I receive a catalog that refers to itself as "The Most Important Gift Catalog In the World". It's called Heifer International. It IS an important catalog and it admits that its statement is "bold". Here's the idea behind Heifer (taken from its inside cover):
* You decide to donate a sheep in honor of your mother, who has always loved these gentle animals.
*Your mother receives a holiday gift card from you describing the generous contribution you've made in her honor.
*Thanks to your gift, one more family is on the road to self-reliance.
*Once the family has completed training and has prepared appropriate facilities, they then receive a healthy female sheep.
*Throughout the year, the sheep provides soft, warm wool and the promise of new hope for each family.
*The family gives one or more of its sheep's offspring to another family in need in the community. That's part of the Passing on the Gift tradition that participants agree to when they become partners with Heifer International. Heifer also ensures there's a healthy male sheep in the village for breeding.
*The 2nd recipient family agrees to contribute one or more of their sheep's offspring to a family in need-who then ALSO agrees to Pass on the Gift.
and on and on and on...
This is GLOBAL...
But! When my daughter, Emily, was browsing through my Heifer catalog, she didn't know any of this. She just found a gift catalog called "Heifer". It didn't have pretty, sparkly things in it. It had pictures of small, brown, wizened people holding chickens, or little girls with pretty smiles in Eastern Europe holding goats. Emily said, "Gosh, how come I don't get these kinds of catalogs sent to me"?
Because, Emily, you have never inquired about the Masters Degree program in Maharish Vedic Science at the Maharishi University in Iowa, which was founded by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, which would have put you on the mailing list for Heifer Catalogs, OR taken that Transcendental Meditation course I was raving about back in the mid 90s, maybe THEN, you would be sitting with your OWN Heifer catalog in your home right now....just sayin'...I can hear your envy, girlie.....HAHAHAHAHAHAH
7 comments:
Ooooo!....I am SO into that diagram. It perfectly illustrates how meditation feels, from the big, noisy, confusing, external consciousness to the small, focused and still place within. Thanks! Must have been meant to see this, as I have been hanging with a bunch of Buddhists this morning in my Taoist tai chi class!
YOU are so cerebral....
In Palm Desert there are a bunch of Jews that are now practicing Buddhists. They refer to themselves as "JewBoos". Ain't that grand?
I love TM. I love the "falling into it" feel that I experience....
I wish you peace... :)
I get catalogs of cute little asian girls and big blued eyed boys dressed in overpriced clothes that were manufactured by child labor. I have never felt so shallow in my life. Ever.
:)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH...oh man....that was a good laugh....
Em, we should take a tai chi class...you have plenty of time....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
i don't just get those catalogs, em, i ORDER from them. (sigh)
Ya. .there's a reason they keep coming to me, too, Nancy. :)
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