HAEVN - Promise

Music, When Soft Voices Die

"Music, When Soft Voices Die"

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Music, when soft voices die,

Vibrates in the memory—

Odours, when sweet violets sicken,

Live within the sense they quicken.

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,

Are heaped for the belovèd's bed;

And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,

Love itself shall slumber on.

Images created by me in AI

"Continue" by Maya Angelou (edited & adapted)

“Continue” by Maya Angelou (edited & adapted)

My wish for you
Is that you continue
   Continue

To be who and how you are
To astonish a mean world
With your acts of kindness
   Continue

To allow humor to lighten the burden
Of your tender heart
   Continue

...
To remind the people that
Each is as good as the other
And that no one is beneath
Nor above you
   Continue

To remember your own...years
And look with favor upon the lost
And the least and the lonely
   Continue

To put the mantel of your protection
Around the bodies of
The old and defenseless
     Continue
...
To plant a virtual kiss of concern
On the cheek of the sick
And the aged and infirm
And count that as aR%
Natural action to be expected
     Continue

To let gratitude be the pillow
Upon which you kneel...
     Continue
...
To dare to love deeply...
...
And by doing so
You and your work
Will be able to continue
Eternally

May the work of your hands and the strength of your spirit be blessed, as we all continue.

Source: Facebook - Garnish

Photo created by me in AI

JOY COMES BACK

JOY COMES BACK

When you finally realise that joy 

is less fireworks

more firefly 

less orchestra

more birdsong 

she will come back much more often 

for joy will not fight 

with the fast pace of this life 

she is not in the shiny or the new 

she breathes in the basic 

shimmers in the simple 

and dances in the daily to and fro 

joy has been beckoning you 

for many a year my friend 

you were just too busy doing, to see

the very next time joy wraps 

her quiet warmth around you

as the garden embraces your weary body

in its wildness

tip her a nod 

you cannot force her to stay

but if you are a gracious host 

joy comes back.

~ Donna Ashworth From her bestseller - Growing Brave

Art ~ Lisa Aisato 

Just a person.

You’re a person. 

That’s it. 

Just a person. 

So your time is limited. Your energy is limited. 

Your capacity is limited. The number of things you’re capable of doing in a day is limited. The number of people you’re able to please in a day is limited. The number of friends you can allow to get especially close to is limited. You can’t be best friends with everyone. 

So say yes to what matters most. 

Say yes to who matters most. 

I think we all need to be people who are kind and inclusive and loving and generous with what we have. 

But we can’t give what we don’t have, you know? No matter how hard we try, we just can’t. 

Some people might be disappointed. Some people might judge you and claim you didn’t do enough, or say enough or be enough. 

But look at your heart, and if you can truly say that you did your best. That your priorities were in the right place, rest easy and hold your head high. Silence the hate and the shush the guilty conscious.  

You’re amazing. 

But you’re a person. 

Don’t exhaust yourself trying to be more. 

Source: Facebook - Sister, I am with you

Little Moments

 

She didn't want a grand mansion, she wanted a little log cabin in the middle of nowhere, where they could grow old together. A place where the trees were their neighbours, the birds sung them awake each morning, and the stars shone in the sky above them as they slept each night.

She didn't want a manicured garden, she wanted a place where the flowers grew wild and free, reminding her of her own nature. A place where she could walk barefoot on the Earth, make friends with the animals, and sit around a fire sharing stories.

She didn't want a life full of rushing and striving, she wanted a life where she could enjoy the pleasure of simply being. A life where she had time to stop and smell the flowers, to marvel at the beauty of the sunset, and to listen to her heart speak.

She didn't want big things, she wanted little moments. Moments that touched her soul, moments that made her heart sing, moments where love was all that she knew.

Emily Jane

Source: Facebook - On Cloud Nine

Where do you go from here...

 

“Well,” said the Queen to the little bear, “where do you go from here?”

“I’m not sure, Your Majesty,” Paddington Bear answered softly, a tear in his eye. “You see, the Browns have all grown up and gone their separate ways. I’m now homeless, as I have nowhere else to stay.”

The Queen’s face softened with a smile. “Well, my little friend, this simply won’t do at all. I too am all alone. Why don’t you move into my palace? I’m sure we’ll have a ball!”

Paddington’s eyes widened as he asked, “Will there be marmalade, dear Queen?”

“Of course,” she replied with a wink. “The biggest spread of sandwiches you’ve ever seen. And cups of tea, with crockery you can drop—and I will never, ever mind.”

With a grateful heart, the little bear smiled. “Your Majesty, I accept your offer. You are very, very kind.”

Source: Facebook - On Cloud Nine

...except maybe me

 

A kind of sadness

 

There is a kind of sadness that comes from knowing too much, from seeing the world as it truly is. It is the sadness of understanding that life is not a grand adventure, but a series of small, insignificant moments, that love is not a fairy tale, but a fragile, fleeting emotion, that happiness is not a permanent state, but a rare, fleeting glimpse of something we can never hold onto. And in that understanding, there is a profound loneliness, a sense of being cut off from the world, from other people, from oneself.

Virginia Woolf

1882 - 1941

Chasing my tomorrows

Today I woke and found myself

With less than yesterday

My life was missing things

I had assumed were here to stay

Things that had seemed little

‘Til they left a giant space,

Left an empty silence

And a longing in their place

And I began to understand

That when push came to shove

I longed for what I’d had

When I’d thought that was not enough

I’d always looked ahead

Was always chasing more and more

Growing so complacent

Of the things I once wished for

Running to tomorrow,

To the weekend, to next year

Forgetting I was lucky

For the things already here

And all this made me realise

That my life can’t buy more time

So maybe I should spend my time

Loving this life of mine

And maybe I’ll be grateful

For the little things I’ve got

That seem inconsequential

But which mean an awful lot

So, tonight I’ll thank the stars

Instead of asking them for more

And I will hope to wake with all

The things I’ve thanked them for

‘Cause now I see that my todays

Are filled with time I’ve borrowed

And I shouldn’t sit around and waste them

Chasing my tomorrows

Becky Hemsley 2023

Artwork by Stephen Mackey

Source: Facebook - Divine Souls

Smiling Is Infectious

Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner
and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled I realized
I’d passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile,
then I realized its worth.
A single smile, just like mine
could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin,
don’t leave it undetected.
Let’s start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!

~ Spike Milligan

If I could live my life over again

If I could live my life over again,

I would have gone to bed to rest when I felt sick instead of pretending the earth would stop if I wasn't at work for a day...

I would have burned the pink candle carved like a rose instead of letting it melt in the pantry...

I would have talked less and listened more...

I would have invited friends to the table even if there is a stain on the carpet and the couch needs to be cleaned.

I would have eaten popcorn in the "good" room and wouldn't have worried so much about dust when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather telling stories from his youth.

I would never have insisted on driving with the car windows up on a beautiful summer day, just because my hair was freshly styled and fixed.

I would have been lying on the meadow with my head on the grass.

I would have cried and laughed less watching TV and more watching life.

But, most of all, to have a second chance at life, I would cherish every moment, I would really look at it... I would live it...

I wouldn't get so worked up over petty and petty things anymore...

Don't worry about those who don't like you, or rather, you shouldn't care who does what...

Instead, let's cherish the friends we have and the people who love us...

And to what we do every day to improve our mind, body, soul, emotions.

- Erma Bombeck

Give in to it.

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,

don't hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty

of lives and whole towns destroyed or about

to be. We are not wise, and not very often

kind. And much can never be redeemed.

Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this

is its way of fighting back, that sometimes

something happens better than all the riches

or power in the world. It could be anything,

but very likely you notice it in the instant

when love begins. Anyway, that's often the

case. Anyway, whatever it is, don't be afraid

of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.

