Big Girl Pants

June 8, 2018June 8, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

I noticed her struggle.

It was one of those days when

the burden of work, life, and

responsibility

made her bow low,

even as she quickly moved about.

She was weary –

maybe even in pain,

her eyes with the dark circles below which

appear regularly now,

despite daily application

of concealer.

She kept going,

kept producing,

despite her burden.

I’ve got my big girl pants on, she said.

I could empathize

because I get tired, too.

I understand how hard it is to stop

and just be –

to observe the blessings

along the way.

Perhaps one of the perks

of getting old

is that as responsibilities

and requirements

fall away,

we can finally

rest.

True Nourishment

May 26, 2018May 26, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

We mean well.

We want to do the right thing,

for our health –

in this body.

We research,

we ponder,

we constantly switch gears…

our poor, confused pantry.

Our mind spins along with the

grocery list.

How do we feed this body,

this temple,

this home?

Does the flower question the sun?

Does the tree even think about the soil?

No, they just bloom and grow,

guided in the ways to stretch.

Does the hungry child refuse the rice bowl –

freely given?

Food is food.

Perhaps it is time

for a big serving of gratitude…

and instead of seeking answers

outside ourselves,

to look inward,

and trust the wisdom within.

Our bodies know

what nourishes best.

Listen –

and let go of the struggle.

In this way,

your world can open into

a beautiful freedom –

and lasting health

can be born.

Poem · Poetry

This is It

May 22, 2018May 22, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

The cat purring in my lap

while the birds sing their morning song…

My heartbeat,

strong and regular,

sending the vibration of vitality everywhere –

to my very fingertips and toes,

opening my eyes,

and lighting up my taste buds.

It travels past

all the aches and pains,

those spots that distract and annoy.

The pain cannot stop its movement,

but is touched by its energy –

kissed by the whispers of hope.

One day you won’t need this pain…

The promise of a new day

is the reliable reboot given every morning.

Perhaps this is the day

I will finally see,

not only with my eyes,

but with my whole being,

that

this is it.

No more will I wait

for my turn,

holding back and waiting

for that perfect moment

that never comes.

Life is here now,

and ever so fleeting.

It passes before me,

it beats within me,

it connects me

to all that matters.

Life lives on through me

even when I am pressing the brakes.

It moves forward,

with or without me.

This is it –

the blessings are here.

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

Pure Presence

March 25, 2018March 28, 2018 becomingandbeholding3 Comments

You look at me with eyes of love

and complete attention.

You gracefully place your body

next to mine,

molding into me

for complete contact.

There is no space between us –

only pure presence.

As you relax and soften,

so do I.

Your purr

motors my heart to joy.

Your headbutts

nudge me firmly to awaken

to the affection in this moment.

Your eyes,

your eyes…

invite me to deepen

and embrace the music

hidden in my heart.

You bring God to me

and I am blessed.

I love you for that.

Eventually, you move away

to what is next for you.

Your work is done.

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

Your Whispers Heal My Soul

March 7, 2018March 7, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

Slow down.

Take it easy.

Listen.

You are trying too hard.

Open your eyes – notice.

Relax and breathe.

Trust and receive.

Allow me to help.

Get out of the way.

Be kind to yourself.

Don’t worry!

I’ve got this;

I’ve got you.

Freedom is yours.

Choose it!

This is a new day.

I love you completely.

Blossom with joy.

Be Love.

I have shown you how.

Remember me.

We are One.

Poem · Poetry

Long Story Short

February 10, 2018February 11, 2018 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

Loving, but imperfect parents

unwittingly teach the young girl

the wrong lesson

about who she is

and what she can do.

Years pass,

the little girl grows up

with some success,

but with the wrong idea

now settled deep within –

still unknown to her,

dictating her experiences.

Suffering comes.

Suffering goes,

Suffering comes again.

The unhappy pattern

is set in place.

One beautiful day,

an opening begins.

Light and Truth show up –

along with Love and Grace –

and the little girl,

now a grown woman,

blossoms.

Healing arrives,

as insights dawn

over time.

Life begins to unfold ever more

beautifully.

Now the woman understands

who she is,

and can see what life is all about.

Gratitude opens her heart.

She understands her purpose

and she begins

to let go of the old

and allow herself

to heal

and to glow,

knowing that Love and God

are One

and woven into her.

She learns in her healing,

to get out of her own way,

and share this GodLove –

to use her new-found voice

and be Present for others,

and all is well.

She now dwells

in the land of Grace.

Nothing is a problem anymore

and Joy abounds.

The woman welcomes the whispers of Inspiration

and learns Trust.

Freedom arrives

and pain is but a memory.

She lived happily ever after

with GodLove as her guide.

Blessed be!

Poem · Poetry

The Turn

February 9, 2018February 9, 2018 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

Today when I drove to work,

a window opened.

Instead of racing in my thoughts

about the day

and all the angst about

getting things done,

I took a breath.

Not a mindless one,

but a deep, conscious,

life-giving one.

And then I took another,

and a few more after that.

Then I could see again.

I could see how much tension

lived in me.

I could feel the tightness

loosen.

I looked out around me,

and I noticed the trees,

the smiles of others,

the beauty of the day.

All this,

from remembering to breathe!

Oh, I grieve the patterns and traps

of the mind

and its constant power

to distract from the good of life-

its endless power

to keep us busy and off track.

Grant me breath, O God,

and gleaming windows.

Help me to turn my attention

and see!

Poem · Poetry

Impending Storm

January 3, 2018January 4, 2018 becomingandbeholding3 Comments

A cloud of geese fly

overhead and in circles

and it mirrors

the dis-ease inside of me

as I wait.

I know it is coming –

the discomfort and pain,

the lack of ease.

The impact.

The busyness of preparations

somehow comforts.

But the inside grip

tightens.

Some people enjoy

a storm.

Its drama enlivens.

I am learning to be

separate from it.

So I imagine

that I am the sky.

I expand to embrace

and observe…

the storm happens

but I am separate from it.

This way,

storms can be more

a wonder to behold

and I am not in them.

I am in

but not of

the weather.

I can be the sky.