Confusing, because
It is unexpected
unexplainable
Often times unreasonable
And impractical
Joyous, because
It makes you smile
It cheers your heart
It gives meaning to life
Confusing, because
It often does not make sense
It’s complicated
It involves trials
Joyous, because
It brightens your day
Makes you feel wanted
Gives you wings to fly
Confusing joy
Is what love brings
And what welcome confusion
It is!
Lida Berghuis
July 8th, 2013
*quote from Rumi
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
I care about the news of the world
But not today!
I pay attention to my to do list
But not today!
I have my daily routine
But not today!
Sometimes I need a day
Like today
When I can leave my cares behind
Think of other things
Or nothing at all!
My duties and responsibilities will be there
Tomorrow and every other day
So, today I choose to forget them
Set them aside
Take a break from them
Banish them from my mind!
Because without days like today
I will bend and sometimes break!
We all have different limits of endurance
The load you can easily carry can break my back
I now know that I can’t and should not compete
With those who can carry heavier loads
Or have unrealistic expectations of my own
I hope I’ve learned how to take care of myself
I hope I’ve figured out what rejuvenates me
And so today…
I write myself into my peaceful place
The place of serenity and calm
The place of tenderness and love
The home of joy and peace of mind!
Lida Berghuis
May 11th, 2013
“When the mind is quiet
We experience our spacious non-linear nature”
And access a sacred place
A place where the heart reigns
Where love is what counts
Where reason takes a back seat
Where what’s essential comes to the fore
A place where where we connect
To something greater than us
Assume a humble posture
And open ourselves to possibility
And greater wisdom
In a world where we need to know
To be in control
It’s a place where
We relinquish control
Ride the waves
And end up in places
We could not imagine
It’s a place that poetry can take us
It’s the place that poetry comes from!
Lida Berghuis
April 10th, 2013
*Kim Rosen
Sometimes we search for our identities
Especially if we are transplants in society
Born in the East
Bred in the West
I used to feel somewhere in between!
I felt at home in the West
But I was not sure
What to do with my Eastern roots
Eastern and Western
We are all one
But it took me a while
To reconcile these two parts!
It started when I began to read
The ‘translated’ poems of Rumi
The West made this Eastern jewel accessible to me!
For the first time I was really drawn to poetry!
This was not any poetry
It was mystical, and touched my heart!
It helped me understand!
It helped me heal!
It helped me see things more clearly!
Perhaps poetry is the great equalizer
It lets us know that we all have the same struggles
The same questions, the same fears and doubts
And we all need to love and be loved!
Perhaps poetry is all about love
Love for the Divine
Love for our fellow man
Love for the noble beings that we are
And then I put pen to paper
And wrote down my thoughts, my feelings
My experiences in life
Writing poetry was healing
Somehow feelings that were bottled up inside
Were allowed to slowly flow out!
The Western me and the Eastern me
Mingled and
The poems were the result
Lida Berghuis
March 23rd, 2013
The pain of separation
One I’ve felt before
It tears at one’s heart
But one feels alive
The pain can be pushed away
or buried away
But gone will be the feeling
Of being alive
This pain is not to be avoided, but endured
This pain is the proof of a deep love
Lida Berghuis
March 1st, 2013
Love is not logical
Love is not practical
Love is not easy
Love is not convenient at all!
It arrives when it wants
It remains despite our protests
And doubts!
And it will be clear
Without a shadow of a doubt
That something extraordinary
Has happened
It can’t be ignored
Or put off!
Love is a journey
Not a destination to be reached!
The journey fraught with challenges
And road blocks
With joy and exaltation
With tears and laughter
With confusion and doubt!
But the one who stays on the road
Is not scared off
Does not give up
Reaps the rewards
And what are the rewards of love?
Joy and wonder!
Growth and the flowering of the soul!
A new lease on life!
And seeing the world
Through the rose coloured glasses of love!
Like the sun
Love is blinding
Powerful
And it can burn!
Like the sun
Love gives warmth
Sustenance
Brilliance
And life!
Like the sun
Love is essential
Has always been!
Love is not logical
It’s not practical
It arrives without notice
And refuses to leave!
Lida Berghuis
February 14th, 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
How much sugar?
How much fat?
and what kind of fat
Should I eat?
All fats are not created the same
The good ones we must have
The bad ones will kill us slowly
Detoxifying is the rage
Watermelon fast
Juice fast and the rest
Must eat whole-grain wheat
And brown rice
Quinoa is even better
Protein is a must!
But not the fatty protein of red meat
Or chicken or veal
Must go for nuts, eggs, legumes, or tuna
In each meal
Must drink lots of water
Even when we dont feel like it
Hydration is essential
It helps us think more clearly!
And juice is a no-no
All that sugar is bad
Its empty calories
And too many calories are bad
We now have the cure-all of the day
Its quinoa one day
Flax seed the other day
Vitamin D, the third
Too much fat on the belly
Not good for your heart
Exercise a necessity
If optimum health you want
Now dont get me wrong
I like all that advice
Who doesnt wan to look good
And live healthy and long?
But with all this attention
We give our bodies
I just hope we wont forget
The rest of us
Our mind, our heart, and our soul
Need attention too
A soul-diet high on generosity and justice
A heart-diet with lots of love and kindness
And a mind-diet of focusing only on the good and positive
That would also help us feel good and feel fit!
Lida Berghuis
November 29th, 2013
Good byes are only for those who love with their eyes
Those who love with heart and soul, never say good bye*
Heart and soul can bridge the distance
A mile, a hundred miles, a thousand miles
Heart and soul communicate
Without words, see without eyes
Heart and soul keep memories alive for a long time
Heart and soul traverse the distance in the blink of an eye
In this nether world, we also love with our eyes
But these eyes for eternity will not be around
Heart and soul, however, won’t abandon us
Lida Berghuis
November 14th, 2012
*Rumi
lida's musings 