Last evening I went for a walk with M in MacRitchie Reservoir Park before we were joined by J, N and A and went for dinner. We ended up altering dinner plans spontaneously and had a great time chilling and hanging out together.
When I said I would get dinner A asked, "What's the occasion?", I replied, "Nothing," but on hindsight I should have said just because... I felt like celebrating life and love, or perhaps it was the sight of the iridescent cloud or partial rainbow M and I both caught on our walk. It was an awesome sight!
A echoed B's words last Tuesday when I bought B a bunch of cream and blush pink gerberas. In fact, B searched around hard for an occasion to suit the gift. Hmmm...
Is there an occasion? Actually there is: life and love, or in a word, God. I so much enjoyed the spontaneous gifts that God sent me in Amsterdam that I want those around me to experience the pleasure of unexpected gifts as I did.
Increasingly I feel the transience of life as I get older and I grasp the import of almost every moment in my waking hours. This acute mindfulness, enhanced by my vacation in Amsterdam where time expanded to be filled with so much is something I wish to keep and so I endeavour to impregnate each conscious moment with meaning. To make every second count.
Last Friday A shared that she was again at a peak point in her life, a period of happiness and contentment that she never thought would be repeated in her life. Like her, I feel I am in that zone right now.
It's not that we are both on permanent vacation "shaking legs"*, nor are we impervious to insecurity, pain, dark moments or rude people, but I think we both have a sense of purpose in what we do and we try to be creative and faithful in accomplishing our mission every day.
A large part of that mission is to make the world a better place. It sounds vague but it isn't, especially if we open our hearts and minds to the opportunities that each day brings. Wherever we are on our own personal journeys in life, we each have the power to change lives and make a difference.
The ability to know what we have to do and to have the power to achieve it comes first and foremost from our relationship with Jesus. Living in His Spirit, the paraclete (Greek for comforter, advocate, helper and teacher); and following in His footsteps.
This evening Father Romeo quoted Meister Eckhart on the Holy Trinity seeing as it is Trinity Sunday, and I thought it was a vivid and beautiful way of describing the relationship:
Be it buying dinner, or flowers, or doing what I need to do now, housecleaning, a not-so-favourite but necessary task, I do it for the pleasure of seeing someone I love smile.
Try it. Do something nice for someone today and if they ask why, tell them just because...
* Singlish for idling
When I said I would get dinner A asked, "What's the occasion?", I replied, "Nothing," but on hindsight I should have said just because... I felt like celebrating life and love, or perhaps it was the sight of the iridescent cloud or partial rainbow M and I both caught on our walk. It was an awesome sight!
A echoed B's words last Tuesday when I bought B a bunch of cream and blush pink gerberas. In fact, B searched around hard for an occasion to suit the gift. Hmmm...
Is there an occasion? Actually there is: life and love, or in a word, God. I so much enjoyed the spontaneous gifts that God sent me in Amsterdam that I want those around me to experience the pleasure of unexpected gifts as I did.
Increasingly I feel the transience of life as I get older and I grasp the import of almost every moment in my waking hours. This acute mindfulness, enhanced by my vacation in Amsterdam where time expanded to be filled with so much is something I wish to keep and so I endeavour to impregnate each conscious moment with meaning. To make every second count.
Last Friday A shared that she was again at a peak point in her life, a period of happiness and contentment that she never thought would be repeated in her life. Like her, I feel I am in that zone right now.
It's not that we are both on permanent vacation "shaking legs"*, nor are we impervious to insecurity, pain, dark moments or rude people, but I think we both have a sense of purpose in what we do and we try to be creative and faithful in accomplishing our mission every day.
A large part of that mission is to make the world a better place. It sounds vague but it isn't, especially if we open our hearts and minds to the opportunities that each day brings. Wherever we are on our own personal journeys in life, we each have the power to change lives and make a difference.
The ability to know what we have to do and to have the power to achieve it comes first and foremost from our relationship with Jesus. Living in His Spirit, the paraclete (Greek for comforter, advocate, helper and teacher); and following in His footsteps.
This evening Father Romeo quoted Meister Eckhart on the Holy Trinity seeing as it is Trinity Sunday, and I thought it was a vivid and beautiful way of describing the relationship:
Do you want to know what goes on in the heart of the Trinity?
I will tell you.
In the heart of the Trinity the Father laughs and gives birth to the Son.
The Son laughs back at the Father and gives birth to the Spirit
The whole Trinity laughs and gives birth to us.
When God laughs at the soul and the soul laughs back at God, the persons of the Trinity are begotten.
When the Father laughs at the Son and the Son laughs back at the Father, that laughter gives pleasure,
that pleasure gives joy, that joy gives love, and that is the Holy Spirit.
I will tell you.
In the heart of the Trinity the Father laughs and gives birth to the Son.
The Son laughs back at the Father and gives birth to the Spirit
The whole Trinity laughs and gives birth to us.
When God laughs at the soul and the soul laughs back at God, the persons of the Trinity are begotten.
When the Father laughs at the Son and the Son laughs back at the Father, that laughter gives pleasure,
that pleasure gives joy, that joy gives love, and that is the Holy Spirit.
This explains the joie de vivre I feel so aptly and it impels me to do as Mother Teresa did her whole life, which is to do small things with great love.
Be it buying dinner, or flowers, or doing what I need to do now, housecleaning, a not-so-favourite but necessary task, I do it for the pleasure of seeing someone I love smile.
Try it. Do something nice for someone today and if they ask why, tell them just because...
* Singlish for idling
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