from each that will go toward the specialty plate purchase. Each applicant will pay $25 to CKCPJ - and CKCPJ will send your money in one check to the Kentucky Department of Transportation when the campaign is finished. So, your information and money toward the specialty license plate goes to CKCPJ up front - your money will be kept in a special fund just for this campaign.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Feb 26 Tip: Attend tonight's Thomas Merton Center Black History Month Lecture

Attend tonight's Thomas Merton Center Black History Month Lecture

(The February 26 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)



Eighth Annual Thomas Merton Black History Month Lecture

Dorothy Cotton
"On the Journey Forward:
Merton and King as important guides"


Wednesday 26th February, 2014 - 7 pm

Frazier Hall, Bellarmine University
Free and Open to the Public

From 1960 to 1968, Dr. Dorothy Cotton was the Education Director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In that capacity, she worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders, directing the Citizenship Education Program (CEP).  As the Education Director she was considered one of the highest ranking women with the SCLC. She accompanied Dr. King when he received the Nobel Prize for Peace in Norway.
On April 4, 1968 she was at the Lorraine Motel in room 307 next door to Dr. Kings’ room, the day of his assassination.
After Dr. King's death, she served as the Vice President for Field Operations for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia where she was a leader and senior trainer for the Center in areas nonviolence and empowerment for leadership.  Under the Carter Administration, she served as the Southeastern Regional Director of ACTION, the Federal Government’s agency for volunteer programs from 1978 to 1981.
Dr. Cotton has traveled extensively throughout the world, including visits to the former Soviet Union, The People’s Republic of China, Switzerland, Africa, Vietnam, and Europe while participating in international workshops and discussions on a broad range of current social and humanitarian issues.
Dr. Cotton describes her work with the Citizen Education Program in her book If Your Back's Not Bent: The Role of the Citizenship Education Program in the Civil Rights Movement. 

Sponsored by: Campus Ministry; Interfaith Paths to Peace; M.A. in Spirituality Program; The Office of Multicultural Affairs; Theology Department.
For full details visit:
http://merton.org/Events/

Monday, February 24, 2014

Feb 25 Tip: Make your reservation now to help Louisville's Peace Education Program celebrate it's 30th Birthday!

Make your reservation now to help Louisville's Peace Education Program celebrate it's 30th Birthday!

(The February 25 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

Here's a link to the Peace Ed web site where you will find a variety of ways to help them celebrate (and empower their mission)!

http://www.peaceeducationprogram.org/


Sunday, February 23, 2014

Feb 24 Tip: Delve Deeply Into the "1001 Nights"

Delve Deeply Into the "1001 Nights" (From "To the Best of Our Knowledge")

http://podcast.wpr.org/tbk/tbk140202A.mp3

Learn things you never knew about the book we know as "101 Arabian Nights"


Saturday, February 22, 2014

Feb 23 Tip: Take Part in Today's Moving Interfaith Memorial for the 48 Homicide Victims in Louisville in 2013

Interfaith Service Set for February 23 in Louisville
To Honor the Memory of Homicide Victims
And to Offer Hope to Gunshot Survivors
From Louisville Metro in 2013

(The February 23 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

On Sunday, February 23, 2014, Christ Church (Episcopal) Cathedral and Interfaith Paths to Peace will host the fourth annual Interfaith Memorial Service for homicide victims. 

The Service will be held at 3:30 pm at Christ Church Cathedral, 421 South Second Street in Louisville, and will honor the 48 homicide victims who perished in 2013 in Louisville Metro. This year, for the first time, the Service will include an intention to offer hope to the 102 gunshot survivors who were wounded last year in the Metro Area.

The Interfaith Service is free and open to the public. Persons of all religions are invited to attend as well as those who are not affiliated with any religion. Following the Service a reception will be held in the Cathedral Narthex.

The service will include prayers, readings, music and the traditional "Mourners Kaddish" from Judaism. It will also include remarks delivered by the Interim Dean of the Cathedral; by the Commander of the LMPD Homicide Division; by gunshot survivor, Sheronda Morris; and by community anti-violence advocate, Christopher 2X.Also, LMPD Police Chief Steve Conrad will offer a reading during the Service.

