November brings thoughts of Thanksgiving. What are we grateful for? It’s easy to say family, friends, our home, having food on the table. What happens when we change our view and look at the things we might not consider as something to be grateful for?  For example, we had a fire at our temple in 2022. The fire wiped out our basement and its contents. Smoke damage permeated the main floor rooms, hondo and onaijin. Such an event doesn’t seem like anything to be grateful for. However, as we look around our temple today, we see upgrades andrenovations that have made this temple a building to be proud of. These projects were needed, but would have been put off for the future. We can be grateful for the disaster clean-up crews, contractors, donors, volunteers, and Mike Iseri. Out of the disaster rises a reinvigorated temple. Another example is that I had a series of unfortunate events during the last month. I am going to try to find something to be grateful for amidst the chaos. Hopeful...

  Many of us are feeling stress from the current political situation. This stress includes feelings of frustration, anger and even hatred toward people with political views different from our own.   These frustrations and conflicts are a totally normal part of human life--the result of the 3 poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance.   Over 2000 years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha offered this observation to help people respond to conflicts in their lives:   “Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hate alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.” (Dhammapada V. 5) PHOTO: Shakyamuni Buddha Statue (Photo Credit: Anne Spencer) Shakyamuni’s teaching remains useful today, and can be applied in our daily lives. In the course of my day, I hear many perspectives on the current political and social situations—I agree with some and strongly dislike others. Among friends, relatives, online, and on TV I hear harsh and insulting comments regarding   others’...

My husband and I have a birdfeeder hung on our garage just outside our back door.   The feeder has a big clear plastic cannister that holds a gallon of birdseed. There are four metal perches for birds to stand on while they peck seeds out through holes at the bottom of the feeder. The birds enjoy our feeder all year, but they especially appreciate it when it snows because the snow makes it hard for them to get to the seeds and bugs that they usually eat.   After a snowstorm I like to stand at our back window and watch all the action as the birds—mostly juncos and sparrows— “flock” to our feeder.   Although there are 4 perches, there are far more than 4 birds trying to eat birdseed. But with all the seeds the birds spill on the ground below, there is still plenty of food for everyone.   But the fact that there is plenty of seed doesn’t stop them from fighting. Sometimes, there will just be one bird at the feeder and another bird will fly in full-speed from a nearb...

New Year's Bingo will help you focus on what is most important as you move into a new year.  Print off more than one card and play with friends and relatives! Say "Goodbye" to 2024 and say "Hello" to 2025  in style!

As we approach the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere, the days are getting shorter, the sun is making fewer appearances through the clouds, we spend more time inside, and life is just a bit darker.   As sunlight gets scarcer, it is a great time to intentionally appreciate the limited light that we do have.   Many cultures have holidays, such   as Christmas, Diwali, Kwanza, and Chanukah that celebrate light.   And even non-religious people will put up extra decorative lights to brighten the darker days.   In our tradition of Buddhism, on December 8, we celebrate Bodhi day, as the day (2500 years ago) that Shakyamuni Buddha became “en LIGHT ened,” breaking through the darkness of ignorance and understanding the true nature of reality.      So, as we approach these darker days, I think it’s  a good time to notice and appreciate the light we see around us AND then  find ways to share light with others.  For inspiration, I wan...