Entering the following quote into Google, I found more than I expected:

The greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.

from the song “Nature Boy” (1948)

Written by eden ahbez (lower case on purpose) and sung by Nat King Cole, among others.

I found some other quotes by eden that interested me, here is a sample:

The seasons come and the seasons go, the summer fruit and the winter snow, but here we are, and here we stay — until the time to go away.

Ah, they say, there’s a land that is great, and is grand; there’s no fear, and no pain — we will all live again — and everyone will find the ones they love.

From “The Wanderer” Eden’s Island (1960)

and,

What I mean by the Principle of Oneness is this:
That we must learn to realize
that there’s nothing separate or apart.
That everything is part of everything else.
That there’s nothing above us,
or below us, or around us.
All is inherent within us.
Like Jesus said, “The Kingdom is Within.”

As told to his friend Joe Romersa in 1992.

Which takes me back to my post from the other day and “interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.”

After reading the above and looking at the pictures and videos from the links below, I found it interesting to learn that eden ahbez was born within months of my Granddaddy. They were in two completely different places in the world, it is a little difficult to comprehend. Granddaddy was a very special man, and I have many things to say about him. But, I don’t know if the things eden was thinking and saying were a part of Granddaddy’s experience….at all. I wish I could talk to him about it.

eden ahbez Wiki

Shadow Box Studios–eden ahbez

Each weekday I receive a note from the universe…it arrives via email. Quite a nice way to greet the day. Here is today’s note….made me smile!

Do you know what today is, Miss Dragonfly?

Besides Friday.

It’s February 29, 2008.

Ah-ha!

Do you know what today means, in spiritual, numerical terms?

Me neither.

But I know this, your thoughts become things every single day, no matter what the occasion, no matter where the energy vortices lie, no matter when the equinox starts, no matter what the economy is doing, no matter who is in office, no matter what you want, no matter when you want it, no matter what, no matter what, no matter what.

Any other thinking just gives your power away.

Love you by leaps and bounds,

The Universe

Of course, Miss Dragonfly, numbers have a story to tell, so do the stars, tea leaves, and crystals, it’s just that your thoughts speak 10,000 times louder than all of them combined.

Check out Notes From the Universe.

Pink lotus, originally uploaded by tanakawho.

I have decided to (try and) read Oprah’s book club selection A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose and (maybe) participate in the online classes.* I am less than 30 pages into the book, and …so far…Eckhart Tolle has said so many things that make sense to me. I don’t know if he is right, but I do know what I have felt and known since I was five or six years old. This is when I first remember thinking, there is more, there is something we are missing.

As I read this book last night, I was reminded of the Unitarian Universalist principles which include: The inherent worth and dignity of every person; Justice, equity and compassion in human relations; Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth; A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all; Respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.

I don’t know if it will continue to make sense and ring true to me, but so far I am pleasantly surprised.

*As you can see, I am a very decisive person!

Recently, we have had another layer (actually more than one…) of tragedy added to the layers of pain that we are currently experiencing. I never expected life to keep adding blow after blow like this. It is too much. It’s just too painful.

I keep reaching for hope, reaching for love, reaching for healing…only to get slapped back down. I am left with hoping for hope.

For years and years, I have had daily suicidal thoughts. Physical pain. How to live through the next minute, the next hour? Day? Knowing that it doesn’t stop. It never stops. How do you keep going…and why?

Starr. Family. Hope. Art. Love. Spirituality. Music. Oh my God, Starr.

These things have been my lifeline.

In the face of these additional continued unrelenting agonizing life events…well, the line is thinning. Not broken, but oh so very thin.

I am not giving up. I promise.

I spent some time looking through my music files, looking for the “perfect” song to add to this post. In the absence of that song, I have chosen to go with….completely irrelevant.

“Are We Ever Gonna Have Sex Again?” – Amy Rigby

When I was in ninth grade, Pappaw passed away. Pappaw was my mom’s dad, a quiet red-headed family man. What I remember most about Pappaw was his quiet presence, and his shirt pockets always full of stuff. He was a farmer who raised Black Angus beef cattle on his property located in western Tennessee. He was very active in his local Methodist church.

We didn’t live near them, and only visited once or twice a year. Unfortunately, because we were both introverts, I never was able to develop a really close relationship with him. I enjoyed walking in the pastures with him looking at the cattle, or doing a little fishing in one of the farm ponds. It seemed like the last couple of visits we were just beginning to move beyond the quiet and get to know each other. But then he was gone, suddenly. Fifty nine years old, and he had a fatal heart attack.

About ten years later, just after Starr was born, I had a dream of Pappaw. He visited me from the other side. We spent a long time talking. We discussed life, God, religion and the afterlife. I have never been comfortable with Christianity, instead following my heart and my head studying and feeling out different avenues of spirituality. In this dream he supported my beliefs and told me that I was just fine. Just as Christianity was fine for him.

I woke up from this dream feeling truly blessed. It felt so real and so true. Was it really him? Was it just a dream? I don’t know, and I don’t care. All I know is that it felt right.