Tag: comfort
The Remedy
When in isolation,
and the feeling of it overwhelms,
remember the love within you.
Look to your heart and
the fullness there, the fullness that
swells with your sweet attention to it.
You are not alone.
You are the branch which stretches and shades from
every tree you have ever sat under.
You are the sea spray that has kissed your face
from every stroll on the beach.
You are the joy of your beloved pet who
always blesses you with pure affection.
You are the song that the morning bird sings.
You are even the touch of every hand held and
every embrace shared.
Every heart contains these wonders
for they have been memorized within
its secret and divine chambers.
Therefore, your heart is the keeper
and she waits for you.
Learning to trust her
allows you to relax into your life
and glow as designed to do so
no matter what is happening outside of you.
Those who know this, know how
to live from the inside.
They know how to touch God.
It is that simple.
The Presence lives in you, so
you are not alone.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, April 2020, During the Covid 19 Pandemic
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 presence of God. – Meister Eckhart
Holding Hands
Like trees sharing the same forest,
we reach for one another
as we bask in the light of life.
In moments of ease
and in times of stress,
it really does not matter which –
I love when our fingers are entwined
and I can feel the warmth of you.
No words need to be spoken
so we can do this lovely action
even in public.
All that is needed is the touch of skin
and the wrapping of fingers
to affirm our connection.
We are in this together,
you and I.
We have journeyed together enough now that
my soul has memorized the
contours of your hand
and how sweetly mine fits within it.
I shall carry you with me always
though all kinds of weather
and even when we are apart.
For your hand is now imprinted
on my heart.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2019
Late Bloomer
I saw some unusual flowers yesterday
which bloomed in unexpected ways.
Their beauty ignited my heart
and blessed me with renewed vision.
Witnessing a perfect glow can do that –
it connects us to what is real
and true.
We color the world with so many hues –
the seasons directing the light
and filling the wide spectrum perfectly.
Sometimes the necessary germination before
the the colors can be expressed
takes time –
and that is by design.
For a full bloom
cannot be forced prematurely.
To be a flower
means being present to
the light being born in you
in its own time.
Your bloom will arrive in its fullness,
according to the Gardener’s plan.
Therefore, rest in the truth of the sunrise
and be soothed by the rain.
Wait your turn.
Your job is to allow the glow to be born in you
and to trust in the promised opening.
For part of the beauty of it all
is that the timing of your full flowering is not up to you…
It is perfectly fine and beautiful still
to be a late bloomer.
Copyright©Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2019
Photo credit by Gary Stanton, taken at Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, MA.
Like Me
Like me,
I bet you don’t like to be
inconvenienced by illness or stress.
Like me,
you probably aim to control and manage
everything in front of you.
Like me,
sadness is not an option
you would choose.
Like me,
your busyness gets in the way
of your experience of peace and
even love.
Like me,
your striving and perfectionism
puts you in a box
which limits spontaneity and joy.
Like me,
your thoughts drive you
and mostly go unnoticed.
But also like me,
you are growing in awareness.
Like me,
you don’t give up.
Like me,
laughter and health
bubble forth, anyway.
Like me,
you are a Velveteen Rabbit,
and you are being loved
into being made more real.
Like me,
you are learning the
gift of surrender.
Like me,
grace finds you.
Like me,
you are grateful for it all.
In peace,
my spirit bows to your spirit.
We are one.
And you are like me.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2019
Our Larger Belonging
I
Your Embrace
No amount of coffee
can awaken this soul
to quicken its attention.
I am looking for you again, my God.
The mysteries of my path,
unfolding in excruciating ease.
I long for answers.
It helps when I remember
the times I have visited this landscape before.
You have always been next to me –
your hand in mine,
gently leading.
In rare glimpses you point the way –
but your respect for me usually
allows my own stumble forward.
Mostly, it helps to be held.
To embrace the mysteries
in the comfort of your arms
feels like the home
you made for me.
I am a baby looking for your eyes
as you love me.
Copyright@Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2019
Divine Utterances
It amazes me sometimes
how close You are.
All that is needed is
a moment
to leap out of myself
and into your breath.
I breathe in
and there You are –
and I am suddenly larger…
kinder –
to self
and beyond self.
You whisper… “See?”
And then, “Settle yourself.”
And then, “No worries.”
Finally, “Be the Love you are.”
Oh, for the presence of mind and heart
to remember this!
You are never far away
and I belong to You –
like a bird belongs to its song,
and the moon belongs
to the sky.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2019
Big Love
When one of us is lost,
all that is needed is the touch of another
whether to tender skin or the wounded heart.
For none of us are perfectly on track
all the time, are we?
So we help one another to steer and soften.
When one of us is sick,
it is time for a cup of Big Love –
we fill it with grace mixed with empathy
so the sickness cannot take root,
causing the soul to wither,
in a feeling of aloneness.
If disconnection broadens,
it is time to seek your teacher –
that wiser one who loves as God loves,
without measure, and
while nurturing the current lesson to birth.
A good teacher mirrors your imminent Spring
as you struggle to blossom
and see.
This is what Big Love looks like –
its embrace feels like freedom on the wing.
Its presence is grace realized
as sibling souls open and
reach out to you,
sparking Truth and Light
so you can be healed.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2019
Photo credit to Gary Stanton, my husband, who also gave me the mug recently when I was sick – the inspiration for this poem. Thank you, Honey! xoxo
Nurture
You are but a drooping plant
with a bowed-browned bloom.
Your light is not reflecting –
the shadows grow.
Grief visible like this
is more easily watered.
It calls out for nurturance.
When hidden,
it festers
and roots into every pore,
making us sick –
stealing the colors.
This is the usual way…
for we are all good at facades
and hiding.
We smile brightly,
despite the pained cracks within.
Where does it hurt, my friend?
Show me the place
and tell me the story.
Dig out the pain from
your hardened crusts – fashionably covered.
Lift your voice and let the cry be born.
Let me know what is needed.
Take the covers off
and allow the hurt to move you
to a new place of freedom.
All is well, and
I am here with you.
You belong.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2019
Becoming and Beholding 