Dr. Wayne Dyer had a famous quote, "If prayer is what we speak to God, then intuition is what God speaks to us."
Children are more intuitive than the grown-up because God speaks to them more often even they still don't know what is God. Let me tell you a story about music learning to illustrate about this.
I was at Whitewater Recorder workshop last weekend. One of the persons in my class is Miss. Judy. She teaches music to the preschool children, ages 2-5. No these kids have learn how to read the music. Nevertheless, these kids learn the music by the ear and their rhythm are always correct. It is very natural for children to learn music because every children has such intuitive ability to learn the music.
As we grow up, we rely more on reading music. The more we read, the more we are confused especially when the music has an unusual rhythm.
During the class, our recorder teacher gave us a music to read and play. The music was written in the notation of 13-century style. None of us knew how to count the beats. I made a request to the teacher.
"Laura, could you play the first 2 measure so that we know how to play the rest?"
She did. After she played the first 2 measures, now everybody sees the connection between the real music and the music written on the paper.
We all have intuitive ability to play and appreciate the music. Yet somehow, through our education, we gradually replace our intuitive music ability with the literally written music notes. We fool ourselves saying that we are more educated. But in fact, we gradually lose our intuitive ability to play and appreciate music.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Caterpillar and butterfly.
I was walking on the trail at BulBoltz Nature yesterday. While I was enjoyed listening to the bird chirping, green forest, and dirt road, I usually paid little attention to the very fine details of the leaves or any insects on the leaves.
The moment changed when I found a fellow with his girl friend stopped in front of a bush, keeled down on the ground and using his smart phone taking a picture of the bush and then scrolled through webpage of the smart phone.
I was very curios. I stopped by and asked what did he find. His girl friend showed me a green caterpillar on a green leaf of the bush and he was trying to identify the species through his smart phone.
I sighed and praised to him: an ordinary folk like me would not even pay attention to notice what is going on the life on the bush. But here is the green Caterpillar. We introduced ourselves. The fellow's name is John and his girl friend's name is Beth.
After we introduced each other, I took off. This time, I was more mindful than previous hike. Such pay attention to details did pay off. I spotted a Monah Butterfly rested on the ground enjoying the sun.
I took pictures of both caterpillar and the butterfly. This hike had taught many useful lesson.
The moment changed when I found a fellow with his girl friend stopped in front of a bush, keeled down on the ground and using his smart phone taking a picture of the bush and then scrolled through webpage of the smart phone.
I was very curios. I stopped by and asked what did he find. His girl friend showed me a green caterpillar on a green leaf of the bush and he was trying to identify the species through his smart phone.
I sighed and praised to him: an ordinary folk like me would not even pay attention to notice what is going on the life on the bush. But here is the green Caterpillar. We introduced ourselves. The fellow's name is John and his girl friend's name is Beth.
After we introduced each other, I took off. This time, I was more mindful than previous hike. Such pay attention to details did pay off. I spotted a Monah Butterfly rested on the ground enjoying the sun.
I took pictures of both caterpillar and the butterfly. This hike had taught many useful lesson.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Kind words mean a lot
I went to office to clean-up, clear off the desk. Got rid of books and award certificates. Yet, I kept all the 'thank you notes and cards' from the students. The kind words from my students warm my heart.
I have heard a story sometime ago. There was a high school teacher. Three weeks after the semester, she asked every students to write compliment to the other fellow students and handed in to her after students finished writing the stories.
After collecting all the students' papers, the teacher collected all the kind words for each students from their classmates and gave those kind notes in envelops to each students.
Five years after the graduation, the teacher received a phone call from the parent of her student, Rachael. Rachael's mom said that Rachael had been killed in a car accident. The parent invited the teacher to attend Rachael's funeral service.
After the service, Rachael's mom showed the envelop to the teacher and said to the teacher:
"Rachael read those kind notes from her classmates every night before she went to bed every night. We really appreciate what you had done to Rachael. Thank you."
