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On The Horizon

December 24, 2020December 24, 2020 becomingandbeholding6 Comments

There are times in life

when it feels as if

the horizon is all you have.

You want to be lifted

from your current shoreline

which has become rocky

and hard to navigate.

You have been in a season of loss

and your heart is wounded –

too much has changed for you.

In these times,

though the sea spray is still available

to refresh you,

and the music of the sea

still sings to you,

all you can see is the horizon.

Its beauty and hope

calls to your soul.

Its light reflects a joy

you long to feel again.

Its colors bless you with

the beauty of hope bestowed.

So, though your feet are torn

from the sharp edges

you have endured this season,

the horizon remains.

And as you take in its expanse of light,

your feet begin to find

the softer sand

to cradle your toes in warmth.

You remember you belong, after all.

You have found the gift of peace.

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Pull Us Closer to Love

October 15, 2020October 15, 2020 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

Everyday, a wilderness

a challenge,

a pain…

Our hearts and souls

are hard at work.

The world is in turmoil

and cannot be ignored.

We struggle together.

I pray for all of us…

Help us to sort

what is real

and what is not.

Help us to ride the waves of trouble

and not topple over.

Help us to see

what You see

with clear eyes

and hold the vision

of what is possible.

You are the keel

which stabilizes us.

You are the roots

that hold us to solid ground.

Let truth be our shield.

And let Love be our immunity.

Pull us closer

to them both –

right here,

right now.

Don’t allow the sickness we see

to penetrate us.

We cannot be helpful

if we let the poison within.

We can only be infected

and suffer more.

We know who we are.

We know what is just.

We trust what is possible.

We can remain strong

and effective

as we lift our voices

together.

We listen for Your response.

As we raise our arms

and stretch towards you,

pull us closer to Love.

This is our fervent prayer.

Our lips will continue to repeat this

until it is done.

Pull us closer to Love!

We long to hear its heartbeat.

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There You Are

September 23, 2020September 23, 2020 becomingandbeholding2 Comments

In this moment,

I can see You.

I can feel You.

You are in my deepening breath.

You are the pause between my thoughts.

You are the beat in my heart.

You are the warmth in my touch.

You are the whispers that call my name.

In this moment,

I can see You.

I can feel You.

You are the doorway to my soul.

You are the healer that knits me together.

You are the teacher who shows me the way.

In this moment,

I realize with joy

that I am never alone –

for I am in You

and You are in me.

We are in this life together.

I can relax…

for you are my home.

“I am as sure as I live that nothing is so near to me as God. God is nearer to me than I am to myself; my existence depends on the nearness and the presence of God.”

Meister Eckhart

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Look For Them

August 26, 2020August 26, 2020 becomingandbeholding3 Comments

You can see them on the periphery

or sometimes in small groups.

Often they are alone,

sitting comfortably and quietly observing.

These are the wise ones.

They may be bent by the years

and a little rough around the edges.

They may move slowly

and with care…

for they have learned to honor the limits.

When in their presence,

look deeply.

Meet their eyes with yours.

You will be stunned by the light of life

which sparkles with the kind of glow

that can only be fashioned over time.

Allow yourself to soak up its wisdom.

Take the time.

Don’t miss this connection.

Instead, know this:

these are the ones to know –

for they long to sing their song for you,

to tell the story.

Life has finally made them real.

If you slow down enough

to take a seat,

you will discover gold.

“Once you are real you cannot be ugly except to those who don’t understand.” —Velveteen Rabbit

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Why I Love the Morning

August 16, 2020August 16, 2020 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

It’s the quiet…

the ease of peace

that permeates –

just as the light gently travels

through the trees

and into my soul.

It’s the anticipation…

of yet another chance

for lessons to take root –

and new directions

to unfold.

It’s the trust…

that all the days past

have been worth any pain,

and there are no regrets

which can darken this new light.

It’s the love…

that gratitude which shimmers

and brightens my vision

to just how blessed it is

to have this life,

this very day.

