Meditations on Indifference

Daily Advice from the Dali Lama:

What we do in every moment brings about new circumstances, which themselves will contribute to the arising of other events. Whatever we do, we are participating, whether voluntarily or not, in the chain of cause and effect. In the same way, our future pleasure and suffering will result from present causes and conditions, even if the complexity of these connections escapes us. We are therefore responsible for ourselves and for others.

Halloween

Thrilled to be a "dino," Canyon wore his costume all day long. He would give an occasional growl and search for his tale between his legs. He was absolutely adorable. I took out to Grandma Orina's in the afternoon where he enjoyed playing under her magical peach tree & then we went to Grandma and Grandpa Kirkman's where we caught some other sweet and scary kids.

Pumpkin Patch

Last Thursday Canyon & I went to the PUMPKIN PATCH with Cara & Bannon. I love the Pumpkin Patch and was happy to finally go. Of course Bannon & Canyon were hilarious and super excited about everything. Canyon was a great helper. He searched for corn, pointed out rotten pumpkins, and attempted to carry his own pumpkin.

The GRAND CANYON

Gary spent 8 days in the Grand Canyon on a river trip in the beginning of October. He rowed a raft the entire time, slept on the water during the night, made new friends and enjoyed every minute of the adventure. He considers it one of the most wonderful & memorable times of his life and is so thankful for the opportunity. Here are some pictures from his trip.

A sibling for Canyon

A sibling for Canyon will be arriving this April. Gary and I have been so excited and we feel so blessed to have had this baby come so easy. We have been talking about babies a lot in our house and Canyon seems to be excited every time he is around or sees a baby. He especially loves his two cousins that were born last month. He also enjoys toting around a baby doll, wrapping it in a blanket, kissing it, and giving it nap time (which he quickly discards at the sight of a more interesting activity). He is very sweet and I know he will be a wonderful big brother.

I am thrilled and grateful to be having another baby. I am finally getting past the fatigue and sickness of the first trimester and aching to hold a newborn in my arms. Gary has been very accommodating and kind with all my needs and has been coming up with all kinds of crazy names (most of which cannot be used for a human child).

With my excitement about a new baby I am even more grateful to be giving Canyon a sibling. I love my brother and sister so much. I consider them some of the most important and influential people in my life. Despite the teasing, bickering, and annoyance we caused each other growing up we are now friends, good friends. You know the “Sunscreen speech?” Well there is a line that says “Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.” I believe this to be true and I hope this is an inspiration I can teach Canyon and our new baby.

A weekend away...

It had been 1 1/2 years since we spent a day and a night together alone. That is too long. We didn't really think about how long it had been until we got the chance to get away. This past weekend Gary and I went to Greer (a gift I won at my work Christmas party last year). The weather was cool and wet, but we enjoyed a short hike, watching movies, eating food and giving eachother 100% of our attention. I love Gary so much! I am so happy he is my husband.

A picture from our hike
The rain coming down.
On our way home there was a thin sheet of snow. You can imagine how happy this made Gary.

Inspirations of Peace

I have been reading a book of daily advice from the Dalai Lama. yesterdays advice was:

In order to to transform self-hatred, we need to become aware that we have developed a false self-image and instead cultivate an authentic and healthy self-confidence based on our fundamental human qualities. We should be humble and more open to others.

Then today I was browsing the Internet and found this picture. You can barely see the photo, but it is of 9 young boys dressed as Mahatma Ghandi to celebrate the Peace Activist's 139th birthday. It is so sweet to me to see people remember and honor such an amazing man.

Despite all the turmoil in the world I still find inspiration and hope for PEACE. I believe that the human race is good. I believe that we do care about each other and I pray that we can continue to open our hearts and minds to cultivate a more peaceful world.