Stepping into the density,

I lose myself,

I become as a boat drifting in a lake, unattended, floating still, but lackluster, without guidance, 

clouded by a touch of sadness.

But then, breath returns,

deep, rich with the promise of renewal.

Deep, slow breath,

breath hums a tune of awakening,

breath sings a song of remembering.

Remembering compassion,

remembering frien...

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Letting go of physicality is difficult,

Letting go of physicality is beautiful.

The physical is wondrous--

a bird in flight,

caw-caw,

a song at night,

melody settling into the eve.

The physical is laborious--

things break, things decay, ceaseless entropy.

But some things last,

we stumble upon them in archeological digs in our homes--

a card of love written long ago...

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Words dance like

wildflowers in the poet's mind.

Sometimes the words

make it to a page,

crying out pain,

singing out joy.

What then are words?

Do birds have their own words

in their wild cheerful chirps?

The words in the mind of the poet

have no precise definition;

they are as varied as the stories of the human experience.

Write on, oh traveling pilgrim!

Let ...

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If

I could
I would sing
you a song of

holiday cheer but,

alas, I fear my dear

I cannot carry a tune

so here I am with pen in hand

sending instead: warm greetings to all!

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I always wondered how it felt to be getting old and family and friends are dying away. 

Slowly, I am learning.

It is a letting go.

Little by little,

you fade into the mist,

you become lighter and lighter,

like fairy stardust,

like the thinnest silk,

like air.

You float, you say goodbye,

you ponder a new hello,

someplace else,

someplace invisible,

someplace be...

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I will go

and breathe happiness

in that place

of shadows and sorrows.

Oh the tears that have flowed!

But when met by the river of love

and the sky of hope

and the trees of growth--

I will go

and breathe peace

in that place

of redemption and resurrection,

I will go, fearlessly,

I will go with you, my beloved.

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You can rage against reality,

or you can accept your fate

and just laugh.

Laughter, a bit of a chuckle really,

a resigned smile,

is so healing.

It's all good, you say to reality,

and reality smiles back.

Somehow we survive,

all these upsets and calamities,

people carry on.

Look at you, writing this, reading this, still alive.

A testament to survival.

Find the...

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Expand your mind

beyond the confines

of the physical,

feel the light emanating 

from your being,

soar up to the sky

and down across the valleys and mountains,

happiness awaits

in this realm of freedom.

You are so much more

than the limbs that walk

and the lungs that breathe,

you are part of the drumming of the earth

and the illuminations of the stars,

you ...

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When I'm sad

I like to think of the sky

It's so open

When I feel weighed down

I like to think of a plant

It knows how to just be

Just be in whatever arrives

Like the sky

Blue

Like the plant

Green

Lovely

Simplicity

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It's 2 a.m. and sleep eludes,

the thinking brain twirls,

the breath moves softly,

the heart expands,

sending peace, 

to the tired ones

who stretch the dollar,

who give thanks for each penny,

to the old ones (the old old dog at son's house yesterday lying quietly on the floor looking at me with gentle watery eyes)

who take each breath

with little left,

energy shifti...

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I lay on my bed

worrying,

what good has this done me?

None.

I lay on my bed

relaxing,

what good has this done me?

It changes everything.

Letting go

creates power, 

creates well-being,

makes us smile with ease.

There is nothing to fix

because nothing is broken.

What appears to be broken

is but an experience

with a pearl inside.

Find the pearl

an...

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Wake up and remember,

there is nothing you need to do but be--

be curious,

be relaxed,

be happy.

Let everything else go--

go to God,

go to good,

go to creation.

You are creation's reflection--

bask in its beauty

and let everything create 

unto itself.

This is joy!

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Fall into bliss.

Melt into bliss.

Everything is perfect.

Everything is wonderful.

These words have power.

The thinking mind thinks

no, no, no, this is not so.

Catastrophes loom, tragedies arrive, 

so very far from perfect or wonderful.

But...

the being mind--

freed from thought,

tuned to eternity,

walking with spirit...

perfection and wonder exist in the r...

