It is Memorial Day in America. Today, we pause to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation. Memorial Day began as Decoration Day, a tradition of placing flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers — a simple act of remembrance that grew into a national day of reflection. This week’s quote/poem comes from In Flanders Fields, written during World War I by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae after losing a close friend in battle. The poppies he describes soon became a symbol of remembrance across the world.

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In Flanders' fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
     That mark our place: and in the sky
     The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
     Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
          In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
     The torch; be yours to hold it high.
     If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
          In Flanders fields.

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Explore Further 

Flanders Field Reading

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTfkH4PFTP0

Video; Decoration Day in Brooklyn, NY (you may see my Uncle and Grandmother)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxfoFrSP9Pc

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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

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 What do you do when you’re no longer the person you used to be? For some reason, that thought has crossed my mind lately ;-). Tennyson wrestled with it after losing his closest friend. He realized he wasn’t the hero who once “moved earth and heaven.” But what mattered wasn’t the fading of old strength. It was the stubborn, steady will to keep going, even changed by time and loss. That’s the spirit behind this week's quote...

"Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "Ulysses"

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This week's Care Package...

A Question to ponder: 

Will I focus on what's gone, or on what abides?

Poem (full text): 

Tennyson's "Ulysses" at Poetry Foundation

Article: Search for Alfred Tennyson's "Ulysses"

https://victorianweb.org/authors/tennyson/ulysses.html

YouTube: "Ulysses Tennyson reading" on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqagmU4Fais

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A Couple of Mantras to Carry Forward...

Remember: The horizon still calls!

Still striving. Still seeking. Still me.  

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Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you!

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 What if the very thing you’re afraid to risk is the doorway to the version of yourself you’ve been trying to grow into?  This week’s quote reminds us that a meaningful part of being human requires stepping into uncertainty, not away from it:  

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"To laugh is to risk being a fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. 

"To reach out to another is to risk involvement. To express feelings is to risk exposing your true self. 

To place your ideas, your dreams, before the crowd is to risk their loss. 

To love is to risk not being loved in return. 

To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. 

To try is to risk failure. 

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing. 

They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live. 

Only a person who risks is free." 

Leo Buscaglia  

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This week's Care Package

Two Questions to Explore

• Which of these risks are you currently avoiding, and what is it costing you?
• What would become possible if you accepted that risk is the price of aliveness?

TED Talk:  The Power of Vulnerability | Brené Brown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o

Who is Leo Buscaglia?

Felice Leonardo Buscaglia (1924–1998), widely known as "Dr. Love," was an American author, motivational speaker, and a professor at the University of Southern California (USC). 

He became a cultural phenomenon in the 1980s for his heartfelt teachings on the necessity of love, human connection, and physical affection.

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Wishing you a most vulnerable day wherever this may find you!

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“To risk is to live, and to live is to be free.”  

Serving the Psycho-Spiritual Needs of People since 1984!! Welcome to the Quote of the Week. This week, an old phrase found me again — three simple words with deep philosophical roots that I first discovered years ago. They arrived at just the right moment, offering me the perspective I need for something I've been working through. 

 "Is that so?"

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This Week's Care Package

The Story Behind the Quote Three options:

• Kannon Do Zen Center — "Is That So?" (Deep, contemplative)
• Zen Kindle — "Is That So? Zen Story" (Clear, accessible)
• Inquiring Mind — Personal Reflection on the Story (More personal and reflective)

A Podcast: Finding Equanimity

"Finding Equanimity in Chaos" — Sam Harris on the 10% Happier Podcast 

A Song: "Let It Be"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDYfEBY9NM4

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Bonus Care Package:  The Story of Hakuin

The most famous philosophical use comes from the Zen master Hakuin (1686–1769). When a young woman became pregnant and her parents accused Hakuin of being the father, he responded simply: "Is that so?" He accepted the child and raised it without protest. A year later, the woman confessed the real father was someone else. When the parents came to retrieve the child with apologies, Hakuin again said only: "Is that so?"

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  Stay open, don't cling, don't resist, and let reality be what it is.  

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Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you!