September 7, 2020

 In honor of Labor Day...

(which is not a Hallmark holiday)

Labor Day may be a day of rest for some--a trip to a park or the beach, a sharing (at a safe physical distance!) of a meal with friends and family, or just a day to relax and read a book...but it is also a day to honor and thank those who are laboring on our behalf: whether or not by choice, whether or not it feels personally safe to them, whether or not they would prefer to be doing something else.  

We offer our bows of gratitude for the individuals in our lives who are putting their personal safety on the line every day in order to make the daily existence during the pandemic, the fires, the smoke, the heat, and the utter uncertainty of our lives a little more bearable: 

Firefighters

Farm laborers

Garbage collectors

Distribution/assembly line workers

Postal carriers

Local sheriffs

Grocery and department store clerks

Truck drivers

Gas/water/electric crews

And the entire medical community.

with immense gratitude, Zen Heart Sangha

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Our ZHS on-line schedule

• Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
• Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
• M-F: 7-7:30am - zazen
• Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
• For more information:  www.zenheartsangha.org) 

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Special bows for today: 

• Please offer bows for Takiko Kawakami, Fumiko Arao's mother who died 9/2/2020
• Please offer bows for Jacob Blake, shot and paralyzed in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and for the protesters shot and killed in Portland, OR last weekend
• Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:   
• Phyllis Merrill, Misha's mother, who is dying
• Ofelia Mendez, Jorge Luis Mendez, Lazara and her mother, relatives of Lilliana Mendez-Soto who have contracted COVID
• Sherril Miller, Shannon's aunt, who has a broken humerus
• Brent DeNardo, Aaron's brother, who has contracted COVID
• Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy

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Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

• Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
• From our dharma sister, Misha:  incredible graphics and information about COVID-19  https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/covid-19-coronavirus-infographic-datapack/
• From our dharma brother, Bill:  Buddhism in women's prisons:   https://tricycle.org/magazine/buddhism-in-womens-prisons/

• From our dharma sister, Nancy:  Spirituality and interconnectedness through time   https://www.brainpickings.org/2018/04/19/lynn-margulis-talking-on-the-water/
• From our dharma sister, Camille: an important commentary on race, riots and society to help us understand from Trevor Noah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c
• If you would like to leave a comment on this blog: Here is a quick video on how to--it's from 2017, but should work:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T4RflO5Wgg
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Many thanks to those of you who are sending me articles to share, links to helpful information, and for making comments…it is a gift beyond measure. Please know that you can either leave a comment on the blog itself, or send something directly to me and I will be happy to paste it in.