life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the category “courage”

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
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
09 May 2016

needing a dull moment


There are times when I need to rest,

a sabbath of dullness,
because the rest of the time

I am walking around behind God,
even the stirred dust sparkling,

even the shadows gleaming,
God every instant saying

“Let there be light.
Let there be stone. This stone,

and this light laying on the stone.
Let there be this tree, this branch,

and each of these birds singing in it.
Let there be this bee, let there be its labor,

and the wonder of its coming and going.
Let there be this river, and its waters,

its springs and tributaries, and their flowing.
Let there be this person.

Let there be this hope unfolding in this heart.
Let there be this moment.

Yes! And now this one!”
It never stops.

It never stops.

__________________ 
Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Unfolding Light

http://www.unfoldinglight.net




Posted in attitude, awareness, beauty, commitment, compassion, connection, courage, create, Dancing, Freedom, grace, Gratitude, healing, Hope, inspiration, Joy, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, nature, Peace, rest | 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
06 May 2016

make the most of it


Setting priorities is a difficult process…
No, it’s not!

That’s just what I keep saying. 

But, it’s really very simple –

Just this…
What is the most important thing(s) in my life?
How do I reorganize my life around 

the most important thing(s)?
Am I willing to do the work focused on that/those?
Those questions are on me. 

The answers are very clear,

very simple. 
YES! 
Ok, then…

Get busy

make your music happen 

Focus 

Work

Do it!

This is it!

Set your sites…

Now…

Go…

💃🏻

AL





Posted in action, Adventure, attitude, awareness, beauty, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Career, Choice, confidence, connection, courage, create, Encouragement, find art at pinterest, focus, fun, grace, Happiness, inspiration, Joy, laugh, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, music | Leave a comment
04 May 2016

suddenly


simple

yet so very complex

the layers of this human experience 

energy

emotional 

baggage

layers

fears

behavior

we struggle with virtues

our humanity

our ego

our need to be accepted

with family dynamics

childhood evils

haunt us

like fairytales

we create stories

we sabotage our own living

trying to heal

to find acceptance

to be loved

to figure out our path

to untangle our pain

our bad choices

the choices of others

our destructive relationships

suddenly after an eternity

a lightening bolt hits

clarity comes

we see why

we let go

we forgive

as fall into a deep pool

of peace

where we begin again

from this place

to build new stories

and make new dreams

this will be our new platform of learning

until it happens again

and again

and so our story unfolds

always leading us towards our best selves

if we will just be open

and do the hard work

of surrender

of resilience 

of continuing 

of allowing ourselves

of becoming ourselves

knowing we are 

strong 

and we are each

beloved

❤️

AL


our happiness

was when the

lights were

out

the whole city

in darkness

& we drove north

to our friend’s

yellow apt.

where she had

power & we

could work

later we stayed

in the darkened
 apt. 

you sick

in bed & me

writing ambitiously

by candle light

in thin blue
 books

your neighbor had

a generator &

after a while

we had a little

bit of light

I walked the

dog & you

were still

a little bit 
sick

we sat on a stoop

one day 

in the
 late afternoon

we had very little
 money. 

enough for

a strong cappuccino

which we shared

sitting there 

&
 suddenly 

the
 city was lit.
🌃

our happiness by Eileen Myles


Posted in action, attitude, awareness, beauty, Becoming Yourself, Beliefs, beloved, Change, Choice, courage, determination, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, healing, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, moment, mystery | Leave a comment
01 May 2016

what if?


May this be a morning of innocent beginning,

 When the gift within you slips clear 

 Of the sticky web of the personal

 With its hurt and hauntings,

 And fixed fortress corners,
A morning when you become a pure vessel

 For what wants to ascend from silence,
May your imagination know

 The grace of perfect danger,
To reach beyond imitation,

 And the wheel of repetition,
Deep into the call of all 

 The unfinished and unsolved
Until the veil of the unknown yields

 And something original begins 

 To stir toward your senses

 And grow stronger in your heart… 

💞

John O’Donohue
Excerpt from, ‘For the Artist at the Start of Day’

 BENEDICTUS (Europe) / TO BLESS THE SPACE BETWEEN US (US)


…quietly just now, just one word:

Believe. 

Believe the best.

Believe the hard is being worked out for good.

Believe the best is still to come. 

Believe in the One who is Best.

