Good morning. I’m off to the Pantry to work on my Pantry Art Project. I was getting cold. I’ve been home all day. I’ve got to pick up dog food, shop, and, of course, blog and collect images for Flower Art. I have a lot to do. Thanks for following.
Maria cleans out the pole barn every morning.
Fate on her endless search for fulfillment.
I water the calla plant almost every morning.
Zinnia, meditating with me.
Friends, today, Sarah is urgently continuing her drive to provide warm, easy-to-make dinners for the members of the Cambridge Food Pantry. Your quick reply is critical, as this is a challenging season for food pantries. With the farms mostly done for the season, government subsidies reclining, and the holiday season approaching, it’s a tough time for those without enough money – pantries and food banks, too – for anyone to buy food or festive decorations.
Your contribution can make a significant difference. We can provide them with something warm to eat, something they ask for, something they mess up. Your support will directly impact the lives of those in need.
Sarah has chosen these and other warm foods to meet the cold and the holidays, the most challenging times for those who come to her for help.
Please help if you can. Here are the three items she has none of at the moment but that people know, love, and want.
Thanks.
This is a reminder that you can access the Cambridge Pantry Amazon Food Wish List at any time, day or night. You can browse the pantry list using the links here or by clicking on the green button at the bottom of every blog post.
Thank you. Your support is a miracle. You are already brightening the holiday season for people who need help but have nowhere else to go:
Sarah’s choices for today:
Elbows Pasta, 16 Oz, Box-Non-GMO Pasta Made with Durum Wheat Semolina – Kosher Certified, $15.12.
Hunts Petite Diced Tomatoes, 14.5 Oz, 12 Pack, $14.76.
“Please, when you practice meditation, don’t make any effort. Allow yourself to be like a pebble at rest. The pebble rests at the bottom of the river, and it does not have to do anything. While you are walking, you are resting. While you are sitting, you are resting.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
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I love this description of meditation’s simplicity and liberation of the mind. People often ask me how I meditate and what steps I take, and the answer always surprises them.
“You don’t have to do anything,” I say. “You just have to be and let your mind go where it wishes, no rules, no mistakes, no pressure.”
I tell my students that there is a right way to meditate. Wherever your mind goes is fine.
The image of the pebble resting at the bottom of the river is perfect. Meditation has gone so much food for me, my mind has never been freer.
All of us will be challenged, frightened, and distracted during this time and for the foreseeable future. I want to prepare myself for that in a positive and meaningful way that turns away from anger and fear. Anger and fear accomplish little or nothing.
I need to look inward, not just outward.
This time will bring so many of us together for the first time and for real. It is inevitable that time has never been more open to something new and uplifting.
That will be an uplifting and exciting time; I am waiting for it to emerge; every day seems to bring it closer. In my meditation this morning, I could picture a leader of compassion and vision emerging from the dust and chaos and leading us to a kindler, better place.
Sitting down to meditate, I can see and feel it, which lifts my heart. After this, I will spend some time at the bottom of the river, not doing anything but feeling something tangible and beautiful.
That is not nothing.
I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty. ” — Georgia O’Keeffe.
I am proud to see and learn that these flowers have become essential to people looking for a peaceful and safe place to find beauty and safety in these unnerving times. I’ll keep it up, and thank you for appreciating this work.
It’s one of the better challenges of my life, a gift at my age, a challenge for the future.
My dream of the blog becoming a safe and meaningful place is finally becoming true.
Today, I returned to my 105 MM Sigma Macro Lens and Mirrorless SLR-2 Leica. I love them both now and will use them both in different ways. I think he felt neglected. He (or she?) has done beautiful work for me.
I’ll see you in the morning. Tomorrow, I’m home all day except for some time at the Food Pantry, my second home.
Sarah fights for hygiene and clean mouths and bodies; issues arise during holiday eating.
Pantry people often have to choose between food, toothpaste, and tissues, so it matters enough for Sarah to ask for help.
It’s suddenly too expensive to shop for these items except for Amazon, and the food banks that sometimes send some can’t now. This is a holiday need.
I hope we can help.
Unfortunately, Sarah’s two food choices today are all off the shelves and gone, highlighting the scarcity of these essential items:
Puffs Ultra Soft Non-Lotion Tissues, 10 Cubes, 56 Tissues Per Fox, $14.37.
Reminder: You can browse and donate on the Cambridge Food Pantry Amazon Wish List anytime by clicking the links above or the green “Cambridge Food Pantry” button at the bottom of every blog page.
Amazon Bargain Special: Amazon Brand Happy Belly Ranch Dressing, 16 fl oz (Pack of 1), $1.99.
Thanks. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
