information

by

Horses or Homeless

Politics

in this democracy

rarely

follow

the

values

spelled out

in the U.S. Constitution.

This 2015-2016

Primary Scene

is full of

nightly news,

antics,

outrageous statements

and very little

about human rights.

We, the People,

in Order to form

a more perfect Union.

Is there anyplace

in the

Preamble

and 27 Amendments

 that mentions

Central Park Horses?

New York’s Mayor,

who two years ago

expressed

serious ambitions

about improving society,

especially for

the poor,

recently proposed

a bill

to the City Council.

Recognizing that his early proposal

to eliminate

horses and carriages

from New York

 was politically unwise,

 he now proposes keeping

the horses and carriages

only

IN Central Park.

This feat would be accomplished

by building stables

in the Park

which would cost

an estimated $25 million dollars.

This public housing for the horses,

already warmly stabled,

would divert funds

from providing

shelter and housing

for

the more than 55,000

homeless.

In the wake

of a two foot blizzard,

making

such a proposal,

could draw our attention

to the platforms

in the contest

for our next president.

Is this the best

we can do

in the home of

the free and the brave?

Values and the choices

we make

are

about

Real People.

Some

need our help.

by

Be Prepared?

Heavy snow forecast,

stores not prepared

with enough

milk, bread, eggs

for each buyer

trying to

be prepared.

Few lingering items.

Schools closed tomorrow.

Warnings change

by the hours.

Course of storm

uncertain.

Shovel,boots, salt

prepared

as well as you can.

Same news hour

predicts

earthquake

in northern Pacific Coast

at least

a hundred years

overdue.

Tsunami would follow.

Buildings too low.

Higher floors

being built over school.

Drills for children and teachers

at first rumble

to climb as high

as stairs go.

No time

to rush out

for milk, bread, eggs.

Are you prepared?

For which possibility?

In life,

are we ever

really

prepared

for what

actually does happen?

by

Paying Attention

Once or twice a day

it is helpful to

lie down on the floor,

stretching 

with awareness

and paying attention

to the places

that are tight,

needing more oxygen.

Breathe

into those areas

to release

the tension.

When you

stop

and pay attention

this way,

you will find

that your body

feels

different

each time.

Therefore,

each time

that  you stretch,

ask yourself,

am I centered

in my body

now?

When I let

too much time

between

following

this advice,

my awareness

of my body

changes,

sometimes

very much so.

The contrast

reminds me

to be

more diligent

in my practice

of stretching,

breathing,

and centering.

by

DATA

Once upon a time

Not so very

long ago,

before the digital revolution,

my data

was on paper.

Bills came through the mail,

checks written,

receipt on bill

kept in a box,

mailed with a stamp.

Snail mail

it is called now.

There were

advantages

to that system.

Letters

were hand written.

Pleasure

as the receiver opened.

Handwritten

usually.

Personal.

Some people

claim

as do some offices

to be

paper-free.

My records,

e-mails

credit card bills,

etc, etc. etc.

are kept in a

hybrid system.

Not everything

gets printed

on paper.

But

anything I believe

to be important

gets

printed.

At this time of the year,

when records

are put in some

order

to prepare

for tax paying

in April,

I attempt

to go through

the files

on my computer

and my

paper files.

Increasingly

the IRS is

encouraging

people

to file their

tax returns

on-line.

I don’t wait

for spring cleaning

to attempt to

weed out my

computer

and paper

files.

Of course,

some paper records

are copies of

digital records.

File by file,

a few at a time,

I look to see

what needs to

be kept

and dispose

or delete

unnecessary

information.

There is just

too much

data.

How much

data is secure?

Credit cards

are hacked.

Today,

a large hospital system

announced that

their electronic records

had been hacked

and they would

notify the patients

effected.

And

on and on.

The amount of time

to manage all of this

has expanded

along with

the advantages

of this digital

revolution.

One health insurer

chose the same

company

the federal government

chose to set up

the Affordable Care Act.

When the new system

failed,

employees

had to learn

to process

applications,

by hand

on paper.

