Awakening and Opening

"Our true home is in the present moment. To live in the present moment is a miracle. The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now. Peace is all around us - in the world and in nature - and within us - in our bodies and in our spirits. Once we learn to touch this peace, we will be healed and transformed. It is not a matter of faith; it is a matter of practice."--Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen Master

Easter dinner yesterday at my niece's home was a mixed-feeling kind of experience for me. My Brother No. 2 and I were the only ones there who are not religious fundamentalists and Republicans. On the good side, her husband, a successful realtor in Elk River, MN, will come here in the next couple of weeks to give advice on what renovation and redecorating I'll need to do to make my place more salable. He also will be handling the sale.

I was given the advice to not decide on Knollwood Place too quickly. Perhaps there are cheaper facilities out there? After further checking, it appears that Knollwood is probably the best place to go, especially seeing that I don't want to move to the inner city.

W, L and I had our meeting this morning. We reached agreement on most of the basics for organizing the Courage Center Red Hats. Posters are going up to announce our first meeting on Monday, April 11th, at 10:00 in the cafeteria. Since I will be the Queen Mother of the chapter, I will be filling out a CC Volunteer Application. They need to check public records on everyone who is volunteering in order to rule out those with criminal histories or sexual offenders. This is a good thing, as there are many vulnerable adults and children involved.

I did another tour of my complex today. I had been looking forward to a solitary stroll and sitting in the walker for a while, basking in the 65 degree sunshine. A neighbor appeared, however, and started walking with me. She and her husband have Down Syndrome but function at a pretty high level. They have their own condo here, and they do rather well, as long as they have assistance with bill-paying and business matters. I decided that being in the moment with this neighbor was more important than my initial wish for solitude. She is an active advocate for the mentally retarded, and I commended her for speaking out for her community. So few are able to do this.