Number Seventy-four

Song - Bits and Pieces by The Dave Clark Five

Little by little, a piece here and a piece there, I have painted 74 faces so far for my upcoming show in Benicia in August! Above is a sampling of my "faces with character".

I'll keep you posted on the Benicia event.

"Thay"

Today I painted Thich Nhat Hanh or "Thay" who is an amazing Vietnamese Buddhist Monk. And Thay comes in at number 74, so I only have 26 more paintings to do in the next few weeks.  Yipes!

"Enlightenment is not separate from 

washing the dishes or growing lettuce."

 -- Thich Nhat Hanh

December 2015

Song - Auld Lang Syne by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards


 My December.....

Discovered an illegal squatters shelter  10' from our property line and overlooking our backyard.  Ugg...... Worse yet my neighbor told them they could build it there because they told her it was really a Mountain Lion Lookout.  Mmmmm......

Mr. B and my brother Tim trying to move my dad's workshop

A friend went to Tahoe and sent me this photo 

because she knows I just love snow on trees! 

Pure beauty!

Mr. B and I went to The Dickens Fair to see our friend Sandey Grinn transform himself into Fagin! So amazing!

Mr. B played Santa this Christmas Eve and said it was the best E-V-E-R! 

Dawn on Christmas Day

 My dear dad spent a week in the hospital and came home on Christmas Day.  This car was parked next to mine as I was leaving the hospital on that day. Brought a smile to my face!

We all received great gifts again this year but the two that really stand out were Mr. B's reflective gear for his early morning walks and.......

....and Tyler's Bumper Dumper that is a camo toilet seat that fits into his trailer hitch to be used when he is out in the wilderness - not in my driveway!

Dad is happy to be at home with mom 

and Mika is happy to have someone to snuggle with all day long!

The best way to take care of the future 

is to take care of the present moment.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Plum Village

What can I say? I miscalculated....

 

 

 

Today I was supposed to be in a full day of meditation at Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village in Southern France. Lay people are welcome on certain Thursdays & Sundays. When I looked online yesterday to see which Hamlet it would be at, it said.......nothing.......nada....nope....not going to happen on Sunday!

 

But starting on this Thursday, Thich Nhat Hanh would be leading the meditation for the next few weeks.

 

 

Thursday?

 

 

But.........I........won't.....be.....here......Thursday.......

 

I cried a little.

 

And then a little more.

 

 

Then Mr. B offered to drive me by the Upper Hamlet on Sunday just to see it.

 

 

I sniffled a little.

 

I tried to be brave and told myself that Mindfulness comes from within.

 

 

Then I had a glass of wine, a great dinner, a good nights sleep and everything looked better this morning!

 

This afternoon I was able to walk around the Hamlet while the monks were preparing for a long retreat that begins tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am so happy for being able to take this journey with Mr. B!

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Inspiration from Thich Nhat Hanh

Song - Thich Nhat Hanh: A Warm Embrace - The Great Bell Chant

This Autumn Mr. B and I will be traveling to France and celebrating our 35th Wedding Anniversary!  Just where does the time go?

For several months, we have been working on our plans and figuring out where we would like to go and what we would like to experience.  We will be traveling to some familiar places but we will also go on many new adventures.  Mr. B is so much fun to plan a trip with because he is a warehouse of knowledge and ideas.

As we were planning our trip through the Dordogne, I realized that Thich Nhat Hanh has a monastery and several hamlets in that area.  While researching it further, I discovered that on Thursdays and Sundays the monks and nuns have a day of "mindfulness" open to the lay person.

We will be in the area on a Sunday!

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk who practices mindfulness and peace.  Martin Luther King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967.  When not traveling the world teaching, he is at Plum Village, France - gardening, meditating, teaching and writing.

Mr. B has decided that he would rather research the area around Bergerac so that I will have a day of sitting meditation, teaching, Dharma talk and walking meditation.

I so wish I could spend some more time there but I am so grateful for the stars colliding so that I would arrive on a day of meditation.

Anyway, the main reason I was telling you about all of this is that via his Plum Village website, you can download several great apps.  One is the "Bell of Mindfulness" and you can set it to go off on your computer at whatever timed intervals you decide. It makes me smile and breathe every time it goes o I know some days I sit at the computer and get lost and before I know it most of my day is gone.  The "gong" reminds you to breath, center yourself and if you need, stand up and go outside to nature.

It is always nice to have a gentle reminder to breathe.....

Mr. B and his dreamy eyes...

 “Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.” --Thich Nhat Hanh

Breathe

‘Smile, breathe and go slowly.’ ~ Thich Nhat Hanh