life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the category “Reflection”

adventure awaits!

New York through the Lense – Vivienne Gucwa

http://nycphoto.smugmug.com/Photography/New-York-City-Photography/21276087_XtN66k#!i=1723372847&k=5LtRjLx

I watch the dark skein swerve and wheel

and return to its purpose,

each bird defined

against a misty grey sky.

The rain-stained glass

and traffic noise

keep me from their calls,

and I feel apart

from life itself.

Rhythms and drives

are sanitised and commoditised,

rituals removed

more and more

from root and purpose.

The outstretched necks

and curves of wings

are living shorthand messages

for those, like me,

without direction,

left behind

to the hard shoulders and cold hearts

of a lost people.

Nancy Somerville, ‘Wild Geese Flying South’, from  Pushing the Boat Out: New Poetry , Wild Goose Publications, Kathy Galloway (ed.), 1995

full circle

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time
– T. S. Elliot

20120909-082056.jpg

think about what really matters

Manchester, Georgia – Pinterest

98% of the world’s people are spending 98% of their time on things that don’t matter.
– Neale Donald Walsh

the ‘pour-out-your’ bucket list

The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone,
but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.
– Kalu Kalu

Ann Voskamp’s writes on her blog yesterday over at A Holy Experience was her thoughts on Bucket Lists –

I’ve never had a bucket list, and I’m thinking that I don’t want a bucket list as much as I want a poured bucket list. I’m thinking:

The best lives don’t have Bucket Lists as much as they have Empty Bucket lists.

Because the thing is when I kick the bucket, I don’t want there to be anything left in my bucket. When I kick the bucket, I want the bucket right empty.

I don’t want my life to be how I took experiences — but that I gave exceedingly.

That I gave every last drop, that I poured it all out, that I held nothing back. Because the way to really live is not to try to fill your life up — but to spill your life out.

“Where do you want to go?” the editor urges.

“What do you want to see — and, most important, with whom? Then just do it! Figure out a way to make it happen, and 20 years from now, you will not be disappointed. As we have the opportunity to check items off the list, not only are we given fantastic stories to share, but we also gain memories that will last a lifetime.”

This is what has changed me: writing thanks down on the list — and who can hoard their life when they see the abundance of His grace?

I hold the magazine in both hands and it’s unexpected — how wild I feel to rewrite this whole thing:

The question is really is not what you want to see — but who do you want to serve — and yes, most importantly, for Whom. Then do that!


read the full post at http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/08/best-bucket-list/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HolyExperience+%28Holy+Experience%29

I concur!

The secret to life is to begin living with thankfulness for a glimpse of grace – and then finding that EVERYTHING is grace!

How then can we not pour out our lives for this gift, this love beyond our human comprehension, we have been so richly and freely given?

All the Hemispheres

 Hafez

by Paulo Coelho on August 26, 2010

Leave the familiar for a while. Let your senses and bodies stretch outLike a welcomed season Onto the meadows and shores and hills.

Open up to the Roof. Make a new water-mark on your excitement And love.

Like a blooming night flower, Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness And giving Upon our intimate assembly.

Change rooms in your mind for a day.

All the hemispheres in existence Lie beside an equator In your heart.

Greet Yourself In your thousand other forms As you mount the hidden tide and travel Back home.

All the hemispheres in heaven Are sitting around a fire Chatting

While stitching themselves together Into the Great Circle inside of You.

_______________________________

Hāfez (1325/26–1389/90) was a Persian poet. From: ‘The Subject Tonight is Love’

http://paulocoelhoblog.com

Creator of the Universe,

Loving Mystery, Womb of Silence,
you have brought me out of the narrows

into a broad and spacious place.
I will not return to confinement,

but remain here in your generous freedom.
I guard the silence at the center;

I hold the moment empty and open.
I breathe in,

and make sanctuary in my body for you.
I make room in my thoughts

for you to enter and be at peace.
I offer openings in my day,

where you may rest.
I create space in my living

for you alone.
I enter the holy of holies

where you make of this moment
the void of Creation,

the gift of Sabbath.

Amen.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

how much do we really have?

