Matins.
The day begins. Early morning light at the window.
I sit, in silence, stilled, on the edge of the bed, book in hand.
The reading is Caring by F R Scott.
Caring
Frank Reginald Scott born Quebec,1899. Life cycle completed 31st January 1985.
Sound and song fill my space. A Villanelle for Our Time.
“Centre of calm beyond excess
Who cares for caring, has caress.”
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Beautiful poetry, thank you. Very quietening. I didn’t know either of them, so this post is a real gift.
So pleased to offer some quietness and good words.
I didn’t remember, or maybe never knew, that Dylan Thomas’s famous poem beginning “Do not go gentle into that good night” is also a villanelle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villanelle
Steve, thank you so much for pointing this out. Although this was a poem I studied at school, I don’t remember anyone telling me it was a villanelle. They probably did, but the information was put in my forgettory 🙂
I take it a forgettory is the opposite of a factory: things go in but nothing comes out.
You got it!!!! And if we are to follow Lewis Hyde’s ideas, a forgettory is most likely as useful as a memory http://www.lewishyde.com/in-progress/forgetting
One of the challenges I find in my photography is to forget what I’ve already done and find new ways of looking at things. Once in a while I succeed.
More than once in awhile, judging by your sumac photos.
I enjoyed your wonderful post. Blessings, Ellen
Thanks Ellen. I think some of your tranquility is rubbing off on me 🙂
This post brings the peaceful and calm for the morning which is now for me. It makes me want to get deeper 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
Wishing you lots of peace and calm always, YC.
What a lovely post, Gallivanta.
Thank you Muhammad. Hope you had a quiet start to your day.
I am still in laziness . Almost don’t have any idea what to do with the morning mist.
I am being lazy too. But it’s the weekend so laziness is encouraged. Is your weekend Friday and Saturday? Or Saturday and Sunday? In Cairo, our weekends were Friday and Saturday. I quite liked the change from my usual concept of a weekend.
Our weekend is Saturday and Sunday. This weekend we have long holiday started from Friday (Chinese New Year) and there will be festive day two weeks after the first day of the Chinese Calendar.
There will be some public celebrations, here, for Chinese New Year but no official holiday.
Oh I see. On January we have three official holiday, New Year 2014, the birth of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH and Chinese New Year. Will you be able to see the Chinese celebration around your place?
I may see some of the celebrations for Chinese New Year. Nothing happening tonight, though, as far as I know. January must be an expensive month with New Year celebrations,birthdays, weddings! How do you honour the Prophet Muhammad PBUH ?This coming week we have our national day celebrations; February 6th, Waitangi Day.
Every Moslem Society usually gather together in the mosque yard or on the field or other places that intentionally prepared for the celebration, even in schools and in the office yards with a variety of activities. but the main event is reciting the praise to Allah Subhanahu Wataala (All Mighty) and the Prophet Muhammad PBUH then followed with some preachers delivering spiritual enlightenment that has been passed by the Prophet Muhammad. The celebration is also enlivened by respective culture.
I expect the occasion will have been celebrated here too in a similar manner but ,quietly, and in the home, because it is not a public holiday.
Is there any Moslem society around you here?
http://www.beautifulmosque.com/canterbury-mosque-in-christchurch-new-zealand/ These are some photos of the mosque not far from where I live.
Aah,… What a beautiful Architecture of the mosque. Thank you for the link, Gallivanta.
Their website is not up to date, otherwise I could tell you more. The mosque has to serve many believers from different regions of the world. I think, for that reason, they may not celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad ,PBUH, at the Mosque itself. I don’t know for sure that this is the case.
Well,… Probably this is the case (God Only Knows).
Views from a legal point Syarak there are two conflicting opinions in addressing the issue of the Prophet’s birthday commemoration.
The first opinion is opposed, builds his argument through textual normative approach. Prophet’s birthday celebration was not found either explicitly or implicitly in the Al-Quran (The Holy Book) and Al-Hadith (meaning a report of the deeds and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH).
The Second opinion, which have received the opinion and the support, reasoned that the Prophet’s birthday Commemoration is a good innovation, and not contrary to law. Was never done by the Prophet Muhammad, but its existence is not in conflict with Islamic teachings.
In Indonesia, this tradition was passed by the state, that day serve as a great day and a national holiday.
The Indonesian state seems to have adopted a very logical stand on the issue. In some ways our celebration of Christmas is the same. It is a commemoration which is a good innovation. A time to stop and celebrate and think about what is important in life. These celebrations are like the resting places we need to make a good life.
Yes, that’s quite true. Christmas day is also a national day in Indonesia.
It will be an exciting day for New Zealand when we finally add more diversity to our public holiday schedule. For example, we could, in the future, add an occasion like Matariki, the Maori New Year.
There are many tribal new years in my country, but they aren’t included in the public holiday.
That’s understandable. If all traditions were celebrated by the State, no work would be done. Everyone would always be on holiday.
Yesss ! 😀
Who cares for caring has caress. Such lovely thoughts you share with us today…
Lovely thoughts, indeed.
Just lovely! Cheers to you my friend and hope all is splendid with you!
Indeed it is but I still wouldn’t mind a turn in that hammock at St Croix.
Neither would I come to think of it!! Laughing~
🙂
So beautiful – all of it! What a wonderful treat in the morning. Thank you!
Happy to share with you. And it was a treat that didn’t have to be cleaned and dusted and inspected either 😉 LOL http://tinylessonsblog.com/2014/01/30/how-to-clean-your-vitamins/
A meditation to begin the day–lovely
Thank you Sally. I wish every day started out that way for me, but some days don’t, that’s for sure.
