Thursday, December 29, 2011

A Shimmering Life


"My crown is called content, a crown that seldom kings enjoy. " ~William Shakespeare


Diamonds, fame, champagne, and pearls.
Beauty, grace, talent, and curls.
A 9 figure account, and 2 beautiful estates.
A sexy limo driver, and a party that waits.
A silver platter holding a glamorous life.
The sky is the limit on every want in sight.
Happiness should be her gift that forever unfolds.
Yet, empty pill bottles are all she holds.
I suppose one cannot have it all in this world.
It is a heavier burden than one heart can hurl.
Elvis, and Marilyn have shown this to be true.
You cannot find fulfillment if it's not already in you.




I believe that a shimmering life is not a glamorous one filled with jewels, wine, and popularity.  It is an inward strength.   A glow that comes from a peacefull heart that knows the grace of God.  That kind of life has a way of radiating outward like light through a window.  Giving warmth to all who come near.  People like that are always a comfort to be with, and a mentor to those in need.  Their impact on others is always far reaching, rippling outward like a pepple in water, affecting countless people down the line.  I have had the wonderful opportunity to know many beautiful souls like that. I am blessed to have 2 daughters that fit that description, Amber and Becky.  Click on their names to view their lovely blogs.  I hope that everyone has a wonderful New Year.  One that shines from the inside out. 


Also linking with A Pause On The Path.







 





Thursday, December 22, 2011

One Solitary Tear

Linking with Poetry Jam a great place for writers....check it out. :-)


"Man is harder than iron, stronger than stone and more fragile than a rose."  ~Turkish Proverb



One solitary tear may fall...
yet hundreds of voices share the same cry.
We are never truly alone no matter how it may seem.
There is always someone else that has faced the same trial.
Another soul that has been in a worse place.
So take hope by the hand and hold on tight.
Follow where it leads.
Now repeat after me:
I am not alone.
You are not alone.
We are not alone.



Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Keeper of The Keys,

Image: Lee Friedlander, 1966




"When you say a situation or a person is hopelss, you are slamming the door in the face of God."
~Charles L. Allen


We have all heard of someone like that
you know the one that whispers are stirred from
like rubble in a dust storm
there's one in every town and maybe around the corner
a coffee table conversation piece from the wrong side of the tracks
everyone has heard one story or another
it is a person that you would never let step foot in your door
who knows what would happen
or what would be taken
so you never
take a
chance
or
give
the
time
of
day
you
have
more
important
things
to
do
than
even
look
their
way
just
keep
walking
don't
get
too
close
or
open
windows
or
doors.




We think that we are above it; throwing stones, and giving up,but we do it in so many ways not blinking an eye.  You do not have to hold a rock in your hand and throw it at someone's dirrection to have committed the act of judging another's actions, or deciding they are beyond repair. We put God inside a box, lock it, and then play His part.  We think we are the keeper of the keys, but God just allows us to turn them within our freewill. We think we can descern what is worthy of reaching out for to save. Oh the blessings we miss out on when we do not let God open up the door to what is possible in this world.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Occupy God's Table


God provides all the essentials we need
wonderful lighting
 fragrant flowers
utensils to utilize
food for nourishment
 and a place to sit
yet I have so often
preoccupied myself
with striving to attain
all these things myself
filling my mind with worry
emptying my pockets of bills
serving only to exhaust
all the energy
God gave me.


When I think of the word "occupy"....so many things come to mind.  In the dictionary it says that occupy is to take or fill up,to engage and employ the mind,to take possession and control of, and to hold.  It seems that the things that we choose to occupy our lives have a hold on us one way or another.  Either they have a hold on us or we have a hold on them.  Hopefully our choice is something worth holding on to.



Linking with Poetry Jam

 

Monday, December 12, 2011

Complacency Is A Cowardly Sailor

Image by Mostafa Habibi



"A ship in harbor is safe - but that is not what ships are for."  ~John A. Shedd


A place that becomes too comfortable to move forward
is actually a very dangerous place to be.
For the longer you remain inside it's stead,
the tougher it is to escape the hold it has on you.
It is a deceptive theif whose sand will only sink you wear you stand.
What you thought was safety, was in reality a slow demise.
So take hold of some faith and take a couple steps out where it leads.
What do you have to loose? 
Maybe some sand in your knickers?











Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Horizon,


"Time is the longest distance between two places."  ~Tennessee Williams




When I was growing up, I spent many season at my Grandparent's home.  It was a place of comfort, and a place that held some of the most treasured memories of my childhood.  Each room echoed of wonder and was a big adventure that filled my days. 
As time passed my visits became less frequent with the busyness that life provides as we get older.  Growing up has it's rewards and it's losses.  Years later after my Grandparents had passed away, I returned once again to that familiar place to my heart.  Walking into it's threshold I was amazed at how much different things appeared.  What once seemed so big, now looked so much smaller in my eyes.  The home was still near and dear to me, but my perception of it's size had completely changed.  It was a place that I learned so many lessons about life, love, and wisdom.  Grandparents hold a wealth of knowledge and history that they gladly share with those they love.  What they had given me was greater than could be measured by this world.   My horizons were broadened more within those walls, than any other home that I lived in growing up.  What I learned I have carried with me like a suitecase on a journey to other lands.  It has always been within my arms, but time has changed my strength to hold it close.  Experience has a way of changing how we view the world.  The big picture becomes more clear.   I think this can be true in so many areas of our lives. The more life we live, the more we fall and get back up, the better we are at dealing with troubles we may face along the way.  It is a hopeful journey.  One that grows bigger with insight and substance as we move forward.  No matter how big problems can seem in our past, there is a future of hope that can make those trials appear smaller.  Sometimes being in the midst of the storm can make it hard to see clearly.  Once we have the quiet to reflect and look back, we can see with clarity that in the big picture those huge problems were just a small stumbling block along the way.  Just something to prepare us not just for today, but for tomorrow as well. 


Linking with Poetry Jam


 



Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Hunger For God

Lunch, George Tooker, 1964 Columbus Museum of Art
Linking with lovely Tess at Magpie Tales #94


Maybe the atheist cannot find God for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman.  ~Author Unknown


We feed our hunger for food with a ham and cheese on wheat.
We feed our hunger for success with a bigger title and a corner suite.

We feed our hunger for possessions with red leather stiletto shoes.
We feed our  hunger for knowledge with the daily chronicle news.

We feed our hunger for freedom with a Harley Davidson in shiny chrome.
We feed our hunger for a place in the world with a 30 year mortgage loan.

We feed our hunger for companionship with a pretty face from greatmatch.com.
Yet, we foolishly choose starvation when it comes to our hunger for God.


Thursday, December 1, 2011

Language of The Soul

Photo by Ella Wilson


"With all your science - can you tell how it is, and whence it is, that light comes into the soul?"
~Henry David Thoreau


There is a language that knows no words.
It has no sound nor a ring.
Yet if you listen with your heart
you can  hear it's voice sing.
I have heard it in a babie's laugh
I have seen it in weary eyes of the old.
Once I held it in my arms in the midst of letting go.
It lingers in hope's calling resounding through the night.
It whispers like the wind though no vision is in sight.
Prayer is its sweet song that sours like eagles up above.
The closer that you look the louder it becomes.

Thursday Think Tank # 76 Soul's Whisper







Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Metaphors Have Stained Glass Windows


A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead and dreams of a faraway place.  A traveler on the plane sees the farmhouse below and dreams of home.  ~Robert Brault



Museum Artifacts:
Some dreams are like a glassed in museum artifacts,
we can see it and ponder it's beauty, but we can never hold it in our hands.

A Nearby Explosion:
Memories are like a nearby explosion,
the moment it happens is brief, but the ringing in our ears can last a lifetime.

An Old Shirt:
Bitterness is like an old shirt,
the more you wear it the more comfortable it gets, and the stains become permanent.

A Passing Train:
Harsh words are like a passing train,
they pass us by harmlessly many times but when they hit us they are devastating.

A Burning Forest;
The gangs of the ghetto are like a burning forest,
they stand together in danger unable to run and that is where they shall fall.

A Repaired Leaky Roof:
Courage is like a repaired leaky roof,
you never know if it will hold strong until it rains.

That Fine Crystal Vase:
Sometimes love is like that fine crystal vase you always longed for,
when you finally have it you place it on a high shelf to protect it from breaking and its true beauty is never revealed.

A Handgun:
Power is like a handgun,
When it is used wisely it serves its purpose of protection, but when it is used carelessly it is a danger to us all.

Condensation:
Prejudice is like condensation on a window pane,
the difference in temperature makes it impossible for one side to see through to the other.

Wild Flowers:
Chances are like wild flowers,
they come and go with the seasons yet only we can decide to stop and pick them up.

