Tag Archive | Poetry

Transformation

Aug21

It’s the times that we think
Nothing is happening in our lives
Or the times that challenge us most that
Make us who we are

Change happens slowly
Transformation is not a one day affair

And often the experiences that change us the most
Are not the most pleasant

They take us out of comfort One
They make us question our beliefs
They test our endurance and constancy

And only when we look back
Can we see what was happening
Had a transformative effect

But change requires a conscious effort
To see things in a new way
To question our assumptions
To search for meaning

It’s our thoughts and actions
That lead to change
The desire to learn
To look with new eyes
To understand better
To go deeper

And perhaps it can be a solace
During challenging times to know
Life changing can be the result…

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

When the door opens

Aug19

Sometimes a door opens unexpectedly…

Sometimes we are not even aware of the
Existence of the door…

But once the door is open
We need to step inside and look around
Pay attention, observe

There are bound to be interesting things
Unknown things
Even another wold we were not aware of
Until then

Once the door is open
Courage is needed to explore this new realm
And take on the challenges it presents us with

Once the door is open
We should not question it
We should walk right in
And partake of the delights of
This new landscape

The encounter

Aug9

I saw him once
Or did I?
He seemed very real at the time
More than real
He was splendidly alive!

He came to me
We started to talk
The connection was immediate
Between us

It doesn’t take long
To connect with someone’s heart

We dined together
He saw my paintings
He said the hyacinths I drew
Were wonderfully fragrant
I gave the painting to him…

He gave me his poems
I translated them
They stayed in storage
For a long time

And flood waters
May have destroyed them

Was he real?
Was it a dream?
Did we even ever meet?

We did!
He has my painting
I have his poetry
Some of which
I committed to heart

That short encounter
Will stay with me
I don’t know where he is…
But does it matter, really?

Lida Berghuis
August 9th, 2015

Homecoming

Aug9

At Green Acre
Making friends
Renewing friendships
Building bonds that will last
A life time

Amazing conversations
Wonderful people
From across the US
And a few from Canada

The magic of Green Acre is alive and well
So much positivity in the air…
Flowers outside
Flowers inside
What more can one want

Few days of the respite
From the world around us
Living an elevated life

Prayers and singing
Lectures and discussions
Music and games
Family reunions
Grandchildren spending time
With grandma and grandpa

Getting together at home coming
Is a true homecoming for us all!

August 8th, 2015
Green Acre

Our essence

Aug6

Our essence

To learn new things
To go into uncharted territory
To accept starting at the bottom to build
A tall edifice
To explore the unknown
To put the different parts of the puzzle together
One by one
To persevere when it’s not easy
To be patient and not disappointed
With the slow rate of advance
To see the cup as half full
To laugh in the face of challenges
To raise to the occasion
To have faith

These are the strengths of the human spirit
The invisible part of us
The part we sometimes need to pay more
Attention to…
Our essence
Our future
Our treasure

Lida Berghuis
August 4th, 2015

Speak your mind…

Aug6

Speak your mind…

Say what you mean
Mean what you say
You’ll be happier
And others as well…

Hiding your emotions
Hiding your concerns
Is not a sign of consideration
And kindness
It’s a form of deceiving others
And yourself

When you pretend to be happy when
Your’s sad
You’re wasting a lot of energy
Keeping up the facade

When someone says something hurtful
And you remain silent
You’re hiding your emotions from them

So, speak your mind
With tact and care
Because you don’t want to hurt others instead

But speak your mind
Live out loud
It will serve you well in the long run…

Lida Berghuis
August 6th, 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

Going digital

Aug2

I’ve shared with you my trials with my phone book
Now, to that is added the problem of the
Digital phonebook
All the numbers are not in one place
I have to check two places just to be sure

The calendar is a similar beast
Paper, digital, which one should I enlist?
I solve the problem by using both
Which creates problems of its own
Sometimes I forget to put an event in one
Sometimes I forget to put an event in both

Every day I check my paper calendar
But I forget to check the digital one
And if my event wasn’t transferred from the digital to paper…
You see the problem, I’m sure

Albert says to get rid of the paper version for good
Go digital and leave the paper behind
And since my paper calendar just finished for this year
I’ve decided not to get a new one
So I’m forced to use my digital one

The only thing left to do after that
Is transferring all the phone numbers
From my phone book to my phone!

For those of us who grew up with paper
Switching to digital takes much effort

Our children however don’t have this issue
They’ve seen the digital version only
Phone books don’t mean anything to them
A paper calendar is an old thing…

But for those of us who are middle aged
It’s all about making a graceful transition
To digital from paper…

August 1st, 2015

Best provision for the journey

Jul29

Best provision for the journey

The world works in mysterious ways
What hurts you ends up helping you grow
What seems sad at the time
Brings you happiness
The person you have a hard time with
Teaches you the most

Your friends often surprise you with
Their love and attention
With holding your hand when the going
Gets tough and
When you feel like your world
Is falling apart!

Good friends are the most valuable
Things you can acquire in life
Better than gold and diamond
Better than honors and degrees
Better than assurance and security

In our changeable world
When from one day to another
Everything can change
A good friend is the constant
That won’t change

July 28th, 2015