Those attending the Service will be invited to light a candle for homicide victims and to take a flower as a symbol of healing and hope for those who have survived violence.

Those expected to participate in the service include:

The Very Rev. Joan Pritcher, Dean in the Interim, Christ Church Cathedral
Dr. Robert L. Bozeman, Cathedral Musician
Michael Seewer, Peace and Justice Division, Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky
Mizi Friedlander, Narrator of "talking books" for the American Printing House for the Blind

LMPD Police Chief Steve Conrad
Lt. Todd Kessinger, Commander of the LMPD Homicide Division

Christopher 2X, Louisville community anti-violence Activist
Sheronda Morris, Gunshot survivor and community anti-violence advocate

David Lipp, Cantor at Adath Jeshurun Synagogue
Terry Taylor, Executive Director of Louisville-based Interfaith Paths to Peace

Friday, February 21, 2014

Feb 22 Tip: Learn about the Legacy of LBJ

From the NY Times: Learn about the REAL Legacy of LBJ

(The February 22 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000002714476/legacy-of-lbj.html

“The agony of Vietnam looms over all of us,” said Luci Baines Johnson, who argues that the war overshadowed the domestic achievements of her father, President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Feb 21 Tip: Read a review of the new book, "The Sixth Extinction"

Read an NY Times Review of the New Book, "The Sixth Extinction"

(The February 21 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/books/review/the-sixth-extinction-by-elizabeth-kolbert.html

Without a Trace
‘The Sixth Extinction,’ by Elizabeth Kolbert

Review by By AL GORE FEB. 10, 2014
Over the past decade, Elizabeth Kolbert has established herself as one of
our very best science writers. She has developed a distinctive and eloquent
voice of conscience on issues arising from the extraordinary assault on the
ecosphere, and those who have enjoyed her previous works like “Field
Notes From a Catastrophe” will not be disappointed by her powerful new
book, “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.”

Kolbert, a staff writer at The New Yorker, reports from the front lines
of the violent collision between civilization and our planet’s ecosystem: the
Andes, the Amazon rain forest, the Great Barrier Reef — and her backyard.
In lucid prose, she examines the role of man-made climate change in
causing what biologists call the sixth mass extinction — the current spasm
of plant and animal loss that threatens to eliminate 20 to 50 percent of all
living species on earth within this century.

Extinction is a relatively new idea in the scientific community. Well
into the 18th century, people found it impossible to accept the idea that
species had once lived on earth but had been subsequently lost. Scientists
simply could not envision a planetary force powerful enough to wipe out
forms of life that were common in prior ages.

(Click the link above and read more)

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Feb 20 Tip: Register now for "Reclaiming a Soul Infused-Life"

Register now for "Reclaiming a Soul Infused-Life"

(The February 20 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

Reclaiming a Soul Infused-Life:
Exploring Cross-Cultural Soul-Encounter Practices 
for Inner Transformation and Outer World Peace

with Marilyn Stoner & Doug Van Houten 

Friday, February 28, 6:00 p.m.  thru  Noon, Sunday, March 2, 2014
Crestwood, Kentucky
Cost: sliding scale $175 – $225 
Venue: McCoy House at Camp Kavanaugh, Crestwood, KY   www.campkavanaugh.com

YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER space is limited
 
WE LONG TO RESTORE the lost aspects of our soul life. Soul loss can be felt as a diminishment in meaning, connection, vitality, joy, intuition, imagination, power, feeling, vision and community. Because of the ceaseless demands and frantic pace of contemporary culture, we often find that we have little time for self-reflection, healing, wholing and encounters with our true self — our soul life.  This leaves us feeling that something essential is missing from our lives. 

Often when we hear soul speak it does so in a kind of a lament for those exquisite things lost. Availing ourselves to these soul-sent missives can guide us to the larger Self that awaits. That Self, and its full magnificence, is what this world — a world in great peril and possibility — longs for.

