i got up super early this morning to go to the world peace meditation at the unity church on delaware.

it was the nicest service i've ever been to that was inside a church. this meditation is done all throughout the world at noon greenwich mean time on december 31 every year. it started 20 years ago, in 1986, the international year of peace.

it was a touching service, consisting of members of the church coming up to the front to read peaceful words that are meaningful to them. people read from a number of traditions, including rabbi harold kushner, psalms from the bible, a hindu swami, and the peace document from the unity church itself. there was a lot of emotion because people had chosen the readings themselves, especially from the blind woman who found her readings on the internet and read them from a braille page.

then we lit candles for each of the seven major religions of the world. (according to them, they are Islam, Judiasm, Christianity/B'hai, native american traditions, buddhism, hinduism, and daoism) people read a paragraph of how each of those religions defines peace as each candle was lit.

finally, we read the world peace meditation together. exactly as the sun rose (7:43), we read these words:

I now open my heart.
and let the pure essence of unconditional love pour out.
i see it as a golden light radiating from the center of my being.
and i feel its divine vibrations in and through me, above and below me.

i am so glad that i happened to drive by the unity church the other day and read "world peace meditation, 7am." this was a wonderful experience to have on the last day of 2006.

I celebrated christmas for the third time today.

today the invitees were:
bridget, my roommate
sabrina, roommate's sister
chuck, sabrina's boyfriend
ray, bridget & sabrina's schizophrenic father
hannah, bridget's 5-week old daughter
me

it turned out that all the left over presents that had been presented to me by the universe had a chance to be given out today. I couldn't find the duct tape that I had been using to wrap presents, so I hid the presents under a blanket <poof!> and we played "grap a gift." chuck chose the box of toothbrush, toothpase, floss, and chapstick, saying that he really could use all of those things. bridget unwrapped the 2007 calendar that I got for her a couple months ago. sabrina grabbed a clock that had a place for a photograph, of which bridget had many of hannah that she just had taken. everyone was surprised that there still was another present left for ray, seeing as I never could have imagened that he would come over. (I've known bridget for 13 years but have never yet met ray.) ray got a flashlight and was really happy with it.

I had never spent as much time with a schizophrenic person as I did today. it really seemed like he was on acid from how he talked and how many times he repeated the things he found interesting. i could tell that he really liked me, but luckily kept a respectful distance but did ask me interesting questions the times that i did talke with him.
eventually, ray and his girlfriend made up so I gave him a ride home. he was so pleased to get the flashlight gift that he gave me a gift, too (grab in the bag to get it, oda!) and he gave me 2 packs of guitar strings. turns out that I just got a guitar for christmas...

i took my first exam today, getting an a-. i'm taking developmental psychology at ecc for their winter session, which lasts only 2 weeks. i read the whole textbook and take eight exams over the two weeks.

i thought i was going to have to take the bus to orchard park every day, spending at least 4 hours travelling a day, but it turns out that this is an online course, which really means that you can skip class every day. i personally enjoy going to class; that's where i learn the most, but i am glad to not have to waste all that time on the bus.

this is working out perfectly.

as i was walking out to sit on the steps outside to have a cigarette, i was thinking how i always avoid the numbers 2 and 4, especially 4 and that i probably should make peace with the number 4.

i sat down, unintentionally, or intentionally, as the universe always is, on the fourth step. it was particularly comfortable, had a better view of the tree than the others around it and i did enjoy sitting there.

but i just don't have that many positive associations about the number 4.

so i was thinking about the associations i have with the other numbers,
number 1 is the power and strength of one
number 2 is a pair (which i sometimes tend to avoid, but know also that it can be nice)
number 3 is body mind soul
number 5 is smiles and freedom
number 6 has a lot of power. i don't know that i fully understand the significance of 6, but i don't feel negative about it
number 7 is a lucky number
number 8 is infinity
number 9 is three times three, triple trinity--who can't win! and some people i like a lot really love nine and have it as their favorite number.

my favorite number has always been three

late last night, i was sitting around counting my blessings and was planning to go to bed soon.

my neighbor came over and was in the mood to talk. conversations got heavy.

"how long does it take to get over the loss of someone you were really close to, oda?"
"5 years." i saw how painful that answer was, '5 more years of this suffering...,' feeling defeated, not knowing how to continue. "but the first year is definitely the hardest. by far."

i lost my sister on october 15, 2000. her name was leyla marin or sheila keating. she used both throughout her life.

it is so hard to lose someone you are truly close with, a person you share with most every day of your life and have done so for decades.

but the pain goes away, maybe not completely 100%, but pretty close. and that void is filled up by strength. then we can count our blessings, because every person who honestly means that much to you IS you. inside you. even now, i still discover ways that my sister is part of who i am, and that does make her alive .

thank you sister...
i love you