Deep Splinters:
Mistakes are like deep splinters,
they enter our lives easily, but they are very hard to work out.

A Pin Drop:
Hope is like a pin drop,
it can fall in a room and never be noticed, yet it is still there just the same.

Stained Glass Windows:
Feelings are like stained glass windows,
everyone that looks through them views things a little differently, but when it is shattered we all see it is a crying shame.




 


Sunday, November 27, 2011

Tornadoes And Trailer Parks

Photo: Christine Donnier-Valentin



Your love has always been a tornado
and my heart a trailer park in it's path.

Its an arduous journey going down,
like straight whiskey with no glass.

Somehow I keep holding on
like a careless scarf caught on barbed wire.

I am waiting to be rescued from the smoke
but you are running from the fire.

Yet, somehow through the wreckage,
I still have something left to hold you close to me.

My heart has a sofa in the middle of nowhere
waiting for your love to take a seat.

Yes, my heart has always been a trailer park,
and your love a tornado on it's way.

It is an arduous journey going down,
like a plate of eaten jalapenos the following day.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

All That We Behold

"All that we behold is full of blessings. " ~William Wordsworth


What we see when we look at the world has a way of changing from the time we are youngsters, to adulthood.  The view through that familiar living room window changes light.  We no longer see with a sense of fascination.  The magical goggles somehow get removed from those brilliant eyes.   Then bifocals replace them with a mundane outlook.  The only way to see that glorious vision again is to remove the layers of practical callus upon the soul, and see like a child once more.

I have always believed that you can learn more from a child than you can a text book, when it comes to the matters of the heart.  They wear their heart out on their sleeve, and do not mind sharing how they feel or what they see.  We learn to be patient in their haste, and we learn to be honest from the example and tendernous of a child's presence.  They see the world as an adventure and a wonder.  There is a certain grace in innocense, and a graciousness in the innocense of a child.  They are open to love and acceptance of others.  Something that we could use having a little more of in our adult lives. 

Another Thanksgiving is arriving once again.  The holiday season is always a busy time, making it easy to loose sight of the simple pleasures that matter most.  So I challenge myself and anyone that wants to venture with me to put back on those magical goggles of a child.  To see the world and all it's beauty, knowing that there are so many blessing in every direction we look.  We have so much to be thankful for.  Just take a peek out your living room window, and you will get your first glimpse.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in blog land! 


Sharing with Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads

Also linking with Poets United Poetry Pantry # 76






Sunday, November 20, 2011

Latched

Magpie #92 


A lady had a lover that stroked her care free hair.
He held her mighty love with a gentle kind of care. 
Kindred spirits they became through day and through the night.
Like a lock and key they latched together close and tight.
Yet through the test of time, what they had faced many storms.
What held them together became weak and mighty worn.
Then one day her lover became a stranger setting her love free
But this lady holds no freedom, for her heart is locked now with no key.












Saturday, November 19, 2011

Where Hope Abides

Photograph by Dorthea Lang

Linking with Poetry Jam


"Hope never abandons you, you abandon it."  ~George Weinberg



There is no place that it does not breathe
it can survive in a cardboard box
a lion's cage
 a train wreck
a coal mine
yet there is a hunger in it's belly
that yearns to be held whole
it will travel far
or it will hold still
like a photo
it's greatest strength
is where our weakness abides
in the time of need
it lingers
yet like a ghost
you may not see it unless
you are looking with your heart's eye.







Friday, November 18, 2011

My Sister Is A River


Linking with In Tandem #19 a wonderful prompt for writers!


My sister is a river
she heads to the eastern sea
in her pockets she carries pieces
of all the things we used to be...

My sister is a river
her colors reflect of beauty from the past
yet she keeps moving forward
with ebb's distance and future's splash...

My sister is a river
she brings with her eternity in a rush
with force she moves, yet soft is her touch.


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Sight



I chose to be blind.  It was easier that way. With eyes closed like a window shade I refused to see the truth.  No light could come in and warm my broken heart.  Some burdens are too heavy to bear all at once, or alone so I did not look.  I threw away my map and I gave no glances to the east nor to the west.  Not knowing was the only comfort I could grasp.  Fumbling in that kind of darkness....is a long walk to any light. So denial became both my friend and my enemy...engraved in one shroud of regret, that hurt to wear, and was even more painful to take off.  I can see that now, but in the midst of the storm, I was blind.



