Alone and lonely
In this icy landscape
Deep in thought
Contemplating the coming of winter
Wondering where my friends went
Only a few weeks ago
We were flying in the blue sky
Singing our songs
Without a care
And now
My surroundings feels like an icy grave
Where did my friends go?
Without them my world is so gray
Joy has disappeared
And the howling of the wind
Like sad music
Reminds me of other desolate times
Where did my friends go?
December 11th, 2017
What’s the difference between our interactions online
And those in person
Can’t pretend that the online world does not exist
That’s how we stay in touch with family and friends
Acorss the country and around the world
It’s like letter writing on steroids
The online community is as real as the people who live close to us
We get emotional support from both
We exchange ideas both ways
We bring others cheer both ways
The secret as always is moderation
Anything done to excess is not good
Some limits we need to create for ourselves
No one else can do this for me and you
So the challenge is knowing
When it’s enough
When to stop
When to go offline
I tend to write more when I do
And this poem came to be
Because…
I left my phone accidentally at home
Dec. 5th, 2017
They tell me I spend too much time on Whatsapp
I’m staring at my phone too much
When we’re talking I should put my phone away
And look them straight in the eye!
I agree with complain number three
Eye contact is important when we talk
But what I do when I want to wind down
Is my business
For me to decide
If I wasn’t on Whatsapp I’d probably be on Facebook
If I wasn’t on Facebook, I may be watching TV or listening to news
We all need down time and what better way
To spend it with friends, old and new
Why not learn about someone else’s point of view?
Why not reconnect with one’s home town?
So maybe I’m on Whatsapp too much
But it’s my down time and I’ll do what I want!
Lida Berghuis
October 30th, 2015
Sometimes emotions are so overwhelming
I don’t know what to feel
Should I be sad?
Should I be shocked?
Should I be astonished?
We put our faith in our fellow man
But so many times someone betrays that trust
And shatters the image we had built in our head
Then we have to readjust our understanding of reality
Perhaps we become jaded
Perhaps we become angry and frustrated
Perhaps we question the existence of justice and hope
But this state is not a healthy one
Hope is essential
Trust is essential
Faith that goodness exists is essential
Of course the hurt feelings will stay for a while
After all, we are not machines
All we can do is stay positive
Surround ourselves with good friends
And keep doing things that are worthwhile
Everything else is bound to work out
Because there is justice in the world
And even though some people try their best
To obliterate it, they won’t succeed
Justice will prevail
And light will overcome darkness
In the final analysis!
Lida Berghuis
September 9th, 2015
It’s time to rehash the last three months
When darkness fell upon my heart
When laughter did’t come easily anymore
When sorrow reigned and hope was gone
I see the light at the end of the tunnel now
My world is beginning to become colourful again
Shades of gray are replaced by yellow, red and green
Brightness is back, dreariness is gone!
And what was the purpose of this pain?
Why this suffering again and again?
The answers may elude me now
Perhaps I’ll know the reason why
Further down the road of life
The road where surprises hide
And answers are hard to come by
I felt like I was walking in a swamp
Every movement seemed so hard
Sometimes I wonder how I persisted
How I managed to smile from time to time
Writing, my joy in life left my side
Reading, my inspiration
Seemed laborious and hard
Joy left
Mental alertness left
I was surrounded by fog
I was not efficient
Not quick on my feet
I didn’t have any bright ideas worth sharing
But what choice did I have but to go on?
What Choice did I have…. none!
My friends were by my side
They’d throw me a line from time to time
Trying to keep me afloat a bit longer
As I struggled in the currents of life
It’s almost over
I’m almost there
And I’m thankful as can be
It’s a rebirth, another one
What is the wisdom?
I know not… I know not!
Lida Berghuis
May 22nd, 2015
When a crisis visits, big or small
When the storm is relentless, will not stop…
Take a deep breath and feel what you feel
Every feeling should be welcome
But when the intensity of feeling gets hard to bear
Try to be gentle with yourself
Get busy doing something that cheers you up or
Lend a helping hand to a friend
Get outside of your world
And enter someone else’s life
Many people are suffering
Suffering doesn’t discriminate at all…
Sometimes little things or big things will get you down
You will enter the valley of sadness for a while
But if you keep walking and don’t stop
You will walk through the valley and eventually walk out!
