A Song Of Hope

 

Whenever sadness settles in,

nettles in,

meddles in,

The song that I am coaxing

From the recess of my heart,

I give my smile a hefty spin,

A swing, a lift, and then, a grin

Breaks out and like a little bird

Soars into the sunlight, to where its song will start;

 

It tells me there is light out there,

Joy out there,   

Hope out there,

Out past the melancholy -

The lazy spirit's haunt,

I'll free my feet and drop those shoes,

The past is past, the future new,

I still have things to say and do;

Life is so much more;

 

Every moment's promise is

A chance for us,

To build and thus,

To add to God's creation,

The gifts we have to share;

Let our words express our very best,

Thoughtful works of art;

An instrument as yet unstrung,

A song of hope as yet unsung,

Waits to add its colour

To the canvass of the heart.

Light, Love, and Shadows

'Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.' - Maori proverb

Where do we look when the light is obscured,

And the shadows seem to have broken their bonds,

When we feel that hope is a distant dream,

And the love within

Is drowned in the din

Of our soul crying out 

For a road past our doubt,

Where surely, there must be a happy beyond;

Those shadows fall back when we turn towards the light,

For darkness cannot intrude into love,

Though it looms so large at end of the day,

And though it may try

To foster the lie

That it is much stronger,

That it will last longer;

 Love always chases the darkness away;

To ebb or grow brighter is our choice to make;

As we open the portals of our eyes and smiles,

And send our love flying in 'heartbeams' of light,

Our search comes full circle,

We need look no further,

The prayers of the humble,

Cause darkness to crumble,

We are masters of shadows; they cower in fright.

I Can't Breathe  

With recent fearful events unfolding around the world, and in particular with the focus on systemic racism that was brought to light so vividly and terribly in Minneapolis this past week, I borrowed the phrase spoken by George Floyd as he died;

I Can't Breathe!

Watching cruelty unfold,

The attack on our soul,

The sliding of hope,

Down a dangerous slope,

We are better than that - aren't we?

I felt the suffocation,

I can't breathe!

The bully and bullied,

Two victims collide,

Coloured by two worlds,

While we stand and chide,

Do we consider ourselves a threat to others?

That's where fear does its best work,

I can't breathe!

Feeling fear taking hold,

Tightening its grip,

Waiting for hope

To falter and slip;

In the grip of depression,

I thrashed in the dark;

I can't breathe!

Afraid of our fellow man,

Afraid for our health,

Afraid for what might come,

The loss of our wealth,

When did  we welcome fear,

Ask it to reign,

I asked my inner child, "How did we get here?”

With a heavy sigh, she cried,

I can't breathe!

Then I felt a tug from my memory,

A tiny child in colours bright,

Reaching up to hold my hand,

No sign of anger or of fright,

Just love in all its innocence,

She poured her joy into my soul,

And took my breath away;

I can't breathe!

Isolation Blues!

Isolation Blues!

These days, we're all singing the Isolation blues in our own unique ways; some of us are feeling very out of tune and trying hard to reach those positive high notes;  For some of us, we are finding the verses getting annoyingly repetitious!

Please forgive the musical irony - It comes after listening to the many wonderful concerts, at so many levels that are being generously offered by musicians, artists and athletes, both locally and around the world to raise money to help our fellow countrymen during this time of crisis.

All of us want to contribute whatever talents we have, to express our love and thanks to all of the front line workers putting themselves at risk every day, and to help the less fortunate.   Giving back in whatever way we can,  particularly the act of sacrificing closeness with our family and friends, makes us all part of this wonderful 'Team Canada'.   

As I was breathing deeply, and letting go of the stress for awhile, I wrote a simple little poem that expresses a desire for peaceful happy times.  It also encompasses gratitude for the silver lining in all of this down time - a chance to really look and listen to each other, to our children and grandchildren, and to appreciate the really important elements of life.

What if?

