It’s easier to love others when you feel loved
When you feel appreciated
When you feel cared for
When a cup is full
It can quench the thirst of others
An empty cup can’t offer much
Love, quenches the thirst and fills one’s cup
A cup filled with love
Brings the same joy to another one
May 2nd 2017
Why don’t you do things this way?
Why don’t you wear that?
Why do you take life so hard?
Smile and relax!
We have a lot of advice for everyone else, it seems
And some of it comes from a place of
Compassion of course
But to accept someone as he or she is
That is love that’s mature
It says you don’t need to change to please me or anyone else
You need not improve to be acceptable
You are loved as you are
I respect your choices in life
To respect others’ choices
Especially those we don’t agree with
Is not easy
But when we do
We are sending them the message
That they have agency in their lives
Their decisions count
And they are free to choose their path in life
April 2017
Collage:
Different colors , textures, and shapes
Put together in harmony to create beauty
My life is a collage of sorts
Various countries, languages
And cultures have shaped me
The base of this collage is created
With earth tones
Colors that stand for the desert, the valley and
The bare mountains of Shiraz
The city of poets, roses and nightingales
The city I come from
Over the earth tones are other colors
That represent the rest of my life
The countries I’ve lived in
The languages I speak
And the different cultures that have influenced me
And though these parts seem distinct and disparate at times
They create whole that is the collage of me
A collage in which
Eastern and Western culture are intertwined
Its hallmark is diversity
Its message, love
August 2016
It seems that we all have insecurities
We think others can do things better than us
If we only knew what went on in other people’s minds…
They surely have some of the same thoughts
Most people put on a happy, confident front
They want to be accepted and loved
But most people doubt themselves
I think the best we can do is
Give something our all
If it’s accepted, great
If not, at least we have tried
April 3rd, 2016
When I was in pain
All I wanted was to be listened to
To feel that someone saw and felt my pain
That they acknowledged my suffering
Without judging or giving advice
I didn’t need to be told what the silver lining was
Or how fortunate I was
Sometimes I just wanted to be held and consoled
Sometimes all I needed to hear was:
This must be so difficult for you
This would give me the strength to carry on
And this is what I have to remember
When someone else shares with me their pain
March 22nd, 2016
Fathers and daughters have a special bond
I always felt close to my dad
And even now when his physical presence is no longer here
I still count on his support and love
I ask him for help and he responds
I know he’s aware of what’s going on
Sometimes he comes to my dreams and acts as a guide
I know that I’m still in his heart
My daughters and Albert have the same relationship
What draws them to each other, I don’t know
But there was a time when Nat would ask something
And before the sentence was done
Albert would say yes
I had asked the same thing an hour earlier
But the answer was not the same!
Albert would spend hours going over
Homework with Nat, after a long day at the office
Somehow Albert could not say no to her
Nat’s batting eyelashes did their job each time
She had her dad wrapped around her fingers
And I couldn’t figure out what her magic was
There’s something that draws on the
Heartstrings of a dad
When a request comes from his daughter
It’s as if he’s mesmerized
Mind and reason play no part!
It’s a special relationship
It’s a strong bond
One I’m happy to have experienced with my dad
Moms have the same relationship with their sons
So they need not worry and feel left out
January 30th, 2016
The night is darkest before the dawn they say
Darkness is evident in the world today
Killing in the name of God has become common place
What God intended was love not this!
Children suffer and die from hunger
As we throw away mountains of food
Girl children are deprived of education
Who makes these rules?
Darkness rears its ugly head too often these days
But hope and love can’t be eliminated by darkness
The atrocities we see
The selfishness and hunger after power that perpetrates them
They sadden our hearts, but can’t demoralize us
Goodness and love
Compassion and kindness
Justice and mercy will prevail
There is a lot of gloom in the world
But there are points of light as well
Neighbours helping neighbours
People opening their homes to strangers
Out of love
Millions of people volunteering their time
Trying to make a difference in someone’s life
These points of light are our hope
Light will conquer darkness in the long run
November 14th, 2015
Lida Berghuis
When someone encourages me
I feel like a flower in the sun
I want to stretch my petals
As much as I can
When someone encourages me
My heart smiles
My eyes sparkle
I feel exuberant!
When someone encourages me
The world seems like a kinder place
I feel surrounded by love and care
When someone encourages me
I want to say thank you, my friend
For brightening my day
November 5th, 2015
A friend is someone I can call on day or night
And she will have time for me
A friend is someone who cheers me on when
Things get tough
A friend is someone whose hug gives me energy
To go on
A friend is essential in life
She’ll be my life boat when the waters get rough
She’ll be my shelter when rain pours down
She won’t make my problems go away
But she makes life bearable until I get back
To my place of calm
She won’t make the hurts of the past disappear
But her understanding heart will take the edge off
Those jagged parts of my life
A friend is someone who encourages me to
Fight my own battles, but is there to support me
As I struggle and fight
A true friend is as precious as the air I breathe
More valuable than riches
The sun in my sky!
Lida Berghuis
October 4th, 2015
Days go by and nothing changes
The same room
The same people
The same food
The same isolation
The same restrictions
The same injustice
The same false accusations
The same unfair treatment
And as there is no change
Days slow to a crawl
The world loses its colour
And it takes a mighty effort
To see the cup as half full
Or by now, a quarter full!
Patience, immense patience is required
Faith, an unshakable faith is needed
Love, a boundless love is called for
Only a noble soul can be subjected
To such unfair treatment and not complain
Only a noble soul can be thankful for having
Been chosen to suffer in the path of love
For his Beloved
Only a noble soul can stay strong and
Not lose heart
The same walls
The same colourless surroundings
The same deprivations
The same amazing courage!
The same reliance on God!
The same great sacrifice!
Lida Berghuis
October 1st, 2015
For the Yaran
lida's musings 