Why pray?

Why should I pray?
The question came
In order to live fully
The answer was heard

Prayer connects us to the
Spiritual world
The world of love
The world of compassion
The world of virtue

In prayer we call on our
Angels and guides
In prayer, the drop
Joins the ocean of light

Prayer feeds our hungry soul
Prayer lights our way in the world

In prayer we testify to our poverty
Through prayer we learn humility

Prayer gladens the heart
Prayer lifts our spirits up

Prayer a shield!
Prayer a guide!
Prayer an oasis!
Prayer sublime!

Lida Berghuis
July 11, 2011

Happiness!

To see the beauty of the unfinished work!
This is the secret to serenity
And peace of mind

Each of us is a work in progress
And we are beautiful
As we are

To appreciate that transformation
Takes time
Nothing of value
Can be accomplished at once

To have the wisdom of looking ahead
to see how what we do
Will affect everyone

To contemplate and consult
Then make a decision
Accept the consequences
Learn, and carry on…

The gardener will be joyous
When the tree bears fruit
But he will love and appreciate
The tree from the time it’s small

He will water the tree
And care for it
Allowing it to grow slowly
In time

Once we manage to do this
Each day can feel
Like how we imagine
The destination to be like

Lida Berghuis
June 21st, 2011

The veil of oppression!

I wonder how men would feel
If they were told to veil themselves
So that they don’t entice women!

Are men unable to restrain themselves
When they see beauty in women?

Does modesty mean not showing hair
Hands, legs and or the face?

Or were women asked to veil themselves
So they could be not seen and heard?

The veil
A symbol of oppression
The black tent that hides the body
The hair and the spirit of women

The veil
Prescribed by tradition
Not religion

The veil
Unattractive
Restrictive
Dark
And morbid

Beauty is to be celebrated
If you ask me!
Yes, modesty
I agree
But being enclosed
In a black tent
Is not the epitome of modesty

At a time when the East was
Steeped in tradition
Tahirih threw away the veil
Her spirit
Strong and free
Fought against dogma
And tyranny

And because of souls like her
Women will be freed
Their spirits will be freed
Their limbs will be freed
They will be heard
And they will be seen!

Lida Berghuis
April 25th, 2004

The ocean

The river of life
Leads to the ocean of eternity
The fish of the spirit
Finds peace at last

No more choppy waters
The ocean is deep
The spirit attains
Its destination at last

The river was familiar
His home for long
But the ocean is vast
He is free at last

Not bound by the current
Of the river now
It is free to
Travel around

The ocean is calm
The ocean is vast
The river was good
But it’s in the past

Adventures endless
Await the soul
Beautiful vistas
To travel and roam

The river of life
Leads to the ocean of light
It has been so
And it will be now

Lida Berghuis
June 2nd, 2011
For Martin

Onward!

Aging body
Growing spirit
Eyes that need glasses
The inner eye still going strong

Ears that may eventually
Not hear as well
But will listen much better than now

A face creased with wrinkles
But ready to face what’s ahead
Hands with veins that pop out!
But these hands have been held and caressed

Hair thining and graying with age
On a head held high
Legs as strong as before
Except when I don’t treat them right!
These legs have taken me
To so many places near and far
I hope to travel with them for some time

Memory was never my strongest suit
Not much lost there!
You can tease me if you want
Been there, done that, go ahead!

A wrinkle here
A scar there
A testament to a life well-lived
Even the frown lines
On my forehead
I have made peace with

Life is not meant to be easy
Hardships come
But the lessons we learn
Are worth the frown lines

These lines don’t diminish beauty
True beauty’s inside
This body, a vehicle for me
For a short while

I’ll take care of it
Nourish it well
But it’s my spirit
That will live long

Lida Berghuis
February 11th, 2011

Staying power…

There is a power that only a few of us have
And that does not include me!
This amazing power, my husband has
And my daughter Natasha has inherited it!

