life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the category “Growth”

dreaming of you

I gaze at the stars.
spring night air, and strange new sounds,
seep soft through open windows,
first night open for two seasons.
crickets and coyotes mix with dogs and cars
the occasional child crying,
bed time,
then the soothing sound of its mothers voice.
I lay on a hard mattress,
my neck hurts,
my head aches,
I wonder it’s not worse
with the stress of my wallet echo.
I have certainly gotten resilient
over these years.
I drift, soft with the night.
I think about the wonder
of this life I am living,
how much I have learned,
and how that is only
the surface.
the stars are fading,
the big dipper going to sleep.
my eyelids are getting heavy
time to find the dream answers
waiting on the other side
of my living
where anything can happen,
and it’s all really about me.

AL 4/9/13

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most important 11 truths I have learned …so far

1. God is love. All we need is love. Real, unconditional love leads us to our highest selves.

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2. The value of the human soul. Every individual human soul is worth more than all the money in this world. Never forget it.

3. We are all beloved. Unique. Loved unconditionally. Here for this very time and place for a specific and special purpose.

4. The power of choice. We CAN do hard things. We can change our lives! We can overcome anything. We hold the power! Attitude is everything! Words are power!

5. Long term thinking is the key to changing our lives and the world. Don’t trade what you want most for what you want now.

6. Timing truly is everything. Patience is one of the most difficult virtues to learn. We can learn it! Practice makes perfect.

7. Life is a gift. Give thanks in everything. Everything! Yes, everything! Look for the miracles. They are everywhere!

8. Listen to the silence. God speaks through silence. If you want to meet God you have to learn about silence and being alone.

9. Find your truth. Speak your truth. It’s inside each of us. The truth sets us free and we will be free indeed.

10. Relationships are all important for creativity and truly becoming our highest selves. Surround yourself with like-minded positive people for success, as well as for discovering and sharing our creativity.

11. Never give/lend anything you want back. Give all you can without expecting anything in return. Give as much as you can anonymously. Share – there is always enough to be shared.

AL 3/29/13

 

the action of letting go

The Road to New Beginnings
Completion
by Madisyn Taylor

Just as new beginnings are important, so is honoring the experience of closure.

Life is a collage of beginnings and endings that run together like still-wet paint. Yet before we can begin any new phase in life, we must sometimes first achieve closure to the current stage we are in. That’s because many of life’s experiences call for closure. Often, we cannot see the significance of an event or importance of a lesson until we have reached closure. Or, we may have completed a certain phase in life or path of learning and want to honor that ending. It is this sense of completion that frees us to open the door to new beginnings. Closure serves to tie up or sever loose ends, quiets the mind even when questions have been left unanswered, signifies the end of an experience, and acknowledges that a change has taken place.

The period of completion, rather than being just an act of finality, is also one of transition. When we seek closure, what we really want is an understanding of what has happened and an opportunity to derive what lessons we can from an experience. Without closure, there is no resolution and we are left to grieve, relive old memories to the point of frustration, or remain forever connected to people from our past. A sense of completion regarding a situation may also result when we accept that we have done our best. If you can’t officially achieve closure with someone, you can create completion by participating in a closure ritual. Write a farewell letter to that person and then burn your note during a ceremony. This ritual allows you to consciously honor and appreciate what has taken place between you and release the experience so you can move forward.

Closure can help you let go of feelings of anger or uncertainty regarding your past even as you honor your experience – whether good or bad – as a necessary step on your life’s path. Closure allows you to emotionally lay to rest issues and feelings that may be weighing down your spirit. When you create closure, you affirm that you have done what was needed, are wiser because of your experience, and are ready for whatever life wants to bring you next.

http://www.dailyom.com

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day 4

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the home of hospitality
is not always what we expect.
the heart of the host
not always easy.
the path of the pilgrim
not always smooth and straight.
a lot of angels
seem to be very scruffy.
the best pastures for the beloved sheep
quite often hard to get to.
the best of life
usually comes the hard way.
the heart of giving
has a dark side as well.
choosing the spiritual life
is not the easy way to go.
in this country of fast food
loud, business, greed
and instant everything.
silence, prayer, self discipline
and serving others
are still the way
to love, joy, peace
and true rich happiness.

