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Agency

Apr24

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Why don’t you do things this way?
Why don’t you wear that?
Why do you take life so hard?
Smile and relax!

We have a lot of advice for everyone else, it seems

And some of it comes from a place of
Compassion of course
But to accept someone as he or she is
That is love that’s mature

It says you don’t need to change to please me or anyone else
You need not improve to be acceptable
You are loved as you are
I respect your choices in life

To respect others’ choices
Especially those we don’t agree with
Is not easy

But when we do
We are sending them the message
That they have agency in their lives
Their decisions count
And they are free to choose their path in life

April 2017

New reality

Feb4

What are the tools of living in an
Interdependent world
Where diverse cultures and languages
and customs come together
And must co-exist?

We can’t go back in time
Or use the tools that worked in the past
Competition, looking out only for one’s own interests
Emphasis on material things and
Feeling superior to others
Won’t work
This is an interdependent world

Debating does not work
Listening and an open mind will
Competition won’t work
Cooperation will
Rigid thoughts and ideas won’t work
Flexibility will
Living isolated lives won’t work
Mixing and mingling will

The concept of “a leader”
As the one in control won’t work
The leader as servant will
Wanting all the power won’t work
Sharing it, however, will

Seeing and sowing division won’t work
Looking for similarities will
Patriarchy won’t work
Celebrating the feminine will

We live in a new reality
We need a new vision too
A vision in which we see our fellow man
As our brother and sister
Not the other
Not inferior

In this reality
The pain of someone else
Is our pain too
The misfortune of another nation
Ours as well

In this reality
Women and men must work
Side by side
cooperation is needed
Listening is important
Compassion is necessary
Truth is paramount
And service a must

The world has changed and
So must we!
Feb. 4th 2017IMG_4219.JPG

Grace

Jan27

Some days seem charged with a
Certain amount of electricity
A certain energy

I feel like I am being carried on
The wings of Grace
I feel the presence of my ancestors
I feel joyous in a deep loving way

Some days I feel like I’m floating on air
I feel uplifted

Some days are more special than other days
I call those days the days of Grace

January 26th, 2016image

Ice age

Jan26

Our frozen world
Frozen from the lack of the sunshine of love
Frozen from the long nights of ignorance and prejudice

Icy cold is the world we live in
Hearts frosted over by greed
Cold from the scarcity of compassion and absence of brotherhood
Icy cold…
We shiver witnessing injustice and brutality
We long for the warmth of harmony and unity
Desolate, divided and ravaged
Is the world we live in

This ice age will not last forever though
It may be holding us in its grasp now
But spring is around the corner
Sunshine is around the bend
Warmth is nearby
The heat of the sun
Will melt this ice

And each of us can create some heat
Some warmth
By our loving words and deeds
By extending a helping hand to others
By caring for our fellow man

Kindness

Dec10

His kind words made me cry today
Kind words can do that you know

His kind words made me feel accepted and loved
I felt like I belonged
His kind words tore the veil of silence
And let in the light

Sometimes silence means complicity
Sometimes silence means we don’t want to go there
Things that are difficult to talk about
Remain behind the veil of silence

It takes courage to be kind
In a world that sometimes does not value kindness
At times, kindness is seen as weakness
What an absurd thought, I say

Kindness is like a river to the thirsty one
It’s life giving like sunshine
It’s like music that uplifts the soul
What more could one want?

One drop of kindness sweetens the ocean
Said the sage
This is the power of kindness

Kindness touched my heart today
A river of tears began to flow
Why tears as a response to kindness
I don’t know
I don’t know

December 1st, 2016

Naked

Nov28

img_0343It’s winter
The trees have lost their leaves
Their branches stand naked
Nothing protects them from the glances
That are cast upon them

The nests built in the shadow of their leaves
In spring
Stand exposed

There is something sad about
The absence of the lush leaves
That decorate their branches

In the summer time
But there is beauty
In their new found transparency

Their branches are extended
With self confidence
Nothing weighs them down
At this point
They feel lighter
Even though they are exposed
No secrets
No hidden agenda

They are vulnerable though
Ice will cover their branches during
Freezing rain
Weigh them down and break them
They will feel the sharp jabs
Of hailstones more acutely
But there is always a price to pay
When baring one’s soul

November 25th, 2016

photo credit:  Masoud Atrvash

Stones

Nov28

 

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We live more isolated
More orderly lives
Various things separating us
From one another

Bigger homes
Longer distances to work
Less time for family and friends
Valuing independence
Fear of rejection
Old wounds of the past

The distances created between us
Make our communities feel colder
More organized perhaps
Less chaotic
But Loneliness is rampant

Instead of talking to friends
We call hot-lines designed
To help us cope

When we need help
We are weary of asking our
Neighbour for a hand

When we stand in line
We look down at our phones
Instead of at each other

Separation is cold, lonely and lifeless

Being more connected may be
More chaotic
Louder
Less comfortable at times

But it’s colourful
More lively
More cozy
More kind

And a helping hand is always nearby
November 28th, 2016

 

Laugh out loud

Nov4

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Laugh out loud my friend
Laugh out loud
I know there are times when we cry
When we’re sad
When the world weighs heavy on us
But when you can
Please laugh out loud

Let your laughter ring
Through the room
Let it bring joy to everyone

The days of women being
Demure is done
Laugh out loud my friend
Laugh out loud

Tears are special
When they fall
They wash the sadness
From our hearts

But when life affords you
The opportunity to laugh
Laugh out loud my friend
Laugh out loud

You need to be heard
You need to shine
You need to celebrate life
No more silent or quiet laughter
Laugh out loud my friend
Laugh out loud

November 4th, 2016

A new low…

Oct11

When truth does not matter anymore
And people say whatever they want
When you need to fact-check someone’s assertions
Because we can’t trust them

When dishonesty is rewarded by material gains
When we can’t count on anyone’s words
And they keep denying what can’t be denied

Our society has reached a new low

When we expect politicians to lie
At least sometimes
When accusations fly back and forth
With no way to prove who’s telling the truth

When women are objectified
And those remarks are asked to be excused
As locker-room talk
What kind of example are we setting for the young?

When civility is lost
And words are spoken that make one cringe
When insults take the place of discussion and talk
We know we have reached a new low

Don’t get me wrong
I think there is hope
But, boy does the night seem dark
Before the appearance of the dawn

 

October 11th, 2016

Pinch me

Oct4

There are times in my life
When the ocean is calm
The storm has come and gone
And I’ve survived

When the weather is mild
And the sun shines
When all is well with the world
And there are no big worries on my mind

At these times I feel as thankful
As can be
I feel blessed
And sometimes I almost feel guilty
For the way I feel

I know another storm will come
I know the clouds will appear again
And the rain drops will pelt my head
I know the light at the end of the tunnel
Will grow dim
I know all this

But for now
I’ll enjoy the calm and the sunshine and
Do my best to help others who may feel down
I’ll be a good friend, mother and wife

That’s what I can do to
Show my thankfulness
As I sail on the ocean of life

 

October 2nd, 2016