Kind words mean a lot to a human soul.
I have heard a story sometime ago. There was a high school teacher. Three weeks after the semester, she asked every students to write compliment to the other fellow students and handed in to her after students finished writing the stories.
After collecting all the students' papers, the teacher collected all the kind words for each students from their classmates and gave those kind notes in envelops to each students.
Five years after the graduation, the teacher received a phone call from the parent of her student, Rachael. Rachael's mom said that Rachael had been killed in a car accident. The parent invited the teacher to attend Rachael's funeral service.
After the service, Rachael's mom showed the envelop to the teacher and said to the teacher:
"Rachael read those kind notes from her classmates every night before she went to bed every night. We really appreciate what you had done to Rachael. Thank you."
Kind words mean a lot to a human soul.
Just learn how to breath
Maria is a happy woman. She has a rewarding career and a loving partner.
One day, Maria's right leg became numb. Several days later, her tongue was numb; then her right arm too became numb.
She was scared. Could it be a MS ? Could it be a stroke?
Hurriedly she made an appointment with a local neurologist. After a thorough exam, the neurologist told her:
" I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that you do not have a stroke; nor a MS. The bad news is that you have an aneurism on the blood vessel on your skull."
"What shall we do with the aneurism?" Maria asked worriedly.
"We do not make surgery correction on aneurism here. But my assistant will schedule an appointment with Dr. Neumann in Madison, WI."
Few minutes later, the assistant told the doctor that the appointment had been made. Maria would see Dr. Neumann in two weeks.
"What would I do if the blood vessel break during this 2 weeks?" Maria worriedly inquired.
"Well, when the time comes, then it is the time for you to be at the eternal place.
That was not a calming words for Maria. During these 2 weeks, she lost sleep and was in deep depression and anxiety.
Maria saw Dr. Neumann after 2-week waiting period. After a thorough exam, Dr. Neumann did confirm that Maria had an aneurism on the blood vessel.
"I have good news and bad news for you." Dr. Neumann said,
"The good news is that we do have surgery procedure to correct your blood vessel. But the bad news is that this procedure is pending on FDA approval which probably would take 4 years to complete."
"What would I do during these 4 years of waiting period?" Maria asked.
"The blood vessel will burst when you are in tense state and holding your breath." the doctor said.
"From now on, you have to learn how to relax and how to breath to avoid the blood vessel rupture."
So, Maria began to do the breathing exercise since then. Four years had passed, she did not have incidence. The doctor told her that as long as she breath and relax, she will be fine. Besides, surgery correction is always a risk. If one can learn how to breath, it is better off than the surgery.
One day, Maria's right leg became numb. Several days later, her tongue was numb; then her right arm too became numb.
She was scared. Could it be a MS ? Could it be a stroke?
Hurriedly she made an appointment with a local neurologist. After a thorough exam, the neurologist told her:
" I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that you do not have a stroke; nor a MS. The bad news is that you have an aneurism on the blood vessel on your skull."
"What shall we do with the aneurism?" Maria asked worriedly.
"We do not make surgery correction on aneurism here. But my assistant will schedule an appointment with Dr. Neumann in Madison, WI."
Few minutes later, the assistant told the doctor that the appointment had been made. Maria would see Dr. Neumann in two weeks.
"What would I do if the blood vessel break during this 2 weeks?" Maria worriedly inquired.
"Well, when the time comes, then it is the time for you to be at the eternal place.
That was not a calming words for Maria. During these 2 weeks, she lost sleep and was in deep depression and anxiety.
Maria saw Dr. Neumann after 2-week waiting period. After a thorough exam, Dr. Neumann did confirm that Maria had an aneurism on the blood vessel.
"I have good news and bad news for you." Dr. Neumann said,
"The good news is that we do have surgery procedure to correct your blood vessel. But the bad news is that this procedure is pending on FDA approval which probably would take 4 years to complete."