We can’t go back

to the ways things

were.

Is there a

solution

to the

reality

of so much

data

and not having

a choice

about whether

to put your

whole life

on electronic systems?

by

The Cloud of Unknowing*

I

no longer

make a plan

for myself

but respond

to the people

and things

in my life

which are part

of a plan

or

pattern

I

cannot

see.

*The Cloud of Unknowing is an anonymous work of Christian mysticism in the 14th century.

by

Limits

We all need

to learn to

set limits.

Do you live in an

unnaturally

high setting

for normal?

Are you

expecting

too much of

yourself and others?

When is life or

our response to it,

just too much

or just enough?

Can you build in some

flexibility?

What if our lives are

right on

the edge,

and we don’t see

the precipice?

livinglinesreflections.com      gift a book

by

Inside Out, Outside In

We may judge

others’

outsides

from our own

insides.

Do we look

at others

as calm,

in control,

on top of things?

For many people,

it takes

a lot of

effort

to put

themselves

together.

What you see

is the result

of that effort,

not

the challenge

of

getting there.

When I have been

more willing

to reveal

some of my

inner feelings,

the

result can be

closer

relationships.

by

Shadow Work

Trying to restore

our emotional health

can be exhausting,

particularly if

we have neglected it.

No wonder

people

sometimes choose

to numb

their pain.

It takes courage and energy

to dig deep

and let emotional

wounds heal.

We can heal

only if we know

what the wounds are.

Our bodies hold onto

emotional hurts,

sometimes for years.

There are many ways

to help

the healing process-

prayer,

meditation,

silence,

yoga,

reiki,

and therapy-

that

strengthens the body

along with the soul.

Some call this SHADOW WORK.

LivingLinesReflections

by

Bucket List

Do you have a

Bucket List?

Or do people

tell you what

is on theirs?

Places to go,

people to meet,

relationships

with family and friends.

For me,

my real answer is

I no longer

make a plan

for myself,

but respond to

the things and people

in my life

that are

part of

a plan

I cannot see.

That response

is not

passive

but

is more about

life

unfolding,

some

sense of

adventure,

being open

to surprise

and

a longing

for fullness.

Some describe

longing

as the underlying

desire

for the divine.

There are times

when I am aware

of a longing;

other times,

not.

I do begin

most days

with a prayer

to take me

where

You want me to be,

Meet who You

want me to see,

Say what You

want me to say

Help me stay out of

Your way.

So,

as I close my eyes

at the end of each day,

I smile,

realizing

that what

was in my bucket

for the day

had

some unexpected

experiences

encounters.

Some might have

been painful

yet

each day

has a spark

of light

for my dreams

to process

into the

longing

for the next day.

by

Praying Together

Of all the gatherings,

prayers spoken,

during Pope Francis’s visit to Cuba and the United States,

the 9//1 Interfaith Service

lingers

as the most memorable.

Pope Francis

asked God to

“look on us,

people of all faiths and religious traditions,

who gather today

on this hallowed ground,

the scene of unspeakable

violence and pain.”

During the

interfaith service,

Iman Khalid Latif

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove

alternated words of peace.

More pairs followed

two Hindu women,

two Buddhists,

two Muslims,

a Sikh father and daughter

and a Protestant

and Orthodox Christian.

The Pope sat in the middle.

and followed in the program.

“God judges us according

to our deeds,

not the coat we wear”

were the words

in Punjabi and English

by daughter and father Sikhs.

Cantor Azi Schwartz chanted in Hebrew

a prayer to honor

the 9/11 dead.

The Eight Beatitudes

were read in the the

ancient Greek

and then in English.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,for theirs is

the kingdom of heaven.

The service was

finished with the Pope

offering a gesture of peace-

a handshake,

an embrace

or a bow.

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City

more than 60 teenage

boys and girls

wearing different colored scarves-

sang

“Let There Be Peace on Earth”.

Glancing around the room,

several members of the

interfaith audience

suggested the faith leaders

stay in the room.

“Lock the doors”, said one, “until the

group

figures out how

to achieve world peace.”