Some people say, ‘the glass is half full’. Others say, ‘the glass is half empty’. Still others say ‘the glass is always full’.

Abundance or scarcity – which do you live in? What do you choose to see?

Yesterday I had a moment when I didn’t think I had enough for myself and as tears came streaming down my face, I realized a woman next to me try to pay for a paper was counting her pennies. I debated on giving about a second – I didn’t have very much to give. Then as I put the dollar down on the counter for her paper, she turned to me and said, ‘Thank you so much, I am down to my last bit of change.’ I was so caught in my own personal distress of that moment and I was already on my way to the bathroom to compose myself. As I stood in the bathroom, I realized what she had said and the fact that she had nothing and I had 26 dollars! I could share. I was abundant!!! Why did I doubt? I have seen it over and over – there is always plenty enough to share.
I quickly went to find her, but she was nowhere to be found.
I have been thinking of it ever since.

Down To Earth

Took a leap of faith

Thought I’d learn how to fly

Lookin’ for rainbows

And dreams passing by

Searching for answers

To a whole bunch of lies

Tryin’ to be anybody but me

As I crashed to the ground

Here’s truth that I found:

Learned I must bend

So I won’t break

How to get real

Not be a fake

Chose to smile through the pain

And never to hate

Now I’m flying so high

While I’m walking around

Cause the sky doesn’t end

Till it touches the ground

Living each day now

One step a day

It’s so good to be

Where I want to stay

Just you and me

Found a few answers

Stopped asking why

Now it’s time to be free

And I’m flying so high

Right here on the ground

Cause I’m walkin’ on sunshine

Hooked on the feeling

On top of the world

I’m one happy girl

Learned to find rainbows

Right in the rain

Found out I had more

The more that I gave

Chose to be happy

Not to complain

Living with passion

I know what it’s worth

Cause life doesn’t start

Till you get down to earth

al 8/08

We don’t deny the negative, we just put it in the proper context as being miracles for our own growth. – Mastin Kipp

Everything you take for granted is a blessing. Everything you fear is a friend in disguise. Everything you want is a part of you. Everything you hate you hate about yourself. Everything you own does not define you. Everything you feel is the only Truth there is to know.

Everything you wish for is already on its way to you. Everything you think creates your life. Everything you seek for you will find. Everything you resist will stick around. Everything you let go of stays if it’s supposed to. Everything you need is right where you are.

Every time you bless another your bless yourself. Every time you blame another you lose your power. Every time you think you can, you can. Every time you fall you must get up and try again. Every time you cry you’re one tear closer to joy. Every time you ask for forgiveness, all you have to do is forgive yourself.

Everyone you see is your reflection. Everyone you know mirrors you. Everyone wants to be happy. Everyone wants to live in joy. Everyone seeks a higher purpose. Everyone breathes the same breath. Everyone needs love to survive. Everyone has a purpose to fulfill.

Everyone’s the same as everyone else. We just get caught up in labels, names, skin color and religion. Everyone’s the same as everyone else. No one wants to feel the pain. Everyone’s the same as everyone else. Everyone is dying for love to remain.
– Jackson Kiddard

Via The Daily Love
www.thedailylove.com

overwhelmed with love

To be peaceful is to be free from expectations and to want nothing from anyone. Take the initiative and be generous. Lead the way and do something. This is the secret to being content in all circumstances.                                                                    – unknown

I am walking through a difficult part of the path right now, and yet it is a really peaceful time as well. The past 22 years have brought me to this moment, and all is well with my soul.

My faith has been tested in the fire and is not a theory! It is real, intimate, living, breathing life in me. The shadow of Jesus, who for so long I could not identify with, has become the true lover of my soul, my best friend, my peace, my joy, my everything. No one can take away what I have experienced in these years, it has been an incredible revelation of God.

I feel I am, once again, at a beginning. It is exciting. It is overwhelming. As I keep letting go, this wave of love is washing over me, and it is truly pure joy. I am overwhelmed with love.

I am on a walk of faith, like others before, and with me in this present moment. I do not see the path ahead as of yet, yet I have great peace because I know the way is there waiting for me as I walk forward into life, purpose, mission, music, community.

