Zen Attitude

Koan: The Strawberry

Buddha once told a parable in sutra:

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!

Letting Go

Two monks were returning to the monastery in the evening.
 It had rained and there were puddles of water on the road sides. 
At one place a beautiful young woman was standing unable to walk across because of a puddle of water. 
The elder of the two monks went up to her, lifted her in his arms, and left her on the other side of the road. 
 He then continued his way to the monastery.
In the evening the younger monk came to the elder monk and said, 
"Sir, as monks, we cannot touch a woman ?"
The elder monk answered, "Yes, brother".
Then the younger monk asks again, 
" But then Sir, how is that you lifted that woman on the roadside ?"
The elder monk smiled at him and told him 
" I left her on the other side of the road, but you are still carrying her. " 

If I Knew...

If I knew it would be the last time

That I'd see you fall asleep,

I would tuck you in more tightly

and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time

that I'd see you walk out the door,

I would give you a hug and kiss

and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time

I'd hear your voice lift up in praise,

I would video tape each action and word,

so I could play then back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time

I could spare an extra minute or two,

To stop and say “I love you,”

instead of assuming you would know I do.

If I knew it would be the last time

I would be there to share your day,

Well I'm sure you’ll have so many more,

so I can let just this one slip away.

For sure there’s always tomorrow

to make up for an oversight,

and we always get a second chance

to make everything just right.

There will always be another day

to say our, “I love you,”

And certainly there’s another chance

to say our, "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,

and today is all I get,

Id like to say how much I love you

and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,

young or old alike,

And today may be the last chance

you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you’re waiting for tomorrow,

why not do it today?

For if tomorrow never comes

you’ll surely regret the day.

That you didn’t take the extra time

for a smile, a hug, or a kiss

and you were too busy to grant someone,

what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,

and whisper in their ear,

Tell then how much you love them

and that you’ll always hold them dear.

Take the time to say “I'm sorry,”

“Please forgive me,” “Thank You,” or “It's okay.”

And if tomorrow never comes,

you’ll have no regrets about today.

Just for Today

*Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

*Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

*Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

*Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

*Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

*Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

*Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

*Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

*Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

*Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

*Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

*Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

*I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.

*And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day............

~ Author Unknown