Izumi Tanaka

When my cats are together sleeping like this, there’s nothing more I can ask for.  It’s an ultimate joy….  how simple is that?!

Blue and green are my favorite colors.  When I’m in the mountains, I get to be surrounded by both…  It feeds me deeply.

They have been working at this for quite some time, but the old building is almost gone…  Now behind the exterior wall of the old structure, there stands a brand new, state-of-the-art hospital.  And I am indeed fortunate that I never had to utilize their incredible facility…..

The morning glory was back this morning.  The same spot, the same ocean, the same time… basking in the morning sun.

Even though it was gloomy this morning as it has been so far most of the summer, the ocean beckoned me. So there I went — riding my bike to the beach to my usual spot in Santa Monica.  When I come to the sea, I am easily convinced of God’s presence.  As of late, I have been pondering a lot on my own understanding or definition of God. As I watch the waves come and go, I am reminded perhaps it doesn’t matter.  All I know is that there’s definitely something greater than I can fathom beyond my capacity to understand and that’s comforting.

I was invited to dinner at my friends’ on Saturday at the condo they recently purchased.  It’s a simple and ordinary place, but what caught my eyes were these pieces of antique furniture.  For some reason, they fit perfectly into the rest of the environment….  I didn’t ask about the history, well because it seemed like they were content sitting there with all the stories contained in themselves…

My husband threw a party for my birthday.  Nothing like a pot luck party when it magically brings all the perfect dishes together without anyone stressing about coordinating who’s bringing what.  Everything was wholesome, healthy and most importantly, YUMMY!

My kitties, Nicola (the black), and Riley (the stripes) are litter mates, which means they have been together since conception.  It always, always, makes me smile to find them together like this.

The summer is here.  My cats are busy doing precisely what they’re supposed to do:  being catatonic…..

Trying to learn about myself deeper through different spiritual teachings feels like peeling the onion.  There’s layer after layer, always more to discover…..except unlike onions, the spiritual discovery seems to be infinite.  It keeps going… going…. and going….