Last night sitting around in the back yard as the light faded on the longest day. We were finishing off the popcorn cooked in a nifty device over the fire pit. Yum, smokey flavour! The conversation turned to the 4th July; fireworks, the menu for the picnic and what the youngsters would be doing. It had been one of the warmest days in Seattle this year. Ah, summer has come at last. Earlier I’d had a nap in the hammock under the trees, recovering from hiking up too many too steep hills in Seattle, while carrying my luggage. I was returning from Bainbridge with nothing much to report. That’s apart from coming up close to a Bald Eagle while touring the island earlier in the day. This is America, Independence Day approaches, it’s a huge family event.

What about a light-up Mum? I was thinking we could do a light-up in the evening of the 4th. You can see the young woman of the family demonstrating her skills in dancing with fire filmed by her dad titled Burning Daughter on You Tube. She is an adept.

Many thanks to this family for hosting me these last couple of days. So much talent and inspired action (I’m thinking of the son of the family) under one roof!

Thanks go to Jack who left this comment in a previous post.

Thomas Merton was also for me an introduction to spirituality. At university, my creative writing teacher introduced me to him and then as I wrote she told me that my writing reminded her of the “Zen” poets from China and Japan and contemporaries such as Gary Snyder. I started to read them, found an ad for Shasta Abbey Buddhist Supplies, ordered a statue and received info from the Abbey and a few months later when I was eighteen I took the Greyhound bus from Denver to Shasta. A moment that changed my life and just now I can feel the gratitude in my heart to this professor who really took me under her wing in my young days. Interestingly, she was an ex-catholic nun. Thank you, Rita, for pointing me in the Way. If you are interested here is a bit about Rita Brady Kiefer.

Amida Buddha sitting still in the garden

Mt. Shasta as seen from the monastery grounds

Jacks comment, left on the previous posting, reminded me of several people who entered my young life and for whom I too have great gratitude. Tonight I’m thinking particularly of an aunt who encouraged me to write after she read letters I’d sent to my parents describing my travels in America in 1967.

It would appear that Rita Kiefer is still encouraging people to express themselves through writing.

Looking into the faces of these flowers this afternoon I found myself smiling. So too when looking into the faces of people in bloom.

We can encourage that, by blooming too.