The Journey

it’s all about the journey.
Gosh, I hate when you say that, she said
How do you find it to begin with?
That was her question back to me.
I stopped, thought, reflected and
talked about the journey.
it’s not that there is A journey or
a right way to embark on it.
We each have our own journey,
own own path to the inner sacred self,
that inner sanctum
waiting to have the breath of the Ultimate
washed over it.
it is about learning to listen
to see,
to hear,
to sense,
to find and recognize
what is speaking to us.
There is not a right guide
or an everlasting one.
It’s about listening to
the wisdom which comes to us from
symbols,
images,
rituals,
stories,
myths,
labyrinths,
and any other form
the invisible may take
to walk with us
on our journey
to the sacred space within
where we open ourselves up
to the movement of
the One

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Spiritual Detective

I used to love mystery novels,
but now I am playing the detective
in my own life.
I follow the clues
the things I see,
the things which fall between the cracks
and are visible but not.
I follow the scents,
the sounds,
the tastes,
the textures
and all that life offers
as I work my way through
that which I do not know,
do not understand,
and wonder about in my life.
I follow the clues,
I peel back the layers,
I look at things with a magnifying glass,
to make sure I get even the tiniest of clues.
I keep on the case,
until I solve the mystery,
and know I have come
to a deeper understanding,
to a deeper relationship
with the one who sent me
the clues
in the first place.

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Becoming Beautiful

I used to think I was ugly.
that was the message I got from society
because I am fat,
because I am old
because I am not a gurly girl.
because I was looking at society’s mirror,
and not God’s.
It was my skinny friends
who began teaching  me I was beautiful.
It was when a dear friend was moving
and she wanted a picture of the gang.
four skinny girls and me.
I wanted to hide
and they wanted me smack dab in the middle.
What they said was my beauty
would last long past theirs
because mine was internal.
A friend of mine and I were talking
and her words struck me.
“Your poetry makes you beautiful.”
it’s not my poems themselves,
but what happens within me
as I write them.
Then I began to realize
that it is not what I create
whether it is a meal,
or a blanket,
or a poem
that makes me beautiful,
but the process of creating,
that helps me become beautiful
It is the time with the master of creating
which gives me time to learn and grow,
to evolve and transform.
to become more beautiful
and to let that beauty shine
through me into the world.
What do you do to become beautiful

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I’m Liking It

I always giggle
when I see a McDonald’s ad
that says
I’m loving it.
it reminds me of how powerful
my words and attitude are.
I am not where I can say
I’m loving it
about everything,
but I can say
I’m liking it.
Whatever the weather
I’m liking it.
Whatever the diagnosis
I’m liking it.
Whether I have a job or not
I’m liking it.
Whether others are loving me or not
I’m liking it.
what I have come to know is   that
it is not about others attitudes
it is about mine
and I’m liking it.
I like that I am positive.
I like it that I look for the light in others.
I like that I never give up.
I like that I am a believer.
I like that I am an achiever.
I like that when I look at myself
in the mirror, I can say
I’m liking it.
I hope you can as well.

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Embracing the Situation

Recently someone told me
If I were in your situation
I would want to die.
I remember saying
I guess it’s a good thing
I am not you.
You see I have embraced my situation.
I give thanks for it.
I give thanks for
the ways it has helped me grown.
I came to realize that
I can either embrace something and grow
or stay hurting, angry, and frustrated.
So I embrace life and grow.
I work to embrace
what I cannot change.
I embrace the crabgrass in my life
because it is easier to change my attitude
then to spend energy
hating what I cannot change.
So I embrace that which challenges me
and give thanks for the gifts

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It's not a Luxury

It’s not a luxury,
Audre Lorde once wrote.
It’s not.
I truly get it.
I know what it’s like to have
words which are fighting to come out
and speak their truth,
tell their story,
and ask to be heard,
and honored
respected,
and understood.
Being heard is not a luxury.
It is something we all want,
even if others do not understand,
we want to be heard,
to be recognized,
even if others recognize our truths
as different.
Poetry is a way of singing.
It is a way of sharing our heart,
our deepest thoughts,
and the truth we know
from our relationship
with the one who loves us
and knows us in a way
only poetry can communicate.

