Filoli Gardens

We visited Filoli yesterday with Mom - it's one of my favorite places; and it was just lovely - spring was exploding in every direction. Here's a slide show:

#60/365 (Offerings)

"Take forgiveness. Two levels here. One level: forgiveness means you shouldn’t develop feelings of revenge. Because revenge harms the other person, therefore it is a form of violence. With violence, there is usually counterviolence. This generates even more violence — the problem never goes away. So that is one level.

Another level: forgiveness means you should try not to develop feelings of anger toward your enemy. Anger doesn’t solve the problem. Anger only brings uncomfortable feelings to yourself. Anger destroys your own peace of mind. Your happy mood never comes, not while anger remains.

I think that’s the main reason why we should forgive. With calm mind, more peaceful mind, more healthy body. An agitated mind spoils our health, very harmful for body. This is my feeling." - Dalai Lama


Title: Fire Spirit
Flicker User Robert P Baxter

one of the most humorous moments from the weekend....

While my mom was visiting over the weekend - she asked to use my computer to check her email; and weather and a few other things.

This photo is my current desktop wallpaper:


Mom: "Why do you have this as your desktop wallpaper?"
Me: "because I like having beautiful things on my desktop."
Mom: (laughs) "okay, then...."

I responded without even thinking about it - and it was a fun moment. Mom showed me this weekend that she understands me in ways I didn't think she did. My coming out to her and Dad was a very difficult thing - and my inability to "de-gay" myself created a schism in our relationship for many years. and now - some seventeen years later - she totally gets it.

This photo is by the incredibly talented Todd Lindberg of "Cowboy Mark" who was visiting for the AGRA Rodeo 2010 in Phoenix. As I said - I love having beautiful things on my desktop wallpaper.