You are invited to join a circle of concerned hearts of all faiths as we engage in practices drawn from many faith traditions. As we engage in these processes, our time together will include:

• Expressing our grief over losses to our individual and community wholeness
• Opening up to our stories of loss, hope and joy
• The use of the creative processes of art, music and movement
• Focused time alone in nature
• Soulcentric dreamwork and guided imagery
• Council, ritual and celebration

To register or obtain more information: Call or email Doug Van Houten at: doug@dougvanhouten.com (502) 472-6563

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Feb 19 Tip: Make your Reservation now for the Annual Interfaith Coffee on March 24

The Annual Interfaith Coffee at “The Temple”
Has Been Rescheduled for Monday, March 24 at 9:30--Make Your Reservation today!

(The February 19 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.thetemplelouky.org/

The annual Interfaith Coffee sponsored by the Women of Reform Judaism has been rescheduled for Monday, March 24 at 9:30 am at The Temple, 5101 US Highway 42.

The Topic for the breakfast presentation will be “Jewish Holidays: A Stroll through the Hebrew Year.” The topic will be presented by the Temple’s Rabbis.


To make your reservation, RSVP to the Temple by March 20 at (502) 423-1818.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Feb 18 Tip: Make reservation today for Thursday's "Looking Back on 2 Centuries of Black Louisville

Make reservation today for Thursday's "Looking Back on 2 Centuries of Black Louisville

(The February 18 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)
Looking Back at Two Centuries of Black Louisville
Kenneth Clay and Mervin Aubespin

Ken Clay and Merv Aubespin are co-authors, with the late J. Blaine Hudson, of Two Centuries of Black Louisville: A Photographic History, published in 2011.  Ken will talk about the vibrant history of Louisville’s Walnut Street corridor (now Muhammad Ali Blvd).  As home to Black Louisville’s business, legal, professional and social institutions, Walnut Street was the heart, soul and pulse of the African-American community during segregation.  Merv will focus on the civil rights struggle in Louisville, and his role during this period of unrest as the first African-American journalist with The Courier-Journal.
At the Rudyard Kipling in Old Louisville.  Buffet lunch at 11:30.  Presentation at noon.  $7.  Call/email Cathy Ford at 458-1223 of fordhoff@bellsouth.net for a reservation by Tuesday, February 18th.



Sunday, February 16, 2014

Feb 17 Tip: From the Huffington Post: Enjoy the sounds of the Beatles' "Spiritual Music"

From the Huffington Post: Enjoy the Sounds of the Beatles' "Spiritual Music"

(The February 17 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/10/beatles-songs-religion_n_4760561.html

The Beatles have had a diverse, ever-evolving spiritual journey since they first graced America with their music 50 years ago on the Ed Sullivan Show. From their controversial comment about being "more popular than Jesus" to later forays into eastern religion, the Fab Four have always been interested in getting higher.
A look at the lyrics of some of their songs provides a glimpse into their religious interests and influences.


Saturday, February 15, 2014

Feb 16 Tip: From Pema Chodron learning to practice the way of the Bodhisattva

From Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron learning to practice the way of the Bodhisattva

(The February 16 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://vimeo.com/shambhala/review/76732709/4a9a84f027

This is a 5 minute excerpt from Pema's video on who to learn to live a life of service to others.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Feb 15 Tip: Learn the stories behind "A Thousand and One Arabian Nights"

From "To the Best of Our Knowledge": Learn the stories behind "A Thousand and One Arabian Nights"

(The February 15 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace) 

http://www.ttbook.org/book/story-arabian-nights

Everyone thinksThe Arabian Nights is a collection of stories and folktales from the Middle East.  In fact, some of the most famous were written by Europeans, who fell in love with the tradition and wanted more. Steve Paulson brings us a collection of interviews about one of the most celebrated, and well-traveled, books in history.  He talks with scholars Marina Warner and Muhsin al-Musawi, and with children's television producer Shabnam Rezaei.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Feb 14 Tip: Listen to "Hope in a Hopeless God"

Listen to "Hope in a Hopeless God"

