Over the Hump

June 2, 2018June 30, 2018 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

Climbing can be hard work

on the muscles,

and on the spirit, too.

We can approach the mountain

in faith and,

even a sense of adventure –

until we get to

our limit.

We have gone as far as

we can go

on our own.

No progress is possible.

We are tempted to give up.

But then,

we somehow get

the boost we need.

We can move forward

with muscles ready

to work again.

As we progress,

new vistas are brought into view.

They bless us with beauty

and hope.

This is what the

miracle of grace

looks like.

We are lifted out of struggle.

We are blessed

with peace.

It is as if

a loving hand from the beyond shows up

and respectfully,

picks you up off the floor.

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Poem · Poetry

Signal Lights

May 23, 2018May 23, 2018 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

With the guiding of inspiration,

they come through me,

pointing the way.

Their clarity can be piercing –

sharp and brilliant,

beacons through my

self-created fog.

I wonder at how

they show up-

just when I need them the most.

They are like friends who

know when a smile or a hug

is needed.

And, in the same way,

they are cherished, unconditionally.

This is what my poems mean for me.

I help create them, but

do not quite live them yet.

They love me still.

Funny, how words create worlds…

the beyond is brought forth

in the same way

a kiss presents affection.

Poem · Poetry

Gradually Getting It

May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

Here is the nub of it all:

Like a white birch tree,

along a rocky shore,

I am most beautiful, healthy, and free,

when I am part of

the whole picture,

blending into the larger scene.

Standing alone,

while interesting,

makes the tree more

vulnerable to the wind and weather.

One has to ask,

What will happen if I drop my striving and planning?

More and more,

this question arrives, and

I dare to loosen my grip,

embracing the magic

of trust and letting go –

I follow inspiration,

and stop making it all

about me.

Poem · Poetry

Then Sings My Soul

May 4, 2018June 1, 2018 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

When wanting meets realization

and dis-ease catches a glimpse

of healing,

my eyes spring open –

and I can see, once again,

how You are right here,

right here.

Life is a beautiful dance.

The music always plays,

with You leading my steps,

and I, in faith, following,

sometimes tripping along-

crying or laughing my way forward –

humbled by my missteps,

and blessed when I move

with grace.

Nevertheless,

and more and more,

I realize,

when I look up

from my preoccupation with

my own feet,

You are here,

You are here.

The dance we share

is as reliable as Life itself.

and its music

floats my heart skyward

as my soul

breaks into song.

Poem · Poetry

I Will Be Your Anchor

April 25, 2018April 25, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

When you feel overwhelmed by

the rush of cold water around you,

I will be your anchor.

When the darkness below tries

to pull you under,

I will be your anchor.

When the winds catch your sail,

and threaten to toss you

to a scary destination,

I will be your anchor,

keeping you attached –

tethered to the strength

I have given you.

Life will push you about,

bring changes and dangers.

No one can avoid this,

for each of us has our own

path of peril

through which to pass

and learn from the passing.

None of this is to be taken personally – except

God’s promises to be in the muck with us.

We are like trees with roots that run deep,

roots that hold us up in the storms.

We fall over when the roots

are allowed to decay.

God says, Stay tethered to me.

I will be your anchor, your root.

Hang on to me –

and never let go.

Poem · Poetry

Beyond the Surface of Things

April 23, 2018April 23, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

I see your smile,

how nicely you are put together –

the thought placed in what you present

to the world,

to me.

Underneath it all,

is the secret you keep to yourself.

You could be as finely tuned inside

as you are on the outside,

with a heart wide open –

smoothly pumping,

ready for Life to be born before you,

eager for use and expression.

Or, you could be

broken and faltering,

tired and lumbering along,

with all your systems, heart included,

weakened by the work of Life,

ready to rest,

alone in all your suffering –

even though none of this is revealed

on your surface.

We can bloom and grow in life

or crumble in the living of it.

One wonders at the choices along the way

that shape each path.

It seems to me,

we are like plants deprived of sun and water,

and wither because of it,

the more we live as if

we have no need of God.

I see it at the end –

the weathering or

the glowing

when final breaths are taken –

and I know which path

I choose to take.

Abide with me, precious God,

and continue to show me the way

to live beyond the surface of things.

Radiate through me

from that deep place

that connects me to all there is,

now and forever.

Poem · Poetry

Giving Voice

April 8, 2018April 8, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

When a situation suddenly

and without expectation –

turns

in a healing direction,

your heart wants to sing.

For you had lost hope,

and could not see

what you could do to

help.

And here it is –

the needed change

on the way…

The joy of it is

bright.

Your gratitude starts to bubble

up.

It starts deep in your stomach,

then springs to your heart –

opens it wide,

and sets it on fire.

Next, it flies up through your vocal chords,

making sweet vibrations.

It is a song that

must be sung.

So, on the wings of a grateful

heart,

your song passes

through your lips and

dances off your tongue:

“I SEE YOU.”

Poem · Poetry

In But Not Of

April 6, 2018 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

I belong to God.

The fabric of my being is

knitted with the golden threads

of love and divine insight.

The roots of my tree reach

to the depths of all there is.

The heart of my heart

is God’s heart –

open wide with compassion and pain

brave enough to heal

the brokenness within and beyond me.

I am a wave on the shore,

connected to the ocean of God’s Love

and presence,

washing gently on the world but

separate from its shores.

I reflect both the sun and moon,

inviting a way out

of the darkness –

simply by shining.

This is my true nature.

When I find myself dragged into

pain and drama,

the pull of ego and interaction,

I remember who I am

and I am lifted up

and out.

True freedom and peace arrive,

and I am whole.

Poem · Poetry

Go Gently

March 22, 2018 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

Here I go again,

getting lost in the tangle of

outward motivations which

lead me away –

like an excited child

pulling on my arm –

Come this way!

But my wisdom within says,

Not so fast.

You have been here before, remember?

We play this game over and over

until finally,

we are done playing.

We are ready for change.

Like Jacob wrestling with the angel,

we finally get blessed with divine insight

into who we are,

and the exhaustion of repeated patterns

falls away.

Here is the truth of it all:

we come to God

through suffering or wisdom –

and sometimes both.

Most of the time,

we create our own suffering.

So, my child,

Learn to trust your

inner light.

You were born with it,

and it waits for you to listen

to its guidance.

Be patient with how it flickers

until you are ready

for its full shining.

Go gently on your path,

and keep your eyes open.

Forgive your missteps along the way.

Just keep moving forward.

And whatever you do,

do not close.

For your light cannot shine,

if your shades are drawn

and you will keep tripping in your darkness.

Poem · Poetry

What is Wrong with Faith?

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018 becomingandbeholding2 Comments

I do not have a need

to have all the answers,

I am okay with

What if?

The mysteries do not daunt or

haunt me –

rather, they amaze and

even comfort.

What happens if you get to the end,

and all the certainties you have proven

are wrong?

What then?

It makes me sad when

I meet a heart so closed.

How did it get so frozen?

Watch how the flower blooms.

It dares to open

in the light of the sun.