I am but a bird singing,

a flower opening,

a cat purring,

and a baby giggling.

Mornings have this affect on me.

They elate.

This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. Welcome and entertain them all! – Rumi

Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

This Heart

August 2, 2020 becomingandbeholding3 Comments

This heart is a strong muscle.

It never disappoints.

When put to work,

there is always strength,

there is always strength.

This heart is a deep well.

When the bucket is lowered

and dips into its depths,

there is always refreshment,

there is always refreshment.

This heart is a vista.

When the journey tires,

I can sit and rest.

I see it all.

There is always a vision,

there is always a vision.

This heart is a blanket.

When the chill arrives,

I reach for warmth.

There is always an embrace,

there is always an embrace.

This heart is home.

When the moments

add up to years,

I can look back and within.

There is always love,

there is always love.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Climb In

June 28, 2020June 28, 2020 becomingandbeholding4 Comments

Come float with me, dear one.

Climb into my boat.

I will grab your hand

and lift you in.

We can ride this out together.

The current will take us in its way

but we can see a new shore

over there.

If we work together,

we can point the boat

and use our muscles

to reach that new

and beautiful land.

The journey may be hard –

but inch by inch,

wave by wave,

we will make it.

So, climb in.

The invitation is clear.

Together we are safe.

We can make it

because we are strong.

Float with me.

Let’s rise above the current.

Don’t be one of those who won’t risk the ocean. Load the ship and set out. – Rumi

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

I Miss Your Face

May 19, 2020May 19, 2020 becomingandbeholding10 Comments

At least I can see your eyes –

even though they look sad and tired.

Your shoulders, too, are not the same.

They are rounded.

Perhaps an unnamed shame is weighing you down…

or maybe grief.

There is good reason for grief.

You stand at an awkward distance

as if a cloud of contagion was

surrounding me

like Pig Pen’s dust.

I feel embarrassed somehow

by the invisible cloud.

I mean you no harm, of course.

Your eyes dodge mine, anyway.

The disconnect between us,

is strange –

its wordless noise brings

a haunting isolation.

The masks have swallowed our voices.

I hope one day to see your smile…

Your dependable dimples

could always brighten my day.

But now all I see is the barrier

we all have to wear.

I miss your face.

$woman-with-face-mask-and-latex-gloves-holding-a-shopping-bag-4226269$

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Permission to Grow

May 6, 2020May 6, 2020 becomingandbeholding3 Comments

With an abundance of time,

I can get a bit lost.

I am used to being driven

by duty,

with all its necessary tasks

keeping me busy.

But I am not so needed

right now –

or so it seems.

Reluctantly, I learn to be grateful

for the quiet,

the stillness that is always underneath.

I sit and open to it.

Once rested and

pretty soon,

my eyes begin to catch a vision

while my heart bubbles forth

with an effervescent song.

Its music is an invitation to grow –

to gather all the pieces

and moments

of wisdom, pain, and insight that

have been stacking in the corners –

to sit with them

and to honor their sacredness.

As I look back to review them,

the melody of their song

begins to weave together.

It travels in and through me,

bringing lightness and energy

to my searching heart.

The music floats up into my awareness

and sings to me:

You know how to knit all this together.

Trust what has been given to you.

The words form into a melody

only I can hear.

I can see now that

there is a song to be born, and

I have been invited

to sing it.

My feet become light

as I learn dance

to a new tune.

“To love someone is to learn the song in their heart and to sing it to them when they have forgotten.” – Arne Garbing

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

The Return

April 27, 2020 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

Here we are again.

You are You,

and I am learning to be me.

It’s funny…

this long road I have travelled

with all the detours along the way,

while You simply waited.

I thought I had a long way to go.

But I was wrong.

I just needed to stop

and allow myself

a different view.

Now I am on the vista.

I see your landscape

and my place in it.

It takes my breath away

as all the tension

of trying so hard

floats away.