"What would I do during these 4 years of waiting period?" Maria asked.
"The blood vessel will burst when you are in tense state and holding your breath." the doctor said.
"From now on, you have to learn how to relax and how to breath to avoid the blood vessel rupture."
So, Maria began to do the breathing exercise since then. Four years had passed, she did not have incidence. The doctor told her that as long as she breath and relax, she will be fine. Besides, surgery correction is always a risk. If one can learn how to breath, it is better off than the surgery.
Monday, May 30, 2016
She gave me joy; but I forgot her name--My first Christianity Experience
The year was about 1953. I was eight years old. Taiwan at the time was a typical 3rd-world country. Even in a very tough time, I met an angel. She gave me many joy. Unfortunately, I don't remember her name. I will call her Miss. Wu. She was about the same age as mine.
She and I grew up together in the same neighborhood of Chang-Hua, the most impoverished neighborhood of the city. The neighborhood did not have sewer systems; nor garbage pick-up. No asphalt road, only the dirt roads. There were 30-40 families clustering together; ignored, neglected or forgotten by the rest of the Chang-Hua city. Every family was struggling from one meal to the next meal. Yes, I had experienced those hard days in my early childhood life. So did she.
Summer days were hot and long. Because none of the family could afford the electric fans, we usually left our door open to catch some breeze. Once the doors were open, we all knew each other very well; especially our religion. In the folk religion, each family would put ancestors and other gods' images on the altar in the first room of the house. For a very long time, Miss. Wu's family was just like any other families, they also had ancestor and Buddha's images.
Then one day, those images and the altar were all gone from Miss Wu's family. Ms. Wu's family became a Christian family. That did not catch much of my attention until I noticed that she was helping her parent distributing flour, bread and butter to our neighborhood. What's a God-sent gift to all of us in the neighborhood for the bread and butter. They are the calories everybody needed. Apparently, her church had worked with American churches to distribute food reliefs to the needed Taiwanese families. That was the first experience we had with the charity and generosity of American churches and American people. Everyone in the neighborhood was deeply appreciated. During that time, she had also asked me to help her and her parent. I did , and I was very happy to do that. From time to time, she also invited me to attend children sessions of her church service. I did; I was specially motivated because the minister of the church would give us beautiful cards to keep if we could recite bible phrases in the sessions. I have gotten many cards and I had kept those cards for a long time. Those are the joyful times I had with my childhood.
Then suddenly there was an epidemic swept through Taiwan like a hurricane. It was the Diphtheria 白帿 epidemic which stroke very hard on the children under 15 years old especially in the neighborhood that had no money to afford the basic medical care. Schools and churches were closed for a while and I did not see her since then.
One night, I had seen a group of people gathering together at her house singing hymes. Other than that, I did not notice anything unusual.
The epidemic was over after three-week; school and church re-opened again. After that epidemic, she was not seen in the school; nor in the church. She was gone. The Diphtheria has taken her life away. That happened approximately 50 years ago.
She had given me joy in my childhood; but I cannot remember her name. I will call her, Miss Wu.
She and I grew up together in the same neighborhood of Chang-Hua, the most impoverished neighborhood of the city. The neighborhood did not have sewer systems; nor garbage pick-up. No asphalt road, only the dirt roads. There were 30-40 families clustering together; ignored, neglected or forgotten by the rest of the Chang-Hua city. Every family was struggling from one meal to the next meal. Yes, I had experienced those hard days in my early childhood life. So did she.
Summer days were hot and long. Because none of the family could afford the electric fans, we usually left our door open to catch some breeze. Once the doors were open, we all knew each other very well; especially our religion. In the folk religion, each family would put ancestors and other gods' images on the altar in the first room of the house. For a very long time, Miss. Wu's family was just like any other families, they also had ancestor and Buddha's images.
