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Welcome Mat

November 24, 2022 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

As we anticipate sweet hugs

blessed by smiles and bright eyes,

please know that

we are ready for you.

The welcome mat is straightened, and vacuumed –

all debris has been shaken out, set free.

The pillows and towels are washed and fluffed.

Beds are supplied with soft blankets and clean sheets

so you can rest.

The pantry is stuffed

like you soon will be

to satisfy your longing

in body and soul.

This heart is expectant, light –

free of any pain or stress.

There is only love and gratitude for

this coming togetherness.

Everything else can be put to the side.

This moment is worthy of full attention and care.

May this candle that I light

be the beacon you need

to find your way to our embrace.

May the comfort of this time of gathering

soothe any separation that has lingered.

Welcome to our home.

Cynthia Cady Stanton, Thanksgiving 2022

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Beyond Solitude

November 6, 2021 becomingandbeholding3 Comments

When the chill of being alone

is knitted to the bone,

I long for you,

my friend.

It is too easy to feel capable

of navigating this life

in a solitary way –

to convince myself that

all is well,

and I am fine –

strong and muscled

in all the right places.

But as my bones begin to creak and groan,

and my sturdy stride weakens,

I feel my empty hand hungry

for your grasp.

Life does not want us to be alone.

And now as I sit

in the cold and dark,

the chill in my heart whispers,

“You need someone next to you to

warm this bleak contraction –

for there is no valor in enduring isolation.”

I sigh the kind of sigh that has the breath of the ocean within it…

and realize my need of a companion-

Being competent is not enough anymore,

and does not warm the soul

like a shared laughable moment would.

It’s friends who bring the warmth

with the their love and care,

and also the light which

illuminates and heals.

A good friend walks side by side with you –

a better friend helps you see more

along the way…

They provide the mirror you need

for your own evolution.

And so, the time for reaching out is here.

The confining walls fall away –

and this pressing question reaches my lips:

Where are you?

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Pull Us Closer to Love

October 15, 2020May 28, 2021 becomingandbeholding2 Comments

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.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Look For Them

August 26, 2020May 28, 2021 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

Climb In

June 28, 2020June 6, 2021 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

Nevertheless, Spring Forth!

January 10, 2020January 10, 2020 becomingandbeholding4 Comments

The weight is heavy –

this boulder on top of you.

It came out of nowhere!

You are stuck.

Never before have you felt such a hard, unrelenting blockage.

This rock is cold.

This pain is real.

It is time to hunker down

and see who is with you –

to be reminded that you are not alone.

Your roots reach to touch others

who share your dilemma,

your pain.

As the seeds within you

fight for survival,

you dare to stretch.

You find another.

Together, your reach is stronger.

Together, you find a community –

one that works together

to search the cold surfaces

to find the cracks.

For, no matter how hard the rock is,

it is no match

for the faith of a community

that seeks the light.

Your strength is in knowing that

the light is always there.

It cannot be extinguished –

no matter how big or daunting

the rock is.

Therefore, bloom!

Do not give up.

Reach for the light together.

Crack that rock apart

and let the strength within

spring forth!

You have it in you –

for you were born to find the light.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

The Call of the Morning Bird

August 31, 2019September 1, 2019 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

A chorus has erupted

and it filters through the open window.

A haunting call began it all.

Is it a cry? An alarm?

Is this creature hungry?

The cry repeats in

a rhythm of hurt.

As I attend to its voice,

I begin to hear others return the call.

Their message seems to say:

All is well.

We are here!

Join us- for you belong in the world.

We care about you.

After some time, and continued voicing,

the cry of the suffering bird eases.

Attending to this natural befriending

soothes my soul.

I begin this day

with the reminder that

we are one –

and attending to our sacred cries

is as natural and reliable as

the rising of the morning sun.

Our presence with one another

has the reassuring power

of gifting hope

and returning us to stillness.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Like Me

July 17, 2019July 17, 2019 becomingandbeholding3 Comments

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.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

We Are Needed

June 5, 2019July 13, 2021 becomingandbeholding4 Comments

It takes just a moment

to pause and let go –

to notice.

Presence always waits patiently for us.

She is found in the smallest of things…

The slow drip of water

off a rock

which holds the riverbank in place….

Presence is there.

The thought that gives birth to the word that spawns a tear…

Yes. There.

In that moment between

the reach of your hand

to the lifting of another –

Or when the homeless man

catches your eye and

a generous smile blooms…

There!

How short our time is!

We squander Presence like we waste water…

We forget to look,

to hear the slow drip,

to speak the unspoken word.

We get lonely in this poverty

of connection.

Sad, isn’t it?

This slip of a rose through the grasp of our fingers.

We ignore the dropped flower

and miss out on the bouquet,

the colors…

And then we grieve the loss of

a flower to cheer us –

it’s brilliance unwitnessed.

Love is like this , too.

It can hide beneath.

So, let’s elevate the

Presence and the Love, too.

For without them,

we aren’t even here.

And we are so needed.