Fantastic Weekend

For the past two weeks my buddy who works at the Science Museum, myself and two others ( also employees, I was the only unofficial volunteer.) worked hard on repainting and cleaning up the observatory. We cleaned and painted and swept and painted and painted and...well you get the picture. We worked our tails off and I had *such* a great time...really it's a once in a lifetime thing - how often do you do get to do something like that - and the three folks I was working with were so nice. My Buddy - as I will refer to him here to protect his privacy- is one of those folks who makes the entire world feel welcome around him. He's a true gentleman and I love just talking with him. I don't often get to see him, but I always feel better when I do, even if things are going great, I feel better around him. I can't say enough about the type of person he is. I trust him and for me that's rare.
The other two are complete opposites of each other, Z- is still a kid, 17 and will be a fantastic man - I can see why my buddy likes him so much, the other one a girl, J, not someone I trust. I don't like her use of the R-word to describe anyone or anything she does not like or agree with, but other than that she seems nice enough...very welcoming.
We got it done, with My Buddy and I getting the last bits done mere hours before the event we were doing it for it was great.
The event it self was ok, I just hung out in the observatory and listened to my buddy talk about the history of the telescope and stuff. And of course I snuck him a couple of drinks - I don't drink and we got tickets for 10 free drinks at the wine tasting so Trish and I got ours and poured them into My Buddy's cup when he wasn't looking - when he took his next drink the look was priceless. :)
The only bad thing was the director of operations giving my buddy a hard time because he was not told first. Sigh. No good deed and all that.
Then today Tish and I built a wall of sorts out of 50 gallon crates so that I would have some privacy and sun blockage in my "room" and then I went to a concert that my music teacher wanted me to go to - the Clarence Symphony Orchestra with Ilya Kaler soloist. Fanstatic. Great music. pretty setting - who could ask for anything more. :)

Something I need to remind myself of

The Tibetan Buddhist system of developing compassion focuses on repaying the kindness of others. In ...the West, many say it is vital for spiritual growth to have compassion for yourself. However, it eludes me how the actual practice of developing great altruistic awakening called bodhichitta can come from that attitude! I suppose that if you have compassion for yourself based on seeing yourself as "other" in an altruistic manner and not self gratification, then good! ~ Domo Geshe Rinpoche

Something I posted on someone's blog and liked.

Faith is believing in a Love you can't see ~ especially when everything is going wrong.

Faith is Knowing even when there is little to no evidence for it that the Creator is that Love.

and Faith is believing that "all will be well and all will be well and all manner of things shall be well." even tho' life is crumbling around you.

And Faith is reaching your hand into the darkness and knowing the Creator will reach back.