tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065Thu, 19 Dec 2024 03:18:40 +0000January 2008 EssaysDecember 2007 essaysPrayersWishes and BlessingsvermontvideoFebruary EssaysJanuary 2008 PhotosRecommended ReadingVipassanaWedding AlbumWelcomeanxietybangalorebearbooksdepressione-bookfreegoogle docshealhealinghealthhealthcareindialibrarymeditationself carewell beingwildlifeyogayogiBethany Knight, founder and director of Shantivanam, the Peace Forest of the Northern Knights Camp and Conference Center, located in Northern Vermont. This blog is an online journal for the posting of periodical essays and photos of mine.http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-8691577574573948000Fri, 28 Jun 2013 12:10:00 +00002013-06-28T08:10:23.921-04:00 In the Village of Greensboro, Vermont http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2013/06/look-who-i-met-on-my-walk-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-5141808002858245784Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:18:00 +00002013-06-11T06:23:45.335-04:00 Shakar Aamer An important phone call to make with your unlimited long distance service:  Every day, call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111 or leave a comment at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact and ask the president to send Shaker Aamer back to his wife and 4 children in London. LET’S DO JUSTICE. Aamer was living in Afghanistan with his family http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2013/06/lets-do-justice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-2917985815987676454Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:35:00 +00002013-06-10T08:35:42.679-04:00 My Florida Friend, the intrepid boy photographer Roy, sent me this lovely scene of an early evening dinner in Wisconsin.  He said the guests were a, "peaceful crowd." What does that little barn look like to you?  I never saw the resemblance before. Do you think they're peaceful because they are giving thanks while they eat? Enjoy this day. Be thankful. http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-birds-look-so-peaceful.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-2959690767312442911Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:48:00 +00002013-06-08T11:48:34.832-04:00 Glorious Marigold seeds from Ramakrishna's beautiful Mysore ashram. Fifteen days since planting, 15 seeds woke up and are sprouting on the Vermont windowsill.  Thrilling!  Thank you, Divine Love, for the gift of life, and such beautiful life. http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2013/06/new-life-more-beauty-on-earth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-3675888743087764205Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:42:00 +00002013-06-03T11:42:39.710-04:00     I Surrender Surrender is what cleans off the barnacles that have been clinging to the soul. It is the final act of human openness. Without it I am doomed to live inside a stagnant world called the self. The problem is that the self is a product of my own making. I myself shape the self. I construct it one experience, one attitude, one effort at a time till the person I http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2013/06/i-surrenderand-am-free.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-1936545388103072033Sat, 01 Jun 2013 12:35:00 +00002013-06-01T08:35:37.854-04:00 My friend Roy is a master with the camera...driven by a great eye and an even greater HEART.  While he claims he is an amateur, I thank him for being my Man of Cheer.  I can always count on Roy to share Good News.   Don't we all appreciate friends who help in keeping the balance in life?   While Brian Williams et. al. tell us how much trouble we're in...Roy reminds us of thehttp://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2013/06/happy-june.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-7148151014105552338Sun, 26 May 2013 18:26:00 +00002013-05-26T14:26:52.972-04:00 The really earnest and alert aspirant finds lessons in every object around her.  Every moment of her life is a moment of choice between the true and the false.  Every spiritual aspirant must be wide-awake and keep the fire of discrimination always bright in her heart.  No event, no thought, should escape her notice.  To such a person the whole universe is a great book of http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2013/05/noreaster-teaches-lessons.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-4432148076164480130Sat, 25 May 2013 18:14:00 +00002013-05-25T14:14:30.427-04:00 Planted marigolds yesterday and put them on the windowsill. "Look outside.  See the big beautiful spring world you'll enter soon." Around noon, the snow began to fall and I think the little seeds are debating about whether to come out in this weather.... Our pink flowering crab looks a little snow shocked, too! http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-24-and-snowing-and-im-not-kidding.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-7853299787440195639Fri, 24 May 2013 13:41:00 +00002013-05-24T09:41:44.835-04:00 May's full moon is the 2013 day Buddhists 'round the world observe the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha.   Giving something we have to someone who needs it is a great way to celebrate Buddha's remarkable life.  Forgiveness, attention, food, kindness, shelter and support are gifts we can give away daily; Jesus and Buddha both encouraged sharing!   Practicing http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2013/05/today-celebrate-giving.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-4563057848296960692Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:29:00 +00002012-04-25T22:29:46.769-04:00Powerful Words from my Favorite Contemporary Writer...Sister Joan Chittister. (Here she is, pictured with the Dalai Lama) The Eucharist DilemmaThe major problem of eucharistic theology in our century is not that people do not understand and value the meaning of Eucharist. The problem is that they do.The Eucharist, every child learns young, is the sign of Christian community, the very heart of ithttp://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2012/03/mighty-lenten-message.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-2630252936198669854Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:24:00 +00002012-01-31T07:24:39.810-05:00 A Place Called "Home"In each of us there is a place where we go in the middle of chaos to escape from the fray. It is that “home” place, that hiding place, that soft place where no memories of it come with ragged edges and no thought of it is tinged with fear. It’s an empty beach, perhaps. Or a hidden place on the bluff above town where we remember being able to see everything while no one http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2012/01/beautiful-message-from-beautiful-joan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-9114287596408128551Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:36:00 +00002012-01-03T18:44:32.647-05:002012Love the number.I see Happy Birthday, Bethany, on 2-12-2012!Love the number 60!I see GO!I'm ready, 2012.http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2012/01/im-ready-for-2012.