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For eons and eons

she tried to understand

good and evil,

good was easy--

so wonderful--

but evil--

why why why,

the ceaseless question.

At one point she saw a rainbow

of unconditional love

hovering above good and evil

(a glimmer of insight into the incomprehensible dichotomy!),

but still the question, 

why why why.

Finally she found something to settle in-...

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Age gracefully, darling,

accept that your body can't bounce around like it used to.

It's okay that your steps are slow and dust settles throughout your house,

undisturbed by hands that spend more time folded in contemplation than scurrying around cleaning.

Accept that there's not much scurrying anymore.

But notice how laughter comes more easily.

How few things really matter when ...

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A user is a person looking for home,

a loser is a person tired of trying.

Let yourself be a helper if you want to,

stop when you don't want to.

Let the user find their kindness,

let the loser find their strength.

You are strong because you are an empty vessel

filled with joy.

You are bathed in kindness.

A giver is a generous person who fears nothing,

a winner is a joy...

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Hate is someone looking for love,

fear is someone needing comfort,

anger is someone lost in sorrow.

Meet everything with breath,

find the answers in stillness.

Go deep, move slow, walk in peace.

An outstretched hand reaches further than a fist.

Remember there are always two choices:

send out fear, or send out love.

May the wind stir us to love.

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Descend oh dove of love

and fill our hearts,

alight oh bird of flight

and give us wings

to soar,

to explore

the depths of vision,

the reaches of expansion.

Give us light,

give us might,

times are hard, 

burdens are heavy,

lift us up oh celestial messengers,

bring us strength,

bring us courage,

carry us gently

to the shores of renewal,

carry us hom...

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Sit in stillness

and know that I Am love.

An empty mind

flows like a river

to the shores of peace.

Work steadily

with gratitude for the moving body.

When pondering existence,

know that movement and stillness

are the balance sought.

Movement supports stillness

and stillness supports movement,

back and forth and all around,

like the seasons,

like the tides,

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The young man, 

a Jewish fellow, 

is married to my niece-in-law,

who was raised Christian

but she converted to Judaism upon marriage.

They have two delightful little kids.

We (2 Christian ladies) ran into them at the coffee shop;

the kids were bouncing like popcorn,

filled with excitement because their teachers were at school (professional development day) but not them (stu...

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Can you dance in the middle of "what is"

rather than "what was" or "what is to come?"

Making plans can be helpful,

excavating the past can be healing,

but, truly, dancing in the now is glorious!

Step into the glory of right here, right now, this breath, this foot on this ground, this hand on this object, this smile, this frown, this laugh, this tear,

this is all-that-is,

wrapp...

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Go inside yourself, my darling,

be still, quiet, grateful.

Thoughts flutter,

let them settle into the deepness of your breath.

Affirm the perfection of everything,

even what seems at odds with anything good.

This is a radical reorganization of your thinking, we know,

but trust us, the resulting joy will astound you.

When hate arrives, listen for the intention and emotion be...

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We went down to the lake

to skip stones

with the boy, turning into a man soon,

but still little enough

and joyful enough

to want to learn how to skip stones

from two old people. 

We were surprised he had never skipped stones before

and delighted to show him how to do it:

Look for flat, light stones,

use a strong, low level, horizontal throw,

and voilà--

multiple...

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I feel a poem coming on,

Oh what joy!

I pick up a pen

and let the words slide across the page

like a skater twirling across the icy land of winter,

like a swimmer diving into the cooling waters of summer.

Writing is like rain,

it falls,

it nourishes,

it refreshes.

Writing is power--

discovered,

shared,

releasing,

embracing.

I feel a poem coming on--

...

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Breathe deeply into the rhythm of the cosmos,

no need to turn to the chop-chop race of the world's clock,

set yourself to the peaceful pace of eternity

and you will be amazed at the ease of each passing day.

Success in life can be a slow-moving train,

stops along the way of happiness and sorrow.

Descend the stairs of time with patient elegance,

breathe deeply into the open sky...

