Never Is A Terrible Word

Never is a terrible word

Let me explain why

If you say "I will never make it in this job or field"

You will only give yourself the excuse not to try.

If you say "I will never find another (partner, pet, friend)

So wonderful and so sweet"

You will deprive yourself of the possibility

Of so many lovely beings and pets to meet.

If you say, "I will never find satisfaction"

You will never be able to learn to meditate or adapt

You will never be able to reach the point

Where you experience abundance instead of lack.

If you say "I will never be able to catch up

I am too far behind"

You will create a half-hearted spirit

And pursue your goals with only half a mind.

And finally,  if you say, "I will never be able to halt the downward spiral"

When your life is thrown into disarray

You will find it hard to find the courage and will

To say "There is hope and I will find a way".

Yes, dear reader, "never" is a terrible word

It is a word you should never use

To protect your passion, your spirit, your hopes for the future, and your love for life

"Never" is a word I suggest you lose.

The River of Life

You can go through the river of life

In a battleship

In a battleship,

Yes, of course!

Will it make you feel secure?  

Maybe yes, maybe not

Gives one food for thought.

You can go through the river of life

In a cruise ship

Yes, a cruise ship is fun, they say

Will it help you achieve meaning and satisfaction?

Hmm, I wonder - is the answer an Aye or a Nay?

Something to pause and think about today.

You can go through the river of life

In a pirate ship

Yes, a pirate ship is a choice you can make

Can any good come out of  robbing and creating havoc?

You know the answer -  for goodness sake.

You can go through the river of life

On a raft with a bottle, 

Yes, a bottle of whisky or rye

Is the sacrifice of friends, family, and meaningful work worth it?

I hope you discover the answer before it is too late.

You can go through the river of life

On a yacht

Yes, a yacht will show you've made it

Is it possible to fill the void and emptiness that way?

Hmmm……I wonder if a yacht is over-rated.

And you can go through the river of life

On a simple boat 

Yes, just a simple boat

Built with love, attention, purpose, and care

And a few meaningful people in it.

It is possible to feel fulfilled that way?

Absolutely.

It is what my experience declares.

Alone & Quiet

Photo by Tim Bogdanov on Unsplash

Alone and when quiet

I open the door

To flashes of inspiration

I have not had before.

And this is why, dear friend,

This is why,

I am happy for those minutes (or hours) every day

When there is just me

And I am alone and quiet

I am alone and quiet.

Alone and when quiet

Is when I hear whispers in my ear

And when I have thoughts and ideas

That I think others may like to hear.

And this is why, dear friend,

This is why,

I am happy for those minutes (or hours) every day

When I am by myself

Alone and quiet

Alone and quiet.

Alone and when quiet

Is when I make sense of the world

And when I am able to think clearly and calmly

About all the things I have read, seen, experienced or heard.

And which is why, dear friend,

Why is why,

I am happy for the space in my day

When I am alone and quiet

When I am alone and quiet.

Alone and when quiet

I have a better chance to see

The truths about my thoughts, feelings, and actions

Which are normally (by ego, habit, blindness, or lack of awareness)

Hidden from me.

And which is why, dear friend,

Which is why,

I am happy for those minutes (or hours) every day

When I am by myself

Alone and quiet

Alone and quiet.

Alone and when quiet

Thoughts and feelings appear

Some make me smile or laugh

Some bring worry, or a tear.

In silence is where I usually learn

What is false and what is true

And in silence is where I often understand

What is the right thing for me to do.

And this is why dear friend and reader,

This is why,

I try to make some time in my day

To be alone with my thoughts

Alone and quiet

Alone and quiet.

What I get from that alone and quiet time, dear reader,

Is a wisdom which cannot be bought,

In any other way but by leaving a time in my day, dear reader,

A time when I am alone with my thoughts.

Yes, this is why, dear friend and reader,

This is why,

I welcome the time in my day

When I am by myself,

And alone and quiet

Alone and quiet.

