This morning I went to my bookshelves to find a quote. I had a book in mind. Instead I saw another, picked it up, and flipped the pages to see what passages I had marked.
It’s a quiet morning. The sun is taking slightly longer to rise and that is when I begin noticing…I usually rise with the sun. It seems, though, that my inner clock is set on a particular time and woke me before the sun had fully blossomed. When we fall back in October, it will be a test of my inner clock.
Some months ago I picked up a used copy of Ben Franklin’s Almanac of Wit, Wisdom and Practical Advice: Useful Tips and Fascinating Facts for Every Day of the Year by the Editors of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Now isn’t that a mouth full of a title! Well, it’s probably no surprise that I have the book situated in a place where I can see it daily, yet I’ve only flipped through the pages a few times.
This morning I decided to crack it open to September 5 to see what wit and wisdom I would find. Today seemed to be all about work. I spied that yesterday is recipe day: Rush Hour Pasta and Peas. Sounds delicious. Speaking of recipes, I am finally going to get back into the kitchen. I’ve been relying on prepared “healthy” foods and other prepared meals from Trader Joes. I’ve gotten uninspired in the kitchen and have gone back to my ways of not wanting to cook and clean up a mountain of dishes that seems far too many for only two. I’ve seen some nice lentil and pasta recipes—one that I emailed to myself months ago. I will finally give that a try. It has cream cheese in it too! The October Family Circle magazine also has some nice looking lentil and one-pot meal recipes.
Something came up in our writer’s group. One of the writers is working on a children’s book for the nine to twelve readers. It’s a delightful story, but because one of her characters has a Spanish accent, she has written his dialogue so that he speaks English with a Spanish accent, so he would say something like, “How are joo.” Anyway, rightly so, a few members said that some readers—the parents or librarians—might take offense. I didn’t have a problem with the dialogue, and it added to the adorableness and humor of the character.
I was curious and asked a librarian if she had examples of books where this sort of thing occurred in the published children’s books. She wasn’t able to come up with much, but did tell me about the Skippyjon Jones series written by Judy Schachner. She told me that actually the kids loved the books and they were very popular, but that a review tag had been put on the books because of the very thing that our group’s writer was trying to do with her books. I put a hold on the one titled just Skippyjon Jones. The book arrived and I read it last night. It was absolutely delightful. There wasn’t too much throughout the book as far as exaggerating the spelling to achieve the sounds of a Spanish accent. There were a few spots. For example, one part goes like this, “Then, using his very best Spanish accent, he said, “My ears are too beeg for my head. My head ees too beeg for my body…” The story really is fun to read out loud. I was laughing and the main character, Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese cat who thinks he is a Chihuahua—or at least he’s pretending. There are also a few simple Spanish words scattered throughout the dialogue. It’s great. I’m glad I’ve been introduced to this book and have another on hold from this same series. So I will share with our writer in the group about this book unless she already knows about it. Also, this book is for a younger age group, so I don’t know if that will make it not very helpful.
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Flipping through the book that I pulled from my shelves, looking at different passages that I had underlined, I found one the spoke to me this morning, resonated deep within. It’s part of small chapter, “The Spectrum of Love.”
“The highest, most comprehensive level of love is agape—a spiritual, objective, unconditional love. Immature love needs to be loved; mature love simply loves. Agape, or unconditional love, can dissolve the false self…Eventually agape will refine and expand our sense of who we are to infinite dimensions. It will dissolve our separate existence. Then, instead of seeking the security and consolation of the ego, instead of seeking to be loved, we will be love itself” (pg. 47).
From The Knowing Heart: A Sufi Path of Transformation by Kabir Helminski.
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I’ve always been drawn to all knowledge and wisdom from as many traditions as I can be exposed to. This book was introduced to me in a class I took called The Metaphysical Heart. I will always be grateful for all the different doors and windows that I’ve ventured to open and that have been shown to me—and I will continue along that path—a path that is wide and varied, where I am but a vessel of some sort, knowing and feeling that I am a part of this grand world that stretches far and wide.
Sending blessings and love to the world…unconditionally.
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2 comments:
Rebb, you are deeply into reading and books. As a former Professor myself I would recommend to a person like that to make a career out of it by either pursuing University study and/or research in Literature and then to make a career out of it by becoming a teacher/Professor of literature.
Yes, Ashok, books and reading are very important to me. It’s coincidental you mention being a teacher/professor. I have heard a few people recently either think I was a teacher or think that I should go down that path. I would love nothing more than to do something along those lines; however, I put a large obstacle in my course and I will not be able to pursue that path. Life changes though and that path may meet me later in life. I think if I were to teach, I would want to work in small groups and in creative settings. Also, I don’t think I would be good at lecturing at the front of a classroom full of kids or adults. I enjoy sharing, encouraging, showing, and for now the best way I can do that is through my blog. I started blogging at wordpress.com a few weeks back and was surprised that a few people clicked on “like” for this blog in particular. I cross-post. I still am getting used to the wordpress format and don’t have lots of time to spend searching through other blogs, but it sure was a good feeling to know that someone enjoyed what I shared.
I appreciate your comments very much, Ashok. You’ve given me the impetus to keep in my mind that I may want to find out what I need to do long-term to be involved in the teaching environment. But for now, I’m content.
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