Chattering Mind

So much chatter, so little time to write at the Chattering household today! Our younger boy is still in his blue-striped pajamas, on day two of a mysterious fever, probably viral, says the doctor. After some early television viewing, I convinced Ailing Boy to settle into bed with a picture book since our old eye…

To study enlightenment is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be one with all things. To be one with all things is timeless enlightenment. And this timeless enlightenment continues forever, it is a ceaseless process, absolutely perfect, and fully complete at every…

Thanks to the reader who tells me that Christmas albums by “Mannheim Steamroller” are her absolute favorites, “followed closely by the Trans- Siberian Orchestra. Both put out such a passionate flavor of Christmas tunes. They’re quite wonderful.” I’ve listened to patches on Amazon.com (what a nice feature!) and invite you to do the same. The…

God bless us, every one! And God bless the thoughtful writer behind “Ow, My Blog,” who writes a Buddhist analysis of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Check it out. You’ll find new dimensions of the famous fable. An excerpt: “While Dickens’ first two ghosts are vague impressions, the third is an obvious Grim Reaper, and…

You know, don’t you, that the most important thing you can do if you are getting very little exercise is to stretch out on the floor, lying on your back and hugging your knees to your chest? Then you just rest. You know that, right? It’s important because there are days when all of us…

This is the first year in three that I have not written an article for Beliefnet.com on “spiritually uplifting” children’s gifts for the holidays. Gifts for children tend to be so particular to the individual, and in truth, people were telling me that my gift choices were sometimes too expensive, or that my selections had…

It has been my intention, since launching this blog, to get up at six-thirty, as I did this summer, light a candle, and meditate. Nothing fancy. Just a simple sit to focus on my breath. I am sorry to report that I have not been so successful–there are always kids to feed and a dog…

Funny conversation number one: My son, listening to the car radio and speaking from the back seat: “Mommy, who is this singing?” “Ah, this singer’s name is Celine Dion.” “Why is she screaming?” “Ummm….” (laughing) “I guess you could say it’s her style.” Funny conversation number two, separate, but related: My sister: “Hey, Josh Groban…

There was a wonderful element to my account-settling trip to see my insurance agent in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn–just as I suspected there might be. As I left his office, which was garishly decorated for the holidays, I found a delicatessen called Mejlander and Mulgannon down the block. After pushing my Russian hat up off my…

I came across a good quote from John Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence and second president of the U.S. What he says here makes me think he’d feel completely comfortable with Beliefnet.com: “I am, therefore, of the opinion that men ought (after they have examined, with unbiased judgments, every system of religion and…

More from Beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad