The distance between
Oh God, I can’t
And it’s OK, things will be all right
Is not so long
It can be traversed
By the kind words of a friend:
“You’ve got this … go on!”
Lida Berghuis
March 14th, 2014
A look back
Back in my place of clam
Sitting in the sun
Trying to remember what normal feels like
It could be something as simple as a clear head
Having that quiet place to go in my mind
It should be there
It was
But its absence is sorely felt
Normal eludes me most of the time
Lida Berghis
April 3rd, 2014
Perking up!
Perking up!
Perking up
Very slowly
Sunshine is returning to my life
The Winter was long and towards the end
Blue, the color of my mood
And gone was my smile
Energy left me
Laughter disappeared
I was not in a happy place
Sometimes hope returned
But the cold and dark days persisted
And my mood did not change
The glimmerings of spring are here now
Snow is melting
It’s warmer outside
My mood is finally changing color
It’s on its way to rosy and bright
April 8th 2014
Lida Berghuis
When the dam breaks…
It’s a dam built up of who knows what
But the dam keeps my emotions at bay
I try to ignore my anxiety
I try to ignore my pain
I try to ignore the hurt of the past
And the anxiety, hurt and pain
Has nowhere to go
It’s blocked!
But by the grace of God
The dam begins to crack
And the power of the hurt, pain and sorrow
Having increased,
They break the dam
And out flows the torrent of tears
And pent-up emotions
The rush of tears is uncontrollable
The pain arises from deep within
The emotions are so powerful
I don’t remember having sobbed like this
In anger!
In frustration!
In sorrow!
The pain is almost unbearable
The roar of the water so loud
But perhaps when all is said and done
I will let go of expectations
The sense of needing control
And the sense of being responsible
For other people’s lives
I’m back at the gates of humility of acceptance
And trust in God!
Lida Berghuis
March 3rd 2014
Normal!
Normal is so predictable
It poses no challenge
It’s a puzzle that has already been solved!
Normal maybe comforting, safe
Won’t raise any eye brows
But it won’t intrigue either
It doesn’t bring excitement to the table
I doesn’t go somewhere new!
Normal does not test one’s resolve
Normal does not make us problem solve!
There is no hurdles to overcome
No mountains to climb
Normal does not celebrate the human spirit
The will to achieve the impossible
The strength to endure!
Leading normal lives not what we’re here for
And I wonder sometimes if normal only exists in our heads!
A nice neat package wrapped in pretty paper with a bow!
Lida Berghuis
January 26th, 2014
The magic of music
Where does this music take me?
A place I can’t describe
But it’s a joyful place
A place of calm!
Where does this music take me?
I don’t know
But I know it’s a place I like to go!
It is harmonious
Full of emotion
beautiful
Full of delight!
Lida Berghuis
January 25th, 2014
Cups
Cups
Containers
Purveyor of that which quenches thirst
Cups
Full
Empty
Half way done!
Cups
Decorated on the outside
A life story inside
Two cups
A friendship
Nurtured over conversation
Two cups
Sharing the load
Lightens the load of life
Two cups
Two minds
Two hearts
Can better withstand
The trials of life
Lida Berghuis
January 14th, 2014
Tact?
Tact? What is that?
Is it a powder
Liquid or gas?
Is it something we eat?
Is it a tool?
I must say
I’m confused!
I guess it’s something
Totally new
That I’ve never heard of
Nor know how to use
And how do you find this thing?
Do you buy it?
Is it expensive?
Do you grow it?
Is it big?
Where can I get it?
You must tell me!
Is it a treasure
That must be found
Do I have to travel
To find the mine?
I know people tell me
I don’t have tact
But then they don’t tell me
how I can get some
I’m tired of the search
I want it now!
Lida Berghuis
October 10th, 2003
Lida Berghuis
October 10th, 2003
Play time!
Play time is necessary for creativity to thrive!
And what’s play time?
Time spent on things we want to do
Rather than things we should do!
Things that bring us pleasure
Make us laugh
Make us relax!
A walk in the park
Reading a good book
Having a cup of coffee with a friend
Some art activity we enjoy
A day at the spa
Or going for a massage
Playing cards
This kind of down-time
Energizing time
Time to nurture our inner child
Time to have fun
Time to do what we want
Is necessary if we want to produce
And be useful and helpful to others
The rest of the time
We need to recharge our batteries
In order to function well
And recharging our batteries involves
Doing activities that bring us joy and delight!
Lida Berghuis
January 9th, 2014
Melded in the fire of trials!
It’s as if a piece of our soul
Gets melded to each other
When we go through the fire of trials
My colleague and I experienced
A few weeks from hell
When we started teaching in a new location
In a new program
With little guidance
And lots to learn
It was sink or swim
And to say the water was rough
Is an understatement
The sheer strength of our will
And our support for each other
The reason we kept going
The reason we got to the other side
For four months we dealt with all manner
Of unexpected things
Ups and downs
Detours and stops
And this experience created a bond
A strong bond
A bond that puts a smile on our faces
When we see each other now
We confide in each other
We worry for the other
We cheer each other
And all this because we went through
The fire of trials!
Lida Berghuis
September 7th, 2014
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