Seasoned Love

Every once in a while it is good

to stop and look at ourselves.

This reflection came back to me

in the form of as poem.

 

Seasoned Love

She was a seasoned woman

by standards of earth.

Walking with a slight favor

in her low left back.

Head moving ahead of body told me

she moved eagerly forward in life.

Carrying packages too heavy,

Her country clothes displayed to me

she had changed from the city now for sure.

Her golden hair with gentle wisps of gray

showed life had run through her.

Yet when she turned her head

and looked into my eyes,

I knew she saw life through eyes of good.

There wasn’t anything about me she judged.

To her, I seemed to be perfect somehow.

I glanced again just in case my imagination

made me feel her radiance and beauty.

But her image still glowed with love

back to me as I gazed at her amazed.

Full of gladness, light and life

I spoke to her of my love for her.

Her gaze steadfast upon my heart

still poured out unconditional love.

It was then I saw she was a mirror

looking back into my own eyes.

Yes, then my own eyes held me

and I accepted my own authentic Self

as a loved and a perfect soul.

To See Clearly

 

 

In our daily routines we often overlook noticing moments that richly bless our days. This story is about how I missed seeing clearly.

My friend Shana invited me to accompany her to lunch at another friend’s home.

We arrived at Gloria’s apartment and were enthusiastically greeted. Gloria was the first to put out her hand to me and surround me with her beaming warm smile. She was absolutely radiant.

I instantly felt at home. As we entered, I looked around. Her home however was very stark and uncluttered. It reminded me of all the stuff I hadn’t dealt with in my own home.

Gloria’s slender model like flowing figure ushered us into her dining room, and again, I was struck by the neat orderly way she kept it. Some people might have called it anal.

She served a delightful nourishing meal, all the time enthusiastically conversing with us. She certainly was well read and very intelligent insights in our subjects discussed.

At the end of our luncheon, Gloria mentioned that she would be playing her harp at a coffee house if we would like to come to her concert. More talent, I mused. Besides being well read, up on current affairs, charming and engaging and now a musician, what more talents could she have?

As Shana and I walked from her front door, I turned and said, “Gloria is terrific. But with all her talents, why is her home so stark?”

Shana looked at me puzzled. Then said, “Didn’t you notice? Gloria is blind. Everything is set and simple so she can function easily.”

I was stunned. She acted so normal and functioned very well. In her blindness, Gloria saw more clearly than I did. She was living life to the fullest despite her lack of normal sight. She was living with insight.

 

 

 

 

 

Thankful for Old Friends

                              Thankful for Old Friends

What gifts do old friends give? Old friends renew me. There is something so comfortable and comforting about having old friends. Their lifetime support and respectful sharings are treasures beyond any purchased item.

Their loving compassion is dearer than any long forgotten childhood delights. Their genuine enthusiasm to appreciate me will outlast this lifetime. When I am down or not up to my highest ideal their enriched caring is refreshing and encouraging. Their humor and lightness give me lifts when I feel down. They hug me no matter where I am.

How can I thank such friendships? How can I let these friends know how much they mean to me? Perhaps they already know and love me beyond any words that I might write. Old friends go beyond the scope of love in action and beyond ordinary ways to show appreciation.

Old friends are comfortable shoes that never squeak, pinch or stand obediently on ceremony. They have a true softness. They walk close to the earth and their hearts shine brightly.

Old friends are about longevity of loving and the grace to accept me as I unfold in my life learnings. Old friends are comfort from the storms of life, from challenges that the divine knows wisely to send us to grow.

They are the miracle that makes my mind sane again and again. They snuggle deep in a part of my heart that never leaves. Because they are old friends, they care for me when I don’t like myself.

Old friends give me inspiration when I am stuck in the void of creativity. They remember something about me that I tend to forget that is so warm and loving that I would love myself unconditionally if I were to remember.

Old friends endure the pain of my journeys of separation without taking on the burden of resolving my issues. They feel my feelings sometimes before I even understand them myself. And they kindly, wisely, and with the greatest amount of gentle prodding, give me their mirror so that I can see clearly the effects of my actions.

Old friends are so much more than I could write about. Because of old friends, my life has been richly blessed. From them I feel my purpose on earth significantly expands. They embrace me with open-hearted feelings faithfully and forever.

It is because of these incredible beings of light and love that I have renewed the meaning in my life. My heart is lighter knowing they are with me.

I carry my old friends inside of me, because where would I be without them? There would be a void that I could not imagine how to fill and an unbearable sadness.

So, today I celebrate my Old Friends.

And I remember that I am also……an Old Friend.