Tag: love
Stepping Into the Poem
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.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2019
The Time to Blossom
There is an urgency within
which pulls at my skin,
leading me forth
into the mysterious newness ahead.
I’ve been germinating.
The rest allowed has given
the necessary space and freedom
to review the landscapes –
and offer each
to be placed into the heart of God.
Sure, there are mixed feelings attached.
But each place travelled
has provided the necessary nutrition
for the current unfolding.
I have found that
the more I let go and allow for
a larger view of things,
the more freedom there is
for my unique soul
to be connected to
God and my true belonging.
This lightens –
and allows for the reach up and out.
There really are no problems!
It is counter-intuitive, in a way –
but the more I let go,
the more I can be present for others
and actually be helpful –
be present.
So, I choose to be here –
as rocky as the ground can be…
I choose joy.
I choose love.
I live gratefully.
And when the memory of this lapses,
I forgive the pull of distraction,
and begin again.
We can always start over.
This is the beauty of
learning self-transformation.
God is the focus.
Not me.
There is always hope
and healing is here.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2019
The presence of God needs to fill the space where you seem to be for healing to happen.
–Dr. Thomas Hora
Ask yourself, who would I be if there were no problem?
-Tara Brach
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
We Are Needed
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.
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
Enough Already
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.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2019
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
When Loved Ones Return
Its a strange gathering –
all of us in our cars at the airport
anxious and watchful for that familiar smile and gait
to be seen among the masses…
Everyone is searching for that connection
to home.
It is like the perfect metaphor for life…
for daily we get lost in the crowdedness
of others in our space
as we journey anxiously –
searching and expectant –
until we are finally recognized, and
our place in the midst of it all
is secured.
We understand where we belong.
Now parked and watchful –
cell phones busy with directions,
our eyes finally meet.
Once bags are stowed,
and the heated car is filled,
the lively chatter of connection begins.
We navigate the traffic,
and reach the hearth and tree alighted,
exhausted in a happy way.
My daughter releases her bag to the floor –
“I didn’t hug you yet.”
Arms wrap around,
and eager hearts touch.
Christmas has arrived.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2018
Becoming and Beholding 