Funnier: Step one – sink, swim, or discuss whether to….
Poetry into music: Give Yourself to Love, with Brother Ian (everybody sing!)
This video is a reminder of places I’ve been & places I love….and now, 11K views later, here it is for you.
I know people who have learned this song (and told me about it!) after hearing this video. See what you think, and I hope you sing along, too. It’s a great song!
This, the lead song from my album “Finding My Way To You” may be the most-played of Kate Wolf’s songs, and the one which has brought more tears of joy to more people of any song ever written.
Kind friends all gathered ’round, there’s something I would say:
That what brings us together here has blessed us all today.
Love has made a circle that holds us all inside;
Where strangers are as family, loneliness can’t hide.
You must give yourself to love if love is what you’re after;
Open up your hearts to the tears and laughter,
And give yourself to love, give yourself to love.
I’ve walked these mountains in the rain and learned to love the wind;
I’ve been up before the sunrise to watch the day begin.
I always knew I’d find you, though I never did know how;
Like sunshine on a cloudy day, you stand before me now.
So give yourself to love if love is what you’re after;
Open up your hearts to the tears and laughter,
And give yourself to love, give yourself to love.
Love is born in fire; it’s planted like a seed.
Love can’t give you everything, but it gives you what you need.
And love comes when you’re ready, love comes when you’re afraid;
It’ll be your greatest teacher, the best friend you have made.
So give yourself to if love is what you’re after;
Open up your hearts to the tears and laughter,
And give yourself to love, give yourself to love.
Give yourself to love, if love is what you’re after;
Open up your hearts to the tears and laughter,
And give yourself to love, give yourself to love.
Filmed by independent filmmaker Devon Schwinge in the San Juan Islands, Washington State in the USA; recording by Joe Bongiorno & Mellowsounds Studio.
Writings: Keep it simple – share & heal.
Seems to me there’s an ongoing discussion these days about what we need to do with ourselves.
There are folks who want to do things that are practical, and the end of each day feels good, because the hours passed with grounded, down-to-earth accomplishments.
Or things that are useful.
Or creative.
Or balanced.
Or balanced, in a budgetary way.
Or organized.
Or marking progress, on a path to something.
Or missing all that, because of having painmakers around us.
Or missing it & wanting it, to clear up clouds & fog & even darkness.
Maybe it sounds too simple (sorry, but it is!) but we can shape our days with all that, or none of that, but the way to make it feels like it counts is to share & heal.
Share & heal. That’s the glue.
Share & heal. That’s the glow.
Share & heal. That’s the promise for tomorrow.
Share & heal. That’s what fills in the gaps, levels the bumps, and brings light into dark (even our own) and perspective into light (especially our own.)
Share & heal. You’ll be able to tell by the smiles.
Love you,
Brother Ian
ENC: The new struggle is the same as the old struggle…where’s the water?
In The Emperor’s New Clothes section, we take a peek at the stuff nobody wants to talk about…you know, the stuff that matters most & gets talked about most & acted on the least.
As you know from the Ten Most Important Things (and, most reliably, your own good sense), there are too many human beings on the planet, and what we mean by this is simple: there isn’t enough cake at this party when too many folks show up.
Or water.
Here’s a quick rundown of the years ahead, but my friends, we can’t wait till then to share & heal. We need to make plans now. We need to practice sharing now. We need to offer what we have & start to re-design what we call progress, now. The humans and the other creatures on Earth not having clean water to drink…not progress.
Here’s more:
http://news.yahoo.com/future-thirst-water-crisis-lies-horizon-042831078.html
Funnier: TMI
So many people feel overwhelmed these days, just sitting ’round. Maybe this is part of it (from Randall, with www.xkcd.com – thanks!)
Thought: You are the entire ocean in a drop – Rumi
You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.
Rumi
Thoughts: Beauty, through the eyes of some sightless folks….
Dear friends, fellow monks & sister philosophers, family & readers (sorry if I left anyone out!),
One of the cool things about getting to take care of this blog is that I have so many folks who write me & let me know they’re there & what they think, and share their experiences in light of what they see, hear, and experience here.
Three regular readers of Brother Ian are blind – two can’t see anything & one sees light & shapes, kinda, but not detail. I love it that have all dropped me notes as they go over the different postings & listen to the songs & either the computer or a friend reads them things…and they, one way or another, tell me the world is a beautiful place to them.
So, here’s a little video of some folks who can’t see beauty with their eyes, sharing what they perceive beauty to look like, to them.
This one’s for you, Roy & Dan & Elise. Crank the audio & roll.
Love you all –
Brother Ian
Thoughts: Here’s the map to the goldmine…
Why are you so enchanted by this world
when a mine of gold lies within you?
Rumi
(Art – Emine Tokmakkaya)
Whales: Killer whales, in the neighbourhood….
How do they know that Granny, the killer whale in J pod in the San Juan Islands who is estimated to be 103 years old is that old? Here is Monika’s tribute post to her when she turned 100 that explains that (which is cool) as well as offering insight why we all love her so….thanks, Monika!
http://www.orcawatcher.com/2011/07/j2-granny-celebrating-100-years.html
Poetry: Harryette Mullen, From Tanka Diary
From Tanka Diary
Harryette Mullen
The botanical garden is just as I remember,
although it is certain that everything
has changed since my last visit.
How many hilarious questions these fuzzy
fiddleheads are inquiring of spring
will be answered as green ferns unfurl?
Walking the path, I stop to pick up
bleached bark from a tree, curled into
a scroll of ancient wisdom I am unable to read.
Even in my dreams I’m hiking
these mountain trails expecting to find a rock
that nature has shaped to remind me of a heart.
++++++++++++++++
About This Poem
“The spirit of tanka interests me more than following rigid conventions. As I understand it, the tradition allows a variety of approaches, from simple description and heartfelt expression to classical allusion and evocative wordplay. Succeeding generations rediscover and renew the form so that it retains its vitality.”
—Harryette Mullen
Harryette Mullen is the author of Urban Tumbleweed: Notes from a Tanka Diary (Graywolf Press, 2013). She teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she also lives.
About Brother Ian
Over the centuries, Brother Ian has been collecting stories & information & discourses for the purpose of elevating the human condition as needed, dissecting it when necessary, and building the case for hope.
In the spirit of noting that organized crime, organized baseball, organized labour, and organized religion tend to engender controversy & occasional discord, I promise to be neither organized or critical of those who are.