Category Archives: Spiritual articles

A Puppet’s Gift

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for Freddy, Dominic,
and all ye of the holey, holy socks

A sock with holes can always start anew.
The wider world is waiting for your play.
There’s more to life than hiding in a shoe.

A puppet is the great escape for you.
So let it out to greet the shining day.
A sock with holes can always start anew.

You make the puppet from a piece of you,
The one that keeps the words you never say.
There’s more to life than hiding in a shoe.

You give the puppet purpose and a use
And help the lost in you to find its way.
A sock with holes can always start anew.

So let your socks and puppets pay their dues
And free you from the prison of your ways.
There’s more to life than hiding in a shoe.

Your peaceful puppets prosper as you do.
The world awaits your wisdom in a play.
A sock with holes can always start anew.
There’s more to life than hiding in a shoe.

—
A Villanelle for Franks MeetingTheBar at
dVerse.

Other Villanelles

Adopted

Breaking Free

Lenten Mischief

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For Lent we’re giving up the giving up
And sacrificing sacrifices due.
We’re pouring out the pouring of the cup,
Uncorking every cork to try the fumes.

But drinking now is not a drinking binge;
It’s taking for the taking of a rest.
For those controlling self-control to win
Have not the need to have not all the best.

So give up all your giving up I say,
But keep your learning learned, as well you should.
When breaking free at breaking of the day,
You moderate in moderation good.

Lent helps us as a fast, we fast forget,
But from the wine and wining of regret!

—
A Sonnet for NaPoWriMo day 14, with no disrespect to all those–myself included–who made Lenten sacrifices!

When we choose next year’s Lenten activities, let’s remember to fast from things that truly harm us, things like gossip, self-criticism, complaining, defensiveness, and other negative mental, emotional, and spiritual behaviors, as well as physical things.

Ideas of Love

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If you received this post by email, click the URL to hear this song.

Valentine’s Day is upon us. Are you tired of the marketing yet? Society loves to skew our ideas of love! It’s no wonder we can’t find it – or find what we think love is. Honestly we have no clue what we’re looking for. And by not knowing, we’re missing the purpose of life, which is to love!

Romantic relationships are part of that, or at least the positive ones are. But right now especially, we overlook the love we have by searching for something else. Someone said, “Life is what happens while we’re making other plans.” And, “Man plans; God laughs.” True statements… But there is hope, and there is love, in this very moment, whether we have romance in our lives or not.

Love is infinite, eternal, and universal. That means love is yours, mine, and everyone’s. May this song, as limited as it is, remind us to snap out of it, laugh at the marketing, and have a Happy Valentine’s Day with those forms of love we already have!

This does not mean we should ignore our desire for other forms of love. In fact, ignoring it is detrimental. However, if we focus on what we don’t have, we get more negativity. By fully embracing the love in our experience, we open the door to more! And we feel better in the meantime, because we’re not living in lack. Life already loves us! Why not love it in return?

May we learn to love from the Spirit of Love that created us! And may we improve a society that believes love can be bought and sold!

Ideas of Love – Lyrics

Instrument: Tempo – Seagull Excursion Folk Acoustic Guitar

Refrain:
Let go of your ideas of love,
And let the Father show you his!
Let go of your ideas of love,
And see the good already in your life to give you bliss.

1. Children love a pizza just as much as they love you.
They focus on the happiness it brings.
They love their bikes and friends and toys and makin’ messy things.
Kids really pick the perfect thing to do!
Refrain:

2. Our cats and dogs, they love to run and greet us comin’ in.
They know the fullest happiness right now.
Pets eat and play and sleep and play, and people wonder how.
But we could take a tip or two from them!
Refrain:

3. Love is the greatest of connections God has made in us.
It flows through all our time and breath and space.
Let’s use it everywhere we go to look in every face.
The love we give is never given up!
Refrain:

Let go of your ideas of love!

Download Mp3

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Ideas of Love Mp3

Top 5 Things I Learned from Writing Christmas Cards

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This post is a big deal, not because my hand hurts from writing, but because this is the first year I’ve given Christmas cards. I know some people and families who do it every year; I’ve even received some of these cards myself. But I’ve never taken the time to choose them, write them, seal them snuggly in envelopes, put names on them, and send them out into the world to bless others. After this experience I have only one question… Why did I wait so long?

