life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the month “May, 2012”

Going Over

You have burned your bridges.

You have passed through the gate

marked “no return”

And for you there is no going back

No going back to the security of

the known, familiar house,

To the well-worn dispensations

and the threadbare coverings.

Now you are out there in uncharted

territory

heavy with threat and shadows not

yet entered.

The risks are high, and yet you

strike out boldly,

Guided only by unwavering conviction

And the longing for the true centre

of the land.

This is what it means to do a new

thing.

So, you travel lightly.

You are abandoned, given up in all

things

To the task that lies ahead.

Therefore, you may be exactly who

you are.

You have inhabited yourself,

You are at home,

And home is where you are,

Even if it is the desert.

No one can dispossess you of your own in-dwelling.

This is what it means to be free.

We stand, one foot upon the bridge,

Wondering if we too have the courage to go over

And strike the match behind us.

Kathy Galloway. The Dream of Learning our True Name.
Used with permission

What conquers the world is what created it: God’s pure, self-giving love. – Steve Garness-Holmes

;

I believe God wants you to know…

…that nothing has to happen immediately, this minute,

or “right now.”

It’s okay to pause for just a moment. Just take a breath.

Then go quietly inside. Ask Life Itself to lead you to

your best outcome.

There’s nothing you have to do, really, except get out

of your own way.

… know what I mean?

Neale Donald Walsh
http://www.nealedonaldwalsch.com/index.php?p=Home

;

Understanding God

If you want to understand God
walk up to a blooming lilac
and hide your face in the light purple.

Gather all the memories of that scent
from your childhood.
(Don’t confuse the roses at your grave.)

Imagine giving that aroma to someone.
Imagine them receiving it.

Now, you still don’t understand God.
But what you do
is enough.

_______________________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day. – unknown

I started out on a broken road many years ago…my heart was shattered in millions of pieces and I had no idea if it would ever heal, if my life would ever be even a little bit ok. The only thing I had going for me was faith and determination.

As I plunged into years of extreme loss, poverty, hardship, homelessness, abuse, unequal relationships and pain, I knew God could mend my brokenness and use me for His glory – no matter what kind of a mess I was – I knew God was bigger! I would keep going and die in the battle if need be, but I would not stop believing, trying or ever give up the fight for good! I had seen the effect of bitterness, anger and victimhood could do in people’s lives and I rejected that in my life. I am very determined to keep those things out of my life – I had no idea how much a full-time and difficult job this would be, but I know it is the right way, because it always leads me to peace and joy. Keeping my heart open and being vulnerable is still a huge, and one of the most important challenges I/we face today. I believe it is a battle that must continue to be fought if we are to make any changes in our world.

In order for me to accomplish what I set out to do I found myself pursuing goodness…actively and passionately..every day – all day. I would look for good, look for kindness, look for miracles to get me through to the next moment. I would put my broken heart and dreams – my very life-blood that I was helpless to rescue, into God’s plan and hands (sometimes over and over for days) and I would seek God – I filled my senses with nature, with music, with art, with the words, and quotes, of people who had also walked a broken path to achieve healing themselves, and I would struggle to give true thanks in every circumstance for the wisdom, life-lessons and the hands of my great creator, God, who was so obviously present with me. The glimpses of His glory have allowed me to see how little I truly know and have made my faith ever more passionate and real.

With my eyes open – I see the miracles so clearly and I have wondered many times why it took me so long to begin living this way??? As the years have added up, my faith has become true and I have found the most joyous intimacy with my friend, Jesus, by living his words (Matthew 5-7) in ways I could never have known any other way.

I truly believe that seeking for the good, every minute of every day, and being thankful – right in the middle of every circumstance – from the most grueling – to the most fun – is the only way to realize who we are in this world. Not saying it’s easy – just saying it is worth it!!!! We are each a beloved masterpiece of God – given all good things to enjoy – every day there are so many good things – don’t let anything distract you from seeing them and giving thanks!

;

Gifting requires giving and receiving – learn to do both!

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To the dreamers!

The battle for your heart health

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There is always multiple sides! Up to us which one we choose!

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What really matters in life is not what we buy, but what we build; not what we have, but what we share with the world; not our capability but our character; and not our success but our true significance.  Live a life that makes you proud – one that matters and makes a difference.  Live a life filled with passion and love.
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose
Read full post: 20 Bad Habits Holding Good People Back
http://www.marcandangel.com/

Finding a Box of Family Letters
by Dana Gioia

The dead say little in their letters
they haven’t said before.
We find no secrets, and yet
how different every sentence sounds
heard across the years.

My father breaks my heart
simply by being so young and handsome.
He’s half my age, with jet-black hair.
Look at him in his navy uniform
grinning beside his dive-bomber.

Come back, Dad! I want to shout.
He says he misses all of us
(though I haven’t yet been born).
He writes from places I never knew he saw,
and everyone he mentions now is dead.

There is a large, long photograph
curled like a diploma—a banquet sixty years ago.
My parents sit uncomfortably
among tables of dark-suited strangers.
The mildewed paper reeks of regret.

I wonder what song the band was playing,
just out of frame, as the photographer
arranged your smiles. A waltz? A foxtrot?
Get out there on the floor and dance!
You don’t have forever.

What does it cost to send a postcard
to the underworld? I’ll buy
a penny stamp from World War II
and mail it downtown at the old post office
just as the courthouse clock strikes twelve.

Surely the ghost of some postal worker
still makes his nightly rounds, his routine
too tedious for him to notice when it ended.
He works so slowly he moves back in time
carrying our dead letters to their lost addresses.

It’s silly to get sentimental.
The dead have moved on. So should we.
But isn’t it equally simpleminded to miss
the special expertise of the departed
in clarifying our long-term plans?

They never let us forget that the line
between them and us is only temporary.
Get out there and dance! the letters shout
adding, Love always. Can’t wait to get home!
And soon we will be. See you there.

from Pity the Beautiful. © Graywolf Press, 2012.
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/

Don’t talk…Just BE!

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