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Generosity

It wasn’t anything big,
the gift I was given,
but I know it came from her heart.
There is something
about generosity
which
can open you up
regardless of whether you are
the giver or the one giving.
She shared something I know she treasured
with me.
It was one of those pastries
only her mom knew how to make.
I remember how much she loved them
and yet she shared one with me
and that made me feel so loved.
It was more than a pastry,
it was a gift from her heart.

When I share with others
I think of how I felt
and how it opened me up
and pray it will do the same for others.
Generosity
is not only about what we give to others,
but the gift that comes back to us
in the process.

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Rituals

As I called a friend
to sing her Happy Birthday
I remembered why rituals are so important.
Rituals are like a thread.
They connect us to our past,
enrich our present,
and tie us to the future.
Rituals bring us together,
they help us celebrate
who we are,
what we believe,
where we come from,
and where we are heading
Rituals
remind us to gather with those we love,
those who are important,
those we have things in common with.
Rituals
tear down the walls that separate us
build bridges to unite us
and bring us peace.
Rituals
bring to the center
of our thinking
reminders of what is important
in our lives.
This is why we are intentional
about celebrating
rituals

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Learning from Death

There is not a day that goes by
that something in our lives does not die.
Sometimes it is people,
or our furbabies,
a situation,
a relationship,
or a belief.
We may like to believe
that life and death are separate,
but they are like partners
in a a dance.
Death touches our lives
sometimes it cuts us
like a knife.
Other times there is
a complexity of feelings
like a bottle of wine.
Sometimes, we are grateful to let go,
but at the same time,
we feel the pain
which comes with the death.
In all of it we know,
that what it was existed,
for a season,
a purpose,
and taught us
what we needed to learn
before it left us.
In the midst of it all,
it taught us about
the mysteries of life,
love,
learning,
and death.

Like an Angel

You’re an angel, 
he said, 
after I sat and listened
and really heard him.
We have probably all experienced
those who are like angels in our lives. 
They are the ones who 
hear us when nobody else can.
listen to us and share what 
we truly need to hear, 
or help us to see things
we could not see. 
They are the ones who 
just seem to show up 
out of nowhere and ?
minister to us in ways 
we cannot explain.
They are the human messengers
of the one who knows us
and what we need
when nobody else can 
and then hears and answers our prayer
only as they can.
They fill our lives 
with those who are
like angels in our lives.

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My Legacy

it is what I inherited,
from those who came
before me.
I had no control,
nor did you of the legacy
we inherited.
We do, however,
have control
over the legacy
we leave behind.

We can think about
what we want them
to inherit
and put in place
a better legacy
than the one
we inherited.

We can envision
a legacy of dignity,
respect,
peace,
and institutionalized
respect for all humanity

We can leave behind
a new metoomovement
that is about those committed to
a legacy of unconditional love,
a legacy of celebrating uniqueness,
a legacy of positive alliances, and
a legacy of the tapestry of humanity

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My Holy Ground

I am standing on holy ground.
I am mindful though that where
I am standing
is not where you are standing,
but it is where I am supposed to stand.
It is my holy ground.

What makes it holy
is not where I am. but
who guided and led me
to this space and time.
It is where I am supposed to be,
knowing that it is where I am
to be in my journey and
I am here with the one who
guides me,
leads me,
inspires me,
and journeys with me.
This is my holy ground

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Walking with Me

I may not always see
the spirits of those
walking with me,
but I hear them
encouraging me to serve,
and to be of service to others.

I may not see them,
but I hear them
encouraging me to always
do what is right,
to be there for others,
to share my gifts,
and do what I can
to lighten someone’s load

I hear the voice
that says I am here and
in the hardest of times says
we will get through this together.
The voice that
reminds me none of us is alone
in the storm.
The voice that reminds me
to be the guide for others
as I am being guided.

