Tag Archive | Poetry

Play time!

Jan9

Play time is necessary for creativity to thrive!
And what’s play time?
Time spent on things we want to do
Rather than things we should do!

Things that bring us pleasure
Make us laugh
Make us relax!

A walk in the park
Reading a good book
Having a cup of coffee with a friend
Some art activity we enjoy
A day at the spa
Or going for a massage
Playing cards

This kind of down-time
Energizing time
Time to nurture our inner child
Time to have fun
Time to do what we want
Is necessary if we want to produce
And be useful and helpful to others
The rest of the time

We need to recharge our batteries
In order to function well
And recharging our batteries involves
Doing activities that bring us joy and delight!

Lida Berghuis
January 9th, 2014

Melded in the fire of trials!

Jan7

It’s as if a piece of our soul
Gets melded to each other
When we go through the fire of trials

My colleague and I experienced
A few weeks from hell
When we started teaching in a new location
In a new program
With little guidance
And lots to learn

It was sink or swim
And to say the water was rough
Is an understatement

The sheer strength of our will
And our support for each other
The reason we kept going
The reason we got to the other side

For four months we dealt with all manner
Of unexpected things
Ups and downs
Detours and stops

And this experience created a bond
A strong bond
A bond that puts a smile on our faces
When we see each other now

We confide in each other
We worry for the other
We cheer each other
And all this because we went through
The fire of trials!

Lida Berghuis
September 7th, 2014

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Mothering matters

Jan6

What do you say to an employer when you want to
Reenter the workforce, the paid workforce?

What do you put down for those years in your CV?

Here’s an idea:

Skills developed: management, organization, problem solving skills
Research, conflict resolution, and thinking on your feet!

Interpersonal qualities honed: listening skills, perseverance, assertiveness
being open to learning, patience, and compassion to name a few
Skills that will make you a wonderful team player at work

Which employer would not like this?
Which employer would think that you have ‘lost’ those years
Or put your personal development on hold?
Which employer would not want someone who has
Learned how to prioritize, analyze and sympathize?

And at the same time, you have nurtured and trained
the next generation to the best of your ability

So, next time someone asks you what happened during
Those years and that time
Tell them you were mothering and in the meantime
Doing continuing education in the fields above!

Lida Berghuis
January 6th, 2014

Sacrifice!

Jan3

Sacrifice hurts!
That’s normal…
But sacrifice is not a net loss!
We may give up things that are dear to us
We do suffer as a result
But then come the rewards

We live in a culture that tries to avoid pain
Tries to avoid giving up things we hold dear
We live in a culture that puts the individual first
Others, come later!

In this culture
Sacrifice may not make sense…
Why should I give up something that’s dear to me
For someone else’s benefit?
Why should I put others before me?
Why should I sacrifice my comfort and ease?

The irony is, that sacrifice
This giving up
This turning away from the self
This focus on others
Is exactly what we need
To grow
To blossom
To bloom!

Sacrifice does involve hardship and pain
Otherwise it would not be called sacrifice
But this hardship will result in amazing things
Given some time

When we give up our will
Our way
Our desires
Our comfort
Something amazing happens in time
It does take time…
There is no fast way through the plane of sacrifice!

But on the other side
Is a fragrant garden
With streams and rivers
Thirst quenching and refreshing and sublime!

Yes, sacrifice involves pain
But these are growing pains

Letting go of the ego
And the insistent self
Can only bring us joy and happiness!

Lida Berghuis
January 3rd, 2014

Genuine

Jan2

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A friend of mine once said:

You laugh like you have no care in the world!
You laugh like you have banished your problems!

Some of us smile
Some of us chuckle
But when you laugh, it’s from the depth of your heart
It’s unrestrained

I do laugh from the depth of my heart
Not because I have no cares or I’ve had none
I laugh this way because I have overcome
Overcome sadness and loneliness
Overcome pain and sorrow
Overcome anxiety and depression

I laugh out loud
Because I have cried
I laugh out loud
And this laughter is genuine
It’s not to show off
Not to stand out
Not to sadden others
Who may feel down

I hope my laughter brings others joy
I hope my laughter is contagious!

