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.

Why I love the Morning

April 1, 2018April 1, 2018 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

I rise early

in the dark and quiet

on purpose.

Just like the blank page calls to me,

so does the new day.

I create an intentional pause

to reflect upon and bow to

the morning I have been given.

You see, for me

Easter happens every morning –

a chance to begin again,

to allow God to be seen

by transforming me.

The stone is always ready

to be rolled away

and a new way of being

is possible.

As the sun rises,

I reflect on whether this day

is finally The Day

I trust this truth completely –

the whispers of hallelujah gently call

so Easter can be born

in me

again.

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.

Poem · Poetry

Go With the Flow

March 17, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

The sun rises without you –

birds sing their morning songs, and

the cat plops in your lap whether

invited or not.

Coffee brews effortlessly, once started

and the aroma blesses you

with that warm feeling of being cared for.

Hunger waits until the body is ready

to receive.

Why think of food yet?

The day starts,

whether you do or not.

You do not have to figure it out

to make it happen.

Learn to receive, little one.

Respond when invited, but

do not move too quickly to action.

The sunrise is a beautiful blessing

which points the way

to true freedom.

It simply unfolds.

Do you see it?

It is right before you.

Uncategorized

Morning Prayer

March 8, 2018July 23, 2018 becomingandbeholdingLeave a comment

MORNING PRAYER

Here I am again, Dearest God, embracing another new day which has been gifted to me. I thank you for all the possibilities ahead. I thank you for this moment I am taking to pause and remember You. Once my day gets going, I tend to forget you. Please forgive my inattention, my tendency to check the boxes of the day thoughtlessly, forgetting You as the Giver of each moment. May this day be different. May I focus on the goodness you offer so freely and universally. May I participate in its unfolding that I may see my part in making it happen. Free me from the usual distractions and wants which pull me away from the purposes You have put in place for me. Show me the way, dear God. Light me up with your Love and peace. Heal whatever needs mending. May it be so, today and every day. I am yours.

Amen and Amen

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

Count It All Joy

February 7, 2018February 19, 2018 becomingandbeholding10 Comments

He laid in his hospital bed

set up next to his wife’s bed –

his hands contracted

and useless,

his body dependent

on the help of others –

just to move at all,

or eat, or even

brush his teeth.

This bed has been his dwelling place

for over five years,

his disease shrinking and stiffening his body,

rendering his muscles

unworkable –

keeping him confined,

and stuck.

He is one of my favorite patients.

His eyes always sparkle,

his mind is unfailingly engaged,

his words ever generous.

“I am a lucky guy.”

This is the song he sings

no matter what pain may be present

or loss on the forefront.

“I have no complaints.”

Before him,

on his bookcase,

are about 50 journal books

he has filled

with reflections and illustrations

of his weekly walks in the woods

as he observed and gloried

in the wonders of nature.

“Nature used to be my religion.

And then I found God.”

This was life pre-diagnosis.

When I look at him,

a prisoner in his bed and so small,

I am grateful

he had a former life

of movement and joy

in Nature and beyond this room.

“I am a lucky guy,”

he states again and again,

and I marvel at

how he glows.

He has an understanding

that I hope is within reach for me.

He knows

that everyone has “something”

and this is his.

“The way I figure it,” he states,

“God put me here for a reason.

And when anyone comes to see me,

I hope I can be a light for them.

I hope I can make them happy.”

He radiates

effortlessly and profoundly

and I cannot help

but be changed.

He shows me the way

to what is real.

I begin to understand

the gift of joy

in all circumstances

and the suffering that comes

with resisting

what lies before us.

As I say goodbye,

He says,

“I hope I will see you again.”

I smile.

Oh, you will.

You will.

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.

Poem · Poetry

Winter Chill

December 10, 2017 becomingandbeholding2 Comments

As I crunch through

the remnants of the first snow fall,

careful to go slow

and not to slip –

As I feel the cold air

swallow me,

making me miserable inside –

the song of complaint

rises

raw and uncensored:

“I hate winter!”

Every ounce of my being

resists the cold.

Then a chuckle

rises within me

and passes over the

passionate resistance energy

consuming me.

I smile at my hubris

thinking I can resist weather

of all things.

And then I realize –

It is ALL weather.