life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the category “Becoming Yourself”

23 May 2016

If anything matters then everything matters.       – Wm Paul Young


Love sometimes wants to do us a great favor: hold us upside down and shake all the nonsense out.
Your love

Should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,

Only to someone who has the valor and daring

To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife

Then weave them into a blanket

To protect you.
Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive.
Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.

I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in the darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.
There are different wells within your heart.

Some fill with each good rain,

Others are far too deep for that
Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.
Even after all this time the sun never says to the Earth, “You owe me”
There is no pleasure without a tincture of bitterness.

💙

   – Hafez



I stand in the cold surf

waiting 

for what I am to receive 

I look at,

then past,

glistening rocks,

colored shells,

green sea glass,

none of them right. 

My back to the Sound,

head down,

Waves coming and going,

Sand shifting under my wet feet. 

I scan, 

wait for what I must recognize –

 then I see it. 

this????

a black glob of rocks stuck together 

browns and grey and bits of reds

it’s ugly

it’s heavy

it’s rough

it’s jagged

it’s not what I thought I wanted,

it’s not what I thought was valuable. 

what is it, that the water has just delivered, 

and I feel lead to pick up

to take home with me?

I want it to be romantic. 

Maybe…

I search for romance…

Could it be a meteorite?

a mystery from another planet?  
I walk the mile home,

wondering what lessons I will learn from this ‘gift’

I have just received from the ocean. 

Almost home,

one more curve,

I spot my favorite kinda caterpillar,

the brown and black,

softest, loveliest velvet

crawler in the world. 

I loved the feel of them as a little girl,

let them crawl all over me.

I pass it,

then double back, 

as directed by intuition,

to visit this small friend. 

I am bent down,

as my fuzzy friend moves along,

and recognition comes. 

I carry, 

in my hands….
asphalt,

ASPHALT???!!!
a piece of the road,  

which came to me by way of the ocean. 
I belly laugh 

as I my lesson, 

my gift,

becomes clear. 

I am,

 right now,

every moment,

in the ocean of grace

no matter where I am

the path is in the ocean of love,

of God. 
This road is everywhere!
It rises to meet me,

no matter where I stand!
I comes one small glimpse at a time. 
This is gift –

teaching me what I need,

bringing me diamonds with each step. 

Living,

 breathing,

learning, 

expanding

thanks 

is the best gift. 
We are always loved

The message is waiting in 

every surf,

every leaf,

every tree,

every song,

every heart beat,

every tiny created thing,

every little moment,

breathes and burns. 
Oh, Beloved,

Remove your shoes. 

Dive into the sky! 

sing

holy, holy, holy!

then fly away 

home.

I’ll meet you there! 

xoxo

🏞
AL


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22 May 2016

gone fishing 


There is sensual pleasure in a small act done well 

My whole being loves how you cast that fishing rod

sight, sound, smell, touch, hearing all involved

observing,

absorbing,

thrilling; 

It sticks with me and loops in my memory – 

this beautiful dance of motion

playing again and again

the quick, sure whip of the rod,

the slow arc of the line against the blue sky before it breaks the water,

the vulture floating high in the blue and white, being themselves, 

sure of their importance,

not questioning their beauty,

or the importance of their purpose,

the graceful, smooth winding of the reel,

the flash of the silver lure dancing below the surface of the green water 

your patience as you teach me, 

a very amature student –

all revealing a new layer of beauty,

I want to learn this rhythm,

my soul responds with deep desire,

I want to be a natural part of this world,

a silver flash,

a big blue sky. 

🎣

AL


Birds know north without looking.

Some fish have a line down their bodies

to sense electrical fields

or changes in water pressure.

Jumping spiders see ultraviolet.

Bees have a little compass of iron

and can read earth’s magnetic field. 

And there’s a little silver thing in you

that listens to the Holy Spirit.

It’s really quiet, so you have to be quiet

to hear it listening, but it hears.

You don’t have to hear God;

just let the little silver thing in you

listen to the Spirit and speak 

to the rest of your body. 
__________________  

Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Unfolding Light

http://www.unfoldinglight.net


* 4 middle Fish photos above were taken by Fisherman Dan @ Branford, CT

Posted in action, Adventure, attitude, awareness, beauty, Becoming Yourself, Change, Choice, commitment, connection, find art at pinterest, Gratitude, Grieving, inspiration, intimacy, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, mystery, nature, Passion, Patience, Peace, Reality | Leave a comment
21 May 2016

your poetry is just ‘eh’


I googled it

what was the history?

the meaning?

my ability to write,

along with me,

had just been put into this container – a paper bag

that I couldn’t write my way out of???