Believe. [Mark9:23]

💞

   Ann Voskamp @ aholyexperience.com



Posted in Adventure, art, attitude, beauty, Becoming Yourself, Beliefs, beloved, Blessing, Choice, confidence, connection, courage, create, Faith, find art at pinterest, Imagine, inspiration, Life, Love, mystery, Poetry | Leave a comment
30 Apr 2016

graceful surrender


Start close in,

don’t take the second step

or the third,

start with the first

thing

close in,

the step

you don’t want to take.
Start with

the ground

you know,

the pale ground

beneath your feet,

your own

way to begin

the conversation.
Start with your own

question,

give up on other

people’s questions,

don’t let them

smother something

simple.
To hear

another’s voice,

follow

your own voice,

wait until

that voice

becomes an

intimate

private ear

that can 

then

really listen

to another.
Start right now

take a small step

you can call your own

don’t follow

someone else’s

heroics, be humble

and focused,

start close in,

don’t mistake

that other

for your own.
Start close in,

don’t take

the second step

or the third,

start with the first

thing

close in,

the step

you don’t want to take.
…

START CLOSE IN by David Whyte


Days of wine and focus

of hanging on

of staying strong

of keeping faith

of sitting still

of being silent

of standing in my own shoes

of letting go 

of allowing the mystery

of hearing the call

of accepting what is

of not crossing borders or boundaries

of opening and opening

of trusting the journey

of seeing the face of God

of surrender into something bigger than I can know

of making the daily commitment

of acknowledging the grace

of thanking for everything

of looking for the miracles

of talking to trees

of taking time to prepare

of expressing my thanks

of helping in time of need

of following my own path

of obedience rather than sacrifice

of love and love and love

of all things love

💞

AL


Posted in action, Adventure, awareness, balance, beauty, Becoming Yourself, beloved, confidence, connection, courage, find art at pinterest, healing, intimacy, Joy, Life, Love, soul and spirit, strength, transformation, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment
29 Apr 2016

sometimes


Sometimes the wind that strips everything

is the strong breathing of a yes.
The river of life wears away your little island

and bears you somewhere fertile. 
Receive the gift only departing can bestow,

the holy not in what is anointed
but in what is next,

the beginning beyond the silence beyond the end.
In thickest darkness is a door felt, not seen.

It gives. 
Beside you in confidence 

God is uncompleting the journey for you.
Lay your hand on the dark door. A voice 

says, “Come, join my becoming.”
__________________ 

Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Unfolding Light

http://www.unfoldinglight.net


There was a definite cracking sound

It came from that place inside

Secret Deep 

Like the milky way

Or the center of the earth

Or heaven

More possibly hell 

– At least half way to one or all of those places

Like winter ice in the springtime thaw

The sound was unmistakeable

Now i feel it moving outward from that secret place

Like an inchworm 

Made of glass

Or razor blades

I wonder if half of me will 

suddenly

Melt down onto the floor

Like a bizarre murder in an action movie

Where the camera stays still

watching 

to catch

The guy who just got slashed through 

From the sword of justice

Looking normal 

for suspended moments 

Then

Slowly

The smile still on his lips

One piece slides to the floor

While the other stays upright 

To the delight 

of the eager

 bloodthirsty 

cheering 

audience

All of whom I know

🗡

AL



Posted in attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, Change, courage, dark, Death, Faith, find art at pinterest, Growth, healing, Letting Go, Life, mystery, soul and spirit, transformation, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment
28 Apr 2016

risk it all  


We are here essentially to risk ourselves in the world. We are a form of invitation to others and to otherness, we are meant to hazard ourselves for the right thing, for the right woman or the right man, for a son or a daughter, for the right work or for a gift given against all the odds. And in all this continual risking the most profound courage may be found in the radical and simple willingness to allow ourselves to be happy along the way…

😄

LONGING by David Whyte


It’s not how we leave one’s life. 

How we go off the air. 

You never know do you. 

You think you’re ready

for anything; 

then it happens, and you’re not. 

You’re really not. 

The genesis of an ending, nothing but a feeling, 

a slow movement, 

the dusting of furniture 

with a remnant of the revenant’s shirt.

Seeing the candles sink in their sockets; 

we turn away, 

yet the music never quits. 

The fire kisses our face.

O phthsis, o lotharian dead eye, 

no longer will you gaze on the baize of the billiard table. 

No more shooting butter dishes out of the sky. 

Scattering light.

Between snatches of poetry and penitence 

you left the brumal wood of men and women. 

Snow drove the butterflies home. 

You must know how it goes, 

known all along what to expect,

sooner or later … 

the faded cadence of anonymity.

Frankly, my dear, frankly, my dear, frankly

💞

Only the Crossing Counts by C. D. Wright


Well I won’t back down, no I won’t back down

You could stand me up at the gates of hell

But I won’t back down
Gonna stand my ground, won’t be turned around

And I’ll keep this world from draggin’ me down

Gonna stand my ground and I won’t back down
[Chorus:]

Hey baby, there ain’t no easy way out

Hey I will stand my ground

And I won’t back down
Well I know what’s right, I got just one life

In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around

But I’ll stand my ground and I won’t back down
Hey baby there ain’t no easy way out

Hey I will stand my ground

And I won’t back down

No, I won’t back down

http://youtu.be/k2h9HPZhqHE

This day maybe be rough and bloody and heartbreaking but it is here and it is now and it is bursting with untold potential and possibility and our response to it is of utmost, urgent importance.

       – Rob Bell

Posted in action, Adventure, attitude, awareness, Choice, connection, courage, determination, do, Encouragement, find art at pinterest, fun, Letting Go, Life, Passion, risk, soul and spirit, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment

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