Telling heals…

Oct29

Sometimes I wonder why I write so often
Why I tell the story of my days and share my thoughts
There are many answers of course
Today I read somewhere, “It’’s the telling that heals

When I talk of sorrow
Some of it leaves
When I talk of tests and trials
They acquire meaning
Sorrow is transformed into joy
Trials transform into lessons learned

Telling heals
That’’s why a conversation
With a beloved friend
Is the best medicine for me

Telling heals
Emotion is released
The story that was trapped within
And caused me pain
Can finally leave

So, I’’ll tell my story
And you can tell yours
To be healed
To be consoled

And next time you’’re listening
To a friend’’s story
You know that you are part
Of the healing!

Lida Berghuis
October 29th, 2011

To die and so to grow!

Oct22

To die to the self
To grow towards the beloved
To die
And therefore see with new eyes
To die
To let go of old habits and thoughts

To be born anew
Requires that we die
The egg needs to crack
For the chick to emerge
The seed needs to break
For the plant to grow high

Therefore, life is a series of deaths
Childhood dies and adulthood emerges
Our adult self dies
For the soul to be free
Death is never the end things
It’s only the path to the beginning of things

Death involves pain and suffering, of course
It’s hard to associate pain with growth
But once we’ve experienced a few beginnings, we
Can be assured of how things work

Lida Berghuis
October 2nd 2011

It can wait!

Oct18

Today
I don’t care what’s on my to-do list
Today
The phone calls can wait
Today
The errands and the chores
The decisions that need to be made
The bills that need to be paid
The laundry that needs to be done
Can wait
It has to wait
If I want to keep my sanity
It has to wait
Because I need a break
It has to wait
Because I’m not a machine
It has to wait
Or I will break!

Today I give myself permission
To do the things I love!
Today I allow myself
To be a child at heart!

Today
Is my day of rest
Today
I take responsibility for my health
Today
I’ll put the lessons I’ve learned into use
And I won’t wait till it’s too late
Today
I choose to play
So tomorrow I can get back to work again!

Lida Berghuis
October 18th, 2011

Perfect façade!

Oct13

 

When I hide my weaknesses
I give the appearance of being strong
But this appearance is false
And that strength is false!

When I share my weaknesses
And they’re there to be seen
Does that make me appear weak?
Or is it not more likely
That others will see themselves in me?
Not perfect and struggling

Is it not likely that my weakness
Will inspire a friend
To lend a hand
To give me a hug
To tell her own story
Of troubles and trials?

Where does this idea of ‘always strong’
‘always together’ come from?
Why do I need to appear together
And never fall apart

It’s my imperfections
That make me real
Perfection is reserved
For angels and saints
Not mere mortals
Like you and I

Afraid to show vulnerability
I used to hide my tears and fears deep inside
Now I know that it’s showing vulnerability
That strengthens friendships
Sharing hard times creates strong bonds
Now I know
Perfection is an illusion
We can’t always smile!

Lida Berghuis
October 13th, 2011

The maze of life

Oct6

We start at one corner
Seeking the goal
The way out
We make some false starts
But that’s a must

No perfect way to traverse the maze
Each one chooses a different way

Even though the destination
Seems to be the goal
Each time we make it
Through a maze
We will be invited to start again

No need to rush
Through the maze of life
Better to go slow
Meditate a while
One good move
Better than a few wrong ones

Once we’ve been through
A maze or two
We’ll see the pattern
Discover the groove

We’ll see the value
Of reflection and a slower pace
We’ll realize that there’s no hurry
To get to the end

We’ll focus on the process
Of getting there
Accumulate wisdom
On the way

The maze of life
Passes through desserts dry
Mountains high
Rivers that rush
And forests, lush
The secret is not to give up
When the going gets tough
Not to fear challenges and hard times
They are the most valuable times

The maze of life
Full of twists and turns
The one who designed it
Knew the secret!