It felt like a throw down challenge.

how difficult is this challenge?

and, by golly,

how did I get into the this giant paper bag?

armed only with pen,

quite obviously

a silly decision.

Why didn’t I think to bring scissors?

or

chocolate?

If I had chocolate

I wouldn’t really mind being in this paper bag

I should have seen this coming

been prepared…

just in case I can’t figure out

how to write myself out.

Of course,

I didn’t really intend to get stuck here

in a paper bag –

it just somehow happened.

I got caught in a cross-fire

of two people

with razor-sharp writing skills.

(are they better than mine –

or do we all just have our own voice?

hmmmm)

maybe I’ll just stay in this bag

and take a nap.

it’s pretty comfy here.

Oh nice, I have an orange in my pocket.

I can write myself out later

I’ve never found myself in a paper bag before –

think I’ll just enjoy the novelty of the adventure

before I go home for dinner.

🎁

AL



Posted in attitude, awareness, beauty, Becoming Yourself, beloved, Choice, courage, determination, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, inspiration, Letting Go, Life, Love, mystery, Patience, People, perceptions, Poetry, Purpose, Reality | Leave a comment
19 May 2016

go outside to go inside


The plains ignore us,

but these mountains listen,

an audience of thousands

holding its breath

in each rock. Climbing,

we pick our way

over the skulls of small talk.

On the prairies below us,

the grass leans this way and that

in discussion;

words fly away like corn shucks

over the fields.

Here, lost in a mountain’s

attention, there’s nothing to say.
⛰

Visiting Mountains by Ted Kooser


Posted in action, Adventure, attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, connection, find art at pinterest, healing, inspiration, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, mystery, nature, Poetry | Leave a comment
16 May 2016

have a little faith…speak a lotta truth…

The opposite of joy is not sorrow. It is unbelief.
❤️

–Leslie Weatherhead

Truthfulness.
Being honest with someone else really just means opening up to share out of our own self-honesty, being transparent about our own experience, the deepest within us, in a way that creates the space for the other to also feel safe exposing the vulnerability within themselves.
When truth is more important to us than fear of loss, we discover our wings. 
When we are no longer afraid of change, of losing what we think we have, or the fulfillment we imagine to be sourced outside of us, and are willing to risk it all for our heart’s knowing, for the uncompromising integrity in that, the relief is surprisingly immediate. 
Though it may involve facing the hurt of disillusionment, the fall of pride, the surfacing of old wounds, that is simply a part of the rebirth offered by a radical commitment to self-honesty. 
The self-respect and confidence that emerges out of such an honoring, the willingness to offer up the surface dance to a deeper wisdom, makes it possible to gaze into the eyes and soul of another, with no need of approval, or fear of rejection, and no shame in being fully seen. True self-honesty diffuses self-judgement, and therefore any need for defensiveness. It reveals our innocence. We can finally just be ourselves. 
And, maybe for the first time, without any subtle need of them, without any emotional dependency, we really truly see the one in front of us. We meet the naked beauty of the other, as never before, on equal ground. When we aren’t hiding from ourselves, we no longer need to hide from the world, which will always reflect back to us what we are avoiding. In this way, life is in continuous support of our liberation. 
Free from the subconsious pressure of hope and expectation born of fantasy, of projected values and assumptions, free from the inner conflict of unexpressed gut feelings, it becomes so easy to give, to receive, to experience the fulfillment of true connection. Unconditional presence. Real love. The joy of that is far greater than any birthing pains. 
Be honest to your heart, and give that a voice in your relationships. You’ll never regret it.

   – Joshua Isrealievitch



Posted in attitude, awareness, beauty, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Blessing, Change, Choice, confidence, connection, courage, determination, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Letting Go, Life, Love, power, Prayer | Leave a comment
13 May 2016

(slowly) happy birthday to Me… 


Midnight poem

The clock has crossed the finish line 

of yesterday

and begun this beautiful new day

This very minute everything begins new

I start this day soft,

in the darkness,

adjusting to the new date,

this particular date, 

the date of my birth –

51 years ago now –

this year is passing quickly

I am living in this now,

in this wow! 

It’s all happening! 