(The Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.onbeing.org/program/david-hartman-hope-in-a-hopeless-god/16

David Hartman died a year ago this week. The Orthodox rabbi was a charismatic and challenging figure in Israeli society, called a “public philosopher for the Jewish people” and a “champion of adaptive Judaism.” We remember his window into the unfolding of his tradition in the modern world — Judaism as a lens on the human condition. - 

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Feb 13 Tip: Monastic Life at the Top of the Charts

From NPR's Morning Edition: Monastic Life at the Top of the Charts

(The February 13 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2014/02/11/274686955/monastic-life-at-the-top-of-the-charts

When the sisters of Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles aren't hard at work on the monastery grounds, they're topping the charts with albums of sacred music. The group's Angels and Saints at Epheseus topped the Billboard classical charts, and now it's releasing its latest,Lent at Epheseus. Mother Cecilia, prioress of the abbey in rural Missouri, and the group's arranger, tells NPR's Renee Montagne, "We're not fabricating anything; this is just music we're pulling from our life, our everyday life."
"We're hard workers," Mother Cecilia says. "We really follow the rules of St. Benedict very closely — his 'ora et labora,' which is 'pray and work.' And we have a small farm. We have a cow to milk twice a day, rain or shine, whether it's 100 degrees or 20 below. And then, of course, the processing of the milk; we make all sorts of dairy products for our table. And, of course, the recreation and our meal times fill up the day."


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Feb 12 Tip: TONIGHT: Hear Dick Sisto perform and discuss selections from "Soul Searching: the Journey of Thomas Merton

TONIGHT:  Hear Dick Sisto perform and discuss selections from "Soul Searching: the Journey of Thomas Merton

(The February 12 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

Soul Searching with Dick Sisto 
Wednesday, February 12
6:30 p.m. Parish Room
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
2233 Woodbourne Ave
Louisville, KY

Jazz artist and composer Dick Sisto will speak about his spiritual journey in composing the music for the documentary film, "Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton." Dick will perform passages from "Soul Searching" on his vibraphone. He will be accompanied by pianist Steve Allee.

Sisto has a long distinguished career that has taken him from Chicago to California to Texas and Kentucky, performing throughout the U.S. and five tours in Great Britain. His career includes composing music for two masters among contemporary American poets, Gary Snyder and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.  Louisvillians and Kentuckians have gotten to know his music through appearances with his trio and quartet at various venues, including jazz festivals, clubs, churches, and workshops. He leads a meditation at noon on the first Wednesday of every month at Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral. An adjunct professor at the University of Louisville, he is also known as the host of two popular NPR public radio shows and as director of music at the Seelbach Hotel.

This event is free and open to the public.
 
Child care will be available. Please contact Holland (mholland@mysaintandrews.org) in advance if you will need childcare.

Come early for the midweek Eucharist at 5:30 pm in the chapel and our weekly dinner at 6, when we bring sandwiches to share.


Monday, February 10, 2014

Feb 11 Tip: Rethinking urban development from the ground up

TED Talk: Rethinking urban development from the ground up

(The February 11 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.ted.com/talks/teddy_cruz_how_architectural_innovations_migrate_across_borders.html?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button__2014-02-05

As the world's cities undergo explosive growth, inequality is intensifying. Wealthy neighborhoods and impoverished slums grow side by side, the gap between them widening. In this eye-opening talk, architect Teddy Cruz asks us to rethink urban development from the bottom up. Sharing lessons from the slums of Tijuana, Cruz explores the creative intelligence of the city's residents and offers a fresh perspective on what we can learn from places of scarcity.
Teddy Cruz looks for clues to the "city of the future" in the emerging urban areas of today.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Feb 10 Tip: Learn about "Bystander Intervention"--Stepping up to Stop Sexual Assault

From the NY Times: Learn about "Bystander Intervention"--Stepping up to Stop Sexual Assault

(The February 10 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/education/edlife/stepping-up-to-stop-sexual-assault.html?ref=edlife&_r=0

BYSTANDER INTERVENTION is so easy to grasp, even by the most
inexperienced college freshman, that the program may well be the best
hope for reducing sexual assaults on campuses. Mostly it is common sense:
If a drunk young man at a party is pawing a drunk young woman, then
someone nearby (the bystander) needs to step in (intervene) and get one of
them out of there. Of course, that can be tricky at times.

