When the days seem dark, sweetheart,
and you feel like you are barely holding on,
remember, you’ve been here before.
The seaweed twisting around your ankles,
trying their best to pull you under.
Your mighty struggle brought you
to the point of exhaustion,
with your arms flailing, barely holding your head above water.
It was only when you stopped resisting
that you let the sea carry you, finally able to breathe.
Then you were able to see that the storm clouds had passed
and the open blue sky had been there all along.
Once again, the seaweed loosened its grip
as you floated to shore.
Dear one, storms will come and go,
but you know how to swim.
Tag: Creativity and Healing
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Navigating Life’s Storms
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Reaching for Light in Times of Darkness
Inspired by the Images from the James Webb Telescope
When this world becomes too much,
with its barrage of news of cruelty,
and I’ve done all that is within my power to change,
I stretch my arms out to the universe,
and let myself be drawn into the beauty
of far-off galaxies,
images that are sent back to earth
from the space telescope wandering around the sun.
I lose myself in the brilliance of the nebulae
that are light years away,
where stars begin and end their lives in the dust of space.
The vivid colors dance across the cosmos,
unconstrained by the pettiness of humankind,
for we are mere specks in the grand design.
And yet, I must shine my light, too,
in this place that I call home. -
Relentless Appreciation
Finding Joy After Loss
When the heart breaks open from the searing pain of
unbearable loss and the walls crumble to the ground,
the unimaginable happens:
relentless appreciation for what is left behind.
It streams from my soul with the force of a tsunami.
My love for those I meet in person and online has grown,
and I feel joy when I spend time in their presence.
My soul is filled with peace as I traverse the garden path,
captivated by the beauty of the flowering plants
and the perfumed, soaked air they create.
I watch the flying creatures with fascination as they busy themselves finding food and building homes.
I love the sound of birdsong, whether I’m wandering outside
or enjoying their symphony from inside my home.
For knowing there is but a short time
between birth and death, I breathe in deeply
all that life has to offer me. -
The Gift I Didn’t Ask For
I sat slumped on the floor,
the wrapping torn off the box.
As I reached inside,
I already knew that I didn’t want this present,
but there was a no return policy stapled to the gift.Who was the giver that would lay
such a heavy unwanted inheritance
for me to carry with me
as I wander the world for the rest of my days.The giver sits next to me,
wrapping one arm around my shoulder
as their other hand wipes away
the tears that run down my cheeks.“Dear one,” they say,
“I know that this present feels like a curse,
and you’d rather that I’d disappear with it,
leaving your world unshaken.”“But grief is interwoven with the love that preceded it
like a finely knitted sweater.
The tattered garment that you now possess
is the love that remains.”I pulled the sweater to my heart,
rubbing the holes that plague this once intact garment,
knowing that my body will learn to adjust to the chill that the holes let in,
while the rest of the sweater will warm me with your memories and love. -
Rising From The Ashes
I was sure that the ashes of the life that I had
before my husband died would bury me alive.
The dull embers of what was left behind,
were threatened with extinction by the weight of grief
that encompassed my soul,
making each step, each decision exhausting,
as I traveled this world without my partner.And yet, with time and tears, the weight began to lift
as I reentered life.
No longer the woman I was,
for she will never exist again.
Instead, I had to find another me,
with memories of my previous life
serving as an anchor,
and sails to set me on my new course.If I had made a vision board,
none of the endeavors I would try
would have been within the scope of my imagination.
It was only when I was willing to say yes to life,
full of trepidation and anxiety, my world began to grow.
With each new adventure, I gained confidence.
My mantra became, “I’ve already lived through the
most painful episode in my life, how can anything be worse?”
The grief was still a companion,
but so was the joy of learning to be creative,
which has provided the most healing
for my broken heart.
Beautiful Bittersweet Life Poems 