No Batman, but a Robin

Yes, I saw a robin as I was taking Boxer for a walk. He looked mighty cold, as he was all fluffed up, but he was definitely a robin. Can spring be far behind? I have my seeds for my garden, can't wait to get started. I've never had a vegetable garden before, so it should be interesting. Also found a pile of--excuse me--droppings in my backyard and I couldn't figure out what kind of animal they were from, then my neighbor told me she had twice seen four deer walking down our street. Another neighbor told me a coyote had been seen in the neighborhood. Yes, there is wildlife everywhere, if you just look for it. I've been hearing more birdsong lately as well. Spring will be here before you know it. Tomorrow is Groundhog Day--I think I know what his prediction will be. Hope you had a great January, and happy Valentine's Day in advance. Oh, and I know the picture of Boxer has nothing to do with spring, but he looks so contented.

Radically Amazing

If you've never read the book, Radical Amazement, by Judy Cannato, you're missing out on something that is radically amazing. She combines spirituality with "lessons from black holes, supernovas, and other wonders of the universe". I first read this book several years ago and recently picked it up again. Of particular interest to me is the subject of wholes and holons. A holon is something that is part of a whole--every human being is a holon, each cell in our bodies is a holon, the Earth is a holon, our solar system is a holon--you get the picture. The theory of holons argues that everything in the universe--from each atom to each human to each star--is connected, and that to change one holon changes every holon above it. Likewise, to destroy one holon destroys every holon above it. For this reason, and this is what truly amazes me--how can humans continue to destroy other humans and not expect to be destroyed themselves in the process? Call it karma or whatever, but what you do to others, you do to yourself. Perhaps this is why Jesus exhorts us to "Love your neighbor as you love yourself".
There is much more covered in this book than I can talk about here. Only that I find in nature, and the whole cosmos, the mind and workings of God just as surely as I do reading the Bible. Reading this book does require an open mind--a mind that is open to the nuances of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit can't fill a mind that is closed. Or a heart that is closed. I encourage you to read this book and contemplate it for a while, and see if it doesn't color your mind and fill your spirit with wonder.