What if there was no war to fear,

No hurtful words

To wound the ear,

No vain attempt

To have it all,

No selfish smirks

When others fall;

What if we gathered smiles and flowers,

If loving acts

Were our super powers;

If we rose each day

In gratitude,

Spreading smiles

In happy mood;

If we, like children, saw the world,

One tiny wonder

At a time,

With curiosity

Unfurled,

Each challenge,

But a tree to climb;

What if we saw our work as play,

And laughed,

As little children do;

While giving love

In simple ways,

Needing just to hear,

 "Me too!"

Then, let us lay our troubles down,

And take some time,

Be still awhile,

Take our cue

From little ones,

Paint rainbows,

And share a smile!

When we are unable to share our actual hugs with loved ones, then we can send out the essence of our hugs - the warmth that we wish to impart, spiritually.  At the same time, let us be still and feel the love of our heavenly Father as he surrounds us with his healing hugs in the encounters we have with our fellow man and with nature, in petals and on wings.

Petals And Wings

Hugs are extensions,

That warm and impart

An oasis of calm

As they cradle the hearts

Of the family and friends

That they hold in their arms;

They welcome, impart love,

And hold safe from harm;

"If you give me a hug,

The little bird said,

As she looked at the flower

Up over her head;

I'll give you my song

To hold in your heart,

To keep and repeat

While we travel apart."

"My friend, I do wish

That my leaves could hug tight,

I'd hold you so close,

But try as I might,

I can only send love

From my petals of blue,

 I hope that you feel it,

This hug is for you."

When our arms are not able

To reach or to hold,

When distance or circumstance

Stops our hugs cold,

Then, the arms of our spirits

 Can turn into springs,

That carry hugs freely,

On petals and wings.

And God's hug surrounds us

On petals and wings.

We are all feeling helpless right now in varying degrees, and that condition leaves us fear-filled.  Though illness may attack us physically, the mental toll that it takes can infect us and be equally devastating, robbing us of true quality of life;  We are too ready to give ourselves short shrift, not realizing and recognizing the incredible strengths and gifts that lie within each of us; They are ours to direct in healing ways, and when shared selflessly and generously, our simple positive actions and sacrifices combined can grow into a powerful force indeed!    When the waves of anxiety buffet our little boats, then let's take courage as we head into the wind, with our prayers manning the oars, hope as our sail, and the love of family of friends as our companions, helping to pull us onwards towards the light that will surely shine again.

The Light Will Shine Again

The clouds will part

And the sun will shine,

We'll lift our voices

In song sublime,

A healing breeze

Will dry our tears,

A loving God

Will calm our fears,

And we'll come out stronger

On the other side;

We'll gift each other

With grateful smiles

For the parts we played

To ease the trials

Of friends and  neighbours,

Those in need,

Each sacrifice

A precious seed;

And we'll come out kinder

On the other side;

We will dance once more,

Hold each other tight,

And we'll  walk once more

Our steps in light,

The earth will sigh

And begin to heal

As we give our thanks

With grateful zeal;

And we'll come out wiser

On the other side.

 A Calm In The Storm

There is a calm before each storm,

Or so we've come to think,

And isn't it an awful shame

We let our spirits sink;

Before our souls have time to rest,

To  bask awhile in gentleness,

Thoughts break in of what might come,

When soft turns harsh, when calm is done;

Why waste the balm of healing scents

And healing sounds, when worries stop;

Why let unquiet walk with us,

And wait for some great shoe to drop;

Let's wrap our arms around it tight,

Embrace the calm - soak in its light,

Bid our hearts to see the good,

And shout our thanks, for well we should;

Enjoy this day - this time we've got,

For night may come, or it may not;

Let calm surround us every day,

And when despair gets in our way,

Then tiny acts of love perform,

And be the calm that quells the storm.

We are all feeling helpless right now in varying degrees, and that condition leaves us fear-filled.  Though illness may attack us physically, the mental toll that it takes can infect us and be equally devastating, robbing us of true quality of life;  We are too ready to give ourselves short shrift, not realizing and recognizing the incredible strengths and gifts that lie within each of us; They are ours to direct in healing ways, and when shared selflessly and generously, our simple positive actions and sacrifices combined can grow into a powerful force indeed!    When the waves of anxiety buffet our little boats, then let's take courage as we head into the wind, with our prayers manning the oars, hope as our sail, and the love of family of friends as our companions, helping to pull us onwards towards the light that will surely shine again.

