Seattle and NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO

Seattle was great!!!!  Well I only spent a day in seattle and the rest of my time was spent in a place called Oak Harbor on Whidbey (would be) island.  I could live there forever.... by far the most beautiful place I have ever been.  It felt like Minnesota + Utah - Harsh Winters = Perfection.  Really I was disappointed that I only stayed 3 days.  Maybe I'll retire there :)

So I cleaned my house through the night and at 2 am I went over to Gary's house and he took me down to Longbeach for my 7 AM flight.  Corrie was at the airport in seattle to pick me up and we drove straight to pike place market.  We drove past a couple of professional sports stadiums and they were huuuge!  Everything was just so green and clean there.  So the main thing that I wanted to see at the pike place market was the guys throwing and catching the fish.  It wasn't as cool as on TV... but.... still really really cool!  There was a guy pulling on a fish tail and making the fish move while he barked and it scared the kids! Really funny!  We walked through the rest of the market which was really cool cause it was still nick knacks but they weren't the made in china stuff from every ramate.... this was like good handcrafted stuff!!!  

So the market ran right into a park where we took a picture by a totem pole... well this guy who was stoned out of his mind took our picture.... and was kinda mad that we ruined his buzz..... 

So after the market we went to the space needle!  Awesome!  Ok... I went to the empire state building this summer... and I think the ESB is taller... but I liked the space needle better... it has the most beautiful view!  So it's $18 to go to the observation deck.... or a $25 minimum in the restaurant and then you get to go to the observation deck free.... so that's a no brainer.... the food was expensive but if you think about it in that way..... it's not bad!  And the whole restaurant was revolving.... showing a panoramic view of the place..... wow... it was great!

So we drove to Oak Harbor and I fell asleep almost the whole way.   I woke up when we drove the car onto a ferry and it took us onto the island.  It is a huuuuge island... 45 miles long.... and the only place that has an island in the middle of the island... pretty cool huh?  So we stayed with Corries Aunt Carol's house that she had been visiting for the past  couple of months.  She had been there helping take care of her uncle Roy who passed away two weeks before I got there and then was there helping with the funeral and keeping her aunt company.  I also met Corrie's Cousin Robyn and her kids.  We played a lot of cribbage, had great dinners, and I even taught them a little ballroom dancing ( we learned the waltz).  Robyn's house is right by a cliff that has an amazing view of an outlet that cruise ships take out to the ocean.... beautiful sunsets!!!!  I loved playing with the dogs Annie and Jackie.... it's been a long time since I've played with a dog that actually knew how to fetch!!!  Anyway... I am so appreciative that they took me in for a couple days and made me feel like a part of the family.  They were an amazing family!  They don't know that if you're too nice to me I stick around or come back... kindof like a stray cat you feed.... ;D  I slept on a trundle bed that folded down out of what looked like an entertainment center... it was great!

One of Corries favorite thing to do with her uncle Roy was make expresso art.  She made some great ones for friends who stopped by and we tried to make hot chocolate art for me.... it didn't turn out so well..... expresso machines are really cool!!! but expensive... I want like.... a milk steamer to make hot chocolate with...  We went to this rocky beach and stacked and skipped rocks... tons of fun... even though I look bored in the pic :)   got into the water and it was freeeeeeezing!

So the title of this blog... pretty weird huh?  NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO .... let me tell you about it... because I think it applies.  When we decide not to follow the commandments of a higher power of course we are trusting more in the power of ourselves.  While I think that is the wrong thing to do... I still do it... and it's funny how life... or the universe... or the devil... or whoever you want to say is responsible sends things to re-enforce this and try to get us to only rely on ourselves.  While I was near seattle at a bridge over a place called "deception pass" ( :D great name huh?) anyway I was taking a picture with Corrie when we met a guy named Ivko.  We asked him to take a picture of us and then he got talking with us and asked if he could give us something.  Well he gave us both a bookmark with the words NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO on it.  From what I read about it it is the chant that people do to focus and center their thoughts and eventually attain "buddha hood"but when Ivko was explaining it to us he didn't mention buddha at all..... the way he was explaining it it sounded more like "the secret"  for anyone who has read that book....

Nam ="to devote oneself."

MYOHO=  the Mystic Law  myo.. being the essence of life and ho being a tangible form of it?

RENGE=  Talking about the lotus flower... cause and effect.... Karma

KYO=  the voice of a buddha?

Anyway.... I won't pretend to be an expert about something I know very little about but I know that meditation is a true principle that can help people focus themselves to attain those things which they most desire.  To what extreme I would take that is a whole other subject.  For me all religions contain at least some truth if there were a religion with no truth I find it hard to believe that anyone would want to be a part of it.  But I think the secret is not being scared of other organizations or religions because of what you have heard... but rather listen.... take the things which are true... and throw out the rest.  I think of prayer as a form of meditation.  It is also a form of communication.  It is a time when we align our will with the will of God.  That is the most effective way I know how to meditate.  And whether Ivko is right or wrong, the bottom line is he does those things he believes and there's something to be said about that.  I don't pray... I don't meditate.... not deeply at least... a lot of thinking but I'm usually doing something else while I think or reflect.  So if it's chanting NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO, or sitting in silence working out thoughts, or on my knees praying... I think a lesson I have learned from this last leg of the trip is that I need to put serious time and thought into my days.... so that they may have purpose and meaning.