day two of the journey...

If anyone speaks ill of you,

Praise them always.

If anyone injures you,

Serve them nicely.

Help them in all possible ways.

You will attain immense strength.

You will control anger and pride.

You will enjoy peace, poise and serenity.

You will become divine.

- Swami Sivananda

(For more info: www.wherethehellismatt.com)

Pace e bene,

day one of the journey...

I am Peace
surrounded by Peace
secure in Peace.
Peace protects me
Peace supports me
Peace is in me
Peace is mine --
All is well.
Peace to all beings
Peace among all beings
Peace from all beings
I am steeped in Peace
Absorbed in Peace
In the streets, at our work,
having peaceful thoughts,
Peaceful words, peaceful acts.
- Buddhist meditation on Peace

(For more info: www.freehugscampaign.org)

Pace e bene,

A seven-day journey...

There is a lot of tension in the city these days.

The good-natured hustle & bustle of the Christmas season is being challenged by a city-wide public transit strike. The 35 cm of snow we got this week is pretty, but didn't help the situation. Downtown, I hear horns honking... people yelling... I see traffic crawling at a snail's pace... and tempers flaring.

And yet, there ARE acts of kindness. Times like these bring out both the best and the worst in the citizens of Ottawa. There is no black & white here... there are no winners & losers... only infinite shades of grey. In this environment of heightened stress, I want to be Peace all-the-more. So, for the next seven days, I invite you to join me in a Prayer of Peace & Joy. Starting tomorrow (Saturday), I'll post words of prayer & wisdom from a different tradition, accompanied by my photography, as well as a short video that made me smile. I believe that taking a few moments to be Peace & Joy, we can counter-balance the craziness that's going on in the streets and malls.

Won't you join me on this short journey of Peace & Joy?

Pace e bene,

Blissed & Blessed...

Forty-three years ago today, a baby girl was born. She grew up to be the woman I am today.



I called my mother this morning to say "Merci, Mame!" Thank you for giving me Life. She was reminiscing... She entered the hospital on a Friday night and I was born by c-section the next day. She did not have heavy labour pains, apparently. I was a wee thing, weighing a mere 6 lbs 2 on. After I was born, my father said: "Merci." (She still remembers that part clearly.) We spent the next 11 days at the hospital. My dad was so excited when he came to pick us up that he locked the keys in the car. But obviously, it all worked out in the end! :-)

Fast forward to this past weekend... I spent some time with a wise woman, a friend who happens to be 20 months into her cancer journey. Her perspective is amazing. Her cancer has been a powerful teacher. She now knows, without a doubt, that - in her words - it's all about the Love!

I believe her. On this day, my birthday, I am blissed and blessed. I am loved by family & friends... and I recognize the presence of God/Love as being the energy that guides my Life.

Pace e bene,

Re-connected...

Connected...

Dis-connected...

Re-connected...

That seems to be my pattern lately. Nice thing is that it runs in cycles. Waves. Ebbs & flows.

I'm coming out of a period particularly full of activity & commitments. All good. All chosen by me. It's been hectic, and fulfilling! A turning point was certainly my 5-day silent retreat at Stillpoint earlier this month. Been there. Done that. Will certainly do it again. I realized that this was my 14th visit to Stillpoint since I first started going in October 2000. It truly is a healing place... a place to re-connect.

Still Point House of Prayer, Springtown, ON

View from Room #2

One of my favourite spots for prayer & reflection: the dock.

Not long after I got back, we started having phone line/modem problems. It took Bell almost a week to find, then fix, the problem. Connected. Dis-connected. Re-connected. The break from the computer was good for me though. It seems to have broken my obsession with Flickr... for now anyway. :-)

There is so much wisdom to be found in silence & solitude - wisdom from within that can be tapped into any time. I need only take the time to... re-connect.

"Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together." - Thomas Carlyle

Pace e bene,

Remembering...

pace e bene,

Yes, they can...

We all can. We live in exciting times, friends!



I'm heading into 5 days of silence. I'll see you on the other side!
Pace e bene,

I'm off to Toronto for a few days. In the meantime...

Pace e bene,

...but never unloved

Have you ever come across something written by a total stranger and wondered how the heck they could know you so well?! That's exactly what happened when I read these words today...

Strangers? I don't know if there is such a thing. We are bound together by our humanity. We just haven't met face-to-face yet.

Just for today, I'm feeling disjointed... unengaged... scattered. It's good to know that's OK and that I'm not alone. As my new friend wrote: unsure, but never unloved.

Pace e bene,

In the absence of words...

...here are a few shots from my neighbourhood. Enjoy!

architectural interest

peace love van

yin yang van

Pace e bene,

a mraz-ing experience...

Things you tend to forget when you're over 40...

