The Bronze Bow

"--God is my strong refuge,

and has made my way safe.

He made my feet like hinds' feet,

and set me secure on the heights.

He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze."

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare is a story of revenge, of fear, of forgiveness, of love.  It's a story of overcoming.  Daniel and his sister Leah live in Roman-ruled Jerusalem at the time when Jesus lived and taught there.  They witness the crucifixion of their father and subsequent death of their mother.  The story is their reaction to this terrible event and how they grow and change because of the people they meet afterward.

Daniel's reaction is to hate and seek revenge.  He joins a rebel group in hopes of overthrowing the Roman soldiers, but eventually learns from Jesus that hate isn't the way.  During one teaching moment, Jesus tells about a rich man who came and wanted to follow him.  When Jesus told the man to give up his wealth the man went away.  Daniel replies that he would give away everything he has, to which Jesus responds, "Riches are not keep you from the kingdom. . .You must give up your hate." 

Leah responds with fear and avoidance.  She hides in her house and doesn't come out or see anyone.  Toward the beginning of the story Daniel is forced to return home and care for Leah.  The only person, besides Daniel, she allows in her home is Thacia, the sister of Daniel's rebel friend.  Thacia's kindness is one of the things that helps Leah change.  After Thacia's first visit Daniel notices the change in his sister's face.  She is smiling.

Daniel and Leah are the main characters in the book, but there are others who change and grow.  My favorite change is found in the last chapter, but I'd like to leave that for you to discover in your own reading of the book.  

8 Minute Meditation--Weeks 1 and 2

So, I started meditating.  It's part of a class I'm taking.  I've never meditated before.  In fact, I've kind of avoided it.  When I do yoga, I skip the meditation section.  Any time it comes up in a cool down from a work out video, I fast forward.  I've never understood it.  I still don't understand it, but I'm giving it a try.

The book for the class is 8 Minute Meditation by Victor Davich.  His idea is to slowly introduce you to meditation.  He says everyone should be able to find 8 minutes a day to meditate.  He helps prepare you for the process and gives all the right instructions.  Too bad his writing style is a little choppy.  He teaches a different technique every week for eight weeks and by the end you should be ready to pick the one that works best for you and move on to longer, deeper meditations. 

I've been journal-ing my experience.

Week 1--Just 1 Breath
During this week my anchor point was my breathing.  Any time I had a thought I noticed it and returned to my anchor point--at least that was supposed to happen. 

Ignore my messy meditating space.  I try to find someplace
quiet.  While on vacation I meditated in the bathroom.

6/25 First time.  Funny--I felt like I was still watching my breathing while my thoughts wondered--two thoughts at once.  My thoughts didn't wander as much as I thought, but that catch and release was great--I was able to quickly return to my breathing.  I did have several thoughts about when it would be over and I wasn't very comfortable--stiff.

6/29  I feel like I'm getting worse--but that's not really fair--roving mind will always be there, but I've been forgetting to release the thought.  One of the hardest things is that I can be aware of my breathing and a thought at the same time. I'm probably equally aware, but as soon as I try to focus on just breathing I get another thought--usually about breathing.  Today I wasn't even wanting to meditate, but I committed to do it every day for 8 minutes for 8 weeks.

Week 2--Naked Sound
My anchor point for this week was sounds, but just hearing the sound--not identifying or judging the sound.

7/2 Camping provides a lot of sounds.  It is hard for me to not identify the sounds--what Pooh character is that?  I found it easier to control my thoughts--focusing on sounds is easier than focusing on breath, but is it calmer?

7/4  It's hard when the only sound is the hum of my ceiling fan and an occasional ac  blowing.   There is no rise, fall with a constant sound.  I like when new sounds come, but I also like to identify them.

7/7 Not all sounds have a rise and fall!  There's got to be another way to focus on the sounds.  I also find it hard not to name the sounds--they are all so familiar that it is automatic.  I thought I would like this one better because I liked the "result" of it.  I can't wait until the next type!

My Winnie-the-Pooh Experience

I've never liked Winnie-the-Pooh.  I always thought he was boring and dumb.  But a new book caused me to see him in a different light.  In The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff compares characters from  AA Milne's books to explain Taoism.  Here are some things I learned. . .

Simple-minded does not equal stupid. 
The Tao principle of the Uncarved Block means that things in their original simplicity contain natural power, natural beauty, and natural function.  Pooh is the uncarved block.   He is simple-minded (not stupid), he enjoys the simple things in life and he can do things spontaneously.  The concept of the uncarved block brings me back to my questions about peace. Pooh seems to be at peace. Enjoying the simple things and doing things impulsively are what make him that way.

Everything has its own place and function.
Understanding your Inner Nature helps you know where you belong, what you are good at, and your limitations.  It starts with "recognizing who we are, what we've got to work with, and what works best for us."  Pooh shares a rhyme to help explain the principle.

How can you get very far,

If you don't know Who You Are?

How can you do what you ought,

If you don't know What You've Got?

And if you don't know Which To Do

Of all the things in front of you,

Then what you'll have when you are through

Is just a mess without a clue

Of all the best that can come true

If you know What and Which and Who.

Understanding my Inner Nature is difficult for me.  I usually rely on others to tell me who I am.  I've recently had some opportunities that have forced me to do my own looking and I'm learning a lot.  I know who I am, a little about what I've got to work with, and more about what works best for me. 

Not only do I have my Inner Nature, but so does everything else.  "When we learn to work with our own Inner Nature, and with the natural laws operating around us. . .we work with the natural order of things and operate on the principle of minimal effort. . .Tao doesn't force or interfere with things, but lets them work in their own way, to produce results naturally.  Then whatever needs to be done is done."  Sometimes I can do this and sometimes I can't.  I know that there are certain things around the house that need to be done and if I don't do them they don't get done.  But, there are things that I can let "happen."  Like letting the kids fix meals or not stressing about other's responsibilities.  I think there is a fine line, but understanding what things can "happen" can bring peace. 

The key to wisdom, happiness and truth is Nothing.

"An Empty sort of mind is valuable for finding pearls and tails and things because it can see what's in front of it.  An Overstuffed mind is unable to.  While the Clear mind listens to a bird singing, the Stuffed-Full-of-Knowledge-and-Cleverness mind wonders what kind of bird is singing.  The more Stuffed Up it is, the less it can hear through its own ears and see through its own eyes." 

Sometimes I feel like the Stuffed Up one--I hear a bird and wonder what kind; I spout off useless information, but have nothing to back it up with; I need to always be doing.  Instead I should follow the advise of Lao-tse: "To attain knowledge, add things every day.  To attain wisdom, remove things every day."  I was recently complaining about how busy we are, how we always have so much to do.  Maybe I need to remove some things from our schedule. 

Did I learn anything about Taoism from reading this book?  A little.  I think the best explanation came from the forward.  Benjamin Hoff is talking to a colleague trying to convince him that Pooh is one of the "Great Masters of Wisdom" by reading him a section of AA Milne's books.  The unbeliever argues, "That's not about Taoism. . .It's about this dumpy little bear that wanders around asking silly questions, making up songs, and going through all kinds of adventures, without ever accumulating any amount of intellectual knowledge or losing his simpleminded sort of happiness.  That's what it's about."  To which Benjamin Hoff replies, "Same thing."