The kind of stillness and contemplation we all need but seldom get. Masterful. And Leonard Cohen. What more is there to ask for in the morning hours?. I’d like to start my days that way. Wishful thinking.
I just read about a research being done on some children, 27 years ago, concerning their morning habits. Following up this study last year, (27 years later…) 68% of those who had a stressful start and neglected their breakfast, now suffered from diabetes or other related disorders. I tried to find out more facts, but had to leave the paper. Hurrying to my next lesson I kept dreaming of those lovely English Full Monty’s I got my Scarborough mornings…the friendly banter and joyful company at the table. Such mornings make you last the whole day in one piece.
“Caring” by F R Scott – lovely.
Thank you again for sending some summer warmth over here!
That is fascinating research, Ann-Christine. As a child, we were always given a sit-down breakfast, and I remember our kitchen breakfast table with fondness. I am not sure that I managed the same breakfast time for my children but, these days, a quiet start to the day and a good cup of coffee are very important to me. Quiet, of course still includes the divine Mr Cohen, or the newspaper, or listening to the radio for awhile. Did you have a quiet start to your morning as a child?
Yes, I did. At the quiet table by the window overlooking the cherry trees, with only the clock on the wall ticking, the rustling of newspapers and a cat at my feet. I had a quiet, wonderful childhood of which I am forever grateful to my parents and grandparents. We often started with some porridge to steady our stomachs, some bread, fruit and milk. The same I have treated my children to…except for the cat. We have always had dogs instead. The importance of animals for children can not be overrated.
Leya, your comment makes me think of the family scenes in paintings by Carl Larsson. Apparently he, himself, had a terrible childhood, yet you wouldn’t know this from the wonderful family scenarios he portrays
When I look at my reply it seems a bit …restricted? That was not my intention. I just know that animals are your best friends …unconditional love and allowing you to cry in a fur or telling secrets in a furry ear, knowing they will understand without judging or spreading your thoughts to others…precious.
Animals are precious friends. They ask so little and give so much. I hope you notice the dog sitting at the table in the Larsson image I posted in reply to your other comment. The photo comes from this link on Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frukost_under_stora_bj%C3%B6rken_av_Carl_Larsson_1896.jpg
I do love Carl Larsson – he portrays the Swedish soul in a Utopia. He always makes you wish these scenes were true and would last forever!
Perhaps he did find a kind of Utopia with his own wife and children. I don’t know much about him, really. Except that I like his artwork.
Oh, I think Karin, his wife, and his children made him happy. They worked well together, they say. She was an artist too – much in textiles. I have a wonderful book about her too.
Textiles and Interior design? Have you visited their former home?
Yes, I have. Extremely beautiful and just like walking into his paintings!
How wonderful.
Such beautiful thoughts.
The poem on Caring moved me to tears.
Very truthful words in both poems.
Yes . It was a pleasure for me to discover this great Canadian today.
Lovely
Thanks Mike. Music makes our day, doesn’t it?
Yes music does and your poetic words are very serene and peaceful and beautiful 🙂
Does a little dance of happiness at your kind words.
Lovely and peaceful for my morning before a busy day at work, Thanks, I’d rather be baking with you….. Mind you it is Friday ….. weekend come on! Wishing you fun at banking and let us know what delicacy you made. yum
Today I have made a spiced apple cake. One of my favourites. Have a well-earned rest at the weekend 🙂
Preparing a meal and baking a cake sound like wonderful caring to me. I enjoyed your Matins and see that we have another “Snap”. I picked this book up from the library today:http:// http://www.time-to-care.com/ He makes a very powerful and caring/compassionate plea for all in the health field. The energy of it all results in better health for all.
Goodness that is a snap. I think it must be hard for nurses and doctors to add that caring element when there are such pressures of time and budget and administration. When I was a child, our family GP was a wonderful lady. I used to love going to see her even it involved a jab of penicillin! I felt that she cared about me. My Student Union doctor at Uni was another caring and compassionate person. They both made me feel that I mattered.
Robin Youngson offers compelling and real, simple ways to add the caring element and which reduce demands on nurses and doctors. The first chapter of the book was tough to read but then it becomes very positive. You are right. It is easy to remember those who offered care and compassion.
Just listened to a short clip on youtube, featuring Dr Youngson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzEiO6Db7-E
Wonderful to learn, from you, about this man of compassion, on a day when my thoughts are so centered on caring.
We need the message this man is spreading and blog posts such as yours to spread the caring message further.
Spiced apple cake is one of my favourites….mmmm I hope those who ate it relished your caring.
It was much enjoyed, especially by the maker of the cake :D. It is an Annabel Langbein recipe that she donated to a special recipe book Food from Friends http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/national/22278 ,compiled by Kate Fraser, as a fund raiser when her son became ill with motor neurone disease. The food can be made for anyone, any time, but the idea was to provide ideas for people wanting to give food/meals to friends or family in similar difficult situations.
“We rise to play a greater part….”
May we embrace this responsibility and honour with joyful expectancy.
I hope that we will, or do. Those words almost seem right for a national anthem, don’t you think?
You stopped me too …stillness, listening .. beautiful thank you Gallivanta!
It was a lovely way to start the day, but now I am all action; cooking dinner and baking a cake.
What a wonderful find…I love Leonard Cohen! 🙂 🙂
Isn’t it glorious? A villanelle plus Leonard Cohen 🙂 I knew you would love it.