Then one day, those images and the altar were all gone from Miss Wu's family. Ms. Wu's family became a Christian family. That did not catch much of my attention until I noticed that she was helping her parent distributing flour, bread and butter to our neighborhood. What's a God-sent gift to all of us in the neighborhood for the bread and butter. They are the calories everybody needed. Apparently, her church had worked with American churches to distribute food reliefs to the needed Taiwanese families. That was the first experience we had with the charity and generosity of American churches and American people. Everyone in the neighborhood was deeply appreciated. During that time, she had also asked me to help her and her parent. I did , and I was very happy to do that. From time to time, she also invited me to attend children sessions of her church service. I did; I was specially motivated because the minister of the church would give us beautiful cards to keep if we could recite bible phrases in the sessions. I have gotten many cards and I had kept those cards for a long time. Those are the joyful times I had with my childhood.
Then suddenly there was an epidemic swept through Taiwan like a hurricane. It was the Diphtheria 白帿 epidemic which stroke very hard on the children under 15 years old especially in the neighborhood that had no money to afford the basic medical care. Schools and churches were closed for a while and I did not see her since then.
One night, I had seen a group of people gathering together at her house singing hymes. Other than that, I did not notice anything unusual.
The epidemic was over after three-week; school and church re-opened again. After that epidemic, she was not seen in the school; nor in the church. She was gone. The Diphtheria has taken her life away. That happened approximately 50 years ago.
She had given me joy in my childhood; but I cannot remember her name. I will call her, Miss Wu.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Surrendering to the High Power of God--My Personal Reflection After Reading Hamlet
My brother had given a talk on one of the Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet". This is a great story about 'surrendering to the Higher Power or God. I don't know if you had known the story of "Hamlet" or not. But, I will give you a synopsis of the story and explain why 'surrendering' is the best strategy for Hamlet maybe for us too.
Prince Hamlet was in a great mental agony for several reasons. His father, King Hamlet, was murdered by King's brother, Claudius, His mother, Gertrude, remarried to Claudius just 2 weeks after King's funnel, and Ghost King Hamlet told Prince Hamlet that Claudius was the true murderer of his death, and he also uncovered the true murderer through the observation of Claudius' reaction to the revise show of The Murder of Gonzago in which the play displayed the exact details as the ghost had told the prince how the king was murdered. However, as he tried to follow Claudius to avenge the murder, he found that Claudius knelt in a chapel saying prayer. The prince hesitated thinking he revenge during the time Claudius repented over his sin, he would send Claudius to Heaven instead of the Hell. The Prince went directly to his mother Gertrude to whom he despised. During a verbal quarreling, the Prince noticed some one came to her mother's bedroom. The Prince thought it was Claudius. In a great hurry, he used his sword killed the 'intruder', who was actually Polonius who was the father of his childhood buddy, Laertes, and the father of his 'lover' , Ophelia. I have a quotation mark over the 'lover' because even Opelia fell in love with the Prince, the Prince showed no interest and no respect for her. The Prince even insulted Ophelia, telling her she was a prostitute.
'King' Claudius sent the Prince exile to England for additional education. Before the journey, the King sealed a letter in an envelope and asking Prince's companions to deliver to the King of England. In the letter, King Claudius requested King of England to execute the Prince immediately. The Prince absolutely had no idea about the content of the letter.
On the trip to England from Denmark, the ship was hijacked by the Viking. The Prince thought that was the end of his fate because the Viking was notorious about how they treated the prisoner. Besides, the Viking were Norwegians whose king was just murdered by King Hamlet not long ago. To the contrary of what he had expected from the Viking, the Viking treated him with respect after the Viking searched through the Prince' belonging including the letter. The Viking gave the Prince the letter that Claudius wrote.
From that moment, the Prince had an epiphany. God knows everything. Surrendering to God, and follow God's direction. God will tell him what to do. The Prince went back to Denmark.