The voice that says
no need to worry because
I am walking with you

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Where is the Joy

Sometimes we work
so hard
we feel exhausted.

How many times
have I heard
or even said
I need a nap.

Sometimes we are so busy
we think we are tired
but perhaps we should be asking
where is the joy

Where is the time
in the midst of it all
that we stop and
do something which energizes us,
and brings us joy.

In the midst of
the busyness
may we remember
what brings us joy,
what energizes us
what makes us feel
as if we have napped.

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Invisible

I have always been told
that I cannot see or understand
the way the Divine does.
My vision is not God’s and
God’s understandings are not mine.
So don’t try to think or see
like the Ultimate
because that is not you.

Before I try to think or see
like the Ultimate,
I need to learn to see and understand?
the parts of me which
are invisible to me.
I need to explore that
which I have not wanted to see
or understand
or explore.

I need to deal with the
invisibility within
before I attempt to deal
with the invisible of the Ultimate.
I need to work on removing
all that affects my own being
in this world and blurs,
distorts, or makes
invisible
my understanding of myself or others.

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Sister Helen

Sometimes you hear
a lesson,
a piece of wisdom,
an understanding
which you know is true.
A truth, which pushes you
beyond where you want to go,
to where you need to go

Sister Helen Prejean
taught we are all more
than the single worst thing
we have ever done.

How can I judge others
by that thing,
if I don’t want
to be judged by mine?

Sister Helen taught
we all have something in us
which is a reflection of love.
It might be covered in darkness
and dust,
but it is there,
waiting for the moment,
the situation,
the person that will see
what others cannot,
sometimes even ourselves.

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Failure

There is nothing wrong with
failure.
Failure means
I tried
I learned something
I am wiser
I am clearer about
what success looks like to me.

Failure means
I am alive.
I am participating,
I am engaging,
I am learning.
I am involved,
and I am helping to bring ab out change.

Failure means
I am an artist,
I am an activist,
I am persistent,
I have tenacity, and
I have not given up.

Failure means
I am working on
being the best me
I can be and
that is an awesome
journey to be on.

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There is a reason

Ecclesiastes says,
To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under
the heaven:
In every event,
in every relationship,
in every situation
there is a meaning,
a lesson,
a gift,
which is there to teach us

When we fail to look
when we fail to question
and ask what is the meaning
we miss out on the opportunity
to learn,
to grow,
to evolve,
or to understand
the gift we are
experiencing

Even in this moment
in this poem,
there is a reason,
a lesson
the universe is trying
to teach you.
What is your lesson?

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The Heart

At the end of the day
what is all come s down to
is my heart.
In times like these,
we see the condition
of each others hearts.
We see those at are
hardened,
soft,
closed,
open,
arrogant,
humbled
broken, and
healed.

This can be a time
when we contribute to the harming
or the healing
of our heart
and the hearts
of those around us.

May we take time
to radiate love,
light,
and positive energy
to our own hearts
and to the hearts of
those around us

May this be a time
for the healing and
gentle care of our hearts
and the hearts of
humanity.

May we hold each
others hearts in our
hands with the gentleness
and tenderness
we would a newborn

In our own way
we are each in a state
of being newborns.
May we honor
and celebrate the
newness emerging in us all

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Blessings

So many are complaining
about the events of our life,
but what if instead we gave thanks
and saw this as a blessing.
What if we were grateful
for the blessings
which we are gaining
from this event.

What if saw all wisdom
as a blessing.
What if we saw all of life
as a blessing.
What if we saw both
health and the virus
as a blessing.

This season has offered
us the blessing of coming to know
ourselves and each other.
This season has offered
us the blessing of
a deeper understanding of life.

All of life
offers us blessings
of wisdom,
of understanding
and of love.
May we find the blessings
in all of life and
give thanks for the blessings

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