Does it matter where I come from?
Yes and no!
No, because we are all brothers and sisters
No matter where we were born

Yes, because acknowledging
My heritage
Is acknowledging who I am
Heritage and self-worth
Seem to go hand in hand

This did not make sense to me
A few years back
But I think I’m starting to understand

I love the West and what it stands for
But if I don’t appreciate the East
I’m not balanced

East and West
Hand in hand
Wings of a bird
Fingers of one hand

If I reject the East
I’m rejecting myself
I need me
And I need others as well

A broken winged bird
Cannot fly high
I want to soar
Soar in the sky!

Lida Berghuis
March 17th, 2004

I can read a map
But I would rather not
I can follow directions
But I often get lost!

Going North would be all right
If I knew which way North was!
And with all the one way streets downtown
If I make a wrong turn
I’’m out of luck!

The other time
All I wanted to do was to get back home
But instead
I took the scenic route!

I visited these new areas
I did not know existed
I saw new places
And tried to enjoy them

Finally I decided to ask
For directions
But remembering the directions
Was another challenge!

A GPS would be great
To tell me where to go
But for now it’s my hubby
On my cell phone!

Lida Berghuis
June 8th, 2004

*pre Google-map days

“The hurt you embrace becomes joy”*
Pain is necessary for growth
You don’t have to look for pain
It will simply come your way

The hurt you embrace becomes joy!
If you accept it and
Listen to its message
If you let it shape you
And build you anew

The hurt you embrace becomes joy!
Leads to understanding
Leads to emptiness
Leads to humility
Leads to accepting kindness

This is the way of the world
So don’t run away from pain
Embrace pain and sorrow
Live with them
Learns from them
Let them lead you to somewhere new

The hurt you embrace becomes joy
If you fight it
It will fight back
If you let go
It will let go too

Pain is like the broom of life
It cleans things out
So you can build again
Make a new beginning
Come to new understanding

Pain is a gift of life
So …..
“Welcome sadness
Welcome pain
I’ll embrace you
When you come my way!”

Lida Berghuis
July 12, 2010

*Rumi

transitions
in-betweens
neither here, nor there
neither east, nor west

no man’s land
not my land
not your land
neither east, nor west

between cultures
between ages
between east and west
neither here nor there

not a science
not an art
not precise
neither here or there

not a child
nor an adult
neither old or young
neither here or there

not quite there
neither here
between here and there
neither east nor west

no man’s land
that’s my land
between here and there
between east and west!

Lida Berghuis
2002

Surrounded by mud
The lotus grows
Pure and white

Surrounded by darkness
The candle glows
At midnight

Surrounded by doubt
Faith shines resplendent
In the heart

Surrounded by fear
Serenity rules
As the heart turns heavenward

Surrounded by shadow
The flame is ignited
And burns bright!

Lida Berghuis
June 16th, 2006

I have a like-hate relationship with my glasses
I’ve had them for two years, I must confess!

I like them because they help me read
When lighting is poor and I must read tiny print
I like them because they are red
And in colours, red is my favorite!

But I hate them because they show my age
Because they imply that my eyes are not perfect
I feel self-conscious when I put them on
That’s supposed to be my mother or grandma!

But one day I saw a dear friend
Who took out her glasses with much flair
She wasn’t concerned about her age
She felt she had earned her place with grace

With self-assuredness and much poise
She proceeded to put the glasses on her nose!
She looked at her notes and then at us
Very content with her place in life

That made me see my glasses in another light
So what, I’m not twenty or twenty five
Forty and forty five is good too
And so will be sixty and sixty two!!

So the next time I need my glasses on
I’ll try not to snicker and feel awkward
I’ll try to put them on with pride
So I’m getting older, so what?

December 19th, 2008
Story telling at Lisbeth and Wytze’s place
With Fred