Metamorphosis

You weren’t too much; you were just too honest for the wrong people.For a long time, I tried to be easier, softer, and less “intense.” But I was never the problem; their inability to handle me was. Here’s what I believe now: You don’t have to earn love by becoming smaller. You’re not unlovable—you’re just not controllable. Real love won’t ask you to dim your light. You’ve always been enough, even before you knew it.

Source: Facebook - My Heal Time

This entire post was found on Face book: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1202324594881239

Format was changed because I couldn't share it as it was presented.

Weeping Willow Legend

Ever hear of the lovely Polish legend about how weeping willow trees saved some drowning kittens who were chasing butterflies and fell into the river? The trees reacted to the mother cat’s cries for help by sweeping their limbs down into the water where the kittens clung to the ends of the branches and were saved. Each spring since then the willow branches sprout tiny fur-like buds at their tips where the kittens once clung.

I am pieces of...

I am pieces of all the places

I have been and

the people I have loved.

I’ve been stitched together by

song lyrics,

book quotes,

adventure,

late night conversations,

moonlight,

and the smell of coffee.

~ Brooke Hampton

Source; Facebook - Brooke Hampton

ai art by me

Lead Me Home - Jamey Johnson

I have seen my last tomorrow
I am holding my last breath
Goodbye, sweet world of sorrow
My new life begins with death

I am standing on the mountain
I can hear the angels' songs
I am reaching over Jordan
Take my hand, Lord, lead me home

All my burdens are behind me
I have prayed my final pray
Don't you cry, over my body
'Cause that ain't me, lying there

No, I am standing on the mountain
I can hear the angels' songs
And I am reaching over Jordan
Take my hand (Take my hand)
Lord, lead me home

I am standing on the mountain
(Lord, I am standing, on the mountain)
I can hear the angels' songs
(I can hear the angels' songs)
I am reaching over Jordan
(Over Jordan)
Take my hand, Lord, lead me home
(Lead me home)
Take my hand, Lord, lead me home

I once knew a woman...

"I once knew a woman
With lines on her face
Who’d lived most her life
In a much different place
A place where those lines
Were respected, revered
Where it was known
They held the wealth of her years
And here, in a place
That was scared to grow old
She made us all realize
The beauty age holds
For one day she stood
And attracted a crowd
She started to speak
As we all gathered round
And we hung on each word,
We were all mesmerized
For her voice was so powerful,
Knowing and wise
She smoothed down the crown
Of her hair on her head
Then she lifted her chin
And her voice as she said
“These lines are not something
To hide or to fear
But something that says
‘I have lived, I was here’
They’re not to be counted
Like bars of a cage
But like rings of a tree
That grows stronger with age
Grounded and large
Persevering and proud
I’ve earned every stripe
So I'll wear them out loud
And though you might think
I’d look better with none
Just wait til you learn
How I earned every one
Because I’m much more
Than the way that I look
And these lines on my face
Are like lines from a book
That holds all the tales
Of the things gone before me
So come, take a seat
And I’ll tell you my story”

Source: Facebook - Becky Hemsley Poetry

We are not here to live life in half measures.

 

We are not here to live life in half measures.

When we meet with friends, we can stifle our laughter so that we don't deepen the crow's feet around our eyes.

Or we can laugh with abandon and deepen our bonds of friendship.

When we watch our child blow out candles on their birthday cake, we can refuse to eat a piece so that we don't gain a pound or two.

Or we can eat and enjoy the cake and gain precious memories with our family.

When we go out, we can spend time concerning ourselves with our outfit or our hair. Avoiding the rain or the dance floor so that we look our best.

Or we can spend time learning about the people we love. We can dance with them as the rain falls and fall for them on the dance floor and we can look happy.

Because we are not here to live a life that looks good.

We are here to live a life that feels good.

And laughter

and good food

and good company...

they're the things that make life feel good. They're the things that make us happy.

And happy is always a good look.

******

Becky Hemsley 2023

Artwork by Anna Fila

This poem is from 'Letters from Life'

Source: Facebook - Becky Hemsley Poetry

WITH THE PROPER ATTITUDE

 

WITH THE PROPER ATTITUDE

I feel as though I'm blessed

I wake up each morning new

I hear sweet singing from the birds

the blades of grass moist from the dew

Red breasted Robins are a sure sign

that spring is definitely on its way

I try to show humility

as I am gifted with each day

I've seen a lot of lonely winters

but dreary days , they are no more

Of course we'll have seasonal rains

but we all know what they are for

The planets lined up in a row

the moon is shadowed by eclipse

I love the wind kissing my air

I love the sea's mist on my lips

I feel the sun caress my body

slight persperation on my brow

I won't be haunted by my past

I focus on the here and now

I hope to have a full rich summer

I'll make the best of everything

And with the proper attitude

I know my heart will always sing

Source: Facebook - Cambridge Maryland poems and short stories, Tim Stultz

The Youngbloods - Get Together (Audio)

