Bread of Heaven
The bread is pure and fresh
The water is cool and clear
Lord of all life be with us
Lord of all life be near.
TRADITIONAL AFRICAN PRAYER
Gardening for all Seasons
The mindful God abhors untimely growth.
JOHANN CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH HÖLDERLIN, 1770–1843
All for One
The ritual is One.
The food is One.
We who offer the food are One.
The fire of hunger is also One.
All action is One.
We who understand this are One.
TRADITIONAL HINDU BLESSING
Think Positive
Do not overlook tiny good actions, thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel.
BUDDHA
Let Us Praise
Insults should be written in the sand,
And praises carved in stone.
ARAB PROVERB
The Orchestra
You are the notes, we are the flute
We are the mountain, you are the sounds coming down
We are the pawns and kings and rooks
We set on board: we win or we lose.
We are lions rolling and unrolling on flags.
Your invisible wind carries us through the world.
RUMI, 1207–1273
Tell Me Why?
The one who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.
NIETZSCHE
One Day at a Time
The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Gentleness
Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing so gentle as real strength.
ST FRANCIS DE SALES
Empower
Go with the people
Live with them
Learn from them
Love them
Start with what they know
Build with what they have
But with the best leaders
When the work is done
The task accomplished
The people will say
‘We have done this ourselves’.
LAO TZU, CHINA, 601–531 BC
True Measure
Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Love and Affection
You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.
BUDDHA