Tahirih

Feb7

There was a time
When women were not seen,
heard or could move about
Hidden behind a veil
A curtain
Or the walls of the house
The woman was not seen, because
Her beauty would tempt men
Her safety would be in danger!
Anyway, that was what was said at the time!

Women were not heard
Outside the house
They spoke to other women
But with men in public places
They could not converse
Their duties confined them to the house

Women could not easily travel and
Move about
To be a model of chastity
In their homes they would reside
No need to travel anyway
Since they were not allowed to learn
Teach and have a public life

At such a time
Appeared a women named Tahirih
The pure one, the solace of the eyes
She wanted to learn, teach,
And travel abroad
Her restless mind and soul
Could not be confined

In pursuit of knowledge
A fearless lioness
An orator
Admired by women and men alike
A scholar, a poetess, a teacher, a leader
The like of which no one had
Seen in Iran

Tradition could not silence her
Convention could not stop her
She was a free spirit
Unique in the land
Her words and deeds
Brought fear to man!

A champion of equality
An activist for change
Unhindered by tradition
Ready to forge ahead

Her affection could not be bought
Life with the King, she even denied
Her heart belonged to the King of Hearts
Her poetry a testament to that love

Her spirit too frightening
For those in power
They wondered how to
Contain her

Prison did not prove sufficient
In time
Her life would be a sacrifice
To her Cause

A brilliant star devoted
To truth and love
Taking her life they thought
Would stop her rise

But you cannot stop the sun
From shining
You cannot stop the moon
From guiding
You cannot cover up the stars

Tahirih galvanized so many hearts
Her sacrifice
Had marvelous results

She inspired women
In the East and West
A model of courage, purity
And steadfastness

Her life will be celebrated
For all time
Those who tried to silence her
Failed outright

Their vision so small
Their hearts so cold
Even the fire of Tahirih’s words
Did not warm their souls

A woman leading men
Unheard of!
But Tahirih was the woman
Who dared to try!!

Lida Berghuis
February 6th, 2011

Note to self (3)!

Feb6

 

IMG_7057

Note to self (3)!

It is what it is
Stop fighting with yourself!
Accept the moment, as is

It is what it is
You are tired?
Have a rest

You feel change
Is happening slowly?
That might be
But worrying about it
Won’t speed things up
If anything
It will create roadblocks

Sometimes it’’s two steps forward
One step back

You’’re not a saint
You’’re not perfect
Others have gone through this
Take a deep breath
And get back on track!

It is what it is
It’’s not bad
Even when it’’s hard
It may lead you
To something new and grand

 

Lida Berghuis
January 31st, 2011

Soul Spa (2)

Feb2

Tic Toc!
Time to lighten up!
Why so serious?
Where is that smile?

I know sometimes
Things get in the way
The washing machine suddenly breaks
Your colleague in is Montego Bay!

I know it’s cold outside
All this snow to plow
And the garage door
Won’t come down

It’s time to transport yourself
To an imaginary place
The place kids go
When they want to play

Where you can temporarily relax
Recharge
You are not in the Caribbean
But don’t lose heart!

Time to think of something
To laugh about
I’m sure you can find something
Somewhere, somehow

Oh, I can see that smile
Taking shape
You must have thought
Of something absurd

Joy and laughter
Our soul spa
Need to go there
From time to time

Even when it’s cold outside
Even when we have so much on our minds
Especially when times are busy and tough
Then it’s time for a soul spa!

Lida Berghuis
February 2, 2011

Things my kids say!

Jan28

Natasha, could you please clean your room
It’’s been messy for a while
“But mom, I don’’t need to
I like my room messy right now!”

“Tidiness is over rated
I can still find all the things I want
My clothes may be on the floor
But I can still find them and put them on”

“Mommy, please don’’t talk to me
I’m thinking
Not, I don’’t want to tell you what I’’m thinking about
I need to be left alone to day dream
Let’’s talk another time”

How was school today, Natasha?
“I didn’’t see any hippos in the hall”
What was your favorite class today?
“Gym, then recess and then lunch!”

What a rough morning it is
Nicki, you need to do your homework at night
Now, you are asking me to help you
But I have other things on my mind

“Mommy, you can’’t complain
For this, you yourself signed up
No one made you have kids
Don’’t ask for sympathy, right now”

Natasha, dear, when you’re older
And have a child
I’’ll remind you for what you signed up!

“Mommy, can you make me lunch
And make me a good sandwich this time
I’’m tired of bagel and cheese and ham
Could you find something else this time?

My friends bring these amazing things for lunch
And I get the same thing all the time
Could I please have some variety”?

Why don’’t you make your own lunch!?

And so it goes
Each day something new
Children will always surprise you!
But I’m happy I signed up for it
Because in the end, it’’s all worthwhile

Lida Beghuis
January 28th, 2011

Joy is wisdom

Jan26

Joy is wisdom!
How wonderful!

Who doesn’’t want wisdom?
Who doesn’’t want joy?

