Cups
Containers
Purveyor of that which quenches thirst
Cups
Full
Empty
Half way done!
Cups
Decorated on the outside
A life story inside
Two cups
A friendship
Nurtured over conversation
Two cups
Sharing the load
Lightens the load of life
Two cups
Two minds
Two hearts
Can better withstand
The trials of life
Lida Berghuis
January 14th, 2014
It’s as if a piece of our soul
Gets melded to each other
When we go through the fire of trials
My colleague and I experienced
A few weeks from hell
When we started teaching in a new location
In a new program
With little guidance
And lots to learn
It was sink or swim
And to say the water was rough
Is an understatement
The sheer strength of our will
And our support for each other
The reason we kept going
The reason we got to the other side
For four months we dealt with all manner
Of unexpected things
Ups and downs
Detours and stops
And this experience created a bond
A strong bond
A bond that puts a smile on our faces
When we see each other now
We confide in each other
We worry for the other
We cheer each other
And all this because we went through
The fire of trials!
Lida Berghuis
September 7th, 2014
What is the best gift of all
I wonder to myself
A listening ear?
A kind heart?
A cheerful countenance?
These are some!
What would I want from a friend?
To let me be who I am
Don’t mind my silliness and my laughing out loud!
What is the best gift I can give?
My undivided attention
My understanding
My affection and love!
Material things are OK
But the best gifts are those
That don’t need to be wrapped
Ones that are made with
Thoughtful hands and hearts
And sometimes the best gifts come in words
Words of encouragement
Words of wisdom
Words of comfort
Sometimes it’s a phone call
From a friend
Who remembers you when
You feel alone
Or the friend that always
Has time for you!
The gifts I like don’t cost a thing
They just require love and understanding
And since they don’t take up any space
These are the gifts that I’ll carry with me
For all time and everywhere!
Lida Berghuis
December 25th, 2013
We think we are only lovable
When we are happy and all is fine
We think that others want to be around us
Only when we laugh and have fun
But in reality
Our true friends will love us even more
When our days are dark
And our emotions are low
They know we’re in pain
They know we don’t choose to be sad
They won’t abandon us
At times like that
I’ve been there too
Felt like that
Felt like I’m only lovable
When happy and glad
Felt like my tears would turn people away
Felt like my frown would bring them down
But those who loved me
Showed me I was wrong
They stood by me…
They held my hand when my hope was gone
When my days were cloudy and dark
I came to realise that we all have ups and downs
And the downs are what can bring us closer to those we love
We may feel not lovable at those times
We may wonder what’s wrong with us
We may be impatient with ourselves…
But not so our friends
They will love us back to health
They will give us a reason to go on
That’s what true friends are for
For happy times
But more so, for sad times
Lida Berghuis
November 26th, 2013
Talking heart to heart!
Listening, really listening to someone else!
We don’t do it often enough
Small talk takes up a lot of our time
Real concerns and worries
Are buried deep inside
Then once in a while
We open our heart to someone else
And talk about what really matters
That requires trust
And being able to be vulnerable
Letting our guard down
It seems it’s hard to be our real selves most of the time
Instead we hide behind a beautiful smiling facade
Instead we put on the “All is OK” mask
Instead we bury what really matters deep down
But then there are those rare moments of honesty
Of being our authentic selves
When pretense disappears
When we speak from the heart
When we feel in close connection with another soul
The barriers having come down
Those moments are precious
Those are the conversations that heal us
Change us, and make us feel really alive!
Lida Berghuis
October 9th, 2013
Weaving bonds of friendship
Working on a beautiful tapestry
The tapestry that costs nothing to make
But is more valuable than many other things
It’s a life-long project
Sometimes I spend more time on it
It cheers my heart and uplifts my soul
I so love my tapestry
Different patterns for different periods of my life
Some of the colors are so rich
Occasionally I use threads of gold and silver
You can imagine how beautiful that can be
When I travel to the unseen world
It’s one of the few things I will take with me!
Lida berghuis
August 14th
Yokeh’s garden
Come into my home
Come into my life
Come into the space
I spend a lot of time
Bring your positive energy
Bring your smile
But if you are sad
You can still come
Maybe my smile will then
Brighten your day
And when I’m sad
You will smile my sadness away
Let’s have tea
Let’s sit and talk
Let’s connect
In this world of disconnect and rush
Let’s deepen our friendship
Deep as it can go
Let’s mine the gems
That are in me and you
These deep connections
Make life worthwhile
Otherwise in our worries
We will drown
You can be my life raft
And I can be yours
The sea can be stormy
And dangers close
In a world that can sometimes be dark
Let’s build friendship castles of light!
Lida Berghuis
August 7th, 2013
We hesitate to show our flaws
We hesitate to ask for help
We want to appear strong!
But is that real?
We can’t be strong all the time
We can’t do everything on our own
What we think will make us look weak
Is what makes us seem normal
Normal is being weak sometimes
Normal is falling down
Normal is needing support
Normal is having flaws
Showing vulnerability
Requires trust
One must feel loved
And know that that love
Does not depend on
Appearing perfect or strong
Showing that we are fragile
That we break down at times
Builds bonds
Bonds of friendship and love
It allows others into our lives
Everyone has scars
And imperfections
It’s our choice to show them
Or not
But these imperfections make
Us look real
Put others at ease
And gives them a chance to be strong
This is how we can build authentic friendships
Ones that will stand the test of time!
Lida Berghuis
March 14th 2013
We are raised to be independent
To accomplish things on our own
To stand on our own two feet
And that’s fine
But sometimes in the process
We forget that we still need
The love and support of friends
We forget that we need to be held
To be caressed
We need a shoulder to lean on
We need trusted friends we can confide in
We need to ask for help from time to time
That others aren’t so busy with their own lives
That they don’t have time for us!
That we are not a burden
When we reach out for a helping hand!
We forget how interdependent we are
We forget the value of true friendship
Sharing our thoughts and concerns with friends
Letting them hold us up for a while
Till we are strong again!
There is no shame in sadness
It’s not possible to be ‘up’ all the time
We don’t have to pretend to smile
If we are crying inside!
These are the things I had to learn
I had to learn not to be afraid to share my vulnerabilities
That moments of crisis come upon us all
And it’s during these moments
That our friends can be life boats
Rescuing us from turbulent sea of life
And I’ve learned that when I share
The stories of my trials
Others trust me enough to share theirs
And it’s this sharing that strengthens
The bonds of friendship
I’ve learned that to build genuine friendships
I need to be more genuine myself
To let the pretense of perfection drop
To share my sadness as well as my happiness
To reach out in times of trouble
To trust!
Lida Berghuis
March 28th, 2013
Connection!
Connections of the heart
Hard to wrap your head around
What is it that attracts you
To someone and
Compels you to extend a hand in friendship
What is that little voice that Insists on bring heard
These connections do not fade with time or distance
or hardships met on the way
They get stronger
As the years go by
And with each challenge met on the way
Connections of the heart
Other-worldly they are
Not limited to this plane of dust
They transcend space and time
Lida Berghuis
February 15th, 2013
lida's musings 