~Mary Oliver

COMFORTABLY NUMB

COMFORTABLY NUMB

There are times she feels so alone

Trying to do this thing called living

Aimlessly she wanders and roams

A path that's rocky and unforgiving

There are times she wants to quit

She's trying so hard to rid her depression

It isn't easy she must admit

Sometimes she feels it's her only possession

She is so comfortable feeling this way

A familiar place to be

And sometimes she would rather stay

In the dark, instead of free

Some people just don't understand

When you've been through trauma and pain

It doesn't matter who holds your hand

Things will never be the same

© Janelle Erin Elizabeth Peters all rights reserved this poem is legally copyrighted. art found on Pinterest

This poem is her most shared and most relatable piece. This poem has reached millions of people. You are not alone

From her first book #mypoeticjourneytohealing

Source: Facebook - Poetry Pen

You can be flawed

Maybe you can’t stand anymore and suffering has shaped its character but this speech by Pope Francis a few days ago is simply STUNNING!

“You can be flawed, be anxious, and even be angry, but don’t forget that your life is the biggest accomplishment in the world. Only you can stop it from failing. You are appreciated, admired, and loved by many. Remember that being happy is not having a sky without storms, a road without accidents, a job without struggle, relationships without disappointments.

“Being happy means to stop feeling like a victim and become the author of your own destiny. It is to cross deserts, but to be able to find an oasis deep in your soul. Is thanking God every morning for the miracle of life. It's kissing your children, cuddling your parents, living poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us.

"To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple. Being mature is to be able to say, "I made mistakes." Having the courage to say "I'm sorry". It's having the sensitivity to say "I need you". Having the ability to say "I love you". May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness ... that in spring may be a lover of joy and in winter a lover of wisdom.

"And when you make a mistake, start again. Because only then will you be in love with life. You'll discover that being happy isn't about having a perfect life. But uses tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your defeats to train your patience.

"Use your mistakes with the serenity of the sculptor. Use pain to soak up pleasure. Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence. Never give up ... Above all, never give up on the people who love you. Never give up on happiness, because life is an incredible show."

Pope Francis

I’ve always wanted, very much, to be that woman.

I’ve always wanted, very much, to be that woman.

The old one, with the hair like silver that seems to radiate its very own source of light.

The one with the knowing smile that hints at humour ever present and a life that’s been full of belly laughter.

The woman with the deep lines in her weathered skin, lines etched out by adventure, by joy, by fear and by growth.

I imagined how I’d float rather than walk because I no longer bear the weight of the world on my shoulders and I marvelled at how my days would be full to the brim with resting and noticing the world around me.

I would not care for thoughts of guilt because by then I would have learned that resting is doing, and is very important indeed.

There I would be reading, gardening, eating food I had grown and passing my little nuggets of wisdom down, to anyone who wanted to listen.

The contented crone.

The final phase of the journey of womanity.

No chasing youth for me,

I will be languishing, loudly, in the joy of my age and my luck at having got so far.

I’ve always wanted, very much, to be that woman.

Join me, if you like.

Donna Ashworth

From her poetry book ‘LIFE’

Art by the amazing Jonas Peterson

To celebrate growing older...

 

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it..

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it...

14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

17. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

22. The most important sex organ is the brain.

23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

25. Always choose life.

26. Forgive but don’t forget.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..

31. Believe in miracles.

32. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

33. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

34. Your children get only one childhood.

35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. (I love this one)

37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

39. The best is yet to come...

40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

41. Yield.

42. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Source: Facebook - Regina Brett

IF YOU SHALL BECOME AN OLD MAN

 

IF YOU SHALL BECOME AN OLD MAN

(An Adaptation Of The Poem IF By RUDYARD KIPLING)

If you can move without stumbling, with dignity intact,

While others rely on walkers, their steps compact;

If you can wait for family visits, patient and kind,

Even when emergencies are just an excuse to find;

Or resist the allure of dating, not feeling quite refined,

Yet still cherishing beauty within your mind.