Top 5 Things I Learned from Writing Christmas Cards

5. I have more friends than I thought! And not just a few–with each card written, I thought of another one I could have written.

4. The message sent through your heart and hands is always just the right one.

3. You, unwrapped, unfiltered, undivided, are always the greatest gift!

2. Peace is tangible: You touch it every time you touch someone else.

1. The cost is minimal, while the love is priceless!

So write your Christmas or other holiday (or no holiday!) cards with joy, because that joy will return to sender many times over!

Mountain of the Lord

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If you received this post by email, click the URL to hear this song.

Isaiah 2:1-3,5 (NKJV)

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
O house of Jacob, come and let us walk
In the light of the Lord.

The Mountain of the Lord

Mystically understood, the Lord’s mountain is a meditative state, a place of Higher Consciousness. It rises above the hillsides, the height, of everyday awareness to something greater. And it is for everyone, for all nations, all people, not just a chosen few. The mountain of the Lord is always present, and we can climb it, learn his ways, and walk in his light in our daily lives.

Mountain of the Lord – Lyrics

Instrument: Tempo – Seagull Excursion Folk Acoustic Guitar

Refrain:
*”Come!
Let us go up (3x)
Up to the mountain of the Lord!
Repeat from *.

1. His house is greatest,
His mountain highest,
And every nation shall flow to it, saying,
Refrain:

2. There on his mountain,
His ways he teaches,
And every nation shall flow to it, saying,
Refrain:

3. His mountain rises
Above the hillsides,
And every nation shall flow to it, saying,
Refrain: (Twice)

Up to the mountain of the Lord!
“Come!
Let us go up (3x)

Garden Growing

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I’ve always wanted a garden,
But I fear my thumbs are black,
Coated in sadness and sorrow,
The only things that grow for me.

I’ve always wanted a garden,
But I gave up long ago,
Coated in unfulfilled wishes,
The only fruit on barren trees.

I’ve always wanted a garden,
And I tried to plant before,
Coated in dreams and desires,
That only others brought to life.

I’ve always wanted a garden,
But I’m not the child I was,
Coated in sadness and sorrow,
The only reason nothing grows!

I’ve always wanted a garden,
And I know my thumbs are green,
Coated in wishes and hopes and dreams,
My garden is a fruitful scene!

—
My response to Kim’s Tuesday Poetics prompt at
dVerse.

Whether growing a garden or anything else, the only mistake is not to try!

My mother and grandmother each kept a garden as long as they could – flowers, vegetables, herbs, berries and strawberries, grape vines, pear trees, and maybe more I don’t remember. I do remember picking beans, onions, and other vegetables, but whether it was spoken or not, I always felt like I was all black thumbs next to their green ones.

It seems too late in a way, but I’ve come to appreciate the value of gardening, especially growing produce to brighten your table and health. Yet I’ve been too overwhelmed to garden, knowing I couldn’t keep the extensive gardens my mother and grandmother had.

Suddenly (it wasn’t, but feels like it was) I’ve blown off all these expectations. To that I can only, honestly say, “Thank God!” I’ll start small with some herb pots, and I might even lose some. But the only way I can really fail, is if I never try!

Happy gardening, whether it’s plants or the garden of thoughts and beliefs we so often neglect!

Cutting Edge

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If you received this post by email, click the URL to hear this song.

Instrument: Brio – Red Cedar Concert Ukulele

1. So many rules to follow in this life,
At work and school and in the places
Where we sleep at night.
And as we try obeying all the rules,
Let’s take the time to realize
The Principle of Truth!
Refrain:

2. Each lifetime is a classroom or a stage
With all the props and prizes
As rewards if we behave.
And as we do our best to play the part,
Let’s never miss the bliss of being
Who we are at heart!
Refrain:

And the whisp’ring hopes convey
There is a better way!
So listen to the Spirit
As you meditate and pray!
Refrain:

3. We see our health as anything but strong,
The treatments running rampant
Like the litany of wrongs.
And as we ask the questions for a cure,
Let’s bring to mind the One Divine
Who healed us all before!
Refrain:

And when the Spirit speaks, oh may we hear!