This was written for Kerry's Wednesday challenge at Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads.
It is my attempt at a prose poetry piece....a big weakness for me.  This is something I really went through and never want to have to face again.  The only thing worse than our heartaches in life...is our children's.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Algebra For The Soul



(Regret + y does not = fulfillment)




All of yesterday's regrets are 100 chairs we can no longer fill
yet we will create even more for tomorrow
foolishly trying to fill them today.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

A Moment For Reflection

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson



Nature has a way of knowing when it is time to rest and renew. 
Growth will come when the time is right.
When I think of winter it reminds me of a pause in life.
A time of rest and reflection.
A way of being that mankind just does not know how to do.

 


Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Like Etchings In Stone




"May you live all the days of your life."  ~Jonathan Swift


 
I learned early the power of what we give and take in this life, and the weight of what we leave behind. It can be a heavy burden whether it be plenty or it be brief.  Having lost both my parents by the time I was 29, and my only sibling before I was 40, I know all too well how important it is to make every second count.   Regret is a heavy burden to pass down as a keep sake, and sadly I have held it within my hands more than once.
It was in that loss that I found both comfort and liberty in writing.  Through poetry and the written word, I discovered a way to capture those feelings and lessons learned in a way that could be passed down from generation to generation.  Like etchings in stone, the written word surpasses the power of time's decay, giving forth more than just a glimpse of days gone by.  It is like taking a piece of someone's life and preserving it in word.  Everything that we do in this life leaves a mark in some way.  Like etchings in stone at a cemetary that states our name and the years of our life, I want my words to leave a mark as well.  Something more than just a faded memory, or torn quilt.  My desire is to give a piece of myself through my words to the ones I love, to leave behind something substantial that my grandchildren and their children can hold dear. 

Monday, October 31, 2011

Where Ideas Dance





 




 


Ideals are like stars: you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the ocean desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them, you reach your destiny.

~Carl Schurz






When a writer sits before his desk with outstretched arms to type
it is like an awkward dancer tapping upon a stage
the ideas and words swing and tango until they just collide 
and then they make their grand entrance one by one hitting the page.



Friday, October 21, 2011

A Certain Force

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."

~Oprah Winfrey


Poets United Thursday Think Tank #71 Energy


Also linking with dverse




There is a certain force that moves us
 like wind waves a flag,
 and the tide pushes forth an ocean. 
The energies of adversity,
 and our true passions
 make their way through us
 one way or another,
 driving us onward,
or pushing us down.
   Their power can make us stronger,
 and motivate us
 in ways that no other pressure can sway us.
Like the winter cold
makes us shiver,
and the heat persuades
us to thirst,
and
to
quench
it.
The
energy
of
change
has
an
impact
on
what
we
choose.
Through
 it
all
we
can
 find
 a
 force
 within
 us
 to
 survive,
 and
 to
 thrive...
becoming
 a
 beautiful
waving
 kite
 in
 the
open
 sky.



I have found in my life, that the struggles I have faced have been a driving force in what I choose to do.  In those difficult times  I have also been moved to find a way to better cope and survive.  I think even in my childhood, when I first started writing, that is what motivated me.  I can still remember writing my first poem, and why I decided to sit down, and put my energy into it.  There was a difficult situation going on at the time, and somehow that moved me to write.  The flickering flame of that heated moment sparked me on a journey that has continually been a comfort for me in life.  The energy of life's hardships, and constant change, have hurled me forward in my passion for writing time and time again.




Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Reaching Out


Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain



I have learned through my children that when it comes to learning and growing you have to be willing to reach out and feel your way around, like a blind person in a maze.  My experience with blogging has been no different.  I first created my blog in March of 2010.  At that time in my life, I was going through a difficult family problem,and blogging became a wonderful diversion and outlet to my crazy world.  The whole blogging experience has been such a wonderful and uplifting journey.  I have met so many amazing poets, and made some even more amazing friends in the process. 
I recently received a versatile blogger award from one of my amazing blogging friends Tug.
I would like to thank you Tug for considering me for this wonderful award.  In the blogging world we have the opportunity to reach out and meet and communicate with people all over the world.  It is an amazing experience indeed.


Here are my nominees for The Versatile Blogger Award:

















Each one of these blogs has something wonderful to offer the blogging and writing world.  I think you will enjoy them as much as I do.