A Life Is Lived

A life is lived through losses and gains

A life is lived through joy and pain

A life is lived through sunshine and rain

This is how a life is lived

A life is lived through good times and bad

A life is lived through happy times and sad

A life is lived through having and had

This is how a life is lived

A life is lived through ups and downs

A life is lived through smiles and frowns

A life is lived through free choices and bounds

This is how a life is lived

A life is lived through easy and tough

A life is lived through smooth and rough

A life is lived through nothing and stuff

This is how a life is lived.

A life is lived through new and old

A life is lived through hot and cold

A life is lived through timid and bold

This is how a life is lived.

A life is lived through silence and noise

A life is lived through ruffled and poised

A life is lived through luck and choice

This is how a life is lived

You've lived your life, dear David

A life well lived and the hardest for us to say goodbye to

For the truth is, and we hope you are looking down from heaven to hear this

We could never get enough of you! 

And this is especially true

For Betty, Angela, Christine, Rosie, and Minoo

Your 5 sisters who absolutely adored you

Love, hugs and kisses from all of us standing here to you

As we bury your ashes with Mummy's

And make your final wish come true.

We love you David!

Dear Friends, Family, and Relatives,...this is the poem I read at the cemetery before we buried David's ashes.  There is an ache in my heart even as I publish this.  It is very hard to let go. The link to the YouTube of us saying our final goodbyes to David at the cemetery is below.  My sisters and I...and everyone who loved David, will now have to bravely step into the future with David in our hearts, spirits, and memories.

                                             Final David Interment

No Longer There

Dear Friends, Family, and Relatives,

I read the poem below on September 23rd, the day we met as a family to bury David's ashes - the link to the YouTube of the first part of the event is below the poem. It was a moving event for us 4 sisters and our 2 brothers in law. Each one of us sisters had written a special goodbye to David, which we read.  We had some additional goodbyes which were gratifying to receive and include. Thank you for all your support in the last two months. I will publish one more poem next week - a final send-off poem to David. And then my sisters and I...and everyone who loved David, will have to bravely step into the future with David in our hearts, spirits, and memories.

No Longer There

No longer there to make me laugh and sometimes to make me cry

No longer there to solve problems for me, and sometimes cause problems for me

No longer there to stir love in my heart and sometimes to stir annoyance, frustration, anger, and pity

No longer there.

No longer there to hear my worries, doubts and problems

No longer there to respond to them with the healing touch of a meal,  a joke, a song, a "come let me show you my garden", your thoughts about world affairs, a sweet gift.

No longer there to hear me scold and chide you, comfort and compliment you,

Now with anger and judgement, 

now with compassion, love, and admiration, 

my heart, stony and hard one minute, 

warm and soft and genuinely appreciative the next.

"My this is finger-licking good."

"Wow - I love how you use color in your paintings"

"Wow you look as young as ever."

No longer there for me to say those things to you in genuine admiration for all your talents and skills.

No longer there to answer my questions, and sometimes to make me question;

No longer there to witness personal and world events and give me your comments.

No longer there to meet with family and friends.

To enchant me (and everyone around) with your music, your art, your cooking, your stories of the past,

And to awe us with the large embrace with which you held every person and living creature, even plants, that crossed your path.

You were always on my mind

Ever present

A puzzle I wanted to solve

My life's purpose

To solve that puzzle

To find an answer that would satisfy both you and me, heal all the hearts that were broken when you got broken.

But now you are no longer there.

 

No longer there to go down memory lane

To exchange stories and thoughts,

You found a way to find laughter

In a life filled with confusion and pain

But now you are no longer there.

 

And I must go on and make my way about

A life that is not quite what it used to be

You were an important part of my life and you are gone

But the fragments of your music, your art, your jokes, the gifts of your presence, kindness, openness, and unconditional love, the long road we journeyed together -  with its potholes and rainbows, live on.

Those fragments  have a comfortable home in my spirit

And they can stay as long as they want

A reminder of what was and can never be again.

A reminder of your unique essence.

RIP David, beloved brother.

You are no longer there.

But you will always be there.

                                         xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The link to the YouTube of the first part of the burial event held on September 23 is here. And this is a link to Leo Rojas the flautist, playing Fields of Gold which I have included because it has a beautiful poignancy to it.