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On Oct 6, 2011 Bela Shah wrote on Fool Realization, by Steve Bhaerman:

The best part of yesterday's Wednesday is tied: Was it the stories exchanged and the laughter shared after the reading )? Or was it the newcomer who told me, "You know, I really needed a meditation today but I wasn't sure where to find a group to meditate with. And then I scrolled the Bloombars website and saw they had a Wednesday meditation group...I thought, man, how perfect!"

On Sep 8, 2011 Bela Shah wrote on Difference Between Eah and Oh!, by Jerry Wennstrom:

As we have grown from children to adults, when did our reactions begin to express less “Oh!” and more “Eah”? This past Wednesday, several of us gathered for our weekly meditation in Washington, DC, including 3 new members, 2 of which had heard about our group through the Bloombars website! In the iJourney reading, “Difference Between ‘Eah and ‘Oh!’,” the “eah” response to life leads to an attitude of indifference, while the “oh!” response creates openness and surprise in the face of an awesome and mysterious universe. The author poignantly described how this “oh!” response led him to hold the sadness he encountered in the world that day in a reverent and prayerful way. “…I know, and have come to trust, this way of holding others. When no other action is called for, this emotional embrace, in itself, can be a gift.” Contemplating our reactions to suffering in this world, Cylus shared with us an amazing story about his morning run. After feeling locked down to his computer, gmail, etc., and enjoying the freedom to take a jogging break through the National Zoo, he noticed a tiger pacing back and forth in a cramped cage. The stark contrast in freedom captured Cylus’s heart and while holding the tiger’s gaze, he was inspired to send a prayer of positive thoughts to the encaged animal. In another part of the city, John’s daughter recently learned to walk and went for a stroll with her father in the Logan Circle area. The abysmal level of homeless in our nation’s capitol is readily apparent in gentrified neighborhoods like Logan Circle. Unlike the sadness and uncertainty with which many of us grown-ups might confront the homeless, the little girl toddled over to greet her friends, her eyes shining with lig... [View Full Comment]

As we have grown from children to adults, when did our reactions begin to express less “Oh!” and more “Eah”?

This past Wednesday, several of us gathered for our weekly meditation in Washington, DC, including 3 new members, 2 of which had heard about our group through the Bloombars website! In the iJourney reading, “Difference Between ‘Eah and ‘Oh!’,” the “eah” response to life leads to an attitude of indifference, while the “oh!” response creates openness and surprise in the face of an awesome and mysterious universe. The author poignantly described how this “oh!” response led him to hold the sadness he encountered in the world that day in a reverent and prayerful way. “…I know, and have come to trust, this way of holding others. When no other action is called for, this emotional embrace, in itself, can be a gift.”

Contemplating our reactions to suffering in this world, Cylus shared with us an amazing story about his morning run. After feeling locked down to his computer, gmail, etc., and enjoying the freedom to take a jogging break through the National Zoo, he noticed a tiger pacing back and forth in a cramped cage. The stark contrast in freedom captured Cylus’s heart and while holding the tiger’s gaze, he was inspired to send a prayer of positive thoughts to the encaged animal. In another part of the city, John’s daughter recently learned to walk and went for a stroll with her father in the Logan Circle area. The abysmal level of homeless in our nation’s capitol is readily apparent in gentrified neighborhoods like Logan Circle. Unlike the sadness and uncertainty with which many of us grown-ups might confront the homeless, the little girl toddled over to greet her friends, her eyes shining with light and acceptance. In this “oh!” moment, our shared humanity reflected in everyone’s eyes, regardless of the socialized categories that we grown-ups have boxed ourselves into.

Listening to John’s description of his daughter, I wondered at what point in our lives we began reacting with more “eahs” and less “ohs!”. And I envisioned how sublimely beautiful the world would be if there were “ohs!” floating like musical notes, generously and joyously bouncing into every one of us living souls, connecting us together in our shared oneness... like the interdependent strings of our favorite instruments...

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