life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the category “action”

18 Nov 2014

The present is the only point where time touches eternity. – C. S. Lewis

Jane Hirshfield has a line of poetry which has been tweeted all over the world which reminds us –
How fragile we are between the few good moments.

I think somehow we have been sold the idea that life should be all thrill. That, if every moment isn’t exciting, we are somehow failing at life. I have learned, over the past 18 years, that the real wonder of life is not in the passing thrilling moments, but in the recognition of the simple and divine in the every day ordinary.

Andy Rooney says it like this –

For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don’t enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are you’re not going to be very happy. If someone bases his/her happiness on major events like a great job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn’t going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.

The world is full of wonder! Happiness and joy are available to all who open their senses to the beauty of the unexpected sources carried in every breath we take.
Asking, seeking and knocking are all that’s required to begin!

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17 Nov 2014

aging gracefully

Young souls lean on science.

Mature souls lean on faith.

And old souls prefer long walks and short talks; whistling to hip-hop, country, or rock; and on occasion, tree spotting.

There! On the horizon! Oak!
————————————————
The Universe
http://www.tut.com

Love unites all, whether created or uncreated. The heart of God, the heart of all creation, and our own hearts become one in love. That’s what all the great mystics have been trying to tell us through the ages. Benedict, Francis, Hildegard of Bingen, Hadewijch of Brabant, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Dag Hammarskjöld, Thomas Merton, and many others, all in their own ways and their own languages, have witnessed to the unifying power of the divine love. All of them, however, spoke with a knowledge that came to them not through intellectual arguments but through contemplative prayer. The Spirit of Jesus allowed them to see the heart of God, the heart of the universe, and their own hearts as one. It is in the heart of God that we can come to the full realisation of the unity of all that is, created and uncreated.
– Henri Nouwen
http://www.henrinouwen.org

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16 Nov 2014

happy day

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14 Nov 2014

Change starts with you but it doesn’t start until you do. – Tom Ziglar

What if this road, that has held no surprises
these many years, decided not to go
home after all; what if it could turn
left or right with no more ado
than a kite-tail? What if its tarry skin
were like a long, supple bolt of cloth,
that is shaken and rolled out, and takes
a new shape from the contours beneath?
And if it chose to lay itself down
in a new way; around a blind corner,
across hills you must climb without knowing
what’s on the other side; who would not hanker
to be going, at all risks? Who wants to know
a story’s end, or where a road will go?

What If This Road by Sheenagh Pugh

Posted in action, Adventure, awareness, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Blessing, Change, Choice, confidence, create, determination, find art at pinterest, healing, home, Letting Go, Life, Love, mystery, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment

12 Nov 2014

warrior

The moment that he begins to walk along it, the warrior of light recognises the Path.

Each stone, each bend cries welcome to him. He identifies with the mountains and the streams, he sees something of his own soul in the plants and the animals and the birds of the field.

Then, accepting the help of God and of God’s Signs, he allows his Personal Legend to guide him towards the tasks that life has reserved for him.

On some nights, he has nowhere to sleep, on others, he suffers from insomnia. ‘That’s just how it is,’ thinks the warrior. ‘I was the one who chose to walk this path.’

In these words lies all his power: he chose the path along which he is walking and so has no complaints.

Paulo Coelho
Manual of the Warrior of Light

The sun punches through the cloud gaps
with strong fists and the wind
buffets the buildings
with boisterous good will.

Bad memories are blown away
over the capering sea. Life
pulls up without straining
the jungle tangle between us
and the future.

Easy to forget
the last leaves thicken the ground
and the last roses are dying
in their sad, cramped hospitals.
For gaiety’s funfair whirls
in the gray squares. Energy
sends volts from suburb to suburb.

And April, gay trespasser,
dances the dark streets of November,
Pied Piper leading a procession
of the coloured dreams of summer.

“April Day in November, Edinburgh” by Norman MacCaig

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09 Nov 2014

queen of making do

Isn’t there always something forgotten, something
lost, something gone? Praise this too,
for the blessings it brings. You will seek out
some recourse—reused paper, borrowed brush,
makeshift paint; some other—and make it work.
You will engage a new friend, beg or barter,
find a different, maybe better, way.
You will go where you didn’t know you could.

Left Behind by Alice D’Alessio

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30 Oct 2014

yellow

The leaves above the brook
begin their great journey now,
letting go and dropping into the water.
Who knows what worlds they will see?

Trees shed the weight of their work
and slip into something more comfortable.
Now the sun’s laying on of hands
is not so forceful, but more intimate, more gentle.

The hillside deepens from its reds and yellows
to the color of experience,
the color of knowing without having to say.

Leaves fall, each with its own little tap.
They gather in sorrow and gratitude,
ready to become what is next.

This is the season of bareness and of seeds.
This, too, is newness, and peace.

________________________
Weather report

Release,
as all that is passes
and becomes what shall be.
An occluded front of attachment passes,
allowing what is before us
to be beautiful enough.

_________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.net

Posted in action, Adventure, beauty, Blessing, find art at pinterest, Seasons, soul and spirit, Today, touch, Trust, Vulnerability, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment

29 Oct 2014

1 Comment

the adventurers gifts

adventures don’t always lead to a good nights sleep,
I’ve found comfy beds are somewhat a rarity
on the road less traveled.
there’s an occasional soft, fluffy, sweet sinking into soft sheets,
hot water,
and though they appreciate those amenities when they come,
pilgrims don’t get used to such things.
the gifts of adventure are many and varied –
the very best of these gifts is
people!
folks sharing themselves,
sharing whatever they have to give,
blessing you with love,
their food and drink,
their spare beds or sofas,
their conversation and hospitality,
their inmost parts vulnerable and open,
revealed completely
in the intimacy of how they live,
as, mostly unaware, they entertain angels.
no matter how humble, uncomfortable,
or even frightening and shocking at times,
we will find people living uniquely,
creating their own version of what works for them.
every lifestyle carries learning and vast wisdom.
receiving these amazing gifts of hospitality are one of life’s grandest joys and lessons.
I have found it true,
there are many things more important than physical comfort.
some of my most cherished memories,
the most generous gifts I have ever received,
include smelly, stinky, lumpy, hard, sleep-depriving surfaces
on which sleep was just a whimsical wish.
the blessing of adventure opens, within us, all the avenues of grace.
all we must do is be willing to
open our minds and hearts in new ways,
then continue to explore past our need to be comfortable.
💞