Zen Moments

“I discovered why the universe wanted me to be a teacher…
the day I broke my toe…”

Well to be fair, it was a few days after I broke my toe. And I’ve always suspected that what the universe wants is really what I want. So perhaps it would be better to say: I discovered why I [...]

“I had a great time…”

11 year old Brenden Foster was diagnosed with leukaemia, three years before this video was made.
“The boy who once rushed through homework so he could play outside was now confined to a bed.
“I had a great time. And until my time has come, I’m going to keep having a good time,” [...]

“Having a child … can be an adventure all on its own…”

When I realized that my life experiences are simply different and wonderful in their own way, I stopped feeling inferior due to wonderful stories of travel and adventure I hear from my childless friends. Having a child when you’re a still a child can [...]

“I love him for every single bizarre behaviour he throws my way…”

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before – but my three year old son, Oliver is weird.
This is at least partly due to something called SPD (sensory processing disorder) that causes him to engage in activities that “feed” his need for a lot [...]

A man surprises people at a gas station and offers to pay for their gas. He selects his target cars almost at random and tells his amazed recipients: “Just do something nice for somebody else…”

“We must be the change we wish to see in the world” – Ghandi

This is a short summary of a powerful, inspirational video which documents the moving transformation of a group of teenagers as they follow Challenge Day’s “Be the Change” program.
“The Be the Change movement inspires people to notice what’s happening in the [...]

“I hugged him every time he asked the question – 21 times – my innocent little boy…”

A Father and Son sit together in the garden – a touching reminder of the need for patience as our parents get older…
A short (5 minute) Greek film made in 2007. Directed by Constantin Pilavios.
Some versions on YouTube have a [...]

“You no never mean to me…You a good person”

While babysitting and hanging out with my best-good friends’ children, I was picking and prodding pomegranate seeds from the shell, having picked some fresh from the girl’s backyard.
While the youngest, age just 2, was eating hers from a bowl while watching kid shows on the couch, the [...]

“…it was about having faith and believing in magic…”

Many years ago I went to the cinema with my young son to see a film called “The Little Princess”. The story derives an element of magic from the wise but silent Indian fairy godfather who watches over Sarah, whose Indian tutors have instilled in her a [...]

“Such eyes of compassion, stillness, even love…”

The first week I met my new student, a four year old with leukemia. He’d just had a week of intensive treatment. He had lost his hair, and his large brown eyes seemed to be looking at me through a curtain of pain.
The next week he was much more [...]