Abstract Nº 2, 2024

Dear friend,

This piece was inspired by a poem from a dream I had on 24 February 2016. This is one of a few other dream poems.

Throughout the seasons

You are the clouds

I the sea

Always close to you

Never far from you

Abstract Nº 2

Leap Year

Oil on panel

16 by 12 inches

What You Seek is Already Within You, But Do You Want it.

Dear friend,

When I hear of wars and rumors of wars, conflicts between countries, groups, believes, individuals, and even conflicts within ourselves, I am reminded of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s War is Over, If You Want It.

I want it, but how? I ask myself. Yoko Ono’s analogy is that each human is like a little pebble dropped on the water’s surface, and its ripples will spread far and wide. She calls them Pebble People.

I am just one, you say to yourselves. Indeed you are, but a powerful One! I remind you that you are not just one, but one of billions of other Ones with the same innate capacity to Love! (The last time I checked, there are 8 billion of us humans on this precious Blue Pearl.) Imagine billions of little pebbles dropping into a body of water. A tsunami you will get!

Thich Nhat Hanh shared this in one of his books of inspirational quotes:

At the moment of his awakening at the foot of the Bodhi tree, the Buddha declared, “All beings possess the capacity to be awakened, to understand, to love, to be free, yet they allow themselves to be carried away on the ocean of suffering.” He saw that, day and night, we’re seeking what is already there within us.

“What we’re seeking is what is already there within us.” Hmm, does this sound familiar?

“The kingdom of God is not coming in a way you can observe, nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘Look, there it is!’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” — Luke 17:20-21, EHV

The Christ and The Buddha must have had some pretty intense spiritual instant messaging with each other!

We are all innately loving connected free-will beings with the capacity to be compassionate. If we want peace now, we first need to allow ourselves to find it within ourselves, instead of allowing ourselves to be carried away on the ocean of suffering. What we’re seeking is already there within us.

I leave you with this meditation mantra that I have been using:

What is Love?

Love is colorful;

Like the Rainbow.

Love is kind;

Kindness is an expression of Love.

Love is compassion;

Compassion is an expression of Love.

Love is patient;

Patience is an expression of Love.

Love is forgiving;

Forgiveness is an expression of Love.

Love is gratitude;

Gratefulness is an expression of Love.

Love is peace;

Peace is an expression of Love.

Love is Grace;

Grace is an expression of Love.

Love is welcoming;

Acceptance is an expression of Love.

Love is I am;

I am an expression of Love.

Love is the Universe;

The Universe is an expression of Love.

Love is unconditional.

❤️ Namaste ❤️

The Universe in me recognizes the Universe in you.

Happy Lunar New Year

Dear friend,

Have you eaten yet?

It is the year of the dragon, and I am still on my sabbatical.

I am occupying my mind and time with meditation and baking. Like painting, I think baking in itself can be meditative.

“It's a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” ― Germany Kent

I like to think of something to be grateful for, and if I cannot come up with anything to be grateful for, I will repeatedly say “Thank you”, and eventually something worthy of gratefulness will pop into my mind. A thankful heart and mind are like healing medicine for the body.

I used this recipe for the bread in the first image but I deviated far from it because I did not have the right ingredients. Especially the sourdough yeast, so I improvised: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/spelt-sourdough

On the prior day, I gifted this little painting, Magenta, to be part of a children’s art school fundraiser gift basket.

I painted this study maybe 14 years ago, and it was forgotten until my kind neighbor mentioned that she was putting together a gift basket of art supplies for a fundraiser. I thought it would be nice to add this little painting to her gift basket.

Magenta. Oil on paper. 5“ by 4”. Gifted.

In a world where you can be anything, be kind.