New Things

New Things

I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth;
do you not perceive it.
I heard that so many times,
but today I realized
there was so much
I was not perceiving.
I was not seeing
the new things
springing forth in me.
I could not perceive it.
I could see my efforts to grow and evolve,
but I could not see how
the Ultimate had humbled me
and done new things in me.
I have been waiting for that moment
when I would no longer be ordinary
when I would no longer be ignorant about things.
Then I had this AHA moment
and I recognized that I am ordinary,
that I am ignorant of so much
that I am who I am at this moment
and who I am now
is not who I will be tomorrow
or the day after that.
Each day,
each moment,
the Ultimate is doing a new thing
and it is springing forth in me
in ways of greatness
that I may not immediately perceive,
but when I do
those moments
when I see what is and has sprung forth in me
will be moments of greatness.

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Murmuring

Murmuring

Sometimes murmuring is about
the way we speak,
soft, low, and secretive.
Murmuring
can bring healing or harm.
Murmuring can shift our attention
away from our inadequacies to others.
It is time to stop focusing on the lack in others
and focus on our own needs.
This is a season for us forgive ourselves,
others,
and work on our own growth.
Murmuring about others creates harm,
listening to the murmurs of our own heart
can help us heal.
May we focus on speaking peace and love into this world,
rather then murmuring hurt and harm

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Go with the Flow

Go With the Flow

Go with the flow,
I always say,
when I have to change course,
pivot, or adjust to changes in life.
it is something I do so naturally,
that I don’t even think about it
I just go with the flow.
This afternoon,
I realized it was yet another gift
from my ancestors.
The weeping willow,
outside my window,
waved its branches at me,
saying watch me.
dance with the wind.
We go with the flow,
being tossed and bent,
and remain unbroken.
Go with the flow,
do not push back.
I cannot always have it my way
so I bend and sway,
move like an improvisational dancer,
and go with the flow.
Perhaps it is why I say
everything on my calendar
is flexible, not optional.
Life is full of fluctuations.
Some moments may be easier
to go with the flow,
then others.
so I optimize my ability
to be blown like the branches
by sleeping, eating healthy and .
staying loved.
Taking care of myself
keeps me
centered, balanced and focused enough
to go with the flow.

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Blessed

Blessed

Don’t talk to strangers.
How many times did I hear that growing up?
I understand it was to keep me safe,
but at the same time,
we are all strangers.
I am a stranger to you
who have never met me
and you are a stranger to me
but that does not mean
we are not blessed.
As a child I was told to stay away from strangers,
but as an adult,
as a teacher,
as a consultant,
as a spiritual partner
my life is spent working with
and meeting strangers daily.
I have to release the fear,
seeing and experiencing others
as I would like them to experience me.
Now I remember I am blessed
with each stranger I meet,
I am blessed
With each person who meets me,
may they remember
I am blessed.
I am blessed
and each stranger I meet
is blessed.
If we saw the blessed in each other
how differently might
we see the world,
if we saw strangers
as blessings
coming into our lives.
Would we

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What are you Teaching?

What are you Teaching?

What are you teaching this semester?
I get asked that so frequently.
I could say the names of the courses,
or I can say the disciplines I teach for,
but what I really want to say is this.
I teach people how to become 3 things,
regardless of their discipline.
I teach them to be scholars
bridge builders
and philanthropists.
I teach them to learn how to learn,
to think and question.
I teach them that walls are easier to construct
then bridges,
but walls divide
and bridges unite,
so work with others
and build bridges
Finally, I teach them to be philanthropists.
In all that we learn,
I teach them about giving back
with their time,
their talents,
and their treasures.
I teach them this
because its about making a difference,
working with others,
helping others,
and living in a way
where we walk a path
that is about generosity.
Where each step is about giving.
Giving with our hands,
our heads,
and our hearts.
Five years from now,
they may not remember what they read,
but I hope they do remember
what I taught them
and are sharing those lessons with others.
What are you teaching?

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Does It Have Legs?

Does It Have Legs?

Do you just believe in it
or does it have legs on it?
It was one of those questions
I remembered as a child,
but understood it better as an adult.
If I believe I can do something
but do not act on it
then nothing will happen.
It's got no legs.
Faith, I was told
is belief
that has legs on it.
Using our legs
is not always easy.
Sometimes it is challenging,
painful,
and requires devotion.
Walking in faith
says we are practicing
what we believe.
Putting legs on our practice
can be rigorous at times.
It means we keep walking
in good times and bad
We walk on our legs,
the ones that transform
belief into faith
and know we are not
walking alone.