Love is but a song we sing
Fear's the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry
Though the bird is on the wing
And you may not know why

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

Some may come and some may go
He will surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunlight
Fading in the grass

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

If you hear the song I sing
You will understand, listen
You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both
It's there at your command

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

I said, come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

Right now
Right now

Daring To Take Up Space

 

It’s easy to feel uncared for when people aren’t able to communicate and connect with you in the way you need. And it’s so hard not to internalize that silence as a reflection on your worth. But the truth is that the way other people operate is not about you. Most people are so caught up in their own responsibilities, struggles, and anxiety that the thought of asking someone else how they’re doing doesn’t even cross their mind. They aren’t inherently bad or uncaring — they’re just busy and self-focused. And that’s okay. It’s not evidence of some fundamental failing on your part. It doesn’t make you unloveable or invisible. It just means that those people aren’t very good at looking beyond their own world. But the fact that you are — that despite the darkness you feel, you have the ability to share your love and light with others — is a strength. Your work isn’t to change who you are; it’s to find people who are able to give you the connection you need. Because despite what you feel, you are not too much. You are not too sensitive or too needy. You are thoughtful and empathetic. You are compassionate and kind. And with or without anyone’s acknowledgment or affection, you are enough.

~Daniell Koepke, Daring To Take Up Space

'Rêverie', 1882 by Frank O'O'Meara

Source: Facebook - Philo Thoughts

The greatest pain...

I was once asked: What was your greatest pain to bear?

I answered: "The one that no one can see - the pain of the soul." The one that no one understands, in which no one believes. One for which there is no cure, and instead of killing, leaves you alive to continue suffering.

Because once the soul is hurt, it will always hurt. You may think she's healed, but it only takes one memory for the wound to open again.

~Author Unknown

Source: Facebook - Bar Stool

Bummer Lambs

What happens to a little lamb that is rejected by its mother, it will hang its head so low it looks as if the lamb is beyond depressed ..!!! Every once in a while, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are lots of reasons she may do this. If the shepherd tries to return the lamb, the mother might even kick the baby away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind.

These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with their little necks. Their spirits are broken.

These lambs are called "bummer lambs." 

Unless the shepherd intervenes, that little lamb will die - rejected and alone. 

Do you know what the shepherd usually does?

The shepherd will take that rejected little lamb into their home, hand-feed it and keep it warm. They will wrap it up with blankets and hold it to their chest so the little lamb can hear their heartbeat. Once the lamb is strong enough, the shepherd will place it back in the field with the rest of the flock.

That sheep never forgets the shepherd's love and care when their mother rejected them. When the shepherd calls for the flock, guess which sheep runs first? That sheep knows the shepherd's voice.

The bummer lamb isn't loved more, it just knows intimately the one who loves it. It trusts the shepherd because it has experienced love from the shepherd.

Many of us are bummer lambs. Rejected and broken. But Jesus is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heartbeat.

We may be broken but we are deeply loved by the Shepherd who will never leave us.

~ Author Unknown

Source: Facebook - All For Jesus Daily

I want to wear something new...

I want to wear something new, but not shoes or a dress.

I want to put on soms reckless joy that is much to big for me and is brightly colored

that i become unrecognizable.

Jk Kennedy

Art: Jimmy Lawlor

Source: Facebook - Diary of a broken woman

Black Sabbath - Solitude (432 Hz) - MrBtskidz

You are allowed...

 

Source: Facebook - The Sisterhood of She

Sometimes, the experience is what heals you.

 

Hard truth:

If you wait until you feel better' to start living, you might be waiting forever.

Go live your life.

Do it sad

Do it anxious.

Do it uncertain.

Because healing doesn't always come before the experience.

Sometimes, the experience is what heals you.

Source: Facebook - My Heal Time

I don't live there anymore.

When I see someone I haven’t seen in a while, I can understand their surprise when they realize I’m not the person they used to know.

So many people expect me to stay the same as I always have, and frankly, I can’t do that anymore.

I needed to become more, to grow, to find that spark I’d lost along the way and start a blazing fire of rebirth..

My soul needed deeper connection,

my heart needed fierce love,

And I just needed to blossom into the person I was always meant to be..

Except that there are those friends and people who are intent on trying to keep me from changing..

They want to keep living their lives on their terms and it makes them feel comfortable trying to keep me in that box of who I used to be..

But I’m not that person any more.

I will never be that lost soul from my past again.

I’m making my way to a better place, day by day and moment by moment.