Joy in the sense of
Appreciating the wonders of life
The ecstasy of creativity
The balm of friendship
The elixir of love

Joy of having experienced suffering
And overcoming the odds
Joy of bringing joy to others
Joy of exploring and growing
Joy of knowing what’’s important in life

Joy is wisdom
What a blessed thought
Who doesn’t want joy?
Who doesn’t want wisdom?
And to discover that
They are one and the same
Or that one leads to the other
The cherry on top!

Joy sometimes comes
After much sorrow
Sorrow that plows our soul
Preparing it for the season of planting
And growth

Joy is wisdom*
What a heavenly thought!

Lida Berghuis

January 25th, 2011

*”Joy is wisdom” is a quote from Charlotte Davis Kasl
in her delightful book, Finding Joy.

Let yourself be seen!

Jan22

“In order for connection to happen
You have to let yourself be seen
Be really seen”

With your strengths and weaknesses
With your beauty and ugliness
With your courage and your fear
With your smiles and your tears
With your joy and your sorrow
With your highs and your lows
With what you know and do not know
With what you feel and what you don’t

If this connection is to last
All these things will come to fore
Why hide them
Why pretend?

For an enduring connection
You need to be loved
Warts and all
You need to love yourself
Before all

Love yourself
Have compassion for yourself
Be content with where you are
While you forge ahead in life

Lida Berghuis
January 20th, 2011

*Brene Brown in the ‘Power of vulnerability’

They come and they go…

Jan19

Laughter like water
Puts out the fire of pain
Laughter like a flower
That has bloomed today

Tears like rain
Wash off the dross
Tears like a balm
Soothe a sad heart

A smile, like a rainbow
Brings a smile
A smile, like a light
Brightens the night

Frowns, like clouds
Hiding the sun
Frowns, they come
They are a part of life

Laughter, tears
Smiles and frowns
They come, they go
As we live our lives

Lida Berghuis
December 29th, 2010

Not philosophical!

Jan17

 

I can be philosophical
A lot of the time
Maybe I need to lighten up!
Write a poem about something fun
Something to cheer someone up!

“Tu veux ‘messer’ avec moi?”
Said Nick this morning
To my Ipad as he played a game

That cracked me up!
“Don’’t even think of it
Tu vas ‘dier’”
He went on

I asked him if he felt lighter
Because he lost a tooth last night?
He said, “No, not really
Another tooth is growing in its spot!

Natalie was nervous for her
First day back
Ready to walk out in -14 degree weather
Without mittens on her hands

Natasha had her new green hat on
With a jacket and a scarf
And as she was leaving the house
She was going over her schedule
Thinking out loud

One by one, they left the house
Into the cold winter day they stepped out
Are these my kids, I thought
I promissed  I wouldn’t get philosophical
So, I guess I’ll stop now!

Lida Berghuis
January 17th, 2011

A work in progress

Jan16

I understand concepts slowly in life
First, I think I know how to do it right!

Then, it comes to my attention
That surprisingly, I was mistaken!
So begrudgingly I admit to my mistake
And start making some changes

Change is hard as you know
It’s a process, drawn out, and slow

After this first round
I feel happy and sure
I think I know now
What I didn’t know before

Does that mean things will go smoothly?
No, not really, unfortunately!
Understanding comes in degrees
Change is an incremental thing

So, round two begins!
The challenge is on!
I need to keep learning
Keep growing up

Round two’s finished
Am I with this issue done?
Have I finally got it?
Or there is more to be done?

Often, there is more to be learned
My understanding
I have to fine-tune it

I’m now ready to admit
That understanding
Is a work in progress
One that I will never complete

But in the meantime
I’ll do the best I can
With the knowledge and understanding
That I have!

Lida Berghuis
January 13th, 2011

A lesson in compassion

Jan14

Have compassion for yourself
When you are feeling down
Easy to love yourself
When you’re flying high
Have compassion for yourself
After a fall!

I still loves others
When they go through hard times
Why am I so hard on myself
When I feel down?

It’s perhaps the perfectionist in me
Not happy with less than perfect
Most of the time

It’s the impatient in me
Wanting results
Right now!!

As I travel the road of life
There are many times I will fall
I’ll have bumps and bruises
Maybe even a broken arm
Why do I expect things
To go smoothly
All the time?

And when traveling through
The valley of hardship
I have a choice
To have compassion for myself
Or not!

What I’ve noticed is that this compassion
Is a healing balm
So is accepting the situation
And not putting up a fight

Working on solutions
Seeking answers
But having compassion for myself
At the same time

My friends will be there
They will make me smile
They will hold my hand
Until on my own I can walk

One day it will be my turn
To help them
And they will know
They can trust me with
Their sorrow and pain

Having been through the valley
Of darkness
I know you can find your way back
If you have compassion for yourself
If you are patient
If you learn your lesson
If you accept help!

We are asked to love others
And part of that
Is to love ourselves
When things don’t go as planned

Lida Berghuis
January 11th, 2011