Lida Berghuis
September 18th, 2011

The blessed shore of sleep

Oct1

BF0F1B9E-6BCA-4F80-ABA7-4677D8A468A7

The blessed shore of sleep
I arrive there every night
And what a relief it is
To rest my mind

Often, as I put my head on the pillow
I smile
Knowing that I can leave daily life behind
With decisions that need to be made
The tasks that need to be completed
The emotions that need to be experienced
The feelings I need to let go of

Sleeping and dreaming
Like recess for the mind
A time to let go
A time with no agendas
No struggles
No musts

A time to listen to the voices
Of our ancestors
A time to travel to distant lands
And see with different eyes

And once the morning comes
I wake up
And I’’m ready to face another day
A day of juggling mind and heart
Knowing that sleep awaits
When my mind needs to slow down

Lida Berghuis
September 22nd, 2011

To rhyme or not to rhyme?

Sep25

Why do I rebel against meter and rhyme?
Why don’’t I like constraint that much?

Why do I desire freedom from restrictions?
Why do I run away from convention?

My spirit yearns for freedom and flight
My nature does not like rules that bind

The rebellion of adolescence perhaps I missed
But now I want to do as I please!

There are constraints,
There are some rules
But don’’t like to analyze too much
Don’’t like to brood

Meter and rhyme comforting to some
But they act as a prison when I write

I like my spirit to decide these things
I want flow, not construction, mechanical

I want spontaneity, inspiration and fun
And somehow these don’’t go along with meter and rhyme!

Rhyme I will, when I want
But to analyze every word, every line
Kills the spirit for me
Reduces the poem to mere mechanics

Meaning and beauty what I seek
That’’s why I write, that’’s why I read!

Lida Berghuis
September 14th, 2011img_4219

being alone

Sep24

Being alone
Meant being alone with my thoughts
And emotions
No one to distract me!

Being alone
Meant being lonely
In a prison without walls

Being alone
Meant feeling all the feelings
I was running away from
The hurt that was unexpressed
The anger that was ignored
The resentments that were pushed under the carpet

No wonder
Being alone
Did not feel good!

All the emotions that I ran from
Needed to be dealt with
Because each time I was alone
They would appear like unwanted guests

To resolve these issues
I needed to have the courage
To change
The assurance that
Change was possible
That I was not a victim of circumstance
That I was the captain of my ship!

And what I learned is that
I needed to be the authentic me
Not the ‘expected’ me!
I needed to speak up and state my needs
I needed to create an environment
That was nurturing
I needed to think different
And therefore act differently
I needed to know
That it’s never too late to grow
Even in my forties!

Lida Berghuis
September 22nd, 2011

Children of half-light

Sep16

IMG_3847

Children of half-light
We sometimes know what’’s
Wrong and right
But when it comes to action
We falter and fall

We know kindness and honesty
Is where it’’s at
But sometimes we let in
Anger and lie despite that

We know we’’re all one
Black, brown and white
But we seem to forget that
At the crucial time

We know man and woman
Are equal in the sight of God
But we don’’t know how that
Translates into every day life

We know tact and wisdom
Are what we need
But where do we find
These commodities?

We know the value of friendship
And comradery
But don’’t take the time
To cultivate it

We know wealth and power
Are illusions
But that Mercedes looks
So good, nevertheless!

We know what we have
We can’’t take with us
But we accumulate
This earthly dust

We know salvation
Lies in virtues and love
But acquiring them
Can be a steep climb

Children of half-light
We struggle and learn
There is no fast way
To gain wisdom they say

Patience and compassion
For ourselves
Will ease our pain
And show us the way

Lida Berghuis
September 11th, 2011

Enchanted language

Sep11

white flower

Enchanted language
Words that heal
Words that awaken
Poetry!

A temple for the ear
A meditation hall
Staying alert to the promptings
Of the heart

To understand the inner life
To enhance spiritual life
To calm the nerves
And soothe the heart

Perfection not required
Words like water fall
Simplicity celebrated
Jargon left out

A solace in the
Times of need
In mourning
In recovering from trials

Poetry
The essence of life
Poetry
A wise friend, a guide

Lida Berghuisme
September 10th, 2011

*inspired by ‘The Poet’s Way’