Reality leaves a lot to the imagination. -- John Lennon

Let us endeavor to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
-- Mark Twain

In Memory Of
Barry S. Moore

Friend
Neighbor
Mentor

September 6, 2007

4 Things You Can Not Recover

A young lady was waiting for her flight in the boarding room of a big airport.

As she would need to wait many hours, she decided to buy a book to spend her time. She also bought a packet of cookies. She sat down in an armchair, in the VIP room of the airport, to rest and read in peace. Beside the armchair where the packet of cookies lay, a a man sat down in the next seat, opened his magazine and started reading.

When she took out the first cookie, the man took one also. She felt irritated, but said nothing. She just thought: “What a nerve! If I was in the mood I would punch him for daring!”

For each cookie she took, the man took one too. This was infuriating her but she didn’t want to cause a scene. When only one cookie remained, she thought: “ah … What will this abusive man do now?”

Then, the man, taking the last cookie, divided it in half, giving one half to her. Ah! That was too much! She was much too angry now! In a huff, she took her book, her things, and stormed to the boarding place.

When she took her seat inside the plane, she looked in her purse for her eyeglasses, and, to her surprise, her packet of cookies was there…untouched, unopened! She felt so ashamed! She realized that she was wrong.She had forgotten that her cookies were kept in her purse.

The man had divided his cookies with her, without feeling angered or bitter….while she had been very angry, thinking that she was dividing her cookies with him. And now there was no chance to explain herself ... nor to apologize.

There are four things you can never recover ...

The stone ... after the throw,
The word ... after it’s said,
The occasion ... after the loss, and
The time ... after it’s gone.

~ Author Unknown

MO ANAM CARA
pronounced Muh Onum Kara

Celtic term that means: My Soul Friend

In Celtic spiritual tradition, it is believed that the soul radiates all about the physical body what some refer to as an aura. When you connect with another person and become completely open and trusting with that individual, your two souls begin to flow together.

Should such a deep bond be formed, it is said you have found your Anam Cara, or soul friend.

Your Anam Cara always accepts you as you truly are, holding you in beauty and light. In order to appreciate your relationship, you must first recognize your own inner light and beauty. This is not always easy to do. The Celts believed that forming an Anam Car friendship would help you to awaken your awareness of your own nature and experience the joys of others.

The Anam Cara was originally someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies in your life. With the Anam Cara, you could share your innermost self, your mind and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you had an Anam Cara, your friendship cut across all convention, morality and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the "friend of your soul". The Celtic understanding did not set limitations of space on the other soul. There is no cage for the soul. The soul is a divine light that flows into you and into your Other.

This art of belonging awakened and fostered a deep and special companionship. When you love, you open your life to an Other. All your barriers are down. Your protective distances collapse. This person is given absolute permission to come into the deepest temple of your spirit. This presence and life can become their ground. It takes great courage to let someone so close. Where a friendship recognizes itself as a gift, it will remain open to its own ground of blessing ... When you are blessed with an Anam Cara, the Irish believe, you have arrived at that most sacred place: home.

This bond between friends is indissoluable:
"This, I say, what is broken by no chances, what no interval of time or space can sever or destroy, and what even death itself cannot part" from Anam Cara Wisdom From The Celtic World, by John O"Donohue.

My wish is that you have found your Anam Cara --- like an ice cold pint of Guiness --- everyone should have one!

Barbara Eyre says, "I have found Mo Anam Cara ... my husband, Donald.

Rules to Live By

Honesty and Justice:
Be acutely honest throughout your dealing with all people. Believe in justice, not from other people, but from yourself. To the true Samurai, there are no shades of gray in the question of honesty and justice. There is only right and wrong.

Polite Courtesy:
Samurai have no reason to be cruel. They do not need to prove their strength. A samurai is courteous even to his enemies. Without this outward show of respect, we are nothing more than animals. A Samurai is not only respected for his strength in battle, but also by his dealing with other men. The true strength of a Samurai becomes apparent during difficult times.

Heroic Courage:
Rise up above the masses of people who are afraid to act. Hiding like a turtle in a shell is not living at all. A samurai must have heroic courage. It is living life completely, fully, wonderfully. Heroic courage is not blind, It is intelligent and strong.

Honor:
A true Samurai has only one judge of honor, and this is himself. Decisions you make and how these decisions are carried out are a reflection of whom you truly are. You cannot hide from yourself.

Compassion:
Through intense training, the Samurai becomes quick and strong, he is not as other men. He develops a power that must be used for the good of all. He has compassion. He helps his fellow man at every opportunity. If an opportunity does not arise, he goes out of his way to find one.

Complete Sincerity:
When a Samurai has said he will perform an action, it is as good as done. Nothing will stop him from completing what he has said he will do. He does not have to "give his word", he does not have to promise - speaking and doing are the same action.

Duty and Loyalty:
For the samurai, having done some "things" or said some "things", he knows he owns that "thing". He is responsible for it, and all the consequences that follow. A Samurai is immensely loyal to those in his care, to those he is responsible for. He remains fiercely true.

Do More
by: John L. Mason