Heart to heart!

Talking heart to heart!
Listening, really listening to someone else!
We don’t do it often enough
Small talk takes up a lot of our time
Real concerns and worries
Are buried deep inside

Then once in a while
We open our heart to someone else
And talk about what really matters

That requires trust
And being able to be vulnerable
Letting our guard down

It seems it’s hard to be our real selves most of the time
Instead we hide behind a beautiful smiling facade
Instead we put on the “All is OK” mask
Instead we bury what really matters deep down

But then there are those rare moments of honesty
Of being our authentic selves
When pretense disappears
When we speak from the heart
When we feel in close connection with another soul
The barriers having come down

Those moments are precious
Those are the conversations that heal us
Change us, and make us feel really alive!

Lida Berghuis
October 9th, 2013

The other D-word!*

Death may not be an uplifting topic to some
But I think it does actually uplift us
Up out of this physical plane
Which despite our attachment to it
Does cause us much sorrow and pain
Up out of this world
Where we struggle to choose good over evil
And upon our death
Our spirit is released from its physical limitations
And like a bird flies out of its golden cage

Death is a continuation of this life
I prefer the concept of life after life
But perhaps our spirit will be in a more developed state

The dream world is a sign of the existence
of realms beyond this realm
Where we can communicate with those who
Have arrived there first

Perhaps we fear death
Because we fear annihilation
But what if death is the release of our spirit
From its material form
And its continued existence in a higher state!

Lida Berghuis
October 6th, 2013

*The first one being Depression
which I wrote a poem about earlier!

My guide

Do we ever know for sure
What the future holds?
Can we really plan everything out?
Can we see into the future
And guarantee success?

Sometimes what we thought was impossible, happens!
Sometimes what we thought was for sure, disappears!

We can plan
We can calculate
Put in safeguards
Have contingency plans
And yet, the project can fail
The trajectory can change in an instant!

We like to think we are in control
And we are to a certain extent
But as soon as we think we’re totally in control
The unexpected arrives to show us we’re wrong!

Sometimes the best things are unplanned
They just appear in one’s path
Most times intuition is more accurate than intellect
Sometimes the right people appear in our lives
And their influence is life changing, transformative in fact!
Not much planning goes into that!
Only recognition of the blessing
That has been put in our path!

Sometimes things that seem illogical work out
Plans that seem impractical bear fruit
And how is one to know?
I let intuition and prayer be my guide!

Lida Berghuis
October 3rd, 2013

Slowing down

Moments of contemplation
So rare in our lives
We run run run
Do, do, do
Try to keep up with
Who knows who or what!

Daydreaming becomes a thing of the past
Concentration and productivity is where it’s at!

But what is the purpose?
What drives us so?
What are we trying to achieve
With our lives?

Even when we meditate
We are not supposed to contemplate
Never understood that
Or the concept of the empty box
That place that most often men go to
So I hear, when they want to get away from it all

It’s good to sometimes just stare out the window
Take in what’s going on
Instead of staring at our phones
Which we even do when we have to stand in line

Serenity has left our lives
It seems to be mostly do or die!

And that’s why I write
To get lost in my thoughts
To take a break from the rat race
And to nourish my soul with moments of stillness
And solitude!

Lida Berghuis
October 2nd, 2013

The gift of calamity

“In the path of the Blessed Beauty, I have experienced but little adversity… I pray that I will be given the opportunity to attain the gift of calamity in His path!”
Dr. A. M. Davudi

“The gift of calamity”
What does this phrase imply?
What does it mean?

Perhaps the lover of Truth is so intoxicated
With the wine of the love of God
That calamity in His the path
Is seen as a gift!

To see calamity as a gift
Requires deep faith
And the letting go of self and ego!