• When attending a concert with NO assigned seating, plan to stand in line for hours; apparently 90 minutes before the show is not enough.
• It's useful to get advance insider information on the layout of the music hall; for example, it helps to even know that there is an upper level.
• When it comes to staking your viewing territory at a general seating concert, there are no rules.
• The first 15 rows of a mosh pit are virtually impenetrable.
• No matter how much the shared object of our attention sings of Love...and Togetherness... and Peace, do not expect fans to give you an inch of space so you can take a photo.
• Just when you think you're an uber-fan, remember that most kids have memorized all the lyrics; they've got you beat hands down.
• There is no age limit to enjoying great live music!

Needless to say, seeing Jason Mraz perform live was an AWESOME way to spend Thanksgiving Monday! Here's hoping your holiday was all you needed it to be...

Pace e bene,

What it's all about...

No turkey...

No stuffing...

No mashed potatoes with gravy...

but PLENTY of Thanksgiving!

Today, I give thanks for:

• an evolving relationship with a God beyond my understanding
• a healthy and strong body that supports me in living the Life I seek
• a life partner who just shakes his head and stays with me anyway :-)
• a functionally dysfunctional family always willing to Love
• my friends
• my home
• my community
• my creativity
• my Life.

We went for a drive today to look at the Fall colours and, at every corner, I gasped like I had never seen anything so beautiful. I kept on thinking: Life is good. How the hell did I get so lucky?!

Thanksgiving - it's really not about the turkey.

pace e bene,

Obsessions...

life is no brief candle to me
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/jagspace/

I am a Flickr madwoman tonite... I got home from work around 5pm, came to the computer almost immediately, and haven't moved since. It's 8pm and I haven't even had anything to eat yet!

My name is jag... and I'm a Flickr Addict.

And speaking of obsession, have I mentioned that there are only five (5) more sleeps until I see Jason Mraz perform LIVE in Montreal??!

Time to eat now.

I leave you with another quote note; this one is dedicated to Lala at Mostly Musings.

Pace e bene,

Love where I'm standing...

I received a wonderful gift yesterday. A friend wrote to me and shared about some exciting developments in her life. I was thrilled for her! As part of that message, she explained that she had stopped by this blog and was overcome by the beauty I put out into the world. Needless to say, I was humbled and honoured by her words.

It got me thinking about the choices I have... choices we all have. I choose to see Beauty. And it got me thinking about how much Love I choose to give. The funny thing is, although I know I live a loving life, I feel I could be doing so much more! More beauty to be shared... more Love to be offered... more Fellowship & Friendship to be extended... The Source is infinite. I need to remember that on those days when I just feel like I'm not enough.

Just for today, I have enough. I am enough. And so are you. When we remain grounded in the present moment, and let go of the worries of tomorrow and the regrets of yesterday, we will have All that there is.

The greatest adventure is to be fully where you are standing.

Pace e bene,

The crash...

The higher the mountain, the deeper the valley...

I've been on a high of activity and creativity lately. Lots of great things going on!

• work is busy with exciting projects that will soon come to fruition...
• creativity has been burning with photography and the creation of quote notes galore...
• community is being built by engaging with online photo groups...
• limits are being pushed by preparing for my second 10K run on Oct. 12...
• excitement levels are climbing for our upcoming trip to Montreal to see Jason Mraz in concert...
• connections are being nourished by getting together with friends & family for quality time...
• love is being tended to by spending precious time with Hubby...
• faith is being restored by finding bits of time for meditation...

Is it any wonder I crashed today?! Nothing. Depleted. Empty.

I'm grateful for the wisdom & experience that told me to simply go home. I was useless at work: couldn't focus... couldn't keep my eyes open... couldn't type to save my life.

The afternoon nap surely helped, but so will an early-to-bed night. Self-care is no longer a difficult choice for me...

pace e bene,

crest... break... then dissipate...

For A - always a ray of Sunshine to me...

it is never too late...

For Shulamit...
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful poem!

Pace e bene,

Gift of self...

If you have a favourite quote, send it to me or leave it in the comments section. I'll pair with an image and offer it as my gift to you...

pace e bene,

One + One = Both

"It takes no time to fall in love,

but it takes years to know what Love is."

- Jason Mraz in Life is Wonderful

photo: Bonnie Findley, Ottawa

Happy 18 years to us!

And here's to many more, one day at a time...

pace e bene,

International Day of Peace

Happy Peace Day!

September 21 was declared the International Day of Peace by the United Nations in 1982. Sometimes, the violence that surrounds us may seem unstoppable. But then I am reminded of a quote from The Dalai Lama: "We can never obtain peace in the world if we neglect the inner world and don't make peace with ourselves. World Peace must develop out of Inner Peace."

May we all find our own ways of contributing to World Peace. What might you do today?

image by jag in honour of Peace Day

pace e bene,