Karma

While I have been going through my things in preparation for our move in September I have found that I own more than I will ever need.

It all reminded me of this quote...


Karma

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
Follow the three R’s:
- Respect for self,
- Respect for others and
- Responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Spend some time alone every day.
Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and
think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the earth.
Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

-His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Artwork of the month: St. Benedict of Palermo.

One of the recent acquisitions at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, a sculpture of St. Benedict if Palermo, is so stunning you are truly missing out if you don't go see it right now.

Attributed to José Montes de Oca

Spanish, 1675-1750

"St. Benedict of Palerno"

1734, polychrome and gilt wood, glass

St. Benedict was the first christian saint of african origin to be canonized.  And as with all saints it took a while for it to be official with the church, this guy more so because of who he was.

He was born in sicily, 1524, to parents that were freed slaves from ethiopia.  Yep, he was a black man and the church wasn't progressive enough at the time to canonize a black man.  He was beatified by Pope Benedict XIV in 1743 then canonized in 1807 by Pope Pius VII.

St. Benedict was know for his extraordinary religious devotion, patience and understanding when confronted with racial prejudice, and acts as a truly devoted man of god.

"St. Benedict of Palermo" was purchased by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 2010.