The valley of sadness, can be hot and dry
It will challenge your endurance most times
But there is always an end if you persist
The secret is to hang in there and not give up!
Crossing the valley of sadness is much easier, of course
If you have good friends and a supportive family by your side!
Lida Berghuis
September 15, 2014
Everyone tells me I’ll be fine
I’ve been here before
And I’ll get out again
I believe them, sort of…
But that doesn’t ease the pain
The challenges I’m facing now are ever present
I’m still in the battlefield being battered and bruised
The fact that sometime in the distant future
This will be all over is cold comfort!
Yes, I’ll be fine
But what about now?
How am I to endure this pain
That won’t let go of me
How am I to smile
Knowing that tomorrow will be the same
And victory is in the distance
Nevertheless I have to find reasons
To keep hope alive
I rely on my friends
On prayer, on art!
The journey is long
There are not that many signs to
Show me the way
I walk with a heavy heart
With indescribable sadness
Feeling incapacitated
My energy drained
My laughter silenced
My mind foggy
My flow of words slowed to a trickle
My surroundings grey
It’s cold comfort to know that
Nightmare will be over when one is
In the midst of one
But human beings are resilient
We can always find reasons to go on!
Lida Berghuis
June 9th, 2014
His laughter would ring across the room
Hi radiant smile was warm and genuine
He loved to have people over
To him, friends and family meant a lot
How would hold my hand in his and would say
You have beautiful hands Lida
And he would do this often
Just to remind me from time to time
Holding hands was our thing
When I was little
I would hold his index finger when we walked
His soft warm flesh soothing and reassuring in mine
When at the dentist I would hold his hand too
So I could squeeze it when it hurt
A strategy he taught me and I later used
When giving birth to each child
Only it was Albert’s hand that I held this time
He’d always tell me to pay more attention
To my penmanship
But writing super neatly is not my thing
I hope that now he doesn’t mind
His signature reflected his flamboyant spirit
It’s still one of my favorites
It was more of sign than a signature
Not many letters to be found
And when He came to me in a dream
He held my hand like old times
His soft warm hands so comforting
I asked him if he would be with me
Through the trials of life
He nodded …
And
That’s all I needed
He is with me even though he’s not…
Father’s day, 2014
Emotions all bottled up
Though the surface is serene
But there is sadness
That’s hiding deep within
The human condition
The human emotions
Can grip me in their clutches
Sometimes they squeeze and squeeze
And breathing becomes harder
At such moments
I feel like throwing away my heart
It’s the only way to stop the pain
The only route to respite
But sadness is part of life
Confusion is part of life
The only thing that brings us peace
Is reliance on God
That’s easier said than done
The ego does not want to let go
Of the illusion of control that it has
Cultivated over time
We tend to forget we’re not so powerful
A breeze can blow
And set us off course
And life can change dramatically
For better or worse
But perhaps worse is not so bad
If we learn the lessons we need to
And better is good
But it won’t last in this world!
The soul’s journey in this life
Full of ups and downs
A smooth road this won’t be
I’ve come to realize
There is a lot to be thankful for
This we should not forget
Our blessings we tend to ignore
If the ego has its way
Don’t have all the answers
My emotions at times rough me up
But I’ve learned that friends
Can be saviors during the trials of life
June 6th, 2014
The sky rained tears of sorrow
The volcano spewed lava the colour of blood
The grief was unbearable
But I had not choice but to carry on
To carry on
Till life returned
To carry on
Till smiles came back
To carry on
Until laughter reigned
To carry on
Till a new journey began
And this passage
Through the corridor of pain
Was the most severe test
The support of friends
What I needed and what I got
To be able to stand the pain
And carry on
And now the horizon
Is clear and bright
The sun is here
Darkness is gone
lida's musings 