The Sweetness of Life...

As the tide flows in, the ebb of change washes over
Slowly, methodically, with a rhythm that seems heaven sent
No exact answers, no clarity of time, just the vision set forth from the mind
It feels as if my heart is spent and my course is never finished
But I continue on to reach the dreams woven on a warm afternoon
I know that change is expensive, but bliss will follow soon
Whatever that may be, the endless possibilities set within this eternity

No shortcut, no detour, no easy-route
Change is the only momentum given to sort it all out
Pushing and pulling, tossed about within
One journey coming to an end
Yet another lies just ahead waiting for me to embrace the beginning
Uncertain destination, excitement oozes like honey from the hive
It is this change that invigorates the soul and makes one come alive
The sweetness of life

Yet, I stare at what I will leave behind, longing for answers
Swirling and twirling about in my mind, all the time and efforts of the daily
Sorting out the life lived to this point... the black and white
The gray in-between, the words unspoken, the moments unseen

The growth felt is like that of a mighty red oak
Straight and true, strong and tall
Hasten pace, adaptable, yet steadfast
The changes being worth more than the beginning pangs

Between the Lines...

My heart has been waning as of late... torn in many directions. Some of my own doing, others just being the events that take a toll on one's soul naturally in the process of life. No matter the years of my life experiences, I think one topic never to be completely understood or deciphered is the heart and human nature, in relation to it.




I have to wonder what makes us shirk away in fear when confronted with the purest form of acceptance and willingness to love? Do we allow the perceptions of what we desire to cloud our truest needs? Reflecting upon disasters of the heart that make us who we are today, but certainly not what will appear in the mirror tomorrow. Change is growth and every part of one's being is encompassed in this momentum on the daily. Why do we try to impede the process of change... of the inevitable growth of the soul... the very core of being? The desire for more- love, life, laughter, money, success, etc etc etc. Why not open our arms and welcome what could come to pass? Yet, it seems our arms are so stiff in the motion of just one more time. As you age and your 'battle scars' appear, it seems that motion gets a bit more wearisome, but deep within the desire for 'more' burns bright and so slowly... we open up ourselves, our heart, our life to what might be. Never knowing if it is or isn't the "right" choice to make, but stepping out in faith that if you don't...
you might never know.




Unfortunately this process is never one-sided and you can never deem how the human spirit will receive the process of another. Some may be on the same path as you and embrace willingly and fully and then others may desire to have the same, but are just unable to do so. Maybe their journey does not include you, or maybe you were just there for a brief moment to show them what could lie ahead in their course, IF they are willing to step out at a later time. The cycle of life is not broken until it is time and within this continuum, we continue to grow, experience what it is to truly live and love, and thus, feel the depths of loss, heartache, joy and success.



That is just life though... sometimes you soar and others you just have to hold onto the ride.




Oh, Sarah.. how you said it all between the lines.

I Want to Know...

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
And if you dare to dream of meeting
Your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
For love, for your dreams,
For the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow,
If you have been opened by life's betrayals,
Or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain,
Mine or your own,
Without moving
To hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy,
Mine or your own,
If you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
Without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic,
or to remember the limitations of being human.

I want to know if you can see beauty
Even when it is not pretty every day,
And if you can source your life
From God's presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure,
Yours and mine,
And still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair,
Weary and bruised to the bone, And do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn't interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
In the center of the fire with me
And not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
From the inside
When all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
With yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep
In the empty moments.

~Oriah Mountain Dreamer, "The Invitation"