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There is an angel cascading from our window frame,

made of stained glass at an artist's hands,

purchased from a little shop stumbled upon when wandering.

By the window at her feet,

we placed flowers dwelling in a vase of water,

short-lived their out-of-soil bloom,

but wondrous nonetheless.

Art and plants, growth and loss,

all part of the experience,

this human,...

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When you feel like you have too much to do,

do one thing.

Set your intention to simple:

a single step, 

a gentle smile,

a slow touch.

The busyness becomes quiet,

the sense of harriedness lifts,

the day blooms like a flower petal,

softly opening,

freshly scented.

All that needs to be done,

will be done,

one peaceful breath at a time.

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Live in joy,

she said, 

at three thirty-three in the morning

when I woke up and looked at the bluish light of the digital clock on the dresser

and heard her mama voice in the soft echoes of my mind.

I thought of the young man from church

who I kept running into (not literally) as he walked the streets and I drove the streets of my bustling town.

"Hello!," I said, as I rolled d...

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"You can't get it wrong,"

those words are so soothing.

"You can't fail, you can't flunk, you can't irreversibly screw up...."

Those words are balm to troubled souls,

struggling,

worrying,

fretting--

that is not a fun way to live!

Every problem has a solution,

"failing, flunking, screwing up,"

are just part of the dance.

You are unfolding into your perfection,

yo...

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Looking at the tree

tall and steady

standing outside my window

it's not going anywhere

it's just being

what it is 

a tree

tall and steady

teased a bit by the wind

tickling its leaves

on this deeply quiet summer morning

the sun's not hot yet

early morning clouds cover the sky in coolness

the air coming in from my window

is cool like ice

touching my skin

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Love is wonderful

Love is perfect

Love guides me through the day

Love soothes me through the night

Love calms all fears

Love lifts all burdens

Love colors my day bright

Love deepens my night holy

Love sings all harmony

Love cleanses all sorrows

Love is wonderful

Love is perfect

I live in love

I die in love

Love is my all

I am...

love.

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Can I heal you?

Of course not,

I'm not Jesus.

Can you heal yourself?

Maybe so, 

I don't know.

But I do know this:

I will hold a space of Love for you.

I will hold it deeply,

patiently,

reverently.

If you like, enter into this sacred space with me.

We are sitting in Love,

we are becoming Love,

we are remembering we are made of Love

That is what I can off...

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Clearly she was an old crone

who had traveled life's highways and byways

but with nary a scratch to show

for the depth of her sorrows.

Her wisdom--

wisdom of oh so many years!--

shone a light so bright

and yet so calming--

I was transfixed,

I listened to her words

with a smile on my face

and joy blossoming in my heart.

"Everyone is enlightened, really, I mean wh...

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We wore ourselves out

trying to climb arduous mountains,

we exhausted ourselves

trying to piece together endless puzzles.

But then,

when we couldn't take it anymore,

when we finally surrendered,

when we laid down our heavy sacks of worries--

a valley of wondrous splendor 

opened before our startled eyes.

We ran down its gentle slopes, 

breathless, weightless,

jo...

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Every generation dreams

of a flowering,

a burst of growth

through which peace and harmony descends

in a glorious tidal wave of change.

But, alas, life goes on in its weary pattern of separation and division,

anger and fear, among the scattered peoples of the world.

But still... every generation holds fast to the dream...

this time, this time...

change is a comin',

thi...

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I admire cats and dogs,

cats stretch and purr,

dogs turn in little circles

and then plop themselves down.

I admire birds and fish,

birds sing like orchestras and hop around in the weeds,

fish just float and keep deeply quiet.

Sometimes I wanna be a cat and stretch my muscles,

or a dog and plop myself down, 

or a bird and soar far far away,

or a fish and just shut up.

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When I was but a girl

I lay in my bed

and behind closed eyes

travelled to the stars,

floating in the calm

dark of the night,

feeling no fear,

feeling the deepest peace.

Now an old lady,

I search for those dreams of childhood,

the stars are further away

behind these closed eyes,

but patiently I wait,

knowing

the little girl 

is as close as the dream

o...