I refuse to let anyone define me by who I used to be and if someone can’t embrace the person I’m working hard to become..

Then, well, it’ll be time for us to part ways.

After all, if they keep visiting my past thinking that they’ll find me there…well, they’re going to be constantly disappointed.

I’ve moved on, left that stuff in the past and let it all go..

They need to do the same.

After all, the people that truly love and accept me will let go of the past and embrace my future..

Because that’s where I will always stand beside them, loving them as they encourage me.

That’s the person I am and those are the people I want in my life..

I need acceptance, love and loyalty from those I hold dear- not judgement, rigidity and closed minds.

No more baggage, resentment and living in the past.

New chapters and a new me..

Just the way I’ve always dreamt of-

Flying high and breathing free,

I can do anything with love in my heart and peace in my soul.

And just like the past, I’m letting go of the people looking for me there.

I don’t live there anymore.

Source: Facebook - The Ravenwolf 

My wish for you

 

My wish for you is that you never forget who you are and what amazing things you’re capable of achieving.
May you always remember your inner fire and find your courage when you need it most.
I hope that you know that when the storms rage into your life that you know that you’re never alone.
You’re surrounded by love and the people that care about you, and there’s never going to be a time that you’ll have to stand alone.
My wish for you is that you always keep that gleam in your eye, fire in your heart and sparkle in your soul..
For that is your wonderful magic that nothing and no one can ever take away from you.
Don’t forget how strong your wings are, to carry you aloft to the places past the horizon, where the stars shine and your dreams will come true.
You were always made to soar, so never let anyone cage your spirit or dull your sparkle.
The world will try to dim your light, because most will never understand how beautiful your illuminating spirit is.
May you rekindle your passion often as you envision impossible dreams and seek the sunlight, because you were never meant to be ordinary.
I hope you find your strength when life brings you to your knees, fighting back to reclaim your voice and take back your joy.
Your bravery will always lead you to those places where you will find purpose, passion and fulfillment.
Most of all, I want you to do more then to live or simply exist..
I want you to thrive, to overcome your limits and redefine everything you thought you were..
Because you’re capable of being so much more than you’ve ever realized.
You’ll be beautiful when you survive the fire that threatens to tear you apart..
But amazingly gorgeous when you rise again stronger, born anew from the ashes.
Sometimes you have to forget what you were to become what you’re meant to be.
Today, as in all the other days to come,
you’re beautiful, you’re strong and you were born to shine.

Source: Facebook - The Ravenwolf

ai art by me

9/11 Retired NYFD Hero

 

A man from Norfolk , VA called a local radio station to share this on Sept 11th, 2003, TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 9/11/2001.

His name was Robert Matthews. These are his words:

A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were going to have our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said 'amen,' we both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight. Both very upset we drove home.

I received a call from my father who was retired NYFD. He asked what my wife's flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight.

My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. 'This is not something I can't just sit by for; I have to do something.'

I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up. Before he got off of the phone, he said, 'take good care of my grandchild.' Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in the rescue effort.

My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered quickly became anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say good-bye.

Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home with my wife and my son, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could tell she wasn't expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple with a small child.

The man looked at me and asked if my father's name was Jake Matthews. I told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, 'I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.'

He explained to me that his wife had worked in the WorldTrade Center and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then said, 'there is something else you need to know.'

His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.

Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him themselves ..

When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.

Please take time to share this amazing story. You may never know the impact it may have on someone. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Shared on Facebook by

Robert Timothy Cole

Mar 30 2024

THERE WILL BE DAYS

THERE WILL BE DAYS

There will be days my friend,
When you feel like you just can’t go on.
Just keep swimming.
Breathe in and breathe out and wait for the light of a new day to dawn.
There will be days, my friend....
When nothing seems to be making sense.
It’s not supposed to.
Clear your mind and open your heart, the answers will come in time.
There will be days, my friend...
When the pain rises up and engulfs you.
Be kind to yourself.
Lay low and let the tears flow like a river, release, open the floodgates, let it out.
There will be days my friend...
When it feels like the whole world is against you. When it feels like you cannot do right for doing wrong.
Just sit it out.
Tomorrow is a new day and these feelings will pass. I promise.
You see, life is all things, from one day to the next.
It is beautiful at times, wondrous, amazing and joyful - then it is awful, miserable and heart-breaking.
And the cycle goes around.
It is as it should be.
Everything is as it should be and you, you will be okay.
Have faith.
Keep hope in your heart.
Tomorrow is a new day.

Donna Ashworth
FROM ‘to the women’ the Sunday times bestseller
Source: Facebook - The Sisterhood of SHE
Art: Johan Barrios

Mutability

 

Mutability ["We are as clouds that veil the midnight moon"]

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

                                         I.