Refrain:
‘Cause We’re living on the cutting edge of Consciousness,
Where we can seek and find our purpose here.
The only thing to do,
It’s simple but it’s true,
Is keep our mind and body pathways clear
And do the Will of Spirit in good cheer!

Ultimate Wish

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I used to wish for things
And buy them when I could,
But found out that the tools
Don’t make the living good.

Creating all I want
And learning something more,
The skills have served me well,
But life was still a chore…

At last I looked within,
Expecting darkest space:
But found instead the Light
Beyond this time and place.

It’s hard sometimes to calm
When problems need a fix;
The mind does loops and swirls,
Up to so many tricks.

We try and try to force
And everything to solve.
Yet there is only Power
In knowing peace and love.

What’s this to do with wishes?
I never ask for more
Than being the potential
That shimmers at my core.

All things that I could hope for,
Could want or ever be
Are manifest already;
I only wish to see!

—
My response to Mish’s wonderful prompt at
dVerse.

I’ve done enough wishful thinking in my life, and it’s never measured up. I don’t regret it, but now do my best to let Universal Intelligence “think” through me and not to rest all my hope and expectations on material things – ore people!

Shining Jewel

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Instrument: Tempo – Seagull Excursion Folk Acoustic Guitar

1. I was a lady once.
I was a lady once.
Marriage, child, all in order;
Duties, boundaries, rules and borders.
I was a lady once.

2. I was a servant, too.
I was a servant, too.
Cook and clean and keep the homefire;
Mother and ignore desire.
I was a servant, too.

3. I am a Spirit true!
I am a Spirit true!
Now I listen, all in order,
Breaking chains of rules and borders.
I am a Spirit true!

4. I am a shining jewel!
I am a shining jewel!
God that lights and lives creation
Is my every animation.
I am a shining jewel!

5. I am a lady still.
I am a lady still.
Changing life, unchanging Spirit;
Gentle voice inside, I hear it.
I am a lady still.

I am a lady still!

—
This was written for the last day of prompts for the Fifth Anniversary of
dVerse.

Gayle Walters Rose asked us to consider a belief we once held that has changed. She presented other questions and possibilities, all of which I found intriguing. Read the post! I chose to write about the roles we’re taught or expected to play; there’s an obvious gender stereotype in this song, and a more subtle question of personal identity. The idea broadens to our Universal Identity, spiritual make-up, Cosmic Essence. We are all a Shining Jewel, regardless of our changing roles on earth.

I started these lyrics 2 years ago. Thank you, Gayle, for a great opportunity to finish them and put them to music. They still read like a poem, so I hope my fellow dVerse Poets enjoy the song!

Pink Flamingo

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Many, if not all of us at one time or another, live in silent desperation. We feel we can’t tell others what is really going on, so we (try to) hide behind a smiling face, a sense of humor, evasive answers, or in this case, a pink flamingo. May this song be a reminder that we’re all in this together, and there is a Light of Truth behind our identities and expectations!

Instrument: Brio – Red Cedar Concert Ukulele

Refrain:
I hid my sins behind
A pink flamingo
So people think things go
The way I wish they would.
But when I take the time
To see the light inside me,
I know it gently guides me
To a place that’s real and good.

1. The paradise I got
Is not the paradise I wanted.
And the love I thought would last,
It slid right down the drain.
And I just couldn’t face the facts
Of the faces and opinions.
So I held it all inside me
And tried not to complain.
Refrain:

2. The picture that I see
Is not the picture that I wanted.
And the things I need to do,
It seems they never do get done.
And I just couldn’t face the facts
Of the faces and opinions.
So I tried to smooth it over
And paint a better one.
Refrain:

‘Cause that flamingo statue can fall over.
And all the stuff behind it can pour out.
My insecurities are like that cover.
God sends the tides and washes them all out.

So no more hiding sins behind
A pink flamingo
So people think things go
The way I wish they would.
‘Cause when I take the time
To see the light inside me,
It always gently guides me
To a place that’s real and good.

A place that God provides me
Where I understand His good.