Lida Berghuis
December 31st, 2013

By way of Shiraz

Jan1

We come here by way of Shiraz
Shiraz, the land of lovers
Shiraz, the land of those who suffered
Shiraz, the land of poets and seers
Shiraz, where we come from

We come here by way of Shiraz
Shirazi is what they call us
Shirazi girls are famous of course
For their beauty and ample brows

Shirazi’s are said not be in a hurry
We take our time
Shirazi’s are said to be gentle and patient
They don’t sweat the small stuff

We come here by way of Shiraz
We can trace our lives back to it
We can tell the stories of those who we knew
The streets we walked
The sites we saw
We can remember the neighbourhoods
Of this blessed town

We come here by way of Shiraz
We’ve found each other at Green Acre
Having lived in many climes
Since those long ago days in Shiraz

From the hot cities of Kenya
To the rainy ones in Luxembourg
From beautiful British Columbia
To the State of Virginia

We have come here by way of Shiraz
But we’ve seen the world in the meantime
Crossed oceans and mountains and lands
We have experienced ups and downs

But here we are at Green Acre
Four ladies from Shiraz
Sitting around the table
Sharing tales
Sharing our sorrows and triumphs

We come here by way of Shiraz
Our hearts full of gratitude and love
We can trace these feelings of love
Back to the magical city of Shiraz

Shiraz, the city in the valley
Shiraz, the city of a new dawn
Shiraz, the city of Mona and Roya
Shiraz, we keep you in our hearts

Lida Berghuis
December 30th, 2013

Gifts I like…

Dec25

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What is the best gift of all
I wonder to myself

A listening ear?
A kind heart?
A cheerful countenance?
These are some!

What would I want from a friend?
To let me be who I am
Don’t mind my silliness and my laughing out loud!

What is the best gift I can give?
My undivided attention
My understanding
My affection and love!

Material things are OK
But the best gifts are those
That don’t need to be wrapped
Ones that are made with
Thoughtful hands and hearts

And sometimes the best gifts come in words
Words of encouragement
Words of wisdom
Words of comfort

Sometimes it’s a phone call
From a friend
Who remembers you when
You feel alone
Or the friend that always
Has time for you!

The gifts I like don’t cost a thing
They just require love and understanding
And since they don’t take up any space
These are the gifts that I’ll carry with me
For all time and everywhere!

Lida Berghuis
December 25th, 2013

Love is blind!

Dec23

Why is the path to true love
Fraught with dangers, thorny paths, and mountains high?

Why do we have to suffer so much
Even when we find the one we love?

Why is the world of emotion so complicated?
Why can’t we design a computer program for love?

Make a spread sheet of pros and cons
A logical way to judge what our heart desires

Why aren’’t computers smart enough
To help us with this complicated equation called love?

Why do pain and joy intertwine
In this crazy thing called love?

Why can’’t we just live as monks and nuns
That way we wouldn’t have to worry about love!

There is a yearning in our hearts
We need love
True love is like water
To the thirsty one

We are drawn to the lucid spring of love
Even as a thirsty one wondering in the desert of life
Once we see the face of the beloved
It’s imprinted in our hearts

All the reasoning in the world
Is unable to change our mind
Love does blind us
To the loved one’s faults
Others will tell us this or that
But we are not sure what planet they are from!

Our heart longs to be with our loved one
Our heart only sees the beautiful qualities
Of the one we love

We would swim an ocean or desert cross
Without a thought
Without a doubt!

The people who love us try to tell us
To be careful not to drown, not to fall!
Sometimes we listen, sometimes we don’’t
Love is blind, after all!

But true love stands the test of time
This love doesn’t die because of trials
One can lose battles, but one wins the war
To be united with the loved one

This thing called love
For which blood has been shed time after time
This magical force
Is one we can’’t live without

The path never easy
But worth the fight!
Without love
Life would not be worthwhile!

Lida Berghuis
February 2nd 2004

The many colours of courage!

Dec22

Courage comes in so many shapes and forms
For some, it’s in chasing a storm
For some, it’s in fighting a worthy fight
For some, it’s in singing their song

Courage comes in many colours too
Black for daring
Brown for persevering
And gold for feeling worthy!

Courage!
Be fearless I was told!
And yet I thought
I had some courage before
But as we grow
Our courage also needs to grow

Courage to be who we are meant to be
Courage to share our gifts
Courage to remove the mask of pretense
Courage to remove the veil of fear

Courage to see the signs
Courage to listen to our guides

Courage to live our dreams
Courage is what I need!

Lida Berghuis
April 26th, 2010

The stay at home mom who didn’t!

Dec14

The stay at home mom?
Who is that?
One who never leaves the house?
I can’’t do that!
It does not seem appealing
Not at all!
Why should I stay home
All day long?

Those days, my dear
They are gone
Mothers are out and about!
I see them at coffee shops
At the mall
I see them at the library
At schools
At volunteer organizations
And at the “Y”
They bring their children with them there
They meet their neighbours and their friends

They don’’t have nine to five jobs
Their job needs them around the clock
Their office may be at home
But they are on the road a lot

Their job involves
Late night sessions
Overtime
Projects that stress them
Problems that need to be solved
Though training is mostly on the job
Research is required often
And good problem solving skills a must!

I’’m glad I could be there
When my children were small
But I was the stay at home mom
Who never stayed home
Who was always gone!

Lida Berghuis
April 6th, 2003
updated in 2013