I wish I had more to bring, but all I can do is bring a love song which is my desire to obey, even when it’s hard, even when I don’t see the way, or completely understand the why. It really is just my reasonable service for all that God has done for me.

To God alone be the glory!

http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/finding-joy-v/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_-FR-_-08.03.12-_-FJOYmovie-USCAXX-&utm_source=CheetahMail&utm_campaign=FJOYmovie

Don’t get bogged down with all the details of how it’s going to come together. Just do the dishes. And watch the momentum build. – Brian J

Here are ten things to do even if others judge you for it:

1.Take care of yourself. – Your relationship with yourself is the closest and most important relationship you will ever have.  If you don’t take good care of yourself, then you can’t take good care of others either; which is why taking care of yourself is the best selfish thing you can do.  Read The Mastery of Love.

2.Do what you know is right, for YOU. – Don’t be scared to walk alone, and don’t be scared to like it.  Don’t let anyone’s ignorance, drama, or negativity stop you from being the best you can be.  Keep doing what you know in your heart is right, for you.  Because when you are totally at peace within yourself, nothing can shake you.

3.Follow your own unique path. – Every new day is a chance to change your life.  Work on making life all that you want it to be.  Work hard for what you believe, and keep your dreams big and your worries small.  You never need to carry more than you can hold; just take it one day at a time.  And while you’re out there making decisions instead of excuses, learning new things, and getting closer and closer to your goals, know that there are others out there, like me, who admire your efforts and are striving for greatness too.

4.Lock yourself away from the world and work on your goals. – Dream big dreams, but realize that short term, realistic goals are the key to success.  Success is directly connected with daily action.  The way we spend our time defines who we are.  Successful people keep moving, by doing small things every day that bring them a couple steps closer to their dream.  They make mistakes along the way, but they don’t quit – they learn and press on.  Read Getting Things Done.

5.Adjust your goals and dreams as life changes. – A great deal of pain in life comes from having a specific dream that you’ve fallen in love with, and when it doesn’t work out exactly as planned, you become angry that you now have to pursue a different path.  If you want to tame your inner demons and make the most of life, you must not become rigidly attached to just one specific dream, and remain open to there being an even better, equally as happy path ahead.  Life is unpredictable, but it provides plenty of opportunities to make dreams come true.  Just don’t forget that sometimes taking a positive step forward requires you to slightly adjust your dreams, or plan new ones – it’s OK to change your mind or have more than one dream.

6.Forgive those who have wronged you. – Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.  Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong and wise.  Forgiveness allows you to focus on the future without combating the past.  To understand the potential of everything going forward is to forgive everything already behind you.  Without forgiveness, wounds can never be healed, and moving on can never be accomplished.  What happened in the past is just one chapter.  Don’t close the book, just turn the page.

7.Show everyone your love and kindness. – If you are reserving your love only for those who you have decided are worthy of it – all strangers excluded – it may come as a surprise to learn that this is not love at all, it is called judgment.  Judgment is selective, love is all embracing.  Just as the sunlight and the wind do not discriminate, true love does not make any such distinctions either.  Love and kindness is a way of living.  Where there is love, there is no judgment.  Where there is judgment, there is no love.  Read The 5 Love Languages.

8.Stand up for others, even if it’s the unpopular thing to do. – Sometimes you will say something really small and simple, but it will fit right into an empty space in someone’s heart.  Dare to reach into the darkness, to pull someone else into the light.  Remember, strong people stand up for themselves, but stronger people stand up for others too, and lend a hand when they’re able.

9.Fight through your failures. – When you are feeling down or dealing with failure, don’t be ashamed.  There’s nothing to be ashamed of.  You are going through a difficult time, and you are still pushing forward.  That’s something to be proud of – that you are fighting through it and slowly rising above it.  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.

10.Keep your head held high and keep on smiling. – Every day of your life is a page of your history.  The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them.  Don’t cry over the past, cry to get over the past.  Don’t smile to hide the pain, smile to heal the pain.  Don’t think of all the sadness in the world, think of all the beauty that still remains around you.

http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/08/01/10-things-to-do-even-if-they-judge-you/#more-493

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