be the ?.

the gandhi quote - be the change you wish to see - is much referred to. it's an empowering quote which asks us to look to ourselves first. i like to take it one step further and insert anything relevant for change. such as:
be the peace you wish to see.
be the encouragement you wish to see.
be the joy you wish to see.
be the light you wish to see.
be the hope you wish to see.
be the balance you wish to see.
be the wonder you wish to see.

receiver self-check

the other day i turned on the tv and there was a black screen with the words, "receiver self-check". i laughed. because i realized - and relevant messages come to us in many different forms - that this was a message to me. i'm a giver. i like to give. it makes me happy + satisfied to know i'm supplying a need, whether that need is a word of acknowledgement, a compliment or some yummy baked item for a friend. but, i'm coming to learn how to be a good receiver. not to be confused with a taker. no, that's offensive to my sensibilities. but the grace of receiving as joyfully as i give. so, it's a good thing. a self-check on being a receiver.

be gentle with yourself and others.

Remember to be gentle with yourself and others.
We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun.
Care for those around you.
Look past your differences.
Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made.
And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you possess.
To give is to love.
To withhold is to wither.
Care less for your harvest than how it is shared, and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.
:Kent Nerburn

Lisa Chun is a gifted artist based in Santa Fe. Her work combines the beauty of word + image to create unparalleled art. She creates across many mediums from textiles to canvas and also has a lovely line of greeting cards which express depth of emotion through her original poetry. We personally own a couple of pieces, which enrich our collection, to be sure.

You can learn more about Lisa and her work at www.lisachun.com.

oh, the beautiful rumi.

be a lamp or a lifeboat, or a ladder.
help someone's soul heal.
walk out of your house like a shepherd.
:rumi

Seeking Truth and Beauty

Adam Kirsch, in his 12.31.10 New York Times Sunday Book Review article, The Will Not to Power, But to Self-Understanding, beautifully says:
Whether I am writing verse or prose, I try to believe that what matters is not exercising influence or force, but writing well - that is, truthfully and beautifully; and that maybe, if you seek truth and beauty, all the rest will be added unto you.