life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the category “Blessing”

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

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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

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the voice of calm still whispers

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Times may turn dark;
they always have.
Our calling remains unchanged.
The voice of hope is undiminished.

The world may turn
toward ravage and greed;
the acid of fear stain our faces,
the voracious appetite of power
consume the earth and its silent ones,
but the Holy One’s tender mercy
does not waver or abate.
The voice of calm still whispers.

Your path may take you
through ulcered valleys of shadow.
The Gentle One is still with you.

Our path is not to save the world;
only One may do that.
Our path is to learn to love
even in the darkness.

Our calling is still to be woven in,
to cry out for the hurting,
to take mercy to the streets,
to be gentle among the violent
and strong amidst the fearful,
to mend the fabric even as it is torn,
to heal and bless even in our defeat.

Life may turn dark; it often does.
Crucifixion reoccurs.
But the world in its suffering
will be made pure light.
Even in the evening of our power,
even in the dusk of the world,
the light of the Merciful One shines on,
and we are given this: to share the light,
to share the light
until we ourselves are pure light.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.org

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filled with graces

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A little drop of the sky, a little drop of the land, a little drop of the sea, on your forehead, beloved one. To protect, to shield and to surround you. The little drop of the Three, to fill you with the graces.
– Traditional Celtic Prayer

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Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.
– Ryunosuke Satoro
photos by Fisherman Dan @ Branford, CT

carry the beauty with you

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Photos by Fisherman Dan of Branford, CT

Sometimes we forget people, even people we appreciate, after they’re no longer present. Recently I have been gifted with a re-visit of the music of John Denver. As I have re-connected with his gifts, his spirit, his voice, it has taken me to new places of beauty and old places of re-birthing. 💞 Am so grateful for the talents each of us bring to the world. Our gifts, when shared, are eternal. Don’t withhold who you have been created to be. Share your truth now! Today! Every day! Beauty brings hope! Sharing brings eternal joy and changes the world! There are no accidental gifts! Embrace yourself!

yellow

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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

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the adventurers gifts

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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.
💞

ACL 10/29/14

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it’s a brand new day

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beautiful

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I sit with the storm,
watching the wind do what wind does –
visible-invisible work.
It howls through the roof tops,
blows leaves past the window.
It is quite the showoff this morning.
The tree drips sorrow.
Thunder and lightening,
scare the dog into the bathroom,
but thrill me with their ferocity.
All morning it goes,
as I work at my 4′ space
pausing,
occasionally,
or more,
to watch the crying games just a few inches away.
Then,
suddenly,
my writing lights up.
It’s dramatic,
startling even.
I look up to see what has happened.
The storm is completely gone.
The sunlight has broken through the overcast sky.
The trees are drenched in golden glow,
leaves glistening like glowing emeralds.
It is so beautiful it takes my breath away.
I sit and stare for timeless time,
drinking it into my soul,
into my storehouse of these glory moments.
Then I go back to my work,
full of wonder and hope.

ACL 10/04/13

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Every now and then I sit and watch the sun rise to remind myself how it’s done – peacefully, steadily, warmly and in beautiful color. – Richelle E. Goodrich

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If I write a love poem
you will read it.

If I say my lover’s eyes are oceans, or galaxies
you will understand.

If I say I long for the feel of the curve of her waist
your hands will feel empty.

If I say her comfort is my earth
you will smile to yourself.

If I say she is larger than the world
you will grow confused.

If I say she is older than music
you will become wary.

If I say she is God
you will sigh and put the book down.

What can I do but sing of my love,
her hands like fields of wheat?

So I will not tell you the secret part,
only that her mouth is a river I kneel and drink from,

her love makes dawn arise in me,
her voice is like rain.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.net

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💞

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And now I know what most deeply connects us

after that summer so many years ago,
and it isn’t poetry, although it is poetry,

and it isn’t illness, although we have that in common,

and it isn’t gratitude for every moment,
even the terrifying ones, even the physical pain,

though we are halfway through
it, or even the way you describe the magnificence

of being alive, catching a glimpse,

in the store window, of your blowing hair and chapped lips,
though it is beautiful, it is; but it is

that you’re my friend out here on the far reaches

of what humans can find out about each other.

“Coda” by Jason Shinder

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