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The Clearings

The Clearings

Throught my life, there have been those
who have told me what is wrong with me.
I have not been white enough, black enough or even biracial enough.
I have not been lesbian enough,
smart enough,
charismatic enough,
bold enough,
or just missing something that for them was lacking.
I have spent my life clearing out those messages from my mind and heart.
There focus on lack
has resulted me in focusing on my luster.
On my remembering that I am Divine by design,
because I am continuously being designed and redesigned by the Divine.
The Ultimat has this power to lead us on a journey
that is all about the clearings.
Clearing us of the lies, that what is for others is for us.
What is for you is for you,
What is for me is for me.
So walk in your own way,
with the truth and authenticity
which comes from your journey with the Ultimate/
Clear the doubt and know you are an overcomer
and can clear anything before you.
Sometimes our journeys bring us to land that has been cleared by others
and we build on already cleared land.
Yet, sometimes, we are led to raw land.
Land that we must do the hard work of clearing
then developing and creating what has been given to us,
The creation happens after the clearings.
Know that there will be others who will judge even your clearings,
but it is your clearing.
Like the rest of your journey,
the clearings must also be done your way.

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From My Divers

From My Divers

Words from others,
readers of my poems,
have used words such as
heartfelt,
beautiful, and inspiring.
Then there have been those,
who have made me dive with them
preachable,
paintable,
Negro spiritual,
and Wicked.
They showed me where their dives took them,
allowing me to hear the sermons
and see the paintings.
Then there were those
who said like Negro spirituals
there were messages
beyond the poems.
The poem was a message,
but there was a message
only those knowing the code
and would hear with their own dive.
Then their was my wife,
who hates poetry,
and at the end of Wicked said
these songs are like your poems.
They don’t rhyme,
they don’t follow rules,
they don’t have one meter,
they just are,
but you come to appreciate
the courage and honesty
when you sing your songs
of authenticity and honesty
and dive into a deeper relationship with you
through them.
What a blessing it is
to hear from those who dive
with and because of you and
invite you to dive with them.

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First and Last

First and Last

What would you see
if you looked at me
for the very last time?
Would I look any different?
Would you pay more attention to my words?
Would you remember our hug differently?
What about if it were the first time?
What if we began seeing and experiencing everything
as if it were our first time or our last?
Would it help us to see the gifts in each moment?
Would it help us see the Divine
in each moment and experience?
This next moment is not promised,
so let us appreciate each moment we have
as if it were our first
or our last
and experience it for all of what it is
rather then as if it were just another moment.

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My Golden Rules

My Golden Rules

Growing up, there were two words
which shaped my life.
Minimize and maximize.
Everything in life was about them.
it was about minimizing and maximizing.
Minimize suffering and
maximize happiness.
Minimize the pain and
maximize the joy.
Minimize the conflict and
maximize the peace.
This was just one of my golden rules.
Stand on one foot
was another.
I never liked this
and then I would learn
then do not do unto others.
This was yet another golden rule.
Then there was this one
Do unto others
as you would have them do unto you.
They all are the same rule that
I learned in different ways,
but they all guide me today
as I invite all to stand on both feet,
maximizing their inner peace
as I maximize my own.

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More Than Petty

More Than Petty

I used to hate it when
an adult in my life would
have me do the same thing repeatedly.
Regardless of what it was
the repetition of it
felt petty and utterly useless.
What I did not realize
until years later
was that this ongoing repetition,
was how you got to Carnegie Hall,
except the quote called it practice.
It is what helped me learn
how to control my mind and meditate,
how to silence my brain,
how to shuck an oyster,
prepare an artichoke,
help students understand complex ideas.
It was this repetition
whether it was math tables,
writing letters,
printing them,
learning my lines,
the score of a song
or even the words of my own poem
which allowed me to master
what life needed me to know and do.
I may not ever perform at the physical Carnegie Hall,
but is it the daily repetition of my authenticity
that enables me to be
the best me I can be.
All those minor tasks,
enable me to be me
at my virtual Carnegie Hall
where everything life has me do
is more than petty.

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It’s My Life

It’s My Life

It’s my life.
I keep reminding myself each day,
that this life is mine.
it is my responsibility
to take my own life into my own hands.
Each day that I do not take it upon myself
to do something with it,
I am allowing my life to pass away from me.
I am allowing others to control my life,
and it is not theirs,
it is mine.
Each day is a day for me to restart,
to reset,
to rejuvenate,
to refocus my life and
create something new with it.
It's my life
and today and each day
I will take it upon myself
to make the most of my life that I can.
After all,
it's my life.

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Sophia

Sophia

Sophia, who is she?
My students ask me this every semester
and then I educate them about how
Sophia is not a person to me.
Sophia
is about divine wisdom.
about how wisdom is female.
I explain that Sophia for some
is the female personification of the Divine.
For others Sophia is
the female twin of Jesus.
About how for others
Sophia is the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs tells us that Sophia
came before any human being
and was through whom all was created.
Sophia
is who I call upon and think about
as I celebrate all the wisdom that came before me.
Sophia
is who I move through
as I share my wisdom with others and
Sophia
is whom I introduce others to
so the honoring of all wisdom
is celebrated in all times.
When you are in need of wisdom,
invite Sophia in and
allow her wisdom to flow in and through..

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Spring

Spring

Nothing can hold back the spring
Rev Callan once preached.
The snow,
the ice,
the cold weather,
none of it can hold back the spring.

