as transformation weaves the path before us
I am curious and cautious
with gentleness I choose my way
feeling gratitude for my choices
knowing the energy in my heart
will be the guiding force
The center of my creative life
The center of my creative life
begins at my belly, just like all creation
It was once a knot
full of hurt and broken butterflies
There is a light inside of me
that has a stronghold of resilience
It can be easy to forget that
we all have this inner reservoir
Awareness
I am aware and awake
no longer hijacked by
the sympathetic nervous system:
Always putting out fires,
filled with distractions, agendas and othering
Can I offer myself some grace
in just the remembering?
To be aware when I am distracted and be gentle
and even offer a warm smile?
And when I am putting out the embers
and reacting to others’ agendas,
can I pause for just a beat?
The emergency can feel more important
than giving myself three S-L-O-W breaths
no one will notice
the air that fills my lungs
brings with it a promise and a knowing
That I got this
That even when I make mistakes, seem forgetful
– careless even –
this very moment of breath is true:
What is present and grounded,
steady and resilient within myself
forgiveness is not a passive attitude
forgiveness brings presence,
awareness, and the belief to try again
And to remember that we are innocent
and worthy of our own grace
Green Tara
Tara the Green Goddess
of growth and rebirth
Her seeds are the future
She shares with great joy
The potential is real
Manifest this abundance
Take this gift into your palm
Plant your seeds with great care
Make a wish
Like dandelion seeds puffed into the air
May your wishes travel far and wide
And all your wildest dreams come true
Thank you, Tara, for the reminder
I tend my own seeds and create my future
The Starlings are back!
The smell of fresh rain brings
the promise of warm weather
on the way
The fragrance lingers and plays
with my nostrils and skin
Without delay, the blackbirds returned.
Their sparkle of turquoise and purple
peeked out from their dark feathers
At first a small flock appeared
of juniors and their parents
they toss and search under the brown leaves
leftover from autumn to find a tasty treat
hidden behind each leaf
More starlings arrive.
They are slender with less winter fluff
than the hardy, native birds
the birdfeeder welcomes one and all
Hark! Spring is here!
Let’s shake our coattails
and revel in the promise of spring to come
And come soon!
I am weary of this long, grey
winter and its biting chill
“Arrivederci!” as the Italian say
Seek Peace
There is a secret peace
to be found in ordinary pleasures
The mundane and the profound
The jewels lay out before you
Stake your claim
It was always yours
You are sacred.
The creative process
The creative process is a return to wholeness
It is a journey and often I surprise myself
The twists and turns appear before my eyes
It’s a beautiful thing to be exactly as you are
And here I am, being exactly who I am meant to be
not supposed to, ideals, or outside dictation
of what should or ought to be
But just me. A woman and her pen
playing with words and seeing what shows up
wit or wisdom, I never know
until the pen is done scrawling across the page
and my heart reaches out to tell you so
The challenge
It is a challenge to find your footing
when all the weight of the world feels piled on your shoulders
Yet we go out there and perform like a circus act
Day after day whether we want to or not
Some days feel easy breezy
Some days it’s hard to get your foot out the door
The energizing sun brings the spotlight
We don’t get blinded by the vastness or our greatness
We steady ourselves with the faith to do what is necessary
And do - we do - in due time
Today it’s my turn
Tomorrow yours
We walk a fine line but we are never alone
A blizzard of epic proportions
Snow descended from the sky
white covered our heads, land, and air
Everything came to a standstill:
no work, no school, nowhere to go
We huddled and waited
warm arms and hearts
Yet my winged neighbors could not be still
They lunged at the feeder as it spun
clutching on for some seed
I’d like to think I helped them
survive the storm with purpose
Our windows were covered in white snow
making it almost impossible to look out
We had to wait for the worst of the worst
before we could venture out
wind howled and I held my breath
watching the cardinals and sparrows gave me strength
if they could weather this storm
– outside no less –
I could and would too
Finally we opened the front door
Snow greeted us and dropped
onto our heads and carpeted floor
Determined with shovels in hand
we stepped out into this three-feet snow-covered land
to dig our way out and back into the world
Fury and Might
Bright blue sky with a half moon
Snow stubbornly clung to the limbs of the maple tree.
The winds howled in fury and might.
How will all of nature’s critters survive this long night?
Their fluffy feathers and huddled flock
got them through the darkest of the dark
and in the morning they greet me still
They nibble and grab the seed in my feeder
and gather their strength once more
Despite the fury and might
We might just get out of this blistery cold without a fight.
The fright is aplenty as any can show.
I still enjoy the spectacle of snow
The fire’s aglow and it keeps us warm.
I dare not step outside again
Come spring we celebrate
the darkest of the dark we weathered
and grew in wisdom and time
Inner resilience and self-reliance
can get us through this storm
Healing Insights 