We are as clouds that veil the midnight moon;

    How restlessly they speed and gleam and quiver,

Streaking the darkness radiantly! yet soon

Night closes round, and they are lost for ever:—

                                         II.

Or like forgotten lyres whose dissonant strings

    Give various response to each varying blast,

To whose frail frame no second motion brings

    One mood or modulation like the last.

                                        III.

We rest—a dream  has power to poison sleep;

    We rise—one wandering thought pollutes the day;

We feel, conceive or reason, laugh or weep,

Embrace fond woe, or cast our cares away:—

                                       IV.

It is the same!—For, be it joy or sorrow,

    The path of its departure still is free;

Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow;

    Nought may endure but Mutability.

Source: Poetry Foundation

Remember

 

WHEN YOU REMEMBER me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart.

For as long as you remember me, I am never entirely lost. When I'm feeling most ghost-like, it's your remembering me that helps remind me that I actually exist. When I'm feeling sad, it's my consolation. When I'm feeling happy, it's part of why I feel that way.

If you forget me, one of the ways I remember who I am will be gone. If you forget me, part of who I am will be gone.

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom," the good thief said from his cross (Luke 23:42). There are perhaps no more human words in all of Scripture, no prayer we can pray so well.

Frederick Buechner

Originally published in Whistling In The Dark

ai art by me

Somewhere along the line...

 

A birdsong...

 

A birdsong can even, for a moment, make the whole world into a sky within us, because we feel that the bird does not distinguish between its heart and the world's.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Image: When it’s cold you can see the song! By Mikhail Kalinin

Source: Facebook - Poet's Corner / Esquina Poetica

I never want to take it lightly.

 

Sometimes I force myself to pause and remember what an honor it is for someone to choose me. If they text me, they are choosing to have a conversation with me. If they invite me to coffee, they are choosing to spend time with me. If they call and ask how I’m doing, they are choosing to get to know me better.

Friendships aren’t something automatic and they aren’t just handed over to you at birth. Nobody is being forced to like you, to invite you, to want you or to actively let you into their life.

They’re choosing you.

We’ve gotta learn to appreciate it better and to hold it close, because seriously…it is an honor and I never want to take it lightly.

Love,

Amy

Source: Facebook - Sister I am with you.

The Original Carter Family - The Church In The Wildwood [1932].

O Me! O Life!

 

O Me! O Life!

O Me! O life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

Walt Whitman

1819 – 1892

One day it just clicks.

 

One day it just clicks.

You realize what’s important and what isn’t.

You learn to care less about what other people think of you and more about what you think of yourself.

You realize how far you’ve come and you remember when you thought things were such a mess that they’d never recover.

And then you smile.

You smile because you are truly proud of yourself and the person you’ve fought to become ..

Unknown

Source: Facebook - Serendipity Corner

This year would be be my 53rd wedding anniversary. I sometimes think how my life would have been different if my marriage had worked, but in my heart I know it was for the best that it didn't. I've made mistakes, I've loved the wrong people, but I came out the other side older, wiser and happier. I'm alone, but not lonely. Life has a way of teaching us what we need to know.

At the Inner Table

 

At the Inner Table

“But I need to do something to fix this now,”

says the fixer. And the doubter says,

“What can be done from across the world?”

And meanwhile the woman who reads the news

feels a tear fall down her cheek.

And the fixer says, “I don’t know what to do,

but it can’t go on like this.”

And the doubter says, “It’s been like this

as long as humans have lived.”

And meanwhile the woman who reads the news

feels a tear fall down her cheek.

And the fixer says, “Humans also heal.

And make peace. And forgive.”

And the doubter says, “What difference

could one person possibly make

when presidents and diplomats have failed?”

And meanwhile, the woman who reads the news

feels a tear fall down her cheek.

And the questioner wonders,

is she an olive branch? An open hand?

One more promise? One more fist?

Is she a wall? A rallying cry?

A never-ending debate? A rising tide?

And the fixer says, “I will not just stand by.”

And the doubter says, “It’s hopeless.”

And meanwhile the woman who reads the news

feels a tear fall down her cheek.

And who is the one who, with infinite compassion,

listens to each of the voices?

The fixer can’t let it go. “It’s urgent!” she says.

The doubter throws up her hands and huffs,

“We’ll never learn how to be together.”

And who is the one who, even now,

is making more space at the table of the heart,

a table big as the world?

And the woman who reads the news

feels her heart break even wider.

A tear falls down her cheek.

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

...they are fleeting.

Sunsets, like childhood, are viewed with wonder not just because they are beautiful, but because they are fleeting.

- Richard Paul Evans

ai artwork by me