Jane Stapleton, a University of New Hampshire researcher who runs
bystander intervention programs at colleges around the country and in
Europe, tells students they’ll need to be creative about outmaneuvering
aggressors. Among the diversions she discusses: suddenly turning on the
lights at a party or turning off the music; accidentally spilling a drink on
the guy; forming a conga line and pulling him away from the woman he’s
bothering and onto the dance floor. One of her favorites came from a
young woman who approached her drunken girlfriend and said, loudly,
“Here’s the tampon you asked for.”

(Click on the link to read more)


Feb 9 Tip: Attend today's Vietnamese Buddhist Lunar New Year Celebration at noon today

Attend today's Vietnamese Buddhist Lunar New Year Celebration at noon today (Sun. Feb. 9)

(The February 9 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

400 Bakers Lane, Louisville, KY 40214. 

http://large.stanford.edu/history/kaist/references/buddha/in/

Here are driving directions from Rev. Thich Hang Dhat

If you go to our temple in Louisville on the New Cut road (5644 New Cut rd) from the Gene Snyder Freeway, 265, just pass it and continue to drive on the New Cut road, you will see the “On Fire Christian Academy” only 500 feet  away from our temple on the right. Bakers Lane is on the far edge of that academy. Turn right onto Bakers Lane and drive only 700 feet, you will see on the sign ”Louisville Pro Firefighter” location, where we will hold the New Year celebration.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Feb 8 Tip: Listen to Ted Radio Hour: "Everything is Connected"

Listen to Ted Radio Hour: "Everything is Connected"

(The February 8 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2014-02-07

Listen to a series of stories about why virtually everything in nature is connected...and how impacts on one portion of nature can have wide reaching impacts.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Feb 7 Tip: From the NY Times: "Remembering to Pray"

From the NY Times: "Remembering to Pray"

(The February 7 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/booming/remembering-to-pray.html?ref=booming&_r=0

Remembering to Pray

By ROY HOFFMAN FEB. 4, 2014

Sometimes, toward end of day, I jog on a beach nearby on Mobile Bay. As
the sun is sinking I look out at the pelicans wheeling in the sky, the
fishermen on Fairhope Pier casting their nets, sailboats and channel
markers changing to silhouette.

Like many who make their way here to enjoy sunset, snapping photos,
sipping cocktails, relaxing on benches, I find this light on water a joy to
behold. I breathe deeply as I run – the Gulf Coast winter is mild, a
sweatshirt enough to ward off the chill – and feel happy just to be alive.
I am in good health, enjoy a loving family and many trusted friends. I
have worked as journalist, novelist, teacher, had great jobs, lost others;
made more money, less money. I’ve traveled the world.

On this day, I sprint up a hill and come to a promontory looking out to
the sweep of the bay, the horizon red and orange, and another impulse
comes up in me.

It is not enough to take a photo, call a friend, jot a line in my
notebook, be philosophical. Like the light, the feeling is orchestral, a
welling-up of emotion.

I want to speak in a way that used to be easy for me as a child: silently,
intensely, embracing the mysteries.

I want to pray.

It is a matter of remembering, after so long, just how

(click the link to read more)

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Feb 6 Tip: From Rilke: Read "I live my life in widening circles"


I live my life in widening circles

(the February 6 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

by Rainer Maria Rilke
English version by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not ever complete the last one,
but I give myself to it.