Now here are the rules:

1. Thank the person that gave you this award, and link back to his/her blog.
2. Nominate 15 bloggers for this award, and notify them about the nomination.
3. Finally, tell  readers 7 things about yourself.

(I know that everyone is busy these days, so if you do not want to follow the rules....that is fine....I understand. Just know that you are loved and acknowledged here in the blogosphere.) :-)


Now for the 7 things about myself....YIKES:

1.  I am the proud grandmother of 10 wonderful grandkids.
2.  I never went to college....I only graduated from the school of hard knocks.
3.  I am a terrible speller.
4. I am dreadfully afraid of heights.
5. I went to boarding school in 10th and 11th grade.
6. I am distantly related to Edgar Cayce.
7. I live in tennis shoes...high heels hurt me in less than 5 minutes!


(4 of my kids and me)



Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Ball


Last year I attended the Willow Manor Ball with my beloved Wilson



Unfortunately, he was in a recent dodge ball incident, and is no longer with us.

It has been a difficult time, but friends convinced me to get out and have some fun. So I am going to attend the much anticipated Willow Manor Ball 2011, but I could not bear to go alone....so I decided to find someone that reminded me of my dear Wilson....

and so here is Owen Wilson
I know what you are thinking....how could I replace my dear and beloved Wilson?!
Well, can't a girl get a little joy in life?
Anyway, I will let all of you lovely ladies have a dance with him....
cause that is just how I roll.
 
 
Thank you Tess for inviting me!  If anyone else would like to come join the funjust click on
 
 




Monday, October 10, 2011

Feast



When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice.  ~William James



There is a feast of options
on the banquet table of life
we can sip it's warm brew
and all it has to offer
and then sit back and read between the lines
of what may lay before us
giving us the ability
to choose our next move
who will be king
and who holds our happiness
that is in our hands
and on our tongue
...we can decide
to swallow
 or to just spit it out.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

A Bigger Plan



All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. ~Havelock Ellis




I always had a big plan
 to prove to the world
and maybe a little to myself
that I could get somewhere in this life...
fry something better than balogna sandwich
go to college and earn a degree
something more valid than the school of hard knocks
move forward with dignity
not spinning my wheels
stirring up dust a mile wide
blocking my vision
of the light at the end of the tunnel
holding myself captive
to the place where I stood
in a desert of regrets
thats where they grow best
where we feel there is no way out
but sometimes that is the place of the spectacular
where elephants grow wings and eyes open wide
looking for something greater than ourselves
to get us through
we find there is a bigger plan
than the one we held so tightly
a beautiful freedom of letting go
of our weary might
and letting God
be God.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Light's Journey

Andrew Wyeth, The Revenant, 1949

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in.
~Leonard Cohen


Light's journey like hope radiates outward
penetrating all openings
every splintered gap
each and every crack
broken boards
and broken hearts
reaching all points of breach
until the farthest place is attained
then like karma on the passage back
it's illumination reflects like glass
a brilliant glimpse of hope.






Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Beauty In Wreckage



"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”
~Albert Einstein


We may see rubble, and the remnants of what was, but God can make miracles out of tragedy.
I am certain of this for I have seen it with my own eyes.
It is like a greener pasture after a wild fire,
or the hightened senses of the blind.
It is the true brilliance of a savant,
or how calamity brings together nighbors to restore and build again.
It is an unexpected child that teaches us what love is
You can call it what you want, or see it how you choose,
but some of the most inspiring people I have ever known
had a past, or sorrow that was a true suffering to maneuver through.
But they did it
and that gives me hope...
yes, there is beauty in wreckage
for that is what miracles are made of.





Saturday, September 3, 2011

The Smile of God



When I look at the stars
 I see the twinkle in God's eyes
 peering up at the mountains
I see His great might
looking into the forest
I see his outstretched hands
admiring the ocean before me
I feel His hope where I stand
observing all creation
I see God's confirmation of life
for when I view one sunflower
I capture a glimpse of His smile.



Earth laughs in flowers.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson,

Friday, August 26, 2011

Percolator




No coffee can be good in the mouth that does not first send a sweet offering of odor to the nostrils.  ~Henry Ward Beecher


The dictinary describes the term percolate as the process to cause a liquid to pass through a porous body; filter, to permeate and brew.  Frankly, I do not care what the correct terms are, I am just thrilled each day to have a cup of it in my hands, and the aroma tantalizing my nostrils.  It really is one of the best parts of waking up.