Tag Archive | trials

Drops of rain

Sep18

Shall I turn the page?
Leave sadness behind?
Keep a smile on my face for a while?

Sounds lovely
Should be doable
But I can’t forget what has been
A trying time

Drops of rain
Travel down the window
Each in a hurry to get down
Then another arrives in its place
Making a new path
As it drops

Some drops travel slower
Some faster
But they all eventually
Get down
Washing the dust off
The window
As they fall

The joy of writing has returned
Words cheer me up again
Writing a release, a pleasure again
I’m making my way back to me again
The ‘me’ that was temporarily misplaced
Hidden or lost

How does one carry on
When one knows
The road to recovery is long?

By the grace of God
Help of family and friends
Sheer will
Absence of choice!

It’s time to look behind
Sigh out loud
And look ahead

Challenges come
They try us
They do their job
And eventually
If we persevere
They move on

It’s time to inhale deeply
Exhale softly
Carry on
Focus on others
Move along

Lessons learned?
Perhaps
Endurance tested?
For sure!

Drops of rain fall one by one
Oblivious of what’s around them
Focusing on their mission
To get down!

September 19th, 2012

When

Feb8

When colour seems to have
Drained from your world
When all you want to do
Is stay home
When you’ve tried to shake it off
For the thousandth times
When you think you can’t go on

Don’t despair
Hang in there
There’s a way out of
This tunnel of gloom
Don’t give up
Keep searching
You’ll be able to smile again
Soon

Your patience will be tested
Many times
Your prayers seem to fall on deaf ears
Sometimes
Progress can be slow
But be assured
In this battle
You’re not alone

Many people have been
Where you are
Many people are willing to
Help you out

When heavy chains seem to
Weigh you down
When you live life in slow motion
Most times
When everything you need to do
Seems like a giant task
When creativity seems like a
Thing of the past

Don’t despair
Don’t give up hope
The first step is to reach out
And let someone know!

Lida Berghuis
January 31st, 2012

The humility of acceptance

Nov28

“The humility of acceptance”
What profound words

To accept our shortcomings
To acknowledge them
To live with them
And work towards overcoming them

Not to expect perfection
Because that can’t be
But to seek improvement
Be as good as we can be

To know we have limits
And to respect them
To know we can break
If we don’t acknowledge them

To accept ourselves as we are
Even during moments of weakness
To look for lessons we need to learn
To know we can be mistaken

To realize that growth
Can happen anytime
When one is an adult
Or a child

To face problems
Rather than run from them
To know we can succeed
If we try

To feel empowered to act
To have faith in goodness and kindness
To reach out to others
When we’re down

To have patience when
Something takes time
The end will come
It always does

The humility of acceptance
Comes with time
Comes with trials
It comes with battles lost and won

Lida Berghuis
November 5th, 2011

If

Aug22

If you expect perfection
Don’’t come here
This is the abode of the imperfect

If you expect a smooth ride
Don’’t come here
This is the abode of challenges and trials

If you expect quick results
Don’’t come here
Only the patient will survive

If you expect rest and comfort
Don’’t come here
This is where one must strive

If you expect clarity
Don’’t come here
This is the home of questions and thought

If you can’t take pain
Don’’t come here
Pain is a part and parcel of this lot

If you aren’t persistent
Don’’t come here
Only the steadfast will thrive

This is the abode of the imperfect
The student, the one tried
This is the abode of joy and love
Where there are rainstorms and sunshine

Lida Berghuis
August 21st 2011

Hidden roots

Mar22

We see the branches
But the roots are invisible to us
When the tree sheds its leaves
We may think it has died

But appearances are deceiving
There is so much we don’t see
And often it’s the hidden that is important
Appearances can deceive

While the branches sleep their winter sleep
The roots are alive and well
They are patiently waiting for good weather
To help the branches awaken

When spring comes we see with delight
That the tree was always alive
To see reality and not just form
We need to look deeper down

We need to know the spiritual laws
In order to realize
That what we consider calamity
May be a healing balm
What we consider misfortune
Can be a gift in disguise
Old leaves need to be shed
For new ones to grow
We have to look at the result
Not how things look

With insight, faith, and heavenly guides
We will learn to navigate this life of trials
We will learn to see the rainbow
At the end of the storm
We will learn to be patient
Mediate, and grow

On this first day of spring
I look outside
The trees are bare
But it won’t be long
Before they will wear their
Garments of green
Before their blossoms will
Perfume the streets

Lida Berghuis
March 21st, 2011

Friendship

Mar13

I look out the window
I feel so alone
Alone in my home
Alone in my community
Alone in bearing the burden
Of my pain and sorrow

I don’t have enough energy
To reach out
I long for contact and company
And for loving arms to hold me
And tell me things will be fine

….

Worse than pain and sorrow
Is the feeling of being alone
Because no matter what troubles you face
Everything is more bearable
When you have a friend
A true friend you can call on
A true friend who won’t judge

And the difference between sanity
And the feeling that your are about to lose it
Can be as simple as
The kind words of a friend
Their radiant smile
Their listening ear
Their time

The difference between
Helplessness and the willingness
To hang in there and try
Is the heartwarming thought
That there are those
You can call on
In moments of crisis
And that they will take the time
To let you unburden your soul
They will provide the balm
That will help you carry on

The Ultimate Friend is always there
But you also need the caress
The soothing words
The listening ear of a friend
One with whom you can be real
And share your intimate thoughts

If you are lucky to have such a friend
You notice that everything hurts less!

Lida Berghuis
March 11th, 2011