Monthly Archives: August 2015

A Day of Kindness follows Dalai Lama

by contoveros

Philadelphia will be offering the world something that two of the planet’s great spiritual leaders wish that all living beings could provide: “a full day of kindness“.

That’s right. My hometown will be the site where Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama will visit in September and October of 2015, bringing their messages of peace and brotherly love to a world that deserves more of each. As part of the once-in-a-lifetime gathering, Philadelphia will sponsor “A Day of Kindness” on Oct. 27th, the three hundred and thirty-third anniversary of the founding of Philadelphia by the Quaker William Penn. Continue reading →

A ‘Lot of Heart’ can go a Long Way in Life!

by contoveros

Kids I grew up with in the tough section of North Philadelphia said that I had “a lot of heart.” I cherish that statement more than any I later heard as a teenager, a young adult, or someone older looking back on what made him the proudest in his short lifetime. You’d have a “lot of heart” if you didn’t care for the consequences when sticking up for a black kid when a white “friend” called him the “N” word and then classified you as a “N-gger lover” for coming to his defense.

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Reiki Melts Away Stress Very Handily

by contoveros

Reiki melts away stress. That’s how it works on me. I feel parts of my body easing up, relaxing, and “collapsing in” on themselves, if that is possible or, rather, imaginable. I liken the feeling to the green-colored Wicked Witch of the West, who, when splashed accidentally with a bucket of water by the Tin Man trying to douse a fire engulfing the Straw Man, the personification of evil in the Merry Old Land of Oz, declares, “I’m melting. I’m melting.” Water melts away the bad, and Dorothy is proclaimed all that is good. Continue reading →

Recalling some cool summers in the Army

by contoveros

Summer always served as a “new beginning” for me when I was in the US Army. I got drafted on the Third of June and did my basic training in the hot, dry air of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I can’t tell you how many push-ups I did during the two-month training session, as the meanest drill sergeant I ever saw brought fire to my poor soul by running me everywhere and cussing me out to force me into fighting shape. Continue reading →