If you can dress with care, without vanity's hold,

And write poetry, sharing stories yet untold;

If you can face Dementia and Alzheimer's embrace,

Fight against their grip, with courage and grace;

If you can bear repeated tales, fellow elders' plight,

Understanding the importance of sharing their light.

Or see your dreams shattered, and still believe,

That new beginnings await, if you choose to perceive;

If you can rebuild relationships, taking the lead,

Showing forgiveness, as you plant love's seed;

And hold fast to love, when passion's flame has ceased,

Embracing companionship, a bond that's not released.

If you can remain part of the crowd, hand in hand,

Or reside in a home, where connection still stands;

If neither forgotten birthdays, nor fading memories,

Can wound your spirit, for love's legacy still carries;

If you can sing and dance, with joyous glee,

Embodying the vitality of what it means to be free.

Then rejoice, dear elder, for you are ever agile,

A testament to strength, resilience; and your smile.

Source: Facebook - The Apologetic Poet

PHOTO - Paul Cadden https://www.plusonegallery.com/artists/77-paul-cadden/works/3230/

Things you can control:

 

Things you can control:

Your faith

Your beliefs

Your attitude

Your thoughts

Your perspective

How honest you are

Who your friends are

What books you read

How often you exercise

The type of food you eat

How many risks you take

How you interpret situations

How kind you are to others

How kind you are to yourself

How often you say “I love you”

How often you say “Thank you”

How you express your feelings

Whether or not you ask for help

How often you practice gratitude

How many times you smile a day

The amount of effort you put forth

How you spend/invest your money

How much time you spend worrying

How often you think about your past

Whether or not you judge other people

Whether or not you try again after a setback

How much you appreciate the things you have...

Source: Facebook - Welcome Home

Shel Silverstein

Zebra Question 

I asked the zebra
Are you black with white stripes?
Or white with black stripes?
And the zebra asked me,
Or you good with bad habits?
Or are you bad with good habits?
Are you noisy with quiet times?
Or are you quiet with noisy times?
Are you happy with some sad days?
Or are you sad with some happy days?
Are you neat with some sloppy ways?
Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?
And on and on and on and on
And on and on he went.
I'll never ask a zebra
About stripes
Again.

Shel Silverstein

1930-1999

In Flanders Fields

 

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU MOVE TO THE SOUTH

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU MOVE TO THE SOUTH

1. A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.

2. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in the South.

3. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in the South, plus a couple no one's seen before.

4. If it grows, it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha.

5. Onced and Twiced are words.

6. It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy!

7. Jawl-P? means: Did you all go to the bathroom?

8. People actually grow, eat, and like okra.

9. Fixinto is one word. It means I'm going to do something.

10. There is no such thing as lunch. There is only dinner and then there's supper.

11. Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar. It is referred to as the Wine of the South.

12. Backwards and forwards means I know everything about you.

13. The word jeet is actually a question meaning, 'Did you eat?'

14. You don't have to wear a watch, because it doesn't matter what time it is, you work until you're done or it's too dark to see.

15. You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH em.

16. Y'all is singular. All Y'all is plural.

17. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect, or animal.

18. You carry jumper cables in your car for your OWN car.

19. You only own five spices: salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, Tabasco, and ketchup.

20. The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local high school sports, motorsports, and gossip.

21. Everyone you meet is a Honey, Sugar, Miss (first name), or Mr (first name)

22. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.

23. You know what a hissy fit is..

24. Fried catfish is the other white meat.

25. We don't need no dang Driver's Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive!!!

26. You understand these jokes and forward them to your Southern friends and those who just wish they were from the South.

AND one more:

27. Why did the chicken cross the road? To show that stupid possum that it CAN be done!

Source: Facebook - TuneStories