A quiet place

It happens to me too,
the voices and choices
are too much at times
and I need a quiet place
just me and the moon
or me and the sky
a place where I can hear God whisper
reminding me to breathe
asking me to 'hold on'
and when I hear this
I know everything will be O.K...

Amazing Friends

I would never trade my amazing friends, my  wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly.  As I've aged,   I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of  myself. I've become my own friend.. I don't chide myself for eating  that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but  looks so avanté garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be  messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before  they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish  to weep over a lost love .. I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with  abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful.  But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I  eventually remember the important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not  break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken  hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will  never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have  my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever  etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about  what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.
I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I  like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).
MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT  FROM THE HEART!

In my house are many rooms..

A room of dreams—
wherein is found the essence of
who I wish to be.
For a man's dreams define him,
while his life's work may not.
In this room can be found old
poems, pieces of music, art,
empty bottles of cheap wine,
dusty old books read
time and time again.

A room of the soul—
where I cry out to God and
await His reply,
offering up my prayers,
my worries and my fears.
A space filled with old icons,
writings of a spiritual sort,
plaster statues , old Bibles,
hand worn rosaries
and frayed holy cards.

A room of shadows—
where are stored the darker things:
death, failure, regret,
locked tightly and well-guarded,
its key tucked safely away.
All contents stored in boxes;
little tombs of painful memories,
covered with sheets of white;
shrouds to hide the decay,
closed to all viewing.

A room of desire—
walls lined with prints and pictures
of old flames and lovers,
some weeping and some laughing.
Here are love's lost mementos:
locks of hair, bottled perfume,
various articles of lingerie,
crumpled sheets of paper—
tear stained letters of lament
and lovesick lines of poetry.


A room of reality—
no trimmings or trappings here,
nor plush carpet or paint.
Unadorned and simple but for
a single large mirror,
that wherever I may saunter
or what room I wander into,
or mood might possess me,
I see myself as I am.
This is my least favorite room.

A room of hope—
waiting to be filled with peace
and  good things yet to come;
things that may not be possible,
yet seem attainable.
Decorated with the promise
of happiness and contentment,
painted in wishful colors;
soft hues of faith and resolve,
with large windows to the future.

A room of the heart—
where I spend most of my days.
The center of my house.
Here are found my dearest treasures;
the thoughts of my children
and sweet memories of their lives,
filled with sweet aromas of
who they are and what they have become,
their trials, triumphs and beliefs
and their wonderful gifts to me.

In my house are many rooms…

of light and shadow,
of the joy, gladness and tears
through countless minutes, hours, days
and nights that shape a life.
Listen to the whispers of the past
echoing through its hallways.
Though it may seem a bit cluttered
or filled with so many useless objects
and perhaps not to your liking,
please know you are always welcome.

I am the New Year

Life, I am the new year.
I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.

I am your opportunity to practice
what you have learned about life
during the last twelve months.

All that you sought
and didn't find is hidden in me,
waiting for you to search it out
with more determination.

All the good that you tried for
and didn't achieve
is mine to grant
when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn't dare to do,
all that you hoped but did not will,
all the faith that you claimed but did not have -
these slumber lightly,
waiting to be awakened
by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity
to renew your allegiance to Him who said,
'behold, I make all things new.'

I am the new year.

Where we belong

Some things, are not meant to last.
Some, were robbed and some were lost.
Some, were displayed and sold, and…
Some remains intact like a ring of gold.

Things change and so do people.
Friends left, and some just stop being friends
Some just stay and hold you ’till the end, but…
Some, you can never hold on to something…forever.
So learn to let go… except my FRIENDSHIP with you!

I will forever be a friend to you, that’s true, but…
Don’t ever leave me when things go wrong.
Hold on my friend, let’s keep going and let’s stay strong
For the friendship we have started is where we belong.

