Tuesday, April 26, 2016

№ 265. Awake and Asleep

SANDS

I lay on a dune and slept,
Sharp grasses by my head:
While armies far-off warred and wept,
I joined the earth instead. . .
Until I moved my hand
And was awake again
And shook myself out of the sand
To the cold wind of men.

Harold Witter Bynner
From A Canticle of Pan, 1920


Monday, April 18, 2016

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

№ 263. Celibate

A young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to helping the other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church, by hand.



He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript.

So, the new monk goes to the Old Abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up! In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.

Saturday, April 9, 2016

№ 262. Palawan

Palawan is the Philippines's last frontier. It's the island of 1,001 beaches or maybe even more.

Here's why....




Bento Box: 

Start from topmost part of the island and work your way downward to end in Puerto Princesa, the capital.

(a) Coron, Calauit and Culion
(b) El Nido and the islets and coves
(c) The stops in the long land trip between El Nido and Puerto Princesa
(d) Puerto Princesa and other spots.

Go. Now.

Friday, April 8, 2016

№ 261. Babette's Feast and the Joy of Love

Babette's Feast after the lottery win.

"The joy of this contemplative love needs to be cultivated. Since we were made for love, we know that there is no greater joy than that of sharing good things: “Give, take, and treat yourself well” (Sir 14:16). The most intense joys in life arise when we are able to elicit joy in others, as a foretaste of heaven. We can think of the lovely scene in the film Babette’s Feast, when the generous cook receives a grateful hug and praise: “Ah, how you will delight the angels!” It is a joy and a great consolation to bring delight to others, to see them enjoying themselves. This joy, the fruit of fraternal love, is not that of the vain and self-centred, but of lovers who delight in the good of those whom they love, who give freely to them and thus bear good fruit."