AL 2/15/13

important reminder list

1The most destructive habit……………………….Worry
The greatest Joy……………………………….Giving
The greatest loss………………….Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work…………………Helping others
The ugliest personality trait……………….Selfishness
The greatest “shot in the arm”…………….Encouragement
The deadliest weapon………………………..The tongue
The two most power-filled words…………………”I Can”
The greatest asset………………………………Faith
The most worthless emotion……………………Self-pity
The most beautiful attire……………………….SMILE!
The most prized possession…………………..Integrity
The most powerful channel of communication……….Prayer
The most contagious spirit………………….Enthusiasm
The most important thing in life…………………..GOD
The greatest problem to overcome………………….Fear
The most effective sleeping pill………….Peace of Mind
The most crippling failure disease……………..Excuses
The most powerful force in life…………………..Love
The most dangerous pariah…………………..A gossiper
The world’s most incredible computer………….The brain
The worst thing to be without…………………….Hope
– Unknown

http://thoughtsaday.blogspot.com/

let hope rise and darkness tremble – hillsong

A crisis is a gift, an opportunity, and perhaps a manifestation that life loves us,
by beckoning us to go beyond the dance we presently perform.
– Leslie Lebeau
7

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on te wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say,
“Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
– Psalm 139:7-12

Yes! When the light of hope comes, darkness has no place!!!!
11 healing

vulnerability of caring – we are all connected

“The miracle is this – the more we share, the more we have.”
– Leonard Nimoy

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Isaiah 58:7-8

Maritta Terrell

Thoughts are also posted at:
http://thoughtsaday.blogspot.com/

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Marisa Haedike illy

a celtic prayer

Deep peace of the
Running waves to you.

Deep peace of the
flowing air to you.

Deep peace of the
Quiet earth to you.

Deep peace of the
shining stars to you.

Deep peace of the
Son of peace to you.

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travelers

Wanderer, your footsteps are
The road, and nothing more;
Wanderer, there is no road,
The road is made by walking.
By walking one makes the road.

And upon glancing behind
One see the path
That will never be trod again.
Wanderer, there is no road,
Only wakes upon the sea.
– Antonio Machado
The Traveler
Quoted in Standing at Water’s Edge by Anne Paris

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Heart and Mind

It is important to make decisions from a place of balance in your life by taking a breath and checking in with heart and mind.

Each of the myriad decisions we make every day has the potential to have a deep impact on our lives. Some choices touch us to our very cores, awakening poignant feelings within us. Others seem at first to be simple but prove to be confusingly complex. We make the best decisions when we approach the decision-making process from a balanced emotional and intellectual foundation. When we have achieved equilibrium in our hearts and in our minds, we can clearly see both sides of an issue or alternative. Likewise, we can accept compromise as a natural fact of life. Instead of relying solely on our feelings or our rationality, we utilize both in equal measure, empowering ourselves to come to a life-affirming and balanced conclusion.
Balance within and balance without go hand in hand. When you are called upon to choose between two or more options, whether they are attractive or distasteful, you should understand all you can about the choice ahead of you before moving forward. If you do not come to the decision from a place of balance, you risk making choices that are irrational and overly emotional or are wholly logical and don’t take your feelings into account. In bringing your thoughts and emotions together during the decision-making process, you ensure that you are taking everything possible into account before moving forward. Nothing is left up to chance, and you have ample opportunity to determine which options are in accordance with your values.
Though some major decisions may oblige you to act and react quickly, most will allow you an abundance of time in which to mull over your choices. If you doubt your ability to approach your options in a balanced fashion, take an extended time-out before responding to the decision. This will give you the interlude you need to make certain that your thoughts and feelings are in equilibrium. As you practice achieving balance, you will ultimately reach a state of mind in which you can easily make decisions that honor every aspect of the self.

www.dailyom.com

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