I circle around God, that primordial tower.
I have been circling for thousands of years,
and I still don't know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?

http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Jan 5 Tip: TED Talk: How We Turned the Tide on Domestic Violence

TED Talk: How We Turned the Tide on Domestic Violence

(The February 5 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.ted.com/talks/esta_soler_how_we_turned_the_tide_on_domestic_violence_hint_the_polaroid_helped.html?utm_source=email&source=email&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ios-share

When Esta Soler lobbied for a bill outlawing domestic violence in 1984, one politician called it the "Take the Fun Out of Marriage Act." "If only I had Twitter then," she mused. This sweeping, optimistic talk charts 30 years of tactics and technologies -- from the Polaroid camera to social media -- that led to a 64% drop in domestic violence in the U.S.
In 1994, Esta Soler convinced Congress to pass a law to combat the devastating effects of violence against women. Today, her mission is global.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Jan 4 Tip: Ann Patchett: "In bad relationships there comes a day when you gotta go"

Ann Patchett: "In bad relationships there comes a day when you gotta go"

(The February 4 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.npr.org/2014/01/23/265228054/patchett-in-bad-relationships-there-comes-a-day-when-you-gotta-go

The title essay of Ann Patchett's latest book, This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage, isn't exactly what it sounds like. It's actually the story of an unhappy marriage that ends quickly in divorce and results in a strongly defended refusal to marry that lasts many years. But eventually, it does lead to the happy marriage.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan describes the essay as "a spirited contribution to the larger story of romantic relationships that aren't, well 'romantic' in the swooning ways we're used to reading about or seeing in movies." She adds:
"Patchett's down-to-earthness also sets the tone for her essays on the easily sentimentalized subject of caregiving: She writes here about tending to her beloved dog, an elderly nun friend and her 90-something-year-old grandmother. That particular essay, called 'Love Sustained,' is a must-read for anyone in the draining role of caregiver."
In the book's introduction, Patchett describes her essays as "made from the things that were at hand — writing and love, work and loss. I may have roamed in my fiction, but this work tends to reflect a life lived close to home."


Sunday, February 2, 2014

Feb 3 Tip: Read Tara Brach's thoughts on Radical Acceptance and Social Activism

Tara Brach's thoughts on Radical Acceptance and Social Activism

(The February 3 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.buddhistpeacefellowship.org/tara-brach-radical-acceptance-and-spiritual-activism/
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, as many people feared an ongoing and vicious spiral of retaliation and global violence, a wonderful Cherokee legend went viral on the Internet.
An old grandfather is speaking to his grandson about what causes the violence and cruelty in the world. “In each human heart,” he tells the boy, “there are two wolves battling one another— one is fearful and angry, and the other is understanding and kind.” The young boy looks intently into his grandfather’s eyes and asks, “Which one will win?” His grandfather smiles and quietly says, “Whichever one we choose to feed.”
We do have a choice. Meditations that cultivate mindfulness and compassion directly deactivate the anger pathways in the limbic brain that propel our habitual and hurtful behaviors. Mindfulness is the “remembering” that helps us pause, recognize and accept what is happening in the present moment. Once we have opened fully to our living experience, we are more capable of acting in a way that is guided by our innate wisdom and compassion. This awakening is our evolutionary potential: For the sake of our own inner freedom and the well- being of others, we can intentionally feed the understanding, accepting, kind wolf.
Yet it is important to understand that our acceptance is not passivity. My book Radical Acceptance came out soon after the United States launched the 2003 invasion of Iraq. As I traveled from city to city, many people asked me whether we were supposed to be radically accepting of our country’s militancy. “How can acceptance and activism go together?” they’d say. It’s a good question. If we only feed the compassionate, accepting wolf, will we ignore the wrongdoing in our world? How will anyone be motivated to stand up against injustice, to speak truth, to stop wars and to heal our earth, if they don’t feel angry or outraged?


Saturday, February 1, 2014

Feb 2 Tip:Pope Francis: The Times They Are A Changin'

Pope Francis: The Times They Are A Changin'

(The February 2 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/pope-francis-the-times-they-are-a-changin-20140128

Up close, Pope Francis, the 266th vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth, a man whose obvious humility, empathy and, above all, devotion to the economically disenfranchised has come to feel perfectly suited to our times, looks stouter than on television. Having famously dispensed with the more flamboyant pontifical accessories, he's also surprisingly stylish, today wearing a double-breasted white overcoat, white scarf and slightly creamier cassock, all impeccably tailored.