Tag Archive | love

Finding the sacred in us…

Aug20

Can a place draw you closer to your
Authentic self…
To the sacred within you?

Can a place move you so that you forget
What was pre-occupying you?
Replacing it with feelings of thankfulness
And serenity?

Can a place have the fragrance of love?
Even the air you breath, different from
Other places?

Can a place lift you up to the heights of ecstasy
And bring you to the shore of joy?

Can a place draw you to itself as if
A force was attracting you?

Can a place inspire you to write
To record your thoughts and feelings?

Yes, such places do exist
And when I find one I keep going back
To fill my cup!

August 17th, 2015

Friendship that deepens….

Aug5

The requirements of our WhatsApp group:
Lost of coffee and tea to stay awake and alert
And read all the posts which rain down continuously
A few committed people who post consistently
Lots of dedicated people who read regularly
And some people who we don’t see we but don’t forget

Everyone is needed to make the group work
And of course a highly skilled ‘modeer’
A highly effective ‘mobser’
and a wonderful ‘nazem’

Occasionally we have intensive classes
Offered by esteemed ‘ostads’
Often we laugh at funny posts, photos
And conversations…
Poetry is a staple of the group
So is breakfast with ‘mosha’ereh’
And the group wouldn’t be complete
Without the beautiful ‘deklames’ we receive
And posts from the ‘morning police’

The group never sleeps
The sun never sets
And even when the sun has set somewhere
The magical moon is ever present

This is a special group
Made of love
Made of friendship
Made of loyalty
Made of a common history!

May the group grow and develop
Over the years
May our friendship last a long time…

Lida Berghuis
August 3rd, 2015

Solitary lives

Jul21

At the coffee shop
We stare at our phones
One person per table
Conversation only over the phone
Two people talking
Not so much any more!

Each person interacts with a phone
Or a laptop
We’re not looking each other in the eye

We’re living isolated lives
Where is the community
Where is the warmth?

Blank stares on our faces
Smiles are rare
We are social beings
Not loners

We should sit in a group
Laugh and talk
Share experiences
Spread the love

Solitary lives are sad ones
We need each other to survive
We have taken independence too far
We need to rely on each other to thrive…

Lida Berghuis
July 19th, 2015

How I start my day

Jul20

 

dsc00531

 

I start the day with messages of love
A beautiful painting here
A poignant photograph there
A heart warming poem here
Words of wisdom there

And these messages of love
Come from all over the world
Boundaries have been erased
Communication is instantaneous
Our whatsapp group never rests

Voice files make phone calls unnecessary
Technology is the magician of this day

We learn from each other
We support each other
We remind each other of our common past

This group
The cream of the crop
The best there is
Brought together by love and care

East and West represented in different ways
Friendships formed, renewed, and strengthened after many years

Lida Berghuis
July 20th 2015

For my high school class whatsapp group!

fifty

Jul1

IMG_0353

We were fifteen
The cream of the crop
From all over Iran
Wide eyed and ready to take on the world

Idealism was the order of the day
Most things seemed possible at the time
Yet we had a lot to learn

Now, we’re fifty
Time has passed
We have scattered all over Iran
All over the world
No longer naive, we have experienced life
We have experienced love and heartache

Perhaps we now know the value of
Friendship more
Won’t take it for granted, if we once did

Each of us has forged a path
Done wonderful things
Challenges have been there too
But that’s where friendship comes in

Now our messages criss-cross the world
Weaving a web of love as they do
Perhaps a love exists that didn’t exist before
Living life has taught us this

We were fifteen, and now we’re fifty
My dear friends, it couldn’t be better than this!

Lida Berghuis
June 30th, 2015

What can I say?

Jun28

What can I say?

What can I write about the one who has sacrificed
His freedom for love?
What can I say about the one who can still laugh
Despite these trials?
What can I say about the one whose patience
Is being tested by love?

It seems like we are sometimes punished for love
“the watchman is running after us”
and all seems lost

But if we see the end in the beginning
We will see the light that emanates from this sacrifice
A light so bright
That it illumines the path for the rest of us

Deeds not words are needed today
His deeds an example for all of us
Kindness like honey drips from his every word
The scent of humility wafts gently toward us

What can I say about the one who has sacrificed
His freedom for love?
You inspire us and you make us proud!
Your friendship rejuvenates us and
We honor you for your sacrifice!

Lida Berghuis
June 27th, 2015

For Afif Naimi

For now…

Jun23

For now…

So, it’s not what I wanted
Nothing I planned
The situation plumps itself down on me
and I feel its heavy burden

Where did it come from?
Another surprise on the road of life?
Was it in my blind spot?
Why didn’t someone warn me?
I guess then it wouldn’t be a surprise!

Now it’s here
I feel the unease
Actually I don’t feel good at all
I was going merrily on the road of life
And now this…

I’m told I’m supposed to accept what comes my way
That resistance is futile
But how does one accept unpleasant things
The situation reminds me of one of the valleys of love:

“On this plane, the traveler meeteth with many a trial and reverse.
Now is he lifted up to heaven, now is he cast into the depths.
As it hath been said: “Now Thou drawest me to the summit of glory,
Again Thou castest me into the lowest abyss.”*

What is the traveller to do?
I can see that the opposite of acceptance is not helpful
Won’t change things
It only creates bad feelings

So first I have to accept it’s OK not to be in my comfort zone for now…
It’s OK to be frustrated … for now
It’s OK to not have it easy… for now
It’s OK! For now!

And in the meantime
I’ll look for solutions
I will try to get around the obstacles of life
And find an alternative route

The process is not pleasant, I admit
But accepting things the way they are now
And remaining thankful for all that is going right, is key!

Lida Berghuis
June 22nd, 2015

*Baha’u’llah, The Four Valleys

Connected world

Jun14

What an amazing world we live in
We are connected through ether*
We travel on the wings of love
Distances disappear magically
It’s like we are sitting side by side

No need to be in the same physical space
To communicate now
Hearts can connect though miles apart

It’s a blessed time we live in
The world has shrunk
It has become one country
We are brothers and sisters all

June 14th, 2015

It was thought that electromagnetic waves travelled
through a substance yet unknown, but called ether!

Wings of joy

Jun12

My soul is in another world
It has flown away on the wings of joy
How do I go on with daily tasks
With my head in the clouds?

Don’t want to come down from this blessed place
To which I have been transported by love
My soul is in another world
It has flown away on the wings of joy