xxii. home, originally uploaded by sparrowsfall.

Accept and you become whole,
Bend and you straighten,
Empty and you fill,
Decay and you renew,
Want and you acquire,
Fulfill and you become confused.

The sage accepts the world
As the world accepts the Way;
He does not display himself, so is clearly seen,
Does not justify himself, so is recognized,
Does not boast, so is credited,
Does not pride himself, so endures,
Does not contend, so none contend against him.

The ancients said, “Accept and you become whole”,
Once whole, the world is as your home.

xviii. hypocrisy, originally uploaded by sparrowsfall.

When the Way is forgotten
Duty and justice appear;
Then knowledge and wisdom are born
Along with hypocrisy.

When harmonious relationships dissolve
Then respect and devotion arise;
When a nation falls to chaos
Then loyalty and patriotism are born.

peach blooms, originally uploaded by sparrowsfall.

peach is almost ten feet tall now, and still going strong. i suspect she is not a dwarf, after all.

peach, originally uploaded by sparrowsfall.

this is peach’s third spring. looks like we are going to avoid a hard freeze like we had last year. we might actually have some peaches!

forsythia, originally uploaded by sparrowsfall.

. . . and daffodils

sparrow’s tree, originally uploaded by sparrowsfall.

this is a yoshino cherry which i planted saturday. it is sparrow’s tree and will grow with her, and be just as beautiful.