The Light Will Shine Again

The clouds will part

And the sun will shine,

We'll lift our voices

In song sublime,

A healing breeze

Will dry our tears,

A loving God

Will calm our fears,

And we'll come out stronger

On the other side;

We'll gift each other

With grateful smiles

For the parts we played

To ease the trials

Of friends and  neighbours,

Those in need,

Each sacrifice

A precious seed;

And we'll come out kinder

On the other side;

We will dance once more,

Hold each other tight,

And we'll  walk once more

Our steps in light,

The earth will sigh

And begin to heal

As we give our thanks

With grateful zeal;

And we'll come out wiser

On the other side.

The Presence Of Love

From "The Shack" - 'He is especially fond of you'.

We don't choose the gifts that we have been given,

Any more than we want those we love to choose the gifts we give them,  We hope that we know that person well enough to choose something that they will appreciate.

It is up to us to choose to say thank you for those gifts,

And we do that as we hope our loved ones will do:

by welcoming them with joy, opening them up excitedly, and finding out how to use them; Then, with a huge smile,  in  sharing them with others.

And that's what our Father rejoices in;  Don't rain on God's parade!

When life presses down hard,

When your spirit's been scarred,

And you're left feeling scared and alone ,

Just leave it all there,

Leave that weight to His care,

For He's only one teardrop away;

There's a hand on your shoulder,

A kiss on your forehead;

You are held in the grip of His love;

He raises you up,

And enfolds you so dearly,

Touches your heart,

And lets you know clearly

That you are totally precious today.

There's a tiny child in each of us,

Feeling lost and incomplete,

Though our original hearts  are still intact,

Irreplaceable pulses  in God's heartbeat,

We still keep trying way too hard

To be all that we can be,

Not realizing that we already are;

And that God is especially fond of us!

I've been robbed!  - Yes!

At this time of year, with Thanksgiving still in the air, I've been off on a nostalgia trip -  looking at pictures of my children, grandchildren, family and old friends, and It suddenly dawned on me that they have been robbing my heart, bit by bit.  Actually, they have been offering me fair trade:  tiny pieces of each of their hearts have become indelibly etched into my own, and they are not here for the short-term, but will be staying forever.

We are part of a much larger picture that goes back generations; the little child, that is still in me, remains a part of my parents, siblings, children's and friends' lives forever, and the reverse is also true;

That thought challenges me to fulfill my potential as far as I can - If I'm giving away pieces of my heart, I want to make sure that they are well-polished, and the best that I can offer.

-  so many pieces of so many hearts - how lucky are we!

What  wonder just touched me,

From where did it start,

This déjà vu feeling

That's stirring my heart;

It crept up within me,

It knocked on my door,

And I bid it to enter,

As I'd done times before;

A memory intense,

Danced forth like a child,

Pushed passed the worries,

Then surfaced and smiled;

It played in my mind,

Then too soon it was gone,

A poem unfinished,

A nostalgic sweet song,

But another was waiting,

To visit or stay,

To lift up my heart,

To brighten my day;

From deep in my core,

He reassured me,

"I've got this,

No worries,

 Just leave it with me."

All Is Well In The End!

Grandparents' Day is approaching again - September 8th.  In gratitude and humility, I share a few words, some 'wisdom' that I have realized over the course of my rapid journey of nearly 71 years:

In the end, we are who we are, with all of our unique imperfections, but also with the immense potential that resides within us, waiting to be asked to come forward.  We are largely unknown to ourselves; the face that we see in the mirror each morning hides behind it someone that wants to meet us and be included in our day.  Usually, it gets overlooked or covered up with makeup of various kinds, as we look past its expectant and hopeful gaze, and try to form it into some version of ourselves that we think is expected or will be accepted by the world out there.  When we are lucky enough to receive gifts from our grandchildren, or from anyone,  let us remember that there is still a little child dwelling within each of us, waiting and hoping that his gift will be loved. 

