A Day In May (The Force Is With Us)

 

I sit outside today, seeking an epiphany,

Letting the sun bathe my skin with warmth and UV rays.

Eyes closed, I see a sea of pinkish orange 

As the golden beams pass through red blood cells in my eyelids.

Sometimes I notice strange symbols floating before me, 

Like a secret message I'm unable to decipher, but not today.

Everything around me is green and yellow, pink and gold,

And the heat feels good after the long cold winter.

One large black ant keeps trying to run up my leg

But I shoo him away, telling him not to be too reckless.

Photo by Karen Marks

The moments pass and I am ready to go inside,

Having shed not one drop of sweat nor wept a single tear.

My epiphany will come another day.

To The Children I Never Had

 There is no proof you are mine... but we are still connected.

Could anyone else have done better - or worse - raising you? 

You have such deep feelings: intense and dark; bright and funny; doom and gloom. 

But you're no different than anyone else, including myself.

I, too, have felt alone. I have felt fear. I have felt grief and despair. 

But when I faced those things, I realized I needed to find peace. 

No need to blame or keep score. No time to nurture resentment or seek sympathy.

I acknowledge my anger and let it go. I make peace with the past and let it go.

I don't forget what went wrong, I choose to learn from it and improve myself.

What would I say to you, if you gave me the chance? Only this:

That you are special, and yet not so special that you are better than anyone else...

That you are loved, even when everything looks bleak...

That you can learn from adversity and choose to overcome any obstacle...

That this is your chance to experience life, to help your own and others' souls to grow - never give up, never surrender. 

Live, love, learn. And share all of it with each other. This is what it means to be human. 

Mixed-media collage - tjb

One of my favorite quotes is this: "Circumstance does not make the [man]; it reveals [him] to [himself]." from As A Man Thinketh by James Allen

And this one: "It is never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), writer

Finally, I will share with you a few books (and inspirational quotes) that I highly recommend to all those who are not afraid to learn a little more about themselves:

Ponder On This: From the writings of Alice Bailey and the Tibetan Master Djwhal Khul ("At the center of a great tornado is a point of peace... and thus is it with all the storms of life. They lead to peace if you are not a leaf." "The soul that cannot stand alone has naught to give.")

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran ("Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity and you are the mirror.")

The Bach Flower Remedies by Edward Bach ("There is no true healing unless there is a change in outlook, peace of mind and inner happiness." "Health depends on being in harmony with our souls.")

The Hoogles and Alexander by Dorothy Langley ("Once a Hoogle, always a Hoogle.")

The Boy Who Saw True by Anonymous ("All progress is a step towards greater happiness. You in your world do not know what happiness is, you merely get the reflection of true happiness.")

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien ("Still 'round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate And tho I oft have passed them by A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun.")

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien ("It is a strange thing that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing... such a little thing.")

We all have our lessons to learn, so go on. Be brave. Be happy. Be alive. 

LIVE...

Earth Mandala - digital painting - tjb

LOVE...

Rainbow Heart - digital painting - tjb

LEARN...

Happy Cactus - digital painting - tjb

 

I Will Abide

It's still cold here in New England, with Winter bringing snow and rain, wind and fog. But the Sun is showing up more often now, and I have no doubt Spring is on its way. So much has changed since the arrival of Covid-19, and yet some things remain the same. I'm still alive and waiting for a sign... just like the roots and bulbs awakening in the cold, damp earth, like the leaves preparing to spring forth with unbridled vigor and high hopes. 

I want to leave my sorrows and fears behind... I want to embrace life with every ounce of joy and compassion that I can muster... I want to "sing in the sunshine and laugh every day" (remember the song?) If I could, I would erect another Stonehenge in the back yard and worship the stars and celestial gods of old... 

... but for now, I'll howl at the Moon as I wait for the Sun to return. I will abide.