When one is released from the prison of self
Imprisonment will seem like freedom
Freedom from the desires of the insistent self

When one is released from the prison of self
Fear leaves and contentment pitches its tent

When one is released from the prison of self
Anger and injustice can be met with kindness and generosity

When on is released from the prison of self
There is nothing one can’t achieve

The Beloved is the focus
His will reigns supreme
One’s comfort and ease
One’s wishes and dreams
Take second place to His wishes
He who wants nothing but
The illumination of that soul
The development of his capacities
The polishing of the mirror of his heart
And the appearance of the gems of virtues

When one is released from the prison of self
One dies to the world
One becomes dust in the pathway of the Beloved
One only wants to serve and love others
Now and all through eternity

Lida Berghuis
October 1st, 2013

Solitary hours

 

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I sit in solitude
My mind roaming in a world
That is here, but is not
It’s close to us
But it can be far

Silence brings me there
Reflection guides me there
Inspiration is found there
Serenity resides there

It’s like roaming in a rarified atmosphere
Examining reality
Listening to the voices within

It’s like opening a gateway
To a different world
A magical world
A mystical world

And these wonderings are so liberating
So intoxicating
So addictive
That they call me back each day
Lest my day not be spent
Even if it’s momentarily
In that world of mystery

Lida Berghuis
September 25th, 2013

Me, me, me!

The insistent self!
Me, myself and I!
What suits me!
What benefits me!

Me me me!
My my my!
My comfort!
My pleasure!
My fame and fortune!

That’s all good and that’s all well!
But it doesn’t lead to lasting happiness!
Let’s look at the times I’ve been happy
Let’ examine them, let’s see!

Isn’t it when I’ve helped someone else?
Made someone else’s day?
Showed someone else the way?

Isn’t it when I do for others
What I hope others would do for me?
Isn’t it when I treat others
With kindness and generosity?

Why is that?
Because that’s what I’m meant to do!
Who I’m meant to be!
How I’m meant to live!

Sadness comes when I think of myself
My problems, my challenges
Sadness comes when I don’t get my way

The insistent ‘I’ needs to be tamed!
Needs to be controlled!
Needs to be transformed!

‘I’ needs to be replaced with ‘we’
Therein lies felicity
This is the road I choose for me!

Lida Berghuis
September 16th, 2013

Angels on earth

Some people radiate positive energy
I’m happy when they are around
The warmth of their spirit can be felt
They shine like a brilliant light

There is a twinkle in their eyes
A spring in their step
There is a warmth in their touch
Which makes my heart melt

There is a sweetness in their voice
That can’t really be described
There is a tenderness in their heart
That can make me cry

These are angles that walk on earth
These are the souls that touch my heart

Hard-headed girl!

I don’t wanna!
You can’t make me!
I’ll do it my way!

What is that?
Is that rebelliousness?
Is it being strong willed or hard-headed?
Is it being unreasonable
For no good reason?

Whatever it is
It’s a part of me
It’s been that way
And it will be

It can be seen as
Being independent-minded
Not a follower
But a trendsetter
It can be problematic too
Because sometimes
Following directions is what is needed

But that’s so boring
So predictable
So normal
Much better to be different and stand out!
There is however the risk of
Being wrong
Been there, done that
Many times!

Nevertheless
I still tend not to follow some rules
Don’t like to be told what to do
Don’t want to be like everyone else
And that will sometimes mean
Learning from my mistakes!

I value independence of thought
Trying the way that has not be tried
Doing things that haven’t been done
Going somewhere I’m not sure of

I will follow most rules most times
But not all of them, all the time!

Lida Berghuis
September 14th, 2013

Rendezvous!

Another fall, another season, another day
Another rendezvous at my place of calm
A rendezvous with myself and my thoughts!

This is what brings balance into my life
This is what nourishes my soul
This is what cheers my heart!

My daily rendezvous
To contemplate
To go only where quiet can take me
Where silence is the guide
Where words appear
Seemingly out of nowhere
Where I feel refreshed
After saying my piece
To who I’m not sure of
But what I am sure of
Is that this rendezvous is now necessary
Not optional!
It centers me
It relaxes me
And I’m even content not to know why!

Lida Berghuis
September 12th, 2013