Fragile 2

Mar18

Sometimes I think I feel too much
Absorb the energies around me too much
Positive people lift me up
But negativity drags me way down!

Somehow I feel this life
Is not meant to be easy
It will always be a struggle
With brief periods of respite!

Struggling and learning is part of life
But I sometimes wonder where to get
The energy to carry on after having fallen down!

Sometimes I feel so fragile
I feel like a flower petal that can be crushed
Blown away
And rained upon!

Sometimes I feel I’m not strong enough
For the needs of this world
That my skin is not thick enough
To withstand the bruises and the cuts!

Struggling is part of life
Joy is part of life
And the things that keep me going
Are art, the love of family and friends
My faith, and the beauty I see all around!

Lida Berghuis
March 6th, 2013

Investing if the return is certain

Mar17

All worthwhile things in life involve risk!
Can’t wait for certainty to take that big step!
Can’t analyze every angle
And be completely sure
Of the outcome of the decision we make
Can’t guarantee success!
That’s the element of risk
Or faith, perhaps!

At the cross roads of life
We can weigh the pros and cons
We can imagine where we may land
We can guess what each step may bring

But in the end
We take a risk
We choose a path
Not totally certain of
Where it may lead

It’s being comfortable
With uncertainty
Living for now
Because we can’t be sure of the future
No matter how much we plan

A road that seems to lead to a garden
May end up in a dry patch of land
A path that does not look promising
But compelling
Will lead us to undiscovered places
Unexpected places
Places beyond our imagination, at that!

So we can calculate
We can analyze
We may wish for a “certain return”
But life does not work like that!

March 17th, 2013
Lida Berghuis

Note to self 4

Mar13

Don’t feel responsible for everyone
They will have to learn things on their own
The way you did
The way you wanted to!

Experience is a great teacher
Mistakes are our friends sometimes
And growth takes time
Don’t judge others and who they are
We’re all different and that’s fine

Your way is not the best
It’s best for you perhaps
But others can make up their own minds

When someone is sad
Just hold them
Be with them
Give them love
Don’t try to fix things
Or take the pain away

Doesn’t matter why they’re sad
If there is a good reason or not
They just need to be acknowledged
Seen, and heard
And feel loved!

Don’t tell them they shouldn’t be sad
Or how lucky they are
Don’t tell them there is no reason to cry

Just hold them
Let them be
Give them your support
Be someone they can lean on!

Lida Berghuis
March 13th, 2013

Fragile

Mar11

Maybe I feel weak and fragile
Because I am weak and fragile!
Strength comes from another source!

I need not be strong
I just need to plug into
The power that comes to my assistance
When I call on it
When I align my will with it
And it’s not my strength that matters at all!

So being fragile is fine
Weakness is fine
Strength is Divine!
It’s a gift
It’s available to us
When we realize
Where real power lies!

It’s counter intuitive
In a world that sees
The individual as all powerful
And in charge

And that’s why I too forget
Sometimes
How things get done
And that it’s OK to be fragile!

Lida Berghuis
March 6th, 2013

That’s life!

Mar10

“Surprise and challenge in
Heartache and joy out!”

I think this pretty much explains life
There are always surprises, big and small

What we plan does not work out
What works out, better than what we planned

Challenge is on-going like the waves of the sea
There is respite, but not for long

Heartache always visits us
But what we’ve got to do is to let go
Feel it deeply and let go
Accept it as part of life

Joy always returns and washes the pain away
The sun always returns another day

Lida Berghuis
March 9th, 2013

*Mark Nepo

Deep love

Mar3

The pain of separation
One I’ve felt before
It tears at one’s heart
But one feels alive

The pain can be pushed away
or buried away
But gone will be the feeling
Of being alive

This pain is not to be avoided, but endured
This pain is the proof of a deep love

Lida Berghuis
March 1st, 2013

To be an immigrant!

Feb28

To let go of where one is
In anticipation of going somewhere new!
To have the courage to
Face the unknown!

To be curious
To seek what’s on the other side
Not content with the status quo
Willing to accept the discomfort of change
And starting over
And tolerating feeling lost at times
And homesick too

To see the potential
To want to have new experiences
Realizing that there is so much
That is unknown

To be naive
Not anticipating all the challenges
Or just being so drawn to something novel
That one is willing to accept
The challenge and discomfort

To be an immigrant
A blend of courage and naiveté!
Building on the past
Somewhere new!

Lida Berghuis
February 26th, 2013

Slow

Feb26

If you run too fast
You can’t tell what’s real
You pass by what’s real
Because you are in too much of a hurry
To go somewhere

If you run too fast
The rose will blur
The scent will not reach you
In your hurry to go somewhere

If you run too fast
You can’t contemplate
To contemplate
You need to meander
Take in what’s around you
Meditate!

If you run too fast
You may miss the entrance
To a secret garden!

If you run too fast
You won’t know
What’s real!

Lida Berghuis
February 15th, 2013

Not logical at all!

Feb25

Love is not logical
Love is not practical
Love is not easy
Love is not convenient at all!

It arrives when it wants
It remains despite our protests
And doubts!

And it will be clear
Without a shadow of a doubt
That something extraordinary
Has happened
It can’t be ignored
Or put off!

Love is a journey
Not a destination to be reached!
The journey fraught with challenges
And road blocks
With joy and exaltation
With tears and laughter
With confusion and doubt!

But the one who stays on the road
Is not scared off
Does not give up
Reaps the rewards

And what are the rewards of love?
Joy and wonder!
Growth and the flowering of the soul!
A new lease on life!
And seeing the world
Through the rose coloured glasses of love!

Like the sun
Love is blinding
Powerful
And it can burn!

Like the sun
Love gives warmth
Sustenance
Brilliance
And life!

Like the sun
Love is essential
Has always been!

Love is not logical
It’s not practical
It arrives without notice
And refuses to leave!

Lida Berghuis
February 14th, 2013