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God made all this for us,

we give thanks.

We made all this for each other,

we give thanks.

Birds cawking,

helicopters flying,

both searching with their eyes--

au secours, au secours,

survival, help,

search for food,

search for well-being.

Nature and man-made sing the same song--

"All is well, all is well, all is infinitely well."

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Don't think of it as work

Think of it as play

Like a child's eyes wide with curiousity

Everything dances

In a day of play

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You like cinnamon in your coffee,

sometimes I forget to add it

to the piles of fresh grounds

in the coffee maker,

but this morning 

my mind was clear

and the sweet smell of cinnamon filled my senses

as I puttered in the early light

of the quiet kitchen.

Cinnamon in coffee is like

icing on cake,

gravy on potatoes,

whipped cream on an ice cream shake--

not esse...

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Oh Life!

Sometimes you arrive at my door

as slow as a snail inching across the path,

other times you blow the door open

like a windy gust on an autumn's day.

The placid days of slow,

the wild days of rush,

all are equally valuable

on this meandering, uncharted road of existence.

Oh Life!

Sometimes I push you away like a heavy burden,

other times I wrap myself in yo...

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I'm exhausted down to my bones.

No amount of sleep can restore

this.

When a soul becomes so heavy 

it just tumbles down

back into the earth,

is this death,

or something like it?

Does resurrection follow?

I think so.

Like the changing seasons,

renewal arrives,

like a tiny blade of grass,

hope grows.

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"If everyone in the collective consciousness

stopped judging and transmuted hate to love, the wars would stop," she said.

My, what a bold statement, I thought.

Could it happen?

History says no.

But I want to believe it anyways. 

Why not?

It couldn't hurt.

And so I will.

Believe,

in the dream.

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We know everything vibrates,

molecules dancing around even in the firmest of objects.

How then can our eyes see only the solid?

That rock,  that table, the earth beneath our feet--

wild, intelligent movement going on within,

but absolutely beyond our plain-eyed perception.

But then, every once in a while, as if an interior microscope lights up,

there it is--

the dance of th...

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Everything's blooming

Everyone's sneezing

The flowers are dancing

The birds are feeding

Pollen is in air

Twigs are in beaks

Spring into joy!

The world is alive

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"A lick and a promise,"

mom would say, 

when we kids were cleaning house with her.

Such a valuable lesson--

baby steps, little steps,

or as Mother Teresa would say,

"small things done with great love."

I have no memory of mom ever rushing--

5 kids, a traditional husband, and a part-time job teaching, 

she just took things slow and steady.

I rushed alot in my adulthood...

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Conversations rise and fall,

words exchanged,

sometimes loud,

sometimes whispered,

sometimes angry,

sometimes soft.

Static electricity dances in the air long after the voices have fallen silent,

emotions ride the electric waves of memory, 

stored in the cells,

ready to remind.

Pain followed by 

forgiveness (eventually)

works best,

letting go,

until memory ...

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"Electromagnetic soul," he said.

Well, there's an interesting term, I thought.

Energy is never created or destroyed, it is only transformed,

a basic premise of physics, he explained.

We are energy, and when a body dies, the electromagnetic energy of the soul continues on, he posited.

Well that makes sense, thinketh me.

What fun, traveling at the speed of light,

our beautiful, ...

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Sometimes we are wise and graced,

breathing softly through the day.

Other times we are lost and spaced,

wandering aimlessly about the day.

Compassion threads our time together,

laughter lightens our sighs of worry,

we try, we try again.

Hold me close,

lift me up,

let heaviness fly away in the breeze of a feather.

She put the feather in her hair,

we cleaned and orga...

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Today I will see

nothing

but beauty

unfolding,

no matter what arrives

I set my radio dial

to beauty.

What then is beauty?

The unfolding of potential,

the art of possibility,

the color of the wilting rose

in the vase 

on the table 

left over from Mother's Day, 

the hop of the bird

among the thorny weeds

that I started pulling 

out from the ground

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