phenomenal woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

i'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

but when i start to tell them,

they think i'm telling lies.

i say,

it's in the reach of my arms,

the span of my hips,

the stride of my steps,

the curl of my lips.

i'm a woman

phenomenally.

phenomenal woman,

that's me.

wwwwwwww

i walk into a room

just as cool as you please,

and to a man,

the fellows stand or

fall down on their knees.

then they swarm around me,

a hive of honey bees.

i say,

it's the fire in my eyes,

and the flash of my teeth,

the swing in my waist,

and the joy in my feet.

i'm a woman

phenomenally.
phenomenal woman,
that's me.

wwwwwwww

men thmselves have wondered

what they see in me.

they try so much

but they can't touch

my inner mystery.

when i try to show them

they say they can't see.

i say,

it's in the arch of my back,

the sun of my smile,

the ride of my breasts,

the grace of my style.

i'm a woman
phenomenally.

phenomenal woman,

that's me.

wwwwwwww

now you understand

just why my head's not bowed.

i don't shout or jump about,

or have to talk real loud.

when you see me passing

it ought to make you proud.

i say,

it's in the click of my heels,

the bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

the need of my care.

'cause i'm a woman

phenomenally.

phenomenal woman,

that's me.

wwwwwwww

Maya Angelou

"chicken soup for the woman's soul"

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proud to be a woman for sure

farewell time

A time to be born,

and a time to die;

a time to plant,

and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

a time to kill,

and a time to heal;

a time to break down,

and a time to build up;

a time to weep,

and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn,

and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones,

and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace,

and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to get,

and a time to lose;

a time to keep,

and a time to cast away;

a time to rend,

and atime to sew;

a time to keep silence,

and a time to speak;

a time to love,

and a time to hate;

a time of war,

anda time of peace;

a time to meet,

and a time to part.

Paulo Coelho - "Eeven Minutes"

Take my Son

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
He said, "Sir, you don ' t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out this package. "I know this isn ' t much. I ' m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It ' s a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"
There was silence.
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."
But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting. Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"
Another voice angrily. "We didn ' t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"
But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who ' ll take the son?"
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I ' ll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
"We have $10, who will bid $20?"
"Give it to him for $10. Let ' s see the masters."
"$10 is the bid, won ' t someone bid $20?"
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let ' s get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I ' m sorry, the auction is over."
"What about the paintings?"
"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.
The man who took the son gets everything!"

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God gave His son Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The son, the son, who ' ll take the son?"
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT ' S LOVE

impossible females

When a GIRL is quiet,

Millions of things are

running in her mind.

When a GIRL is not arguing,

She is thinking deeply.

When a GIRL looks at u with

eyes full of questions,

She is wondering how long

you will be around.

When a GIRL answers

"i'm fine" after a few seconds,

She is not at all fine.

When a GIRL stares at you,

She is wondering why you are lying.

When a GIRL says I love you,

She means it.

When a GIRL says "i miss you",

No one in this world can miss you

more than her.

Dance in the Rain

It was a busy morning, about 8:30,

when an elderly gentleman in his 80's

arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb.

He said he was in a hurry

as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.
I took his vital signs and had him take a seat,

knowing it would be over an hour before

someone would to able to see him.

I saw him looking at his watch and decided,

since I was not busy with another patient,

I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed,

so I talked to one of the doctors,

got the needed supplies to remove his sutures

and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound,

I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning,

as he was in such a hurry.

The gentleman told me no,

that he needed to go to the nursing home

to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health.

He told me that she had been there for a while

and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.
As we talked,

I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.

He replied that she no longer knew who he was,

that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him,

'And you still go every morning,

even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said,
'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'
I had to hold back tears as he left,

I had goose bumps on my arm,

and thought,'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

True love is neither physical, nor romantic.
True love is an acceptance of all that is,

has been, will be, and will not be.

third reflection

A young boy often looked up at the sky,

fearing that the sky might fall any time,

as it had no pillars to hold it.

He ran into the forest, with the hope,

that the trees would act as pillars to the sky

and save him from being crushed if it fell.

In the forest, he came across a monk and

asked him, 'Are you not afraid that the sky may fall

as there are no pillars supporting the sky?

'The monk replied, 'There are pillars supporting the sky,

but you need special eyes to see them.

''How do I possess those special eyes?'

asked the boy.

The monk's suggestion to the boy was to go to the village

and arrogantly demand food.