Every Word, Every Action Matters!

I made one mark upon a page,

It grew into a word,

Then others came in twos and threes,

Emerged from unknown station,         

Responding with elation

To the voice that they had heard;

They joined hands in a sentence,

 then a paragraph, a rhyme,

A soliloquy, a story, a 'Once upon a time',

Each mark an inspiration,

Adding to a thought  sublime,

And I their humble servant,

Gave thanks for every line.

Words - when we send them flying into the world on the wings of a smile, how uplifting and encouraging a gift they can be to others!

Guardian Of The Light

Guardian of the Light

You can hope, and dream

Of what might have been,

Or reach for a lofty goal,

But you can't miss something

That you've never seen,

That has never held you, touched your soul;

Every life begins in light,

A unique and brilliant flame,

Yet, we long for reassurance

From the Source from whence we came,

We know that there is something more

Than what our senses tell,

And we search the world around us

For the pearl within the shell;

We spend our lives in longing

For that pure and perfect light,

For Its peace that once enfolded us,

A voice just out of sight,

That spoke our names in love, held our souls.

As time passes by, and our light outgrows us,

Our journey takes us backwards,

And at the same time forwards,

Towards where love and light will come full circle,

Pulling us into itself, enfolding us once more.

Let your soul remember and revisit that light;

Your very own unique source of loving kindness;

You are its guardian,

You alone have the power to share your light with others,

Your efforts and your choice alone

Will determine how far down the path your light will shine.

My soul is restless until it rests in You.  -  St. Augustine

From My Nothingness

Every moment of our lives has potential, whether we realize it or not; We each contain our own candle, our own given light.  Alone it may be very small, but added to the light from others' candles it becomes part of an exquisite prism; Without our candle, that prism loses wonderful points of colour.  All that is asked of us is to give, with love and sincerity each day, whatever is in us to give - our light will find its path. 

From My 'Nothingness'

I sat on the stoop beside Leonard Cohen,

And no words came;  I wrote, "I got nothing."

Leonard winked at me and said, "Excellent!"

"Now you are ready to write;

Give away the wisdom in your nothingness."

Wisdom in my nothingness?

Not feeling any wisdom right now,

Only a helplessness, a powerlessness,

And a lot of other 'lessnesses';

No brilliant, flashing inspirations,

Only a deep, silent desire breathing through me.

Where would my desire's breath go if I loosed it,

If I gave my hands into its hands,

If I let it do the writing?

Inspiration is a wonder-filled, out-of-body experience;

I have nothing - yet in that moment, I receive everything,

Everything that I truly need;

As my soul beckons it,

It picks up my hands,

Hands that simply hold the pen,

And it writes, without presumption;

Presumption comes from our human hearts' fears and desires;

The Spirit has no such presumptions,

But has faith in us,

Knows and Loves us for who we are,

Speaks encouragement to us from its larger heart.

When Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground,

What did He write?

He wrote not on paper,

But into the earth

He imprinted His heart's breath,

His inspiration,

And with His great love,

He fills our littleness, our nothingness.

"Hineni! Hineni!  Here I am Lord"

In Dreams - Be Not Afraid

In Dreams

"In Dreams I walk with you,

In Dreams I talk with you."   - Roy Orbison

Many of us will have had the experience of feeling the presence of a loved one who has passed away - even to the point of catching a familiar or exotic scent.  There is so much more to this life than we can ever comprehend.  So, whether we are just remembering in a very visceral way that soul or whether they are possibly wanting to communicate something to us is beyond our actually knowing.  Sometimes we perceive these moments as a comforting hand on our shoulder, a kiss on our forehead, a prayer for our strengthening.  In this positive dream-filled light, I wrote the following:

In Dreams - Be Not Afraid

I had a dream

The other night,

A visit from a friend,

A vision so intense and real

And as close as we had been,

There was something more

In how she looked

That I could not comprehend;

Her laughter filled

The atmosphere,

She seemed without a care,

And though I reached

To touch her hand,

I only touched the air,

Still, I caught a fragrance rare;

In soft but brilliant lightness,

In and out of view she went

And I wondered  as I drifted off,

Did I call, or was she sent;

It settled all around me,

That smile I knew so well,

And lifted my own spirit,

As back to sleep I fell;

I still can feel that warmth of hope,

That brief reunion gift;

Each morning now, it wakes with me

And brings a welcome lift

That I humbly try to pass along,

In small but smiling ways,

Little bits of sunshine

To brighten others' days,

And let them know, "You are not alone,

- Be not afraid."

