Here I Stand

September 23, 2019 becomingandbeholding3 Comments

I lift up my eyes

and I look around.

There is blessedness here…

and it was there, too.

I see differently now –

my distorted vision finally giving way to clarity.

The work of letting go

has been harder than expected.

But now I can see that

the grip is the giver of pain

and its loosening,

is grace received.

So here I stand

at the bank of the river of gladness.

I am finally ready to move toward yes.

I let go again, and

surrender to the divine flow.

All is well as I learn

the nature of floating.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Stepping Into the Poem

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

Whether the writer or the reader,

the words given

are light for the road.

They spring from that fountain

that intends to nourish and cleanse.

The soul speaks,

the heart listens,

and the self awakens –

as it surprisingly

lets go of itself.

And that which seemed only for the few

is found.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Homecoming

September 2, 2019September 2, 2019 becomingandbeholding2 Comments

When walking next to the shore,

take in the salted air.

It tastes like your tears.

When walking next to the shore,

listen to the music of the surf.

It is the soundtrack of the movement in your heart.

When walking next to the shore,

watch the swoop and dance of the Plover birds.

They effortlessly play in the waves,

undaunted by the constant changes beneath their tiny feet.

Witness the lesson.

A walk by the ocean

is always a homecoming.

The whispers heard soothe the soul.

The sprays felt baptize us anew.

We are reminded that

sometimes we need to get wet

to begin again.

So take a walk on the beach.

Hear the invitation of its dynamic landscape:

Let’s be the ocean together.

You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop. – Rumi

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

What the Trees Know

July 16, 2019July 13, 2021 becomingandbeholding7 Comments

Sometimes it is important to sit under a tree.

You can rest from

all the glare and heat.

God did not intend for us an endless panting –

nor a sweat which drains.

So drink in the breezes.

Stop yourself and rest.

Be.

For this is what the trees know…

they understand from their deepest root

that their shade is their best work –

and they are happy to share it.

Trees know what it feels like

to live as created to be.

There is no better peace

or joy.

Artwork by Martha Harris. To see more of her work, go to artisticflarings.blog.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Catching Myself

July 10, 2019July 10, 2019 becomingandbeholding5 Comments

There you are.

I see you now in the burst of the flower,

the color yellow blessing my eyes

with new and fresh joy.

Instantly, the lift is back

and I rest in the wonder of Presence.

My heart quickens with the reminder that

you are everywhere…

ready to be seen with

a never-ending invitation to

wakefulness.

I am finally learning how

the one who leaves

is never you.

You are as close as my in breath –

that breath that gets neglected

in the constant pant

of unnecessary busyness.

When I catch my breath,

I catch you.

Life is always instructing me.

Just yesterday, I read these words:

Worry is a misuse of imagination.

It was just the right message at

just the right time.

I am glad I noticed it.

It could have just slipped past me…

and it made me question

what else I might have missed

along the way…

I thank you for these reminders.

So simple they are

once grasped.

I realize once again,

and repeatedly,

that you are never far away

and that the barriers

to my learning and freedom

are of my own creation.

There is no blame for this –

I do understand.

As blame is just another unhelpful distraction –

another layer blocking me from you.

To live this precious life,

I must stop piling on the layers

so I can unfold into the naked beauty

of a fully bloomed flower

basking in the glow of the sun.

And where you are,

so will I be.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

A Breath That is Free

March 9, 2019 becomingandbeholding3 Comments

If our moments are forgotten,

did we really live them?

If our thoughts are in charge,

are we present at all?

If our breath is held,

is it really a breath?

I pause with these questions

and my ears open to the hum of my home,

and the song of the birds outside.

My vision is sparked by

the morning light filtering through the trees.

The glow is beautiful.

I notice that as I write,

my posture is hunched,

and I am tight in all the usual places.

I release the usual.

Relaxing and deepening awareness

of my breath,

and my gratitude for it all,

I begin again.

I am present and I live this moment.

Grace and peace find me

in the movement of my breath.

I am ready for the gift of another day.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Enough Already

February 25, 2019February 25, 2019 becomingandbeholding2 Comments

Don’t worry about the direction

ahead, or the matters of the day.

Simply place your hand

on your own heart

and feel the love there – love

that was given long ago

that you may have forgotten.

Don’t be the person who

allows busyness to run

over your life, squashing it

with good intentions, and

all that learned stupidness which

pulls us away from

this preciousness given.

Remember those moments

when God has broken through –

those glimpses when you

knew beyond a doubt that

you are made of the same stuff

as the flowers and trees, and

forever is possible – that

Love is You, and

You are Love.

Let yourself glow, please.

For those who do, are

born in true freedom.

For in stepping aside from

the pettiness of all our

misdirected ways, we can

float like a feather

on the breath of God.

Poem · Poetry

Making the U Turn

September 21, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

When the trip wire

gets touched

and partially healed places

wound again,

take a breath.

Your usual patterns

of blame and retaliation

will not serve you.

In fact,

they will deepen the wound.

The truth is

the world will always

try to trip you up.

And the world

is everything outside of you.

To survive with grace

and even joy,

no matter the obstacles before you,

live from the inside.

That is where truth lives –

the place of your divine self.

Nothing outside of you

can destroy your peace

without your permission.

Turn away from drama.

Go deep.

Look at yourself.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Message Received

July 27, 2018August 26, 2018 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

My love went for a walk yesterday.

It was a sunny day and

the trees were singing.

Each step was an affirmation

of a beautiful day.

Walking is a wonderful way to connect

to the divine,

to our higher purpose.

The rhythm of movement

works like a physical mantra:

I move forward from my center. I connect to the ground.

As our muscles propel us,

our heart is lifted,

and we breathe in life,

like a hungry balloon.

Walking gives us the perfect visual

of the spiritual journey…

Sometimes there are bumps to avoid

and hills to climb

or descend.

We are careful not to trip.

Along the way,

we notice things –

the beauty of the trees,

the dogs being walked,

the smiles of our neighbors.

Walking gives our minds a chance

to wander, too –

to ponder the deep things

while our legs do their work.

On this particular journey,

my love, in a pensive moment,

content with his journey,

and the thoughts nourishing,

looked down.

On the ground was a paper,

and like a message from the beyond,

it spoke these words:

“I am Love.”

And just like that,

everything connected.

His heart soared skyward and

the message was received

deeply blessing his soul.

Poem · Poetry · Uncategorized

Each Day a Wonder

July 23, 2018July 27, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

As morning unfolds,

and the sun dares to rise,

my heart is full of gratitude.

Even on a Monday,

with the weekly list beginning to crowd me,

I am lifted.

Though still a spiritual infant,

I have now finally learned,

the gift of a day,

a moment.

Rising from slumber,

springing from under the covers…

well, that is what each day offers –

what the whole journey affords,

moment by moment.

I wake with gratitude,

allowing for transformation,

as my feet touch the floor.