Tag Archive | Poetry

Mysteries of life…

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

Wisdom

It is said that with wisdom comes the ability
To solve difficult problems

Solving difficult problems requires courage
Courage to stand up for what is right

Solving problems requires love
Love that gives one the courage to go on

Solving problems requires patience
Patience under all circumstances

Solving problems requires strength
Strength to endure difficult times

Solving difficult problems leads to unity
Unity, the ultimate reward!

Lida Berghuis
July 17th, 2014

Bullet-proof?

The hurts of the past do come back
The uncertainty of the future always exists
These are the things I need to make peace with

How to grow in strength and love
That what hurt me before and can hurt me now
Wanes in strength and loses its grip on my psyche

I am not bullet proof and will never be
But the armour of love and compassion and reliance on God
Can protect me from the bullets of life!

I may get injured but I will heal
Sometimes I’m taken by surprise, but the secret is
To remain calm and not feel the need to defend or justify!

To have compassion for the one who unknowingly, sometimes
Is throwing the darts
The intention is mostly love
But sometimes the words just come out wrong

So, with peaceful acquiescence I face a new day
Fill my heart with love and care
Let go of the negative things
Celebrate the positive
And realise that no on can hurt me
If my heart is full of love!

Lida Berghuis
July 16th, 2014

New Beginnings…

To new beginnings
New associations
Renewed camaraderie
Building on what has been!

Each day brings new opportunities
To leave the past behind
To strengthen bonds
To build new ones!

To family unity
To being supportive
To building together
What can’t be built alone!

To being open-minded
Seeing only the good
Revising old assumptions
Being a student in the school of life!

To rediscovering one’s culture
celebrating all that’s good
Bringing people together
No matter from what clime!

July 15th, 2014
Lida Berghuis

Tea time!

What is it about drinking tea that is so soothing?
Especially when drunk in the company of a friend?
Is it the aroma of a lovely tea chosen with care?
Is it the warmth of tea felt all inside as one drinks it?
Is it the conversation that one can’t rush?
All of the above perhaps and much more!

Tea brings people together in a beautiful way
It’s a binding agent!
It communicates love!
It says I have time to make you some tea and
Sit and drink it with you as we chat!
It means I’m giving you attention
I’m happy to serve you

For all these things, offering someone tea
Is one of the loveliest things one can do!

Also, this tradition runs in my veins as a Persian girl
Offering tea, one of the first things one does when friends come over
It’s a warm welcome, a warm hug in liquid form!

Lida Berghuis
July 4th, 2014
Tea room in Hudson!

Fleeting!

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

A few of my favourite things…

My favourite things tend to be simple and free
A walk by the water in the spring sun
With a friend or a loved one
Writing my poems in a lovely place
Listening to music of all kinds
Conversations over tea
Spending time in nature
Reading

Aside from these things
What I love to do is to get to know
People of various cultures and travel

Some of this can be done right were I live
The world has come here
Not need to go searching

But traveling is fun and enlightening as well
Being outside one’s comfort zone
Being exposed to the old and new
Seeing things from another point of view!

Our world, so colourful and diverse
So many places one can go
So many cultures to get to know

Traveling does require means
But it doesn’t have to be impossibly expensive

This will be part of my dream in years to come
Traveling, meeting people and delving into
Other cultures and ways of thought

One more thing on my list
Is laughing out loud
At a joke
A gesture
A story
Or anything at all!

Laughter relaxing
Laughter Devine
This does not cost a thing
Only good company
Someone witty and bright

I’m sure I have other favourite things
But for now, I’ll keep it to this list!

Lida Berghuis
June 23rd, 2014

Cold comfort

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…

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

The IV drip of e-mail and text!

Cut off from the IV drip of e-mail and Facebook updates
It’s a throw back to the good old times
When we didn’t have instant communication at our finger tips

Do we have too much information now?
Isn’t it all too much to keep up with?
Do we need to know what someone else is doing every day?
Or perhaps hourly, as on Twitter?

Everything in moderation they say
But it’s not that simple of course
Is it something we can get addicted to?
Do we talk too much?
Have we gone off course?

Receiving texts means your phone can’t leave your side
When someone sends a text they want a response
But what if you don’t hear the ping of the text?
What if your phone is on silent by accident?

Many things can wait of course
But we’ve got used to instant communication
And can’t wait for the next piece of news

This is where discipline comes in
Where instant gratification can take a back seat
But that’s easier said than done
One can make many starts and stops

The lure of the text and the internet is always there
It’s so easy to fall back in its trap
But hopefully we can all find a happy medium
Make good use of social media and the net
But don’t get caught in their quick sand!

Lida Berghuis
June 21st, 2014