Tag Archive | Life

Under the water of trials…

Aug2

Deep under water
Pushed down by the weight of life
A heavy load that does not allow me to emerge
From the watery grave that surrounds me

Should I give in?
Should I fight?
Do I want to live, or die?

Giving up is easy
Not much effort is required
But fighting takes courage, strength and
The will to go on

Surrounded by water
Pressed down by the weight of the world
At the juncture of
Giving up or marching on…

Once again,
I choose to fight
To laugh in the face of trials
I choose to go on…
But why?

Because I’m not one to choose the easy path
Anyone can do that
I accept the challenge
I will fight!

So, I gather all my might
Say a silent prayer
And push up!

And amazingly
The weight lifts
I emerge from water
I can breathe again
I’m alive!

I’m not alive because I fear death
I’m alive because death will come in its own good time
I need not spur it on

In a world full of trials
My mission is to march on
Giving up is not an option
Suffering has its reasons
I’m here for a reason
And to fulfil that
I will stay around…

Lida Berghuis
July 31st, 2014
Inspired by Inception sound track
and a scene in The Signature of All Things

The climb…

Jul31

This world is like a mountain we have to climb
Challenges are there
Our strength and perseverance is tested
But each height we reach is breathtaking

What can make this climb more manageable?
The support of friends
Someone to cheer us on
To walk along side us
A shoulder to cry on when things get tough
A friend to lean on when our strength wanes

And sometimes we’re the one who does the cheering up
The one who others can lean on
The strong one, for the moment…

Lida Berghuis
July 26th, 2014
Montreal Youth Conference

Slowing down to go farther…

Jul29

Busy times…
Trying to keep my cool
Even when there are a hundred things
On my to-do list
I won’t forget that somewhere on the list
Close to the top
Is taking care of myself
And doing something that recharges my batteries
Brings me joy
Centres me!

Sometimes we think if we run faster
We will get farther
But in reality
To go farther, we need to slow down
This slowing down
Reflecting sometimes
Relaxing and recuperating sometimes
Prevents accidents
Prevents injuries
And in the long run
We will cover a greater distance
More happily!

July 22nd, 2014

Mysteries of life…

Jul20

How is it that things we imagine have the worst timing in our lives
Become the blessings we never expected?

How is it that things we don’t plan
End up having the best outcomes?

How is it that we can be so mistaken?

Perhaps these things come our way to teach us humility
Humility of acceptance
Trust in the Universe
Contentment under all conditions!

Our ego fights a battle to death
And if we’re lucky
It’s the ego that loses!

Mysteries of life abound!
Learning is life-long
Humility is learned one trial at a time…

Lida Berghuis
July 20th, 2014

Fleeting!

Jun30

The heat and humidity of summer is here
And air-conditioning provides a much needed respite
No, I’m not complaining about the heat or the sun
I love both in measured amounts

But as most things in this world
There is no middle ground
The weather is either bone chilling cold and depressingly grey
Or humid and scorchingly hot

Sometimes I wonder why we don’t have more places in the world
With moderate climes
But I think that’s asking for too much

In this material world
Where comfort can be short lived
Riches can disappear over night
Freedom can be snuffed out with a stroke of a pen
And justice easily buried under the ground

In this world,
Freedom, justice, and equality is much more desirable
Than a moderate clime

In our world ease does not last too long
Tears replace laughter after a while
Disappointment is around the corner and
Our plans fall apart all the time

Where is one to find inner peace
How are we to reconcile all this?

It helps if our focus is not on ourselves
It helps if we are other oriented
It helps if we take the long view
It helps if we set ourselves lofty goals
It helps if we learn to be content
It helps if we see the wisdom in suffering and pain

It helps if we see this world
For the fleeting moment that it is
And on the other side of it, eternity!

So, welcome summer heat
I’ll make the most of you
Because fall is around the corner
And winter will be here soon!

Lida Berghuis
June 30th, 2014

Cold comfort

Jun23

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

What if…

Jun22

What would have life been like
If I didn’t have my ups and downs
What would have life been like
If I did not cross the valley of darkness so many times?

What would have life been like
If my mind would not suddenly abandon me
My emotions keep me hostage
My creativity desert me?

What would have life been like
If the sun never set
If my energy was not depleted
And my arms and legs didn’t feel heavy like led?

What would have life been like
If competence did not suddenly depart
My laughter stayed
My smile was genuine all the time?

Why do I think of ‘what ifs’
There is no way back
What has been, has been
Can’t change the past!

Instead I should be thankful
For all that has gone well
For all the times the sun has shone bright
All the wonderful people in my life
All the places I have been
All the things I’ve done!

No one’s life is perfect
Or without trials
I know that of course
But I forget sometimes

I need to move on and be thankful
Luckily pain gradually subsides
And when it’s with us
It can be a teacher, a guide

Perhaps sadness doesn’t come my way by chance
Perhaps it’s designed to be part of my life
Perhaps suffering has its reasons
And I would not grow without these trials

Lida Berghuis
June 11th, 2014

Thinking of my dad!

Jun15

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

The dance of life

Jun12

From the desert sun
To a rainy clime
To a land covered with snow
It seems like I’ve experienced it all

From the restrictions of tradition
To smelling freedom in the air
To being able to express my feelings and thoughts

From a shy girl in Shiraz
Too serious for her age
To gradually opening up
And making laugher a part of my life

From relative ease
To the violent storms of life
Interspersed with sun

From thinking to feeling
From science to art
From hesitation to creativity
From black and white to all the shades
In between in life
It’s been and eventful journey

Sometimes I still feel the insecure
18 year old in me
Many times the need to please
Still overtakes me

Have I changed and grown?
I have!
Have I stayed the same?
I have!

Have I been battered and bruised
I have!
Have I been showered with grace
I have!

And what do I see at this point
In my life
As I look back
As I look forward?

That life’s challenges will always be there
But the sun always comes out from
Behind the clouds

That being in control is an illusion
That change is a constant
That happiness is in appreciating the simple things in life
In helping others
In nurturing our talents
and in drinking deep the beauty of art

From the desert sun
To rain, to snow
I’ve experienced a lot
I’ve started over many times
I’ve laughed
I have cried

What the future brings
Remains to be seen
But I’ll try my best
To remain thankful and content
And greet each day with open arms

Lida Berghuis
June 10th, 2014

The human condition!

Jun8

 

image

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