If villagers gave food with a difference,

then he was to come and report to the monk.

The boy went to many houses, arrogantly seeking food.

Most people refused to oblige him.

Surprisingly, in one house, a woman came and

begged his pardon for the delay in giving him food

as she was feeding her baby.

When this incident was reported to the monk,

he said, 'This act of goodness of the woman,

is one of the pillars supporting the sky.

'Every good act is a pillar propping the sky.

It is not visible but it exists.

If life comes from such belief,

then you get strength from an unknown source.

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A lady approached a Taoist monk and told him,

'My mother-in-law is creating hell in my life,

can you give me some medicine to be given to her,

that would make her die?

'The monk gave her some medicine

and asked her to mix it in tea before giving it to her mother-in-law.

The only condition, he said, 'Be very kind and loving to her,

only then would the medicine work.

Also when she dies no one will suspect you.

She will die after two months.

'After one month she returned to the monk and pleaded,

'I do not want my mother-in-law to die, she has changed.

She is very kind to me nowadays.

' The monk said, 'More than the medicine,

it is your love that worked.

'Just bring your loving energy in whatever you do.

See the miracle of love.

It will uplift you and others too.

In the power of love is God.

God is not an entity,

God is a principle.

The principle of pure goodness.

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Four people were on a plane;

a pilot, a politician, a teacher and a student.

Mid-air, the pilot announced,

'Something is wrong with the aircraft.

There are only 3 parachutes and I am an important person...

' he took one parachute and jumped out.

The politician hearing this, hurriedly

said, 'I am also very important person.

' he took another and jumped out.

The teacher advised the student,

'I have lived my life.

You take the last parachute and save yourself.

'The student said, 'Master, there are still two more parachutes

and both of us can be saved.'The teacher exclaimed,

'How can that be! Two have already jumped out.

Hence, there must be only one parachute.

'The student answered, 'Master,

the politician was in such a great hurry.

he took my school bag and jumped.

'When you are in tension, there are more reasons

for you to be ineffective.

Learn to keep your body relaxed

in whatever action you perform.

Also, let your being be happy.

How do you do that?

Just try to be happy.

Learn to smile more often.

Practice laughing meditation ..

just laugh without any reason.

The best antidote for anger is laughter.

When anger arises,

go to a bathroom and laugh it out

and you will find anger energy

that gives tension,

will slowly diffuse.

One can purify the body centre

by being relaxed and happy.

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swami sukhbodhanand

second reflection

In the house of a famous swordsman named Shoken,

there lived a large rat that was fomenting trouble.

The swordsman brought in a female cat to kill the rat.

With pride, the cat arrived at the house of the swordsman.

The cat went into the room and saw the rat.

Surprisingly, the rat attacked the cat.

Shamefully the cat had to leave the house without being able to catch the rat.

The swordsman later invited a male cat since the female cat had failed in its attempt `to catch the rat.

In similar fashion as the female cat, the rat attacked the male cat.

The male cat too left the room unsuccessfully.

Puzzled by this turn of events, the cats called for a conference to discuss the matter.

Amongst them, a wise old female cat volunteered to catch the rat.

The swordsman was surprised to see the old cat.

The old cat went into the room and saw the large rat.

Both of them had an eye contact.

The old cat approached the rat, took it in her mouth, and quietly left the room.

The other cats asked the old cat to divulge the secret of her success.

The old cat replied, 'All of you have used techniques to catch the rat and the rat had better techniques to counter you.

Whereas, I went with emptiness.

When I was void, I had no form, no desire to attack.

When one has no form and desire, then one is not a threat to an other.

Then a great energy .. the divine energy flows through us.

When there is 'I,' there is a form and one's form is a threat to the other form.

When there is no 'I,' there is no threat to the other, and hence no enmity.

I allowed existence to decide who to catch whom?

That was the secret of my success.

'The great swordsman bowed down to the old female cat

and said, 'You are speaking Zen.

I have the theory and you have the practice.'

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Long ago in Persia, there lived a king,

who was interested in seeking answers to his spiritual questions

but could not get the right answers.

He went and met a great mystic called Zarathustra

and asked him for words of wisdom.

Instead of giving the king words of wisdom,

Zarathustra gave him wheat seeds.

The king felt insulted, threw the seeds and went away.

He continued on his pursuit of acquiring more wealth.

At the fag end of his life, he felt he had given away his life for wealth

and it would not protect him at the time of his death.