Before I am dead!

waking up drenched in sweat
realizing it’s nothing but a nightmare
I get up to drink a glass of water
to drown the fear that woke me up!

sins I have done plenty
I do not know if the good I did is enough
to grant me a passage to heaven
or worse, born again as human;

never cared for what people thought,
never worried about those who left,
never a minute I spent crying over split milk,
what had to happen, had to happen!

what I was yesterday is what I am today,
yet people think I have changed, I wonder why!
I take life as it comes
no expectations and no demands!

with the guillotine waiting at every step,
uncertainty looms large over tomorrow,
I fear I need to live every moment
of today before I am dead

Comfort

SPEAK low to me, my Saviour,
 low and sweet From out the hallelujahs,
 sweet and low Lest I should fear and fall,
 and miss Thee so Who art not missed by any that entreat.
 Speak to mo as to Mary at thy feet !
And if no precious gums my hands bestow,
Let my tears drop like amber while I go
In reach of thy divinest voice complete
 In humanest affection -- thus, in sooth,
To lose the sense of losing. As a child,
Whose song-bird seeks the wood for evermore
 Is sung to in its stead by mother's mouth Till,
 sinking on her breast,
 love-reconciled,
He sleeps the faster that he wept before.

Your Love

Your love
Should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,
Only to someone who has the valor and daring
To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife
Then weave them into a blanket
To protect you.
Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive.
Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.
I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in the darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.
There are different wells within your heart.
Some fill with each good rain,
Others are far too deep for that
Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.
Even after all this time the sun never says to the Earth, “You owe me”
There is no pleasure without a tincture of bitterness.

Everyone can't be in your front row

EVERYONE CAN'T BE IN YOUR FRONT ROW

If Life is a theater then invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is holy enough and healthy enough to have a FRONT ROW seat in your life. There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, relationships, friendships, fellowship!

EVERYONE CAN'T BE IN YOUR FRONT ROW

Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to: Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are just going uphill? When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don't really
understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?

EVERYONE CAN'T BE IN YOUR FRONT ROW

The more you seek God and the things of God, the more you seek quality, the more you seek not just the hand of GOD but the face of GOD, the more you seek things honorable, the more you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.

EVERY ONE CAN'T BE IN YOUR FRONT ROW

You cannot change the people around you...but you can change the people you are around! Ask GOD for wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the FRONT ROW of your life. Remember that FRONT ROW seats are for special and deserving people and those who sit in the FRONT ROW should be chosen carefully.

"Don't let someone become a priority in your life, when you are just an option in theirs...
Relationships work best when they are balanced".

A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.

Life

I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening.
When I counted my scanty store.
For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
I worked for a menial's hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would of willingly paid.

she

She walks in dreams and never sees the hearts that she has broken
She sees the world inside herself and keeps her love unspoken
Others come to walk with her but are soon left in the past
Others come to dream with her but her dreams will never last
A world of love but none for her as she shares her dream alone
A world of beauty and of grace but never to be shone

Pyrrhic V-ctory

On the altar of culture
Lies a trembling little lamb
Facing a ritual torture
With nothing to make her numb

The aunties holding her down
Are singing a circumcision song
Urging her to be strong
But it doesn’t take away her frown

They pull her skirt north
Drag her panties south
And push her legs apart
To expose her private part

She grits her teeth and shuts her eyes
As the lady with the rusty knife
Crouches in front of her thighs
To butcher her genital life

The feeling of her flesh being cut
Evokes a wilderness in her heart
She tries to wriggle herself free
But the aunties won’t let her flee

She screams till her face reddens
She sweats till her body glistens
She pleads till she can only whisper
She cries till she can only whimper

The circumciser applies herbs
That multiplies her pain
She wishes she could die
But her prayer is in vain

She sits in a pool of her own blood
For standing makes the pain flood
They congratulate her for ‘becoming a woman’
She answers them with silence for being inhuman

As she languishes in trauma
A village feasts awaits her recovery
Her parents rest assured of higher dowry
But alas, she slips into a coma…

Anyway

You can spend your whole life buildin'
Something from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This world's gone crazy
It's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
In a moment they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway

God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah - I do it anyway

You can pour your soul out singing
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yea, sing it anyway
Yeah, yeah!

I sing
I dream
I love
anyway