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-5526762132864565842Sun, 11 Dec 2011 04:41:00 +00002011-12-10T23:41:23.922-05:00 My neighbor in New Port Richey.  Isn't he handsome?  Christmas colors!http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/12/meet-neighbor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-2029737363847605118Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:21:00 +00002011-12-05T22:33:00.855-05:00We're in the second week of Advent, and I want to share this wonderful little essay by James Dillet Freeman on Keeping Faith. Upon reading it, I was inspired me and strengthened, and I hope it will do the same for you. "Christmas is a way of keeping faith in the power and love of God and the goodness of things, even when we see only small evidence of their presence in the world around us. http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/12/keeping-faith.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-3940877510799851446Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:21:00 +00002011-11-18T00:55:28.835-05:00 A friend passed on this story.Overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport.. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged, and the mother said, 'I love you, and I pray you enough.'The daughter replied, 'Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I pray you enough, too, Mom.'They kissed, and http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-pray-you-enough.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-1042340408606316031Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:36:00 +00002011-11-05T15:45:26.603-04:00A dear friend asked me if I knew of any reliable websites selling Christmas cards that benefit good causes. What a great question!My answer is yes, and here they are. I welcome any other ideas from readers...let's encourage one another to support good works, in the name of Jesus.Here's a great place to start: http://www.cardsthatgive.org/And few personal favorites: the Fellowship of http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/11/sending-super-powered-christmas-cards.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-3666885743173065198Mon, 10 Oct 2011 02:07:00 +00002011-10-10T07:33:00.115-04:00Even God cannot make two mountains without a valley in between.— Gaelic sayingTaking time between....what a lovely concept. Autumn provides such a break in the calendar year...between our Vermont summer and Florida winter.October has become a valley, by choice. I am enjoying the time to deepen down into my yoga and meditation practices.This weekend, I grounded myself with a welcome stay at the http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/10/letting-go-creates-space-for-unknown.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-5070481881058609164Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:09:00 +00002011-09-28T16:28:13.858-04:00We in the northern hemisphere have welcomed autumn. We find our days marked by less and less sunlight. This week, I am launching a five week yoga course on "winterproofing" ourselves against the pitfalls of cold weather life. Beyond the physical challenges of frostbite, head colds and falling on the ice...we Yankees face great challenges to our mental health with this seasonal change. http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/09/season-changestake-good-care.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-8476045513854954116Sat, 23 Jul 2011 00:14:00 +00002011-07-22T20:24:29.851-04:00We picked fresh ripe raspberries in our backyard today...and tonight, in anticipation of our dear Sujata's arrival tomorrow....made a Vermont Raspberry Pie...whole wheat crust...topped with a Georgia peach. Yum!http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/07/whats-july-pie-raspberry.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-8259045746834749206Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:47:00 +00002011-07-22T17:15:17.504-04:00 A day off in the hot Northeast. Cindy, our Havanese, and I floated in the pond. Bliss. I dozed, and, again, I heard the Christmas hymn, Good King Wenceslas, buzzing in my brain. What? Christmas is five months away (and our first grandson's first birthday!), so why do I hear the Good King's story? Truthfully, it has been going on for years...the song is often what I wake up to in the early http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/07/good-king-wenceslas-on-my-mind.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-4547584394771128373Sun, 22 May 2011 01:47:00 +00002011-05-21T21:56:33.588-04:00 ON THE EDGE OF TICKLE by Bethany Knightavailable for just $1.99 at SmashwordsWhen we live to please others instead of our selves, sorrow flows. Young Ronny Wickerd suffers a heart attack, and suddenly, no one can pretend any more. The doctor prescribes a summer cottage, which the Wickerd family buys on Tickle Naked Pond.Wife Arlene punches through her fog, wondering if she would be happier http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/05/check-out-my-first-novel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-2075481039667186280Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:44:00 +00002011-04-19T21:13:21.998-04:00 In just about 12 days, we will be back in our Vermont home, watching the Spring make its glorious return. Our Florida winter is over. We say goodbye to all that Florida has lovingly provided....great neighbors, grand weather, fresh fruits and vegetables, a wonderful church life, Jazzercise and painting classes. Plus the beach, roller skating, walks and biking.Back in Vermont, we will busy http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/04/springtime-yoga-in-green-mountains.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-8195554817465038219Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:47:00 +00002011-03-08T10:05:49.986-05:00The Ruby Red Grapefruit tree in the backyard is teaching huge lessons these days.Her waxy flowers, heavy with an intoxicating fragrance, hang beside, above, below and behind her sweet, ripe fruit.How is this possible? How does a tree flower and fruit simultaneously?As a Northern girl, I am accustomed to the apple trees showering us with blossoms in May, and many months later, serving up baskets http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/03/young-and-mature.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551219485268404065.post-4752658935899830996Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:12:00 +00002011-02-14T13:20:12.886-05:00Being out of the country for three months, I didn’t miss US television (just American Idol!) When I did get a chance to watch a few shows here, I noticed something that really bugs me. So many programs feature people judging each other, and judging each other horribly!On Biggest Loser, I saw people vote their friends off the show. On the political talk shows, I listened to politicians bash each http://tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com/2011/02/live-every-day-as-valentines-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0