He pondered whether he had invested his life wrongly.

He once again sent word to the great mystic Zarathustra

to bestow upon him his words of wisdom.

Again, the mystic presented wheat seeds to the king.

The king felt he was not mature enough to understand

Zarathustra's message and kept the seeds in his prayer room.

Later, the king called a philosopher from India to teach and guide him.

The philosopher told the king that the real purpose of his coming was not to teach the king,

but to meet the mystic Zarathustra.

The king showed the philosopher the seeds sent by the mystic.

Looking at the seeds, the philosopher cried aloud,

'What words of wisdom! what seeds of wisdom! what a great teaching!

' The king pleaded with the philosopher to elaborate.

The philosopher replied,

'The seeds appear to be finite,

but they have infinite capacity to grow.

From a seed, a tree and from a tree again a seed and so on.

In the same way, we appear to be finite like this seed,

but deep within we have infinite capacity to grow.

Secondly, unless the seed is willing to give up its seed-hood,

it cannot grow.

Similarly, unless we are willing to bury

our past we cannot grow to a new future.

The art of wise living is the art of dying.

Finally, when you plant seeds in the ground,

invisible forces like water, heat, air will help the seed sprout.

One should have trust. In life too,

we should trust goodness and the invisible

forces would help us get enlightened.

'Both the king and the philosopher met Zarathustra.

He welcomed them but did not teach them anything.

He asked them to observe him and learn.

While they were gardening in the company of the great mystic,

they realized that any species survives only if it is organic.

If a seed is unwilling to multiply, the species will die.

Likewise, goodness and wisdom should also be organic.

Learn to spread this goodness and wisdom.

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swami sukhbodhanand

reflections

A passenger tapped the cab driver to ask a question.

The cab driver lost control of the cab, nearly hit another car,

missed another truck, went off the road, into a kerb and stopped inches from a shop.

For a minute there was silence.

'You scared me to death,' the driver screamed.

The passenger apologized

and said, 'I did not know that gently tapping your back could create such a panic.

'The driver replied, 'Sorry.

It is not your mistake.

Today is my first day as a cab driver.

For the last ten years I have been ferrying dead bodies in a van.

'Can you see how his past shaped the present?

Our experiences are influenced by the past.

So one has to be conscious and aware.

One has to be present in 'what is' and

not allow the past to shape the present.

To be present in every moment is very important.

____________________

One day a man came to Mullah Nazarudin

and said, 'Do something but rid me of my stomach ache.

' Mullah took a stone and smashed the man's leg.

The man yelled in pain and screamed, 'Why did you do that?

'Mullah replied, 'Now you don't have stomach ache, do you?

'What a foolish way to escape from pain.

To get rid of one problem we enter into another.

Similarly, to get rid of the burden of a noisy mind

people get into drugs and suffer.

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Buddha was once asked,

'Are you from heaven?

''No,' replied Buddha.

'Are you a celestial being?

''No,' said Buddha.

'Are you a human being?

''No,' was his reply.

'Then who are you?' asked the man.

'I am a mirror of consciousness reflecting

whatever is,' was Buddha's message.

This is a wonderful message.

Can our mind be like a mirror

just reflecting whatever is?

Most often, our mind is like a camera;

it goes on storing images.

Then at the time of death,

our soul cannot easily leave the body

as our memories create attachments.

Just practice being a mirror,

reflect what is in the present,

do not unnecessarily burden your mind,

by carrying memories of the past.

Just be a pure mirror.

Practice this and see the miracle

happening in your life.

You will be as light as a feather.

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Swami sukhbodhanand

virtues of a woman

An ancinet prayer that talks of the virtues of a woman.

I'd like to share it with others of my ilk.
---------------
For I am the first and the last
I am the venerated and the despised
I am the prostitute and the saint
I am the wife and the virgin
I am the mother and the daughter
I am the arms of my mother
I am barren and my children are many
I am the married woman and the spinster
I am the woman who gives birth
And, she who never procreated
I am the consolation for the pain of birth
I am the wife and the husband
And, it was my man who created me
I am the mother of my father
I am the sister of my husband
And, he is my rejected son
Always respect me
For I am the shameful
And, the magnificent one
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Hymn to Isis (3rd or 4the century BC)

discovered in Nag Hammadi
*Culled from "Eleven Minutes" by Paulo Coelho of The Alchemist fame