Road trip

Aug16

The journey of life is not a smooth road trip
Detours seem to sneak up on us everywhere
Bumps appear all along the way
Sometimes all our energy goes into climbing a hill
That does not seem to end
Sometimes we find ourselves careening down a hill
At breakneck speed

Perhaps one of the hardest things in life
Is to find balance
To know when to slow down
When to keep going despite bad weather
And how long to drive before coming to a stop

Finding balance requires getting to know oneself
One’s limits
One’s strengths
One’s gifts

It requires audacity to be different
To stand out
It requires the courage of one’s convictions
When others think we are wrong
It requires wisdom that comes
From facing the challenges of life

Finding balance is a life-long quest
And like many other things in life
It’s about the journey and not the destination

Lida Berghuis
August 11th, 2014
Green Acre

Blessed!

Aug5

My spontaneity
His planning ability

My fiery nature
His cool water ways

My excitement and laughter
His calm and composure

My ability to get lost
His ability to know the way

His wit and charm
My laughter and delight

His vision of the future
My admiration

His ability to grow and transform
My amazement and wonder

His genuine nature
My happiness

My strengths, his strength
Complement each other

My half, his half
Make a whole

My love, his love
Create magic!
The impossible becomes possible
The closed door opens

My suffering, his suffering
Intertwined
His patience
Like none other I have seen

Blessed to have found
His love
Blessed to serve with him!

Lida Berghuis
August 4th, 2014

Under the water of trials…

Aug2

Deep under water
Pushed down by the weight of life
A heavy load that does not allow me to emerge
From the watery grave that surrounds me

Should I give in?
Should I fight?
Do I want to live, or die?

Giving up is easy
Not much effort is required
But fighting takes courage, strength and
The will to go on

Surrounded by water
Pressed down by the weight of the world
At the juncture of
Giving up or marching on…

Once again,
I choose to fight
To laugh in the face of trials
I choose to go on…
But why?

Because I’m not one to choose the easy path
Anyone can do that
I accept the challenge
I will fight!

So, I gather all my might
Say a silent prayer
And push up!

And amazingly
The weight lifts
I emerge from water
I can breathe again
I’m alive!

I’m not alive because I fear death
I’m alive because death will come in its own good time
I need not spur it on

In a world full of trials
My mission is to march on
Giving up is not an option
Suffering has its reasons
I’m here for a reason
And to fulfil that
I will stay around…

Lida Berghuis
July 31st, 2014
Inspired by Inception sound track
and a scene in The Signature of All Things

The climb…

Jul31

This world is like a mountain we have to climb
Challenges are there
Our strength and perseverance is tested
But each height we reach is breathtaking

What can make this climb more manageable?
The support of friends
Someone to cheer us on
To walk along side us
A shoulder to cry on when things get tough
A friend to lean on when our strength wanes

And sometimes we’re the one who does the cheering up
The one who others can lean on
The strong one, for the moment…

Lida Berghuis
July 26th, 2014
Montreal Youth Conference

Slowing down to go farther…

Jul29

Busy times…
Trying to keep my cool
Even when there are a hundred things
On my to-do list
I won’t forget that somewhere on the list
Close to the top
Is taking care of myself
And doing something that recharges my batteries
Brings me joy
Centres me!

Sometimes we think if we run faster
We will get farther
But in reality
To go farther, we need to slow down
This slowing down
Reflecting sometimes
Relaxing and recuperating sometimes
Prevents accidents
Prevents injuries
And in the long run
We will cover a greater distance
More happily!

July 22nd, 2014

Mysteries of life…

Jul20

How is it that things we imagine have the worst timing in our lives
Become the blessings we never expected?

How is it that things we don’t plan
End up having the best outcomes?

How is it that we can be so mistaken?

Perhaps these things come our way to teach us humility
Humility of acceptance
Trust in the Universe
Contentment under all conditions!

Our ego fights a battle to death
And if we’re lucky
It’s the ego that loses!

Mysteries of life abound!
Learning is life-long
Humility is learned one trial at a time…

Lida Berghuis
July 20th, 2014

Wisdom

Jul19

It is said that with wisdom comes the ability
To solve difficult problems

Solving difficult problems requires courage
Courage to stand up for what is right

Solving problems requires love
Love that gives one the courage to go on

Solving problems requires patience
Patience under all circumstances

Solving problems requires strength
Strength to endure difficult times

Solving difficult problems leads to unity
Unity, the ultimate reward!

Lida Berghuis
July 17th, 2014

Bullet-proof?

Jul16

The hurts of the past do come back
The uncertainty of the future always exists
These are the things I need to make peace with

How to grow in strength and love
That what hurt me before and can hurt me now
Wanes in strength and loses its grip on my psyche

I am not bullet proof and will never be
But the armour of love and compassion and reliance on God
Can protect me from the bullets of life!

I may get injured but I will heal
Sometimes I’m taken by surprise, but the secret is
To remain calm and not feel the need to defend or justify!

To have compassion for the one who unknowingly, sometimes
Is throwing the darts
The intention is mostly love
But sometimes the words just come out wrong

So, with peaceful acquiescence I face a new day
Fill my heart with love and care
Let go of the negative things
Celebrate the positive
And realise that no on can hurt me
If my heart is full of love!

Lida Berghuis
July 16th, 2014

New Beginnings…

Jul15

To new beginnings
New associations
Renewed camaraderie
Building on what has been!

Each day brings new opportunities
To leave the past behind
To strengthen bonds
To build new ones!

To family unity
To being supportive
To building together
What can’t be built alone!

To being open-minded
Seeing only the good
Revising old assumptions
Being a student in the school of life!

To rediscovering one’s culture
celebrating all that’s good
Bringing people together
No matter from what clime!

July 15th, 2014
Lida Berghuis

Tea time!

Jul5

What is it about drinking tea that is so soothing?
Especially when drunk in the company of a friend?
Is it the aroma of a lovely tea chosen with care?
Is it the warmth of tea felt all inside as one drinks it?
Is it the conversation that one can’t rush?
All of the above perhaps and much more!

Tea brings people together in a beautiful way
It’s a binding agent!
It communicates love!
It says I have time to make you some tea and
Sit and drink it with you as we chat!
It means I’m giving you attention
I’m happy to serve you

For all these things, offering someone tea
Is one of the loveliest things one can do!

Also, this tradition runs in my veins as a Persian girl
Offering tea, one of the first things one does when friends come over
It’s a warm welcome, a warm hug in liquid form!

Lida Berghuis
July 4th, 2014
Tea room in Hudson!