Cups
Containers
Purveyor of that which quenches thirst
Cups
Full
Empty
Half way done!
Cups
Decorated on the outside
A life story inside
Two cups
A friendship
Nurtured over conversation
Two cups
Sharing the load
Lightens the load of life
Two cups
Two minds
Two hearts
Can better withstand
The trials of life
Lida Berghuis
January 14th, 2014
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
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 cant 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 wouldnt 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
Its imprinted in our hearts
All the reasoning in the world
Is unable to change our mind
Love does blind us
To the loved ones 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 doesnt 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
Can’t feel pain unless we step into the fire
Can’t burn the impurities off our soul
Can’t experience pain just looking at fire
Can’t understand pain intellectually, no!
Once heat has seared our skin
Once our soul has felt the heat of trials
We are transported somewhere else
A place that is hard to describe
But those who have been there can tell you
It is worth the pain, abundant the rewards
Lida Berghuis
October 25th, 2013
Happiness is finding reasons to be happy now!
Happiness that depends on some distant goal
Some yet to be achieved milestone
Will fade as soon as the goal is reached
Because we’ll set ourselves another goal!
Happiness is in thinking of all the blessing we have now
All the things that are going right
All the things we may take for granted…
Happiness is in contentment
Goals are good
But happiness should not wait till they are achieved
Let’s give thanks for what we have today
It can be health
It can be family
It can be having coffee on a sunny day!
Happiness is having good friends
Friends who support us in times of trials
Happiness is in viewing trials as gifts
From the heavens above
Happiness is in finding meaning in life
Helping others less fortunate than us
Happiness is contentment
Lida Berghuis
September 1st 2013
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
Coffee grounds
Read me my fortune
Read my coffee grounds
It’s like looking for shapes in the clouds
There are dark splatters and light ones
There is bubbly foam
Dots and lines
Symbols hiding secrets
Splatters creating interesting designs
And all that in a coffee cup
Sitting in front of me
Begging for attention
From your eyes
No, I don’t think all that you will say
Will come true but
Read me my fortune
Just the same
Just for fun!
Tell me of the adventures I’ll have
The travels to come
Tell me where I’ll go first
And who will come
Tell me that I will manage
Navigating the trials of life
Tell me sunny days will always follow
Rainy ones
Tell me the joys of life
Will wash away the sorrows that come
Tell me things that I know
But like to hear one more time!
I know what I do
The path I take
Counts for a lot
I’m not a mere observer
In my own life
Nevertheless
Read me my fortune
Read my coffee cup
It’s right here and so are you and I
Lida Berghuis
May 28th, 2013
Try to enjoy life
What seems of huge consequence
Will wash away like a sandcastle in time
Look at the positive
The negative will always be there
Looking at the sunny side
Will bring light and warmth into your life
Don’t be too hard on yourself
There are many things you do well
We always need to improve
But with ourselves we must be patient
See what you have
Rather than what you don’t
Count your blessings
They are easy to ignore!
You may think you know
How things are or should be
But understanding life is not easy!
Things are not black and white
We realize we are mistaken many times!
What we thought we understood
Will suddenly seem all wrong
Confusion will replace clarity
A thunderstorm, a period of calm
Strength will leave us many times
But when we feel weak
We are learning to be strong
We will gradually realize the
Value of trials
Anger and confusion will be replaced by
Understanding and calm
The world has a way of teaching us
That we are very small
And to survive and thrive
We need sunshine
The sunshine of Faith and patience
And the heat of trials
Lida Berghuis
April 5th, 2013
We are raised to be independent
To accomplish things on our own
To stand on our own two feet
And that’s fine
But sometimes in the process
We forget that we still need
The love and support of friends
We forget that we need to be held
To be caressed
We need a shoulder to lean on
We need trusted friends we can confide in
We need to ask for help from time to time
That others aren’t so busy with their own lives
That they don’t have time for us!
That we are not a burden
When we reach out for a helping hand!
We forget how interdependent we are
We forget the value of true friendship
Sharing our thoughts and concerns with friends
Letting them hold us up for a while
Till we are strong again!
There is no shame in sadness
It’s not possible to be ‘up’ all the time
We don’t have to pretend to smile
If we are crying inside!
These are the things I had to learn
I had to learn not to be afraid to share my vulnerabilities
That moments of crisis come upon us all
And it’s during these moments
That our friends can be life boats
Rescuing us from turbulent sea of life
And I’ve learned that when I share
The stories of my trials
Others trust me enough to share theirs
And it’s this sharing that strengthens
The bonds of friendship
I’ve learned that to build genuine friendships
I need to be more genuine myself
To let the pretense of perfection drop
To share my sadness as well as my happiness
To reach out in times of trouble
To trust!
Lida Berghuis
March 28th, 2013
The trials and sufferings of life are the medium
The canvas, what we must find to reveal the beauty
That can come from the trials of life
The paint is not enough
Sadness does not translate by itself
Into a work of art
The canvas, what we much search for
There is work to be done
Habits to let go of
New understanding to emerge
Virtues to be developed
Wisdom to be gained
Then we will realize
The gifts sadness has brought
The paint it has provided us with
And we can use this gift
To make a beautiful piece of art!
The trials, the paint
Our understanding, the canvas
The work of art a testimony to our growth!
Lida Berghuis
March 27th, 2013
*Mark Nepo, The book of awakening
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