It goes like this:

Albert reading an hour, two hours
Three hours or four
With little breaks for lunch and snack!

Natasha working on a story
For hours at a time
So quietly that we forget
She’’s around

Natasha drawing and coloring at the computer
From morning till noon
And then returning to it in the afternoon!

Albert disapearing to the bedroom to rest and staying there all afternoon

To be honest
I couldn’’t do any of these things
I’’d last an hour, max!

Too restless to sit for hours
I need change
The scenery needs to change
And the activity as well

So, that’’s why I say
That Natasha and Albert
Have staying power
And I’’ve grown to appreciate that!

Lida Berghuis
April 30th, 2011

If my heart was a suitcase

If my heart was a suitcase
That could only fit five things

In my heart I’’d keep love…
Love for beauty
Love for fun
Love for my friends and family
Love for light

In my heart I’’d keep, joy…
Joy of wonder
Joy of creativity
Joy of travel
Joy of wisdom

In my heart I’’d keep freedom
Freedom to be me
Freedom to share my thoughts
Freedom to learn and grow
Freedom to explore

In my heart I’’d keep music
Music of poetry and song
Music of nature songs
Music of the world
Music for my soul

In my heart I’’d keep kindness
Kindness to you and me
Kindness to melt the hearts
Kindness to share and give
Kindness to grow and thrive

If my heart was a suitcase
These are the things I would take along

Lida Berghuis
April 24th, 2011

To my children!

dsc00531Sometimes we think we’’ve done
Everything right
Crossed the t’’s
Dotted the i’s
Taken care to be thorough
Taken the time

And yet something goes wrong

Sometimes we think
We’’ve learned from our experiences
In the past
Been there, done that
Figured it out

And yet we are so surprised
To be where we thought
We would not go one more time

Sometimes we’’re so sure
We’’re on the right track
Have thought things out
The road seems smooth and flat

But detours appear
Out of nowhere
We’’re taken by surprise again

Sometimes we think
We’’ve had our share of trials
Suffered enough
Been tested and tried

But we encounter
Another hurricane, and …
What we’’d so carefully built
Disappears in an instant!

Call it unfair
Cry out: not again!
Curl up from distress
Or lash out with rage

Reality can’’t be changed
You can’’t go back
And start again

But you can go forward
And problem solve
Think and pray
And talk things out

This life, is a series of marathons
The finish line, not for the faint of heart!

We train
We prepare
We do our best
But surprises will
Always be there

So, take it one day at a time
You will surely overcome
There will be gray days
Rain and hurricane
But the sun will shine again
You will feel better than you did before
Because you have overcome
And understand more!

Lida Berghuis
April 5th, 2011

Make me laugh!

If you want to make me happy
Make me laugh!
Don’’t need expensive gifts
Or a Caribbean cruise
Just make me laugh!

If you want me to pay attention
Make me laugh!
Don’’t need fancy power points
Or audiovisual aids
Just make me laugh

If you want me to be your friend
Make me laugh
Laughter binds hearts
Like nothing else can

I have nothing against crying
Or being serious
But there is enough of that
Make me laugh!

Laughter is healing
Laughter is the best medicine
We all know that
So give me my vitamins
Make me laugh!

Lida Berghuis
April 4th, 2011

Time to bloom!

To bloom or not to bloom!
To be true to oneself or not!
To risk rejection, falls, or other unknowns
To leave what’s comfortable behind

Blooming is natural
The way things should go
But blooming is not inevitable
Buds can stay closed

Wasted beauty
Wasted perfume
A loss for the flower
And for us too!

To bloom
We need to be nurtured
We need light
Water and protection
From the storms around

But when all the conditions
Are all right
The final step is
Up to us!

Bloom
Get out of your comfort zone
Bloom
Because that’s what you were created for
Bloom
Don’t by shy, timid or restrained
Bloom
It’s time to perfume that air

Lida Berghuis
April 3rd, 2011