On Happiness

"Happiness is only in loving."
* Leo Tolstoy

Self-awareness

You can convince yourself into believing anything, so be careful what you say to you.

Hummingbirds and Such

While relaxing and leaning against the railing of the deck, I notice several hummingbirds jockeying for position on the feeder nearby. I think little of it as it’s usually a daily occurrence, and honestly, I’m more concerned with the ice-cold drink I just opened after mowing the grass in the hot summer sun. This is all about to change, though. Two of these tiny behemoths decide to do battle just above my head. I duck. Recovering quickly, I reach for my carbonated beverage and suddenly find myself staring into the tiny eyes and needle-sharp beak of one of the hummers hovering just twelve inches from my face. It looks at me with curiosity or indifference perhaps, but then two others decide to attack him and I realize I’m in the middle of something I shouldn’t be in the middle of. Another hummingbird and then another and another joins the fray and still I’m not worried… they’re only hummingbirds, right? Think again. After ten or so near misses, I am now watching the conflict from the safety of the kitchen window.               

Flowers and Thorns

The rose petals along with the thorns wither on the same vine if the soil is not tended.

Living in the Moment

The past is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

On Seeds, Faith, and Works

Faith is building a structure and then planting the seeds into the earth below it. But faith alone will not nurture those seeds to fruition; it can not tend the soil, train the vines, or harvest the bounty. Only works will accomplish what faith begins. 

Planting Seeds

With every act of kindness, every unselfish deed, and every moment of our time that we willfully give to someone else, whether it’s spare or especially if it’s not, we plant a seed. That seed may or may not fall on fertile ground and we may or may not see the harvest, but keep on planting. If we give up on one another, then we give up on ourselves and all the fields go fallow.