For the shaman, the cosmos is a tale that becomes true as it is told and as it tells itself. (From Terence Mckenna's Food of the Gods)

My barn burnt down, so now I can see the stars. (Source unknown)

The darkest hour is just before the dawn. (Bob Dylan)

For the last century or two we turned our attention to the physical world, to mastering the material plane at the expense of anything else.... And so we got a world in which physical miracles are commonplace - and nobody's happy. We got what it takes to feed the whole three billion of us - and half of us are starving. You can show a dozen guys murdering each other on TV but you can't ever show two people making love. A naked blade is reckoned to be less obscene than a naked woman. Ain't it about time we started trying to get a handle on love, from any and all directions? (From Spider Robinson's Callahan's Crosstime Saloon)

Couldn't it be that there's some kind of new force loose on the world, ... a new kind of energy that's trying to put us all back on the right track before it's too late? Couldn't it be that, now we've climbed out on a material-plane limb and started sawing at it, some mysterious force is trying to teach us to fly? ... Couldn't it possibly be that under all these pressures, we're beginning to grow up? (From the same)

And last but certainly not least, some kitchen wisdom - a simple and easy recipe for daddy bread:
Combine, in a large mixing bowl, 3 cups of warm water, a quarter cup of honey and 2 to 3 tablespoons baking yeast.
After letting it all sit for 5 minutes, add a quarter cup of oil and about 5 cups of flour (a mixture of unbleached white and whole-wheat flour works best.) Beat this mixture for 111 strokes, make a wish, and then let it sit for a half-hour or so.
After it has sat thus, add a scant tablespoon of salt and fold in 3 more cups of flour. Sprinkle another cup of flour on your breadboard and knead the mixture for about ten minutes or until it is smooth.
Place it in an oiled bowl then, turn it over, cover the bowl with a damp cloth, put it in a warm place, and let it rise until it has doubled in bulk (about an hour.)
When the hour has passed, punch it down, letting your children help here. They'll like this part. Then let it rise again until it has doubled again.
Next, knead it to its original size, divide it into two equal parts and shape each half into a loaf. Place each loaf in a buttered bread pan. Let the two loaves rise for 20 to 30 minutes while you're preheating your oven to 350 degrees. When the loaves are ready, bake them for 50 to 60 minutes.
Call your already alerted friends and family while you are letting it cool down (for maybe 5 or 10 minutes.) Serve warm with butter and love. Enjoy.