All I Have Seen

All I Have Seen

 

Making the drive

Down to the shore

I’m brought to another time.

Memories flash in my mind

Of childhood days

Playing at the beach.

Bare feet in the sand

Take me to summers past.

I’m forced to reflect on where

I was,

Compared to where I am now.

I can clearly see how far

I have come.

How much has changed,

How much what I am feeling

In this moment differs

From what I’ve felt in this same place

In years gone by.

History replays its images

As I walk the same paths,

Drive by the same buildings and roads

But it’s a movie in my mind

No longer present day,

No longer part of my current existence.

I am filled with gratitude

For all I have learned

All I have been through

All I have seen.

 

Face The Sun

Face The Sun

 

Turn your face to the sun

Forget all your worries

Let them roll off

Melt away

Off into the earth.

Dance until all the hurt

Trapped in your heart

Spins off and away

On a twisty top.

Life is good,

Too good, too short

To spend

Focused on the wounds

We get from living.

Let of what you can’t change,

Let go of all the sadness in your heart.

Turn your face to the sun

Soak the warmth

Watch while

It warms and heals an aching heart.

Breathe in the sweet warm air

Let it wash through you,

Exhale each and every worry.

Grateful Tears

Grateful Tears

 

Tears escape

From the corners

Of her eyes,

Trying to hold in

What’s too much to contain.

Gratitude overwhelms.

Without warning,

Without show

Droplets slide

Down her cheeks,

As she thanks

Those who helped

Bring her home.

As she shakes the hands

That took her house

And returned it as a home

After disaster and destruction

Ruined it.

Broken Wishes

Broken Wishes

 

Bent, scattered

On the ground.

Lost their magic power,

No more hope filled

Children pick up

These lonely wishes.

They are long forgotten

Laying on an asphalt bed,

Missing dreams and

Past their prime.

Dandelion wishes fallen

Crushed upon the ground.

A sad sight to see,

Reminds of childhood days

Lost in the past,

Replaced with responsibilities.

A hint of nostalgia

Filters through

Bringing dandelion wishes

Back to life.

Handshake

Handshake

 

An open hand

Is the beginning of an open heart,

It pulls you in

Welcomes you.

Handshake

It’s how we begin,

The initial meeting.

Physical contact that gives

Preliminary information

Energy transferred

Between hands

Opens the gates,

To friendship,

To fellowship

To community.

It’s through our hands we

Do the work,

Change the world

One handshake at a time.

Building communities

Building a better world!

A Way For Me

A Way For Me

 

I was born for this

I know it in my bones

I was made to do this

To help, to serve, to collaborate.

I’m here

To be a part of something

So much bigger than me.

I listen to the quiet urgings

Of my heart

That leads me to

The things I am meant to do.

Inevitably I find my way

Not a way I

Could ever have imagined

Not a way I

Would have found

All on my own,

But a way that fits,

That lifts me up

Inspires me

And fills me with

Hope and jubilation.

Let Go

Let Go

 

Mind gets crazy

Busy – so excited

Ideas jumping

Emotions racing.

Give me just a moment

Take just one deep breath.

Remind me to take care

Of me.

Help me to let go

Release what I cannot control

Trust in the process

The people, and myself

That things will fall

Slowly into place

Fitting into their spaces

Rather nicely.

She Is My Mom

She Is My Mom

 

She cleaned up

Every scraped knee,

Wiped away childhood and adulthood tears,

Held me when my heart was breaking,

Yelled when I wasn’t listening

Beamed with pride

At my achievements

Pushed me to be better

To question what I see

Taught me what it meant

To be a human on this planet,

How to care for others,

To do what’s right

Even when it isn’t easy.

She isn’t perfect

But neither am I,

And she tries more than

Anyone I know.

She is human and vulnerable

But possesses an inner strength

I long to emulate.

She inspires and challenges me

To be all I’m capable of being.

She is my mom!

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

Missing You

Missing You

 

Heaviness fills the space

Just above my belly

Tinted with excitement,

It weighs

Me down,

Tinged with love and longing,

It consumes me

Leaving little room.

Ordinary things feel different

As it reaches all the spaces,

I’m bursting

With emotion,

Not sure how

I’m anything else.

Heavy but somehow warm

Sadness mixed with

Powerful love and care.

Transported

Through little things,

Sounds, sights, smells

We’re together again.

Hope lifts

My spirits

As patience is tested

And grows

Waiting till the day

We really are together again.

 

Survive Change

Survive Changes

 

Changes,

Not much you can do

When they blow through

Life

Unsettling and disrupting things.

It can be a total whirlwind.

Sometimes happy

Sometimes sad

Often a mixture of both,

All we can do is sit back

Let them wash over us

And hope we make it through.

That’s life

Continually hoping we survive the changes

Happening in, around and to us,

All while managing to

Feel as though

We are thriving in life

Rather than

Just surviving.

“Take it one moment

At a time,

Breathe, feel the sun

Find healing and joy when and where you can.

Let go of the rest,”

Is what I tell myself to make it all

OK.