Stepping Into Peace

It's December, and the Christmas rush is upon us; There are wonderful celebrations to plan and attend, a tree to put up and decorate, a house to clean and decorate, and cookies to bake and decorate!  Sometimes it is hard to find the peace that is supposed to be the main focus of the season.  When I find myself starting to go under in the waves of too much stress, I try to remember to take a step back and find the quiet.

To let go of stress and step into peace is like stepping into a sturdy canoe in the wee hours of the morning and letting yourself  follow the shoreline of a river; not in any rush to reach a destination, but just enjoying the quiet conversation of your surroundings, and being grateful to the river for allowing you to ride along in its sparkling currents.

For a brief time, you and your thoughts are taking an intimate journey together, leaving all of your baggage, including your shoes, behind on the shore.

Finding My Smile

The gentle movements of a Tai Chi session this morning had me

Watching the flow of my hands,

And once again, I felt there the wooden caress of a paddle;

I was stepping into my mental canoe,

Slipping away on daydreams

Of early morning escapes

Beside a gentle river bank,

Feeling the solitude as I float downstream across flat water,

Free of man-made sounds in their various forms;

I close my eyes,

Enjoying the rocking of the canoe,

trusting the gentle movement of the river

 to carry me along wherever it is going;

I feel again the water washing around my toes as I invite some of it aboard with every stroke of my paddle;

My memory took a deep breath and there it was: the wonderful atmosphere;

Smells of algae, fish, flowers,

And the sounds of nature; frogs, birds, and various forms of flying tag-a-longs who found it amusing to play tag on my hat and hide-and-seek around my ankles - taking the occasional nibble;

I grabbed hold of that spiritual oar of freedom,

Gave it a mental pull,

-  And I smiled.

My hands, now resting,

Palms up,  in peace.

Whether your 'peace escape' is in a mental canoe, a quiet chapel, or laying in the arms of a frosty but all-accepting snow angel, may you find your own way to step into peace, find your smile, and leave your heavy baggage behind on the shore.

Wishing you all peace this Christmas and far beyond.

Inspiration, Respiration, Whatever - Just Breathe!

In today's world of increasing tensions, we have forgotten how to breathe - to breathe deeply of life's beauty, and to truly comprehend what that beauty means.   We are constantly shallow breathing, gulping at the problems and troubles that surround us, until our poor lungs give up waiting for the healthy air they need in order to open up, and we lose consciousness or awareness.

There is beauty to inhale everywhere we look, if we are focused on seeing it; those beautiful coloured leaves flying through the air, a little bird sitting on a branch singing with all its might;  I am looking down now at the crocheted throw on my lap - each stitch the work of our niece's loving hands;  I let myself breathe in the sound of her infectious laugh.  The act of sorting out the negatives to leave room for those pieces of positive is an essential breathing exercise.   I am even deep breathing the sight of that squirrel who is now running off with our last tomato!

Each season brings its own unique gifts, as do we all; Note to self:  breath in all of their beauty before they move on - at least that's the advice a little violet gave me:

Miss Violet's Wisdom

One bright Spring day,  while gardening,

Amidst my flowering throng,

Pulling weeds,

Planting seeds,

I sang a cheery song;

A bumble bee said, "Pardon Me,

You're picking from my row!   

Move on, move on,

Just get along,

And don't forget your hoe!"

A tiny violet touched my hand,

And said, "For goodness sake!

That bee was rude,

 Such attitude -

He always wants to take;

I love your song,

 I'll nod along;

Why not put down the rake?"