The spring,
like a new beginning will come,
and nothing can hold it back.
Life,
like the seasons,
is filled with newness.
A newness that emerges
from what was,
what the rain could not wash away,
what the snow could not conceal,
what nothing could eliminate or destroy.
Nothing can hold back the spring,
just as nothing can hold back the changes
that time will bring.
The next spring may be different then the last,
but it like all the others
is a season of beginnings,
of rebirth,
of resiliency,
of newness
of hope
and of promise.
It may not come as quickly as we wish,
but this much I know to be true.
Nothing can hold back the spring.

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Divine by Design

Divine by Design

I am divine by design
because I was designed by the Divine.
I am a work of art,
which hangs in the museum of life.
I am part of a collection of other
pieces of art
and together we bring meaning to the world.
We are more then just works of art,
we are the caretakers of our own work.
Each moment we make choices which
contribute to maintaining our artistry
or deface the work we were created to be.
If I cannot see the beauty within myself,
then how can I expect others to.
If I deface my beauty,
then I give others permission to do the same.
I am committed to self care,
love and compassion
remembering to do so because
I am divine by design
because I was designed by the Divine

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Staying the Course

Staying the Course

There are days
which can seem easier to navigate through then others.
it is not always easy
to stay the course,
when life is filled with challenging weather conditions like
high winds,
heavy storms, or
sub zero temperatures.
It is not always easy to
find the course for our life,
and sometimes even harder to stay it
and sail it in the face of life’s challenges.
It is not always easy to
stay the course when life is filled with
distractions,
frustrations, and
defeat.
It is in the midst of all this,
that we find our strengths and abilities
and move towards our goals,
fulfilling our purpose,
and continuing the quest.
It is in staying the course,
that we let go of that which holds us back,
stay focused on that which we truly yearn
and remember
we are overcomers.

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What are you counting?

What are you counting?

It is on cold wintry days like today
that I find myself drifting back in time,
remembering things we did as kids
and wanting to do them again
while counting what is left on my to do list.
What I would like to be counting
are the memories I am collecting this season.
I can count the experiences of joy,
the things I am grateful for,
the images which provoke memories
and the history of my ancestors.
I can count by images,
cards,
photographs,
poems,
and entries in my journal.
I can count the number of times
I made hot chocolate, cappuccino or chai,
I wore one of my uber cuddly sweaters,
I made pots of soup or chili
or anything that kept me warm on the inside
while others things kept me warm on the outside.
I can count the number of snowfalls,
or like I did as a child, count snowflakes.
What more can I count this winter
that will capture what is happening within me
and around me this winter?
What are you counting?

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This Little Light

This Little Light

It may not have been the first song I learned,
but it is the one I remember learning
at my earliest church memory.
I have temple ones, too,
but singing this little light of mine
stays with me
because in it I made a promise to myself
that I was going to let the light within me shine.
This little light of mine,
I’m going to let it shine.
It never asked me to hide my light,
or conceal my gifts,
or deny the talents and abilities
the Ultimate gave me.
Rather it had me promise myself
to let that little light shine.
When I listen to my intuition,
I am letting it shine.
When I am honoring my ideas,
I am letting it shine.
When I write my poems and my prose,
I am letting it shine.
I know there have been times
I did not let it shine,
but then I took the covers off
I had let others put on me
and now I let my little light shine
I not only let it shine,
but I encourage it to shine as brightly as it can.
I may have had moments where I betrayed myself
in the past,
but now,
I just let it shine.
I let it shine,
let it shine,
and let it shine.

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Trust the Process

Trust the Process

Trust the process,
my Bubby would tell me
during our walks together.
I did not have to like what was happening
or how
or when
or even why,
but I had to trust the process
and know that all that was supposed to be would be.
Trust it Sara Bella, just trust the process.
The process constantly teaches me to be creative
and see what I could not see before.
Life is the ultimate teacher about living.
It is in the process that I get to be creative.
I get to be the artist of my life.
I get to learn new ways of dealing with stress
or disappointment
or things that disturb me.
I get to learn more about myself
and how I move through life
and how I contribute to my own suffering
and my own joy.
Trust the process
and know that the best is yet to come.
Trust that you will learn
what the Ultimate is trying to teach you
and that the process will continue
until you do,
so as my Bubby would say
just trust the process.  Trust it.

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No Matter What

No Matter What

No matter what,
give thanks.
That is what my Bubby would say.
In good times or challenging times,
no matter what
give thanks.
She taught me to see
every moment in my life
whether of pain or confusion
or joy or clarity
or anything in between
as an opportunity
of growth to grow.
She would always tell me
no matter what
give thanks.
This attitude of gratitude
no matter what
enables me to give thanks
in all circumstances
and to see even the most challenging of times
as gifts.
Even the most challenging of times
is a chance to grow,
a chance to evolve
a chance to use the gifts I have been given
and carry all opportunities
with grace.

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