No more filling time 

No more empty spaces 

No more waiting for…

I breathe my gratitude, 

float away on a smiling cloud

as I drift back to sleep 

🎂

AL


 I am a recovering addict- addicted to artifice, disguise, misidentification, distraction, substitute gratifications, materialism, being right, winning every silly battle. Now I want to be a re-uncovering addict- addicted to baring my naked soul for all to see, particularly me. I want to see straight through my armor to the essential being quivering below. Nothing to hide, no place to hide it.

💞

   – Jeff Brown


I hereby break all contracts I made unconsciously & consciously before I knew the depth of my own Spirit; the silent ones, the ones I inherited, passed down & accepted as my own from generation to generation.
I hereby severe all ties with that which holds me down & back, unable to see the glimmer of what I know to be true, whether by my own creation or by expectations tied like weights around my ankles by others lost in the sea of their own confused hearts.
I hereby reclaim my right to choose how my story unfolds, armed with creativity, a heart made of gold & reverent humility.
I hereby fully accept all of this living & what-is-yet-to-come with brash integrity & loving determination.
I hereby swear to use my superpowers for the love of all beings & I return anything that no longer serves my Higher & Lower Self (& the ones Caught-in-Between) with gratitude & consciousness.
I do this all with love, from the great source of it found in my very own beating heart.

❤️

      – Bryonie Wise



Posted in attitude, awareness, beauty, Becoming Yourself, beloved, Blessing, courage, determination, Encouragement, find art at pinterest, forgiveness, Freedom, Gratitude, Poetry, soul and spirit, transformation, Trust, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment
12 May 2016

going on  



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.

🔥

The Dream of Learning our True Name by Kathy Galloway 


Trees not yet leafed out,

the woods aren’t green,

just tiny flakes of green
in their childish little hands,

soft and small.

Something larger than them
from deep down stirs,

exceeds itself in them.

Among those who dare
a new thing

God grant me

such ancient courage.
__________________ 
Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Unfolding Light

http://www.unfoldinglight.net




photo sources found at http://www.pinterest.com

Posted in action, Adventure, attitude, awareness, beauty, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Burnign Bridges, Change, Choice, commitment, connection, determination, find art at pinterest, forgiveness, healing, home, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, moment | Leave a comment
11 May 2016

God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, or sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. –Anonymous


19 years ago today

I stood at the edge

of a great abyss 

in life

a part of me,

not known until that time,

had awakened

now I had a choice to make,

to accept –

or deny –

this part of myself,

which was revealed 

in such a wild, 

drastic,

unexpected

and overwhelming manner

I knew this would be

what, ultimately,

saved,

or

destroyed,

my life.

as I stood,

still in innocence,

not really knowing –

yet, somehow,

knowing in every way –

the costs,

the benefits,

the responsibility,

the awareness.

the long dark road ahead,

the excruciating valley years to come,

the sharp, rugged climb up the mountain. 

19 years ago,

on this day,

I struggled 

with all of this.

I made certain vows 

concerning the choices 

I would make through 

my time of learning:

I would only follow love. 

No matter how I failed, I would remember it is not about how good I am. I would try to live the words of Jesus in The Sermon on the Mount. 

I would never make a choice 

simply to benefit myself 

or to get money. 

I would learn to be truthful and fair and be the person I wanted to be. 

I would be honest with myself – always – especially when I was wrong, or made a mistake. 

I would stay aware and learn – so I would not make the same mistake twice. 

I would make the best choice I could any given moment, and then move forward the best I could with no regret. 

I would do my best and give my best. 

I would look for good things every day. 

That day I said ‘yes!’ to life

I jumped off the cliff

and began…

for good…

for bad…

to make my choices 

from a new place of radical trust. 

the rest is my history…

🍎

AL


All of my life I searched for truth and wanted to be beautiful

All my life I kept on moving looking for my home

All my life I played the part that someone else said was beautiful

All my life I lived afraid I couldn’t play that part

now I knock upon your door hear what my heart’s been longing for

welcome home

you belong

you are here 

where I love you, 

I want you

welcome home

won’t you stay

in my arms

I will hold you, 

I need you

I won’t ever leave you

you are home

you are never alone

welcome home

I will sing you a song

I will build you an alter

I will shout to the hills

I will rise to the sky

I will bake you some bread

I will drink to your honor

I will dance in the rain

I will celebrate always

🏡

AL


 
Character. Strength. Intelligence. Style. That makes beauty.

