Silver Linings

 

When the ocean waves engulf you

And there’s water all around

And when you feel you’re in so deep

You might as well swim down

When the forest’s looming darkly

And you can’t see your way through

When the trees are overbearing

And they’re closing in on you

When every path is dangerous

And treacherous to tread

And you decide to stop

And stay forever lost instead

Well…

I hope the sea is sapphires

That buoy you with their blue

I hope they shine a little

Of their precious light on you

I hope the forest prides itself

On all its emerald leaves

And helps you see your brilliance

Through the darkness of the trees

I hope your paths are gilded

And are lined with golden hues

Where ruby roses grow through grass

That shines with diamond dew

I hope you feel the sunshine

And the warmth that it possesses

I hope you see the way the clouds

Are shining at their edges

‘Cause there’s richness in the darkness,

When you’re lost, beneath the surface

There’s treasure waiting for you

And I promise you it’s worth it

So don’t give up or in

‘Cause pressure builds a precious stone

You’ve everything you need

And you are stronger than you know

So please keep going up and through

Keep walking, swimming, climbing

And keep on searching clouds for silver

Sewn into their linings

******

Becky Hemsley 2023

Artwork by Nancy Quiaoit

'Silver Linings' is from Letters from Life

Source: Becky Hemsley Poetry on Facebook

Break Every Chain (ft. Jason Clayborn & The Atmosphere Changers) | Northeast Worship

 

Your soul is ageless

 

You may notice all your wrinkles,

And count each grey hair as it appears,

But your soul is always ageless,

In spite of all your years.

Look deep inside yourself,

And what you'll find is youth,

Always present in your essence,

Forever young in heart and truth.

A cruel and confusing contradiction,

is, that what we see inside the mirror,

Isn't how we view ourselves,

Our perception is something clearer.

Beneath the shell, forever young,

There's a sparkle in our eyes

That reflects the fountain of youthfulness

That we always carry deep inside ..

By: C.E. Coombes.

Art: Jimmy Lawlor

Source: Serendipity Corner on Facebook

Home ~ Edgar Albert Guest

 

The road to laughter beckons me,
The road to all that's best;
The home road where I nightly see
The castle of my rest;
The path where all is fine and fair,
And little children run,
For love and joy are waiting there
As soon as day is done.

There is no rich reward of fame
That can compare with this:
At home I wear an honest name,
My lips are fit to kiss.
At home I'm always brave and strong,
And with the setting sun
They find no trace of shame or wrong
In anything I've done.

There shine the eyes that only see
The good I've tried to do;
They think me what I'd like to be;
They know that I am true.
And whether I have lost my fight
Or whether I have won,
I find a faith that I've been right
As soon as day is done.

Edgar Albert Guest

ai art by me

Regrets

 

There are moments in life,

We wish we could change,

But we cannot go back

Time, we cannot rearrange.

Regrets are pointless

They only cause pain

We need to accept the past

And just start again .

There were lessons in the days

When nothing went right

We should not chastise ourselves

For not seeing the light.

There's an order to life

The journey is immense

And one day you will understand

And it will all make sense.

So forgive yourself now

For what you didn't know before

It was designed this way

You couldn't have done any more..

C.E. Coombes

Art via Pinterest

Source: Serendipity Corner on Facebook

Clutter and Junk

Source: Spatial Awareness Home on Facebook

This one hit me hard when I finally saw it.

If you struggle to let go of things you spent money on -like, things you KNOW you’re not using- I want you to know: this is one of the most common psychological phenomenons related to clutter. It’s called “the sunk cost fallacy”

This is when our brains trick us into keeping items because letting go feels painful:

Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky discovered that losses feel about twice as painful as gains feel good.

…So when you declutter something expensive, your brain treats it like a fresh loss.

Even though nothing *new* is happening, the sting makes you want to avoid getting rid of it 

And here’s what I learned after years of struggling with this:

A lot of it has to do with feeling like you made a mistake.

“I shouldn’t have bought that”

“I wasted money”

These voices of shame only serve to keep you stuck in a cluttered home.

The bottom line?

My ability to declutter *and actually KEEP my house decluttered* is directly connected to my ability to admit a mistake and move on from it.

The money is already gone. Keeping the item doesn’t bring it back. All it does is add to your mental load, take up space in your home, and remind you of the mistake every single time you see it.

The moment I gave myself permission to say “that was a mistake, and I’m allowed to move on” …I became unstoppable.

I started decluttering faster, and making clearer decisions. I learned to stop the guilt spiral in its tracks.

I give myself grace for impulse purchases and for the phase I was in when I bought it…for not knowing it wouldn’t work for me.

And then I let it go.

And honestly, that grace extended into other areas of my life too. Turns out, letting go is a life skill, and it gets easier the more you practice it.

Source: Spatial Awareness Home on Facebook

Any advice to give

 

One time I met a man

Who only had a month to live

And I asked him if he had

Any advice that he could give

He said “I wake each morning

Knowing I am going to die

So each day must remind me

I am blessed to be alive

You see, my life’s on countdown

As each hour is unfurled

I know the clock is ticking

On my time here in this world

But what you’re overlooking

Is that it’s the same for you -

You know that I am dying

But forget that you are too

So make the most of sunshine

And go dancing in the rain

And sing a little louder

When your favourite music plays

Notice nature’s colours,

Savour everything you taste

Stop waiting for tomorrow

‘Cause you’ve got no time to waste

And could you say convincingly

That you’d have no regrets?

If just the next few days or weeks

Were all that you had left?”

And then my breath caught quickly

When he turned to me and asked

“Could you say that you died happy

If this day had been your last?”

*****

Becky Hemsley 2023

Artwork by Sebastian Bauer Art

This poem is from Letters from Life

Source: Becky Hemsley Poetry on Facebook