“What after all, has maintained the human race on this old globe despite all the calamities of nature and all the tragic failings of mankind, if not faith in new possibilities, and courage to advocate them.”

Jane Addams, pioneer social worker, women’s suffrage campaigner and pacifist (1860 – 1935), born on this day

International Day of Charity

“When our left hand is injured, our right hand immediately comes to its aid—to caress it and apply medicine if needed. This is because it does not see the left hand as different from itself. If we have spiritual understanding, this is how we will react when we see others suffering.”

Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known as Amma

“The reunion of the Christian churches can only come through a rediscovery of the “mystery of Christ” in all its dimensions, and this means that it must be related to the whole history of humanity and of the creation… The narrow-mindedness which has divided the Christian churches from one another, has also divided the Christian religion from other religions. Today we have to open ourselves to the truth in all religions.”

Bede Griffiths, also known as Swami Dayananda (1906 – 1993), monk and yogi, quoted in Christian Mystics by Matthew Fox

“For me it was one of the loveliest of the summer’s hours, and all the details will remain in my memory: that blue September sky, the sounds of wind in the spruces and surf on the rocks, the gulls busy with their foraging, alighting with deliberate grace, the distant views of Griffiths Head and Todd Point, today so clearly etched, though once half seen in swirling fog. But most of all I shall remember the Monarchs, that unhurried westward drift of one small winged form after another, each drawn by some invisible force. We talked a little about their migration, their life history. Did they return? We thought not; for most, at least, this was the closing journey of their lives.

But it occurred to me this afternoon, remembering, that it had been a happy spectacle, that we had felt no sadness when we spoke of the fact that there would no return. And rightly – for when any living thing has come to the end of its life cycle we accept that end as natural.

For the Monarch, that cycle is measured in a known span of months. For ourselves, the measure is something else, the span of which we cannot know. But the thought is the same: when that intangible cycle has run its course it is a natural and not unhappy thing that a life comes to its end.

That is what those brightly fluttering bits of life taught me this morning. I found a deep happiness in it – so, I hope, may you. Thank you for this morning.”

Rachel Carson, 1963 (last letter to a friend after a visit to the mouth of the Sheepscot river in Maine, USA), quoted in Wild Wisdom by Neil Douglas-Klotz

“The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way.”

Keanu Reeves, actor, born on this day in 1964

“When we return to the present moment to be in touch with our true home, we no longer discriminate and we no longer have a narrow mind. Our mind is vast, our heart is open, and we embrace and learn from every race, every culture. If young people can open their hearts to learn about other cultures, they will find much goodness, beauty, and enrichment. When we can do that ourselves, we can help those who are stuck to understand and accept people from other cultures. Coming together with openness and acceptance, we can transform hatred, and we contribute to preventing war in our own personal way.”

From Peace Is This Moment: Mindful Reflections for Daily Practice by Thich Nhat Hanh

“Let us be grateful for the love and support of friends; and for chance encounters that have proved helpful; and for strangers who have met our needs in times of crisis, not seeking anything in return. In all these we may glimpse, if we choose, the love of God working in our lives…

Let us be grateful for temptations we have overcome, difficulties we have surmounted, pain and hurt we have been able to rise above. In all these we may glimpse, if we choose, the power of God at work in our lives.”

Richard Lovis, Unitarian lay leader, quoted in Fragments of Holiness for Daily Reflection

“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”

From Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1797 – 1851), born on this day

“Life off Earth is in two important respects not at all unworldly: You can choose to focus on the surprises and pleasures, or the frustrations. And you can choose to appreciate the smallest scraps of experience, the everyday moments, or to value only the grandest, most stirring ones. Ultimately, the real question is whether you want to be happy.”

From An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield, first Canadian to walk in space, born on this day in 1959

“I was passionate,
filled with longing,
I searched
far and wide.
But the day
that the Truthful One
found me,
I was at home.
I searched for my Self
until I grew weary,
but no one,
I know now,
reaches the hidden knowledge
by means of effort.
In meditation,
I entered the love furnace,
burned away dust and dirt,
Then, absorbed in “Thou art This,”
I found the place of Wine.
There all the jars are filled,
but no one is left to drink.
As the sun of a new knowing rose,
I recognized the Self in me:
When I saw Him
dwelling in me,
I realized that
He was the Everything
and I was nothing.”

Lalla Ded (also known as Lalleshwari), 14th century Kashmir