💞

— Diane Von Furstenberg 

A man looked for meaning.

For his very place in life.
He searched high and low.
He’d often hear a whisper, calling

his name from the other side

of what seemed like a door.
A door that remained hidden

from his ability to see.
Frustrated, he’d knock on

everything that resembled

a door. Turning here,

and there. Turning

just about anywhere.
Then one day,

unannounced,

it opened.
And he realised that he’d been

knocking from the inside.

And that the whisper

had been an echo.
The echo of his own soul

reminding him that

he was already home.

💞

The Whisper and the Echo by Nic Askew

Posted in action, Adventure, attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, beloved, Burnign Bridges, Change, Choice, find art at pinterest, Freedom, healing, Letting Go, Life, Love, mystery, risk, soul and spirit, transformation, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment
10 May 2016

preparation = always ready 


WAITING TO GO ON
…It must be 

we are waiting 

for the perfect moment. 
It must be

under all the struggle

we want to go on.
It must be, 

that deep down,

we are creatures

getting ready

for when we are needed.
It must be that waiting 

for the listening ear

or the appreciative word, 

for the right

woman or the right man 

or the right moment 

just to ourselves,
we are getting ready 

just to be ready
and nothing else.
Like this moment

just before the guests arrive 

working

alone in the kitchen 

sensing a deep

down symmetry

in every blessed thing.
The way

that everything 

unbeknownst

to us

is preparing 

to meet us too.
Just on the other 

side of the door 

someone

is about to knock

and our life

is just

about to change
and finally

after all these 

years rehearsing, 

behind

the curtain,
we might 

just be 

ready

to go on.
…

From ‘Waiting to Go On’ by David Whyte


The piano, 

not played,

is still a piano – 

patiently waiting 

the music lies quietly

still inside

ready 

not going anywhere else

not making itself heard

not anxious 

or demanding 

all it takes is the right hand

to touch the keys

to fall in love

and the song begins

the strings within

warm to life

always ready to play

💞

AL


Posted in action, attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Choice, connection, courage, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Gratitude, Letting Go, Life, Love, music, mystery, soul and spirit, transformation, Trust, truth, Uncategorized, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment
08 May 2016

when you’re ready     


I don’t think that anything happens by coincidence. No one is here by accident. Everyone who crosses our path has a message for us. Otherwise they would have taken another path, or left earlier or later. The fact that these people are here means that they are here for some reason. 

💞

        ― James Redfield


I make a distinction between relationship challenges that are sourced in trauma and those sourced in developmental stages. Quite often, they are inextricably linked, but not always. Sometimes what is blocking someone’s emotional availability and fueling dysfunctional behavior is primarily related to unhealed  traumas. But sometimes the deeper issue is that they are at a different emotional stage. In the latter case, it is not simply a question of holding the space for their healing. It’s a question of waiting, often for years, in the hope that they reach the stage you are at. An impossible scenario, both because you will have to stop growing yourself if they are to catch up, and because you really don’t know who they will be at the next stages of their developmental journey. They may grow into someone perfectly compatible with you, or they may move in another direction altogether. Perhaps the most important questions we can ask about a partner relates to their emotional age: How emotionally mature are they? What areas have they developed and integrated? What aspects are still under-developed?  And how will their stage of development intersect with ours? Don’t be fooled by chronological age. Stage—not age—is what matters most.

💞

(~Jeff Brown an excerpt from ‘Spiritual Graffiti’)



I am no teacher

To teach you how to love,

For the fish need no teacher

To teach them to swim

And birds need no teacher

To teach them flight.

Swim on your own.

Fly on your own.

Love comes with no textbooks

And the greatest lovers in history were illiterate.

💞

~Nizar Qabbani

We must not give up. It takes so much time to heal because we are not just healing our own wounds- we are healing the world’s wounds, too. We think we are alone with our ‘stuff’, but we aren’t. With every clearing of our emotional debris, with every foray into a healthier way of being, with every excavation and release of old material, we heal the collective heart. So many of our familial and karmic ancestors had little opportunity to heal their pains. When we heal, their spirits breathe a sigh of relief. We heal them, too.

💞

   – Jeff Brown


Lissette Hesmadt

Lover’s Leap Bridge

January 2016

Posted in action, attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, courage, determination, Faith, find art at pinterest, Growth, Habits, healing, intimacy, Letting Go, Life, Love, People, Reality | Leave a comment

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