Aiyoku's Inspirations 5

Rain

Unknown

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom at Costco. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red-haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside; the kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth that it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning just inside the door of Costco.

We waited; some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running and splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in “Mom, let's run through the rain,” she said.

“What?” Mom asked.

“Let 's run through the rain!” She repeated.

“No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit,” Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated, “Mom, let's run through the rain.”

“We'll get soaked if we do,” Mom said.

“No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning,” the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

“This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?”

“Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ‘If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!’”

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

“Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing,” Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing, as they darted past the cars and, yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And, yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories…So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A friend sent this to me to remind me of life. Hope you enjoy it. I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN. Keep in touch with your friends, you never know when you'll need each other—and don't forget to run in the rain!

A Few Words on Compassion and Wisdom

From Two of Earth's Greatest Teachers

Jesus:
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6.31

Buddha:
Consider others as yourself.
Dhammapada 10.1

Jesus:
If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.
Luke 6.29

Buddha:
If anyone should give you a blow with his hand, with a stick, or with a knife, you should abandon any desires and utter no evil words.
Majjhima Nikaya 21.6

Jesus:
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. From anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.
Luke 6.27-30

Buddha:
Hatreds do not ever cease in this world by hating, but by love; this is an eternal truth…Overcome anger by love, overcome evil by good. Overcome the miser by giving, overcome the liar by truth.
Dhammapada 1.5 & 17.3

Jesus:
Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword.
Matthew 26.52

Buddha:
Abandoning the taking of life, the ascetic Guatama dwells refraining from the taking life, without stick or sword.
Digha Nikaya 1.1.8

Jesus:
Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.
Matthew 25.45

Buddha:
If you do not tend one another, then who is there to tend you? Whoever would tend me, he should tend the stick.
Vinaya, Mahavagga 8.26.3

Jesus:
Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, “Friend, let me take the speck out of your eye,”when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.
Luke 6.41-42

Buddha:
The faults of others are easier to see than one's own; the faults of others are easily seen, for they are sifted like chaff, but one's own faults are hard to see. This is like the cheat who hides his dice and shows the dice of his opponent, calling attention to the other's shortcomings, continually thinking of accusing him.
Udanavarga 27.1

Jesus:
Your father in heaven makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
Matthew 5.45

Buddha:
That great cloud rains down on all whether their nature is superior or inferior. The light of the sun and the moon illuminates the whole world, both him who does well and him does ill, both him who stands high and him who stands low.
Sadharmapundarika Sutra 5

Jesus:
They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” He said to them, “anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
John 8.4-5 & 7

Buddha:
Do not look at the faults of others, or what others have done or not done; observe what you yourself have done and not done.
Dhammapada 4.7

Jesus:
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
John 14.27

Buddha:
May fear and dread not conquer me.
Majjhima Nikaya 6.8

These passages were taken from a book called Jesus & Buddha The Parallel Sayings.

Becoming Real and True

Unknown

To aid us in this process of becoming even more REAL and TRUE, here are some easy antidotes which will powerfully transform old problems.
They might sound simplistic, but if you fully incorporate them into your lives, they really work!

Old Problem: Being a Victim
Antidote: Take Full Responsibility for Everything. Accept that YOU chose all of your life experiences to give you exactly the lessons you most need.

Old Problem: Lack of Abundance
Antidote: Be grateful for everything around you. Gratitude turns around Lack.

Old Problem: Anger
Antidote: Try huge doses of Compassion and Love. Realize that everyone is doing the best they can with the awareness they are given in each moment. Put yourself in their shoes for awhile.

Old Problem: Difficulties & Struggle
Antidote: Learn to see the gifts and lessons in them. They are always present.

Old Problem: Resentment & Envy
Antidote: Be grateful that anyone is experiencing something positive. If it happens to others, it opens the door for it to happen to you.

Old Problem: Frustration Over Delays & Obstacles
Antidote: Trust the perfection of the timing. We can't force our way through to a state of Right Time, Right Place. Remember the lessons of water: when there's a hole in its path, it takes a while to fill up the hole before the water can go on, or when water meets an obstacle it will keep flowing until it finds a way around the blockage. While you are waiting for the big breakthrough, keep making little breakthroughs.

Old Problem: Loneliness
Antidote: Create a good relationship with yourself. Start expressing your love and respect to everyone and everything around you. It doesn't matter if it's “animate” or &ldquoinanimate.” Everything has a consciousness and resonance. As the Beatles sang, “The love you take is equal to the love you make.”

Old Problem: Thinking Too Much, Worrying
Antidote: Get physical: walk, clean, dance, garden, clear out your closet, do yoga, shovel snow, etc.

Old Problem: Self Absorbed
Antidote: Help others. By serving others, we serve ourselves.

Old Problem: Energies Too Directed Outside of Yourself
Antidote: Serve yourself. By serving ourselves, we serve others.

Old Problem: Low Self Esteem
Antidote: Do the GO several times a day. Turn the place where you live into a sacred temple honoring your Core Being. Set up an altar, not to Gods and spiritual guides, but to your Core Being. Surround yourself with colors, objects, music, flowers or anything which nourishes you.

Creativity

Bobbi Jo MacElroy

In a small, little, tree stump covered in soft, squishy, green moss lived a fuzzy, pink-haired creature named Creativity. Creativity longed to be around others like her. Up the path lived Originality who stuck up its nose to Creativity, and next door lived Uniqueness who wanted nothing to do with anyone else. Creativity walked up and down the path every day hoping that Originality and Uniqueness would want to talk to her, and share things with her. At night Creativity tried to open her mind to new ideas. She read books about everything but mostly fictional ones, watched movies of all sorts and enjoyed seeing the different ways scenes were shot, and listened to music from jazz to country to rap to rock to hiphop. She loved to look at magazines for inspiration and ideas, the different ads, and the different layouts. She also loved to use her imagination in every way she could. Creativity liked to play with children whose imaginations were endless, make up songs and stories and draw and paint and talk and laugh. For the longest time Creativity could not understand why Originality and Uniqueness did not want to be her friend. She threw theme parties and invited them, but they never showed up. She made them gifts for all occasions and still no response. As the years went by Creativity continued to broaden her horizon. She continued to observe everything around her and appreciated everything. She realized that everything influenced her; not just movies, magazines, and books, but also labels on shampoo and candy wrappers, plus clothing and colors that are in style. But she still longed to know Originality and Uniqueness. Creativity then tried to go back to a simple life thinking that if she went back to finding out who she is then Originality and Uniqueness would want to know her. Creativity started looking at things around her simple life to see what could inspire her. She looked in her back yard at the flowers, the trees, the grass, and all of the beautiful things that nature provided. She took simple pleasures in the natural colors around her. She saw nature at its best in bugs and animals. One night Creativity decided to take a walk along the path by Originality and Uniqueness's house. Along the way she began to use her imagination and wander off into a world all her own. When she snapped out of her daydream she began to have a self-realization: her whole life she wanted and tried to make Originality and Uniqueness a part of her life, but it was them who needed her. After that day Creativity lived her own life and soon Originality and Uniqueness realized that they did need Creativity in there lives and the three became very good friends after that.

Dust If You Must

Unknown

Dust if you must…but wouldn't it be better…
To paint a picture or write a letter?
Bake a cake or plant a seed…
Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must…but there's not much time…
With rivers to swim and mountains to climb…
Music to hear and books to read…
Friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must…but the world's out there…
With the sun in your eyes and the wind in your hair…
A flutter of snow…a shower of rain…
This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must…but bear in mind…
Old age will come and it's not kind…
And when you go…and go you must…
You yourself…will make more dust!

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