Meanwhile, Prince's 'lover' Ophelia committed suicide by drowning herself due to mistreatment of the Prince. The Prince's childhood buddy, Laeters was furious over the death of his father Polonius, and his sister Ophelia. Laeters challenged the Prince for a duel. King Claudius would witness the duel. Claudius knew that the Prince would win the duel easily, so he told Laeters to put poison in Laeter's sword. So, even a small cut on Prince Hamlet's body, the Prince would die.
Prince Hamlet was in a great mental agony for several reasons. His father, King Hamlet, was murdered by King's brother, Claudius, His mother, Gertrude, remarried to Claudius just 2 weeks after King's funnel, and Ghost King Hamlet told Prince Hamlet that Claudius was the true murderer of his death, and he also uncovered the true murderer through the observation of Claudius' reaction to the revise show of The Murder of Gonzago in which the play displayed the exact details as the ghost had told the prince how the king was murdered. However, as he tried to follow Claudius to avenge the murder, he found that Claudius knelt in a chapel saying prayer. The prince hesitated thinking he revenge during the time Claudius repented over his sin, he would send Claudius to Heaven instead of the Hell. The Prince went directly to his mother Gertrude to whom he despised. During a verbal quarreling, the Prince noticed some one came to her mother's bedroom. The Prince thought it was Claudius. In a great hurry, he used his sword killed the 'intruder', who was actually Polonius who was the father of his childhood buddy, Laertes, and the father of his 'lover' , Ophelia. I have a quotation mark over the 'lover' because even Opelia fell in love with the Prince, the Prince showed no interest and no respect for her. The Prince even insulted Ophelia, telling her she was a prostitute.
'King' Claudius sent the Prince exile to England for additional education. Before the journey, the King sealed a letter in an envelope and asking Prince's companions to deliver to the King of England. In the letter, King Claudius requested King of England to execute the Prince immediately. The Prince absolutely had no idea about the content of the letter.
On the trip to England from Denmark, the ship was hijacked by the Viking. The Prince thought that was the end of his fate because the Viking was notorious about how they treated the prisoner. Besides, the Viking were Norwegians whose king was just murdered by King Hamlet not long ago. To the contrary of what he had expected from the Viking, the Viking treated him with respect after the Viking searched through the Prince' belonging including the letter. The Viking gave the Prince the letter that Claudius wrote.
From that moment, the Prince had an epiphany. God knows everything. Surrendering to God, and follow God's direction. God will tell him what to do. The Prince went back to Denmark.
Meanwhile, Prince's 'lover' Ophelia committed suicide by drowning herself due to mistreatment of the Prince. The Prince's childhood buddy, Laeters was furious over the death of his father Polonius, and his sister Ophelia. Laeters challenged the Prince for a duel. King Claudius would witness the duel. Claudius knew that the Prince would win the duel easily, so he told Laeters to put poison in Laeter's sword. So, even a small cut on Prince Hamlet's body, the Prince would die.
When we judge, a flower becomes a weed.
On the green grass either in the lawn in front of the suburban residential home or in the park, or on the side of a walking trail, when they are decorated with yellow flowers, these flowers with the green background are very pretty (Figure 1). Even if those flowers are matured and become white-fluffy ball, they also decorated the green trail with a surreal appeal (Figure 2). Chinese medicine regards this type of plants with the root having therapeutic activity for liver ailment.
The name of the flower is dandelion. American homeowners had spent million of dollars trying to remove these flowers from their green lawn.
Under the judgmental mind of American suburban culture, a flower becomes a weed; unfortunately, the pretty beautiful dandelion becomes the weed doomed to be for mass destruction.
The name of the flower is dandelion. American homeowners had spent million of dollars trying to remove these flowers from their green lawn.
Under the judgmental mind of American suburban culture, a flower becomes a weed; unfortunately, the pretty beautiful dandelion becomes the weed doomed to be for mass destruction.
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