Tag Archive | Prayer

Our new reality

Apr10

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Our new reality

Two feet apart

Grandparents who can’t be visited

Parties that can’t be held

Schools out of session

Universities on line

Theatres and sports arenas empty

Working from home

Zoom meetings

Isolation for those who live alone

 

If we choose International cooperation

Share scientific data

Care for the vulnerable in our communities

House those who live on the streets

Commute less

Pray more

Empathize more

Share more

Acknowledge the oneness of our species

Acknowledge our interdependence

 

Then our new reality

Has some draw-backs in the short term

But it can be very beneficial in the long run

 

April 10th, 2020

Coloring our lives

Dec7

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The things that give color to our lives

During gray days, are:

Friendship with people who lift us up and inspire us

People whose positive energy can be felt 

People who make us smile

 

Creating art

Getting lost in the act of creation

And forgetting all else

 

Listening to music which is

“The ladder of the soul”

 

Prayer and meditation 

Going to that unknowable place

We all come from

And basking in its light and warmth 

 

Being helpful to others 

Why is it that when we do that

We smile and feel joy in our hearts?

 

Spending time in nature

The vast creation that surrounds us

Marveling at its beauty and grandeur 

 

Traveling

Finding ourselves in new places

With new people 

Who may see things differently from us

Recalibrating how we see the world

 

I’m sure there are other things that

Color our lives

These are only a few that come to mind

 

December 7th, 2019

Uncertainty

Nov15

 

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Sometimes in life

You have to live with uncertainty 

And wait for clarity

Sometimes this depends on the people around us

Whose decision affects us

Certain questions don’t have a yes or no answer right away

The answer could be I don’t know or maybe, I’ll tell you later

How does one deal with uncertainty?

Perhaps through faith in the people around us

Those whose decision will impact us

Perhaps through prayer

Perhaps through resignation 

Accepting things as they are

In any case uncertainty is part of life

 

November 15th, 2019

Calm

Jul9

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Calm like the stillness of the lake

Calm like the quiet of the night

Calm like green grass of the meadow

Calm like the early morning breeze

Calm like the serenity prayer

Calm like a baby sleeping 

Calm like the murmur of water

Calm like a soul at peace

 

July 9th, 2018

No turning back

Jun10

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When hatred strikes
Turn your thoughts to love

When violence rears its ugly head
Think of peace

When sadness visits
Bow your head in prayer

When storms arise
Keep your vessel steady

Our world is in travail
People who preach division
Try to exert their influence

But we are on a journey toward peace
And there is no turning back

June 7th, 2017

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

Your heart

Jul5

At the heart institute for treatment
But your heart is in perfect health
As loving as it can be
As patient as it can be
As joyful as it can be

No treatment needed for this compassionate heart
If anything we need to find how
Your heart became what it has become
Needless to say the trials of life have purified it
Needless to say prayer has burnished it

You may be in the heart institute for treatment
But your heart is in much better shape than ours…

Lida Berghuis
July 4th, 2015

Cold comfort

Jun23

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

My guide

Oct3

Do we ever know for sure
What the future holds?
Can we really plan everything out?
Can we see into the future
And guarantee success?

Sometimes what we thought was impossible, happens!
Sometimes what we thought was for sure, disappears!

We can plan
We can calculate
Put in safeguards
Have contingency plans
And yet, the project can fail
The trajectory can change in an instant!

We like to think we are in control
And we are to a certain extent
But as soon as we think we’re totally in control
The unexpected arrives to show us we’re wrong!

Sometimes the best things are unplanned
They just appear in one’s path
Most times intuition is more accurate than intellect
Sometimes the right people appear in our lives
And their influence is life changing, transformative in fact!
Not much planning goes into that!
Only recognition of the blessing
That has been put in our path!

Sometimes things that seem illogical work out
Plans that seem impractical bear fruit
And how is one to know?
I let intuition and prayer be my guide!

Lida Berghuis
October 3rd, 2013

In a circle on the grass

Aug16

In a circle on the grass
In the cool evening air
With bird song in the background
We remembered those who are no longer with us
In this physical world

Their spirit not far
Strong the bonds that connect us
Those who had gathered
Thought of them
And prayed for them
I’m sure they heard us
And perhaps
They were even there!

Hearts were touched
Tears filled some eyes
Memories were recalled
As the sun set

And this is how we honored
Those who have moved Beyond
This plane of dust
And entered the world of Tranquility and love!

Lida Berghuis
August 15, 2013