Before Winter Birds and Trees

'Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. [Mt 6:26]

The birds are the saints, who fly to heaven on the wings of contemplation, who are so removed from the world that they have no business on earth. They do not labour, but by contemplation alone they already live in heaven.'

St. Anthony of Padua

'Shall we all be saved? Shall we go to Heaven? Alas, my children, we do not know at all! But I tremble when I see so many souls lost these days. See, they fall into Hell as leaves fall from the trees at the approach of winter.'

St. Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney, the Cure of Ars

'Yesterday, our old St. Francis of Assisi was more poetical than ever, in the midst of his tears and of his bursts of love. Speaking of the soul of man, which ought to aspire to God alone, he cried out, "Does the fish seek the trees and the fields? No; it darts through the water. Does the bird remain on the earth? No; it flies in the air. . . And man, who is created to love God, to possess God, to contain God, what will he do with all the powers that have been given to him for that end?"'

St. Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney, the Cure of Ars

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Fawns in the Rain

The fawns which visited not too long ago returned during the rains the other day. There's flooding down by the river, but I am on a safe incline. I hope and pray the poor folks down by the river come out of it all without harm.

Images of Young Fawns

Three fauns came to visit for the entire afternoon. Here are some inspirational reflections. '"Walk before Me and be perfect." (Gen. xvii. i.) Let everything recall to you the presence of God. If, for example, you go into the garden and see some flowers, ask one of them. What are you? It will not reply, I am a flower. No, but it will say to you, Ego vox - I am a preacher; I preach the power, the wisdom, the goodness, the beauty, the prudence of our great God. Imagine that the flower makes you this reply, and let it penetrate your heart and teach you a lesson of divine love.' St. Paul of the Cross 'All that God gives us and all that He permits in this world have no other end than to sanctify us in Him.' St. Catherine of Siena A prayer. . . Act of Love from the Small Roman Missal As the hart panteth after the fountains of water, so my soul panteth after Thee, O God! "My soul hath thirsted after the strong, living Go...

Swissonic 88 Keyboard and Unique MIDI Controllers

Well my new keyboard has arrived in the mail, the Swissonic 88. It is intended to replace the Keystation 88 as the main keyboard I use. It's my hope that the sliders and aftertouch will give me some added control over the instruments. So far I am happy with the feel of the keys, and can say it's a solidly made device. The Yamaha FC-7 pedal I have works with it, with the polarity reversed, unlike the Keystation. The touch of the keys is just slightly heavier than the Keystation which is a light touch keyboard. I prefer a light touch. The Keystation keys, are comparatively loose and light, the Swissonic, solid and light. The same can be said for the modwheel. Overall the Swissonic being made of metal and a significant degree heavier than the Keystation gives a more reliable impression. I'd prefer aesthetically the Swissonic to be white or black, rather than pewter gray. The Keystation also takes up less space. It took me some time to get the Swissonic's sli...

White Piano

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