And since the sun was very hot,

I sat down for a break;

"Why all the fuss?", Miss Violet said,

"And why your worried brow?

Don't you see the beauty

That's all around you now?

And, don't you know how lovely

Are the smiles you strew about,

Those cheerful flowers from deep inside,

Are the prettiest, no doubt.

When you think your garden's messy,

That your efforts are in vain,

Remember why you planted it,

What you hoped to gain,

You're a part of life's great chorus,

So smile, and sing again!"

Step 1 - Eat The Frog!

Step 1 - Eat the frog!

 I have a beautiful little Friendship Book, given to me when we first moved to Prescott by a lovely neighbour who took one of those meaningful first steps; Elizabeth and her husband, Michael came over to welcome us to the neighbourhood.  Little did she realize that reading one excerpt from that little book each day has become part of my morning ritual - It gives me a boost from sleep to smile.  I especially love its one reference to an old piece of folk wisdom that states, "If the first thing you do each day is eat a frog, then nothing worse will happen for the rest of the day."  How many of the things that we fear are as scary as that?

We will never know how far our unique ripples will flow until we take that first step into the stream each day, and carry our own personal frog to higher ground.

One Tiny Step

The first tiny step

Is the one that will lead,

That will start your whole process of growing;

It's the one to encourage,

As it breaks from its bonds

And carries us into unknowing;

Though the road be unclear,

The tools not too near,

They will come to your hand

By and by,

If you say to that step,

"I give you permission

To drive my life forward, to try";

For each tiny step

Has the power to move,

To make ripples of hope

In life's stream;

You may fall off the track,

But, at least looking back,

You'll be further ahead

Than you've been!

Lament For Friendship

Life is always both unpredictable and precious, and friendship is to be cherished.  It saddens me to see and hear the damage to the very special friendship that we have held with our neighbours to the South.  Let us pray that respect and healing will gain the upper hand.

Lament For Friendship

 What a sad thing,

When friends fall out,

And lose togetherness,

Becoming less;

When our common goals and aspirations

Become frayed - torn at the edges,

When talk is for show,

Fleeting bravado,

That weakens our bonds,

Leaves us struggling to cope,

Grasping at hope;

Why plant seeds of doubt,

What's this fear all about?

And what thanks do we send

To our struggling earth  mother,

As we feign to defend

Each from the other;

What do we gain

By inflicting pain;

In the glare of  'beware!',

How do we repair?

'Neath the weight of our words,

Our hearts long for peace,

For hurts to be healed,

For struggle to cease;

Then, let our falling out be ended,

And hands of friendship be extended;  

Around this world, our common home,

Let's build a wall of toleration,

Made up of every tribe and nation's

Hands joined together in respect and love;

That would be a wall

That we could all get behind.

Happy Mothers' Day - Why Worry?

Mothers' Day is coming up on Sunday, and there are wonderful tributes flowing from all sorts of media - mothers are the inspiration behind some of the most beautiful songs and poems.

 I decided to address one of the down-to-earth feelings that we all share as members of this human race, and one that mothers are particularly susceptible to - worrying!  

Sometimes, when we can't seem to get a handle on our problems or get past the bad feelings that pull us down, it can be helpful to write it all out - perhaps in the form of a poem?   And, perhaps in the process, we can have a good hearty laugh at what's bothering us - after all, it can't write back, and I'm not letting it touch my keyboard!

Why Worry?

"Worry, my old friend,

Where've you been?

Where've you been?

It's been minutes since

I've seen your sorry face!

Worry, where'd you go?

For it seems

I've missed you so,

That I couldn't cope

With happy thoughts

That tried to take your place!"

So, worry came back, knocking

At my door,

At my door,

Just when I thought

I simply couldn't

Worry anymore,

"I can see that you've

Been working out,

How wonderful!

How wonderful!

I almost fell asleep

In pleasant dreams,

But, I was worried

That a whole night's sleep

Without you,

Yes, without you,

Would leave my life a bore,

Livened only by my snore!"