Spiritual Thoughts

[Ann]

Spirit Walker

I will start over, over, again and again,

For I carry spring in my heart like a bag of seeds.

I will start over, blossom again and again,

Though I find my roots in dust, and the desert stretching

Far out beyond the horizons of my fear,

to the very ends of the earth, and beyond.

I carry life in my heart like a spring of water

Rising from depths so terrible and deep

That it will outlast the fire in the mountains--

The lava flowing molten through stark and lonely canyons

Will be quenched in those cold, unshakable, ageless springs.

I will begin, again and again, forever,

I will wear my immortality around me

like a royal cloak

I will pour the strength of my soul from body to body,

Through fire, through loss, through pain, through death, through starvation--

I am more than a face, more than a name, or a body

I am the child of life, and his ambassador,

I will carry his message, again, and again, and again

Out over the years, out over the worlds, forever.


Elizabeth Anne Viau

[Ann]

ALWAYS A SUNRISE

Look out, look in. Every day has a sunrise.
Wherever you are, like a magic circle, the world is all around you.
Everything has a purpose. Every action a reaction.
All around you there are happenings.

People, places and ideas, all offering you opportunities.
Some to be touched and changed by the very nature of your uniqueness.
Others to be left alone for they are not worthy of you.
Life is a love affair. Love the people around you, love what you do.

Every day dawns with a sunrise. Always, high days and low days.
Blue skies of pleasure, there to enjoy. Celebrate.
Dark clouds of storming hurt, however black, they always pass.
Today was yesterday’s tomorrow; yesterday is gone. History.
And the wonder of yesterday is whatever we didn’t like is behind us.
Make a change. Unlimited you. Greatness from within.

There is no such thing as failure, only learning experiences.
Some things are easy to learn, others hard.
What is easy for one may be hard for another.
Lessons to be learned, not burdens to be carried.
Everyone is different. Everyone is special.
We are all creative. We are all tool makers.

Greatness and humility. Both are you.
Leader and follower. Warrior and water carrier.
Teacher and student. Champion and cheerleader. Who is to say?
One day you are one, the next day you are the other.
Pace setters tread the untrodden path.
Never given away your sunrise day of action to an excuse.

'When the time is right.' 'When I feel like it.' 'When I've enough money.'
Sometimes it’s too easy to justify not taking action.
Sometimes you have to say 'no' to your inner voice ...
when it tries to keep you too comfortably where you're at.
Always a new light. Always a new day. Each day a gift of opportunity.
There is always a sunrise even when it is far from our view.

There is always a door. We simply have to seek.
There is always a key. We simply have to persist.
And, sometimes, we just have to wait a while. Patience does have virtue.
There is always a future. The future is hope and the magic is faith.

It begins with you today. Today a new day. Always.
Today our decision to be the person we really want to be.
Today our choice of courage to accept what we cannot change.
Today our choice to rise to the challenge of changing what we must.
These are the choices of happiness.

Always an answer. You simply have to believe.
The dawn. The magic of a new day given to us.
A love affair. A love affair with today.
Today, a gift of opportunity; to laugh; to learn; to achieve;
to make someone happy, to be happy.
Always a sunrise.


~ By Rex Barker

[Ann]

To Hope
John Keats

When by my solitary hearth I sit,
And hateful thoughts enwrap my soul in gloom;
When no fair dreams before my "mind's eye" flit,
And the bare heath of life presents no bloom;
Sweet Hope, ethereal balm upon me shed,
And wave thy silver pinions o'er my head!

Whene'er I wander, at the fall of night,
Where woven boughs shut out the moon's bright ray,
Should sad Despondency my musings fright,
And frown, to drive fair Cheerfulness away,
Peep with the moonbeams through the leafy roof,
And keep that fiend Despondence far aloof!

Should Disappointment, parent of Despair,
Strive for her son to seize my careless heart;
When, like a cloud, he sits upon the air,
Preparing on his spell-bound prey to dart:
Chase him away, sweet Hope, with visage bright,
And fright him as the morning frightens night!

Whene'er the fate of those I hold most dear
Tells to my fearful breast a tale of sorrow,
O bright-eyed Hope, my morbidfancy cheer;
Let me awhile thy sweetest comforts borrow:
Thy heaven-born radiance around me shed,
And wave thy silver pinions o'er my head!

Should e'er unhappy love my bosom pain,
From cruel parents, or relentless fair;
O let me think it is not quite in vain
To sigh out sonnets to the midnight air!
Sweet Hope, ethereal balm upon me shed,
And wave thy silver pinions o'er my head!

In the long vista of the years to roll,
Let me not see our country's honour fade:
O let me see our land retain her soul,
Her pride, her freedom; and not freedom's shade.
From thy bright eyes unusual brightness shed
Beneath thy pinions canopy my head!

Let me not see the patriot's high bequest,
Great Liberty! how great in plain attire!
With the base purple of a court oppress'd,
Bowing her head, and ready to expire:
But let me see thee stoop from heaven on wings
That fill the skies with silver glitterings!

And as, in sparkling majesty, a star
Gilds the bright summit of some gloomy cloud;
Brightening the half veil'd face of heaven afar:
So, when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud,
Sweet Hope, celestial influence round me shed,
Waving thy silver pinions o'er my head!

[Ann]

(For My Son)

Let Your Soul be Your Pilot
~Sting~

Let your soul be your pilot
Let your soul guide you
He'll guide you well

When you're down and they're counting
When your secrets all found out
When your troubles take to mounting
When the map you have leads you to doubt
When there's no information
And the compass turns to nowhere that you know well

Let your soul be your pilot
Let your soul guide you
He'll guide you well

When the doctors failed to heal you
When no medicine chest can make you well
When no counsel leads to comfort
When there are no more lies they can tell
No more useless information
And the compass spins
The compass spins between heaven and hell

Let your soul be your pilot
Let your soul guide you
He'll guide you well

And your eyes turn towards the window pane
To the lights upon the hill
The distance seems so strange to you now
And the dark room seems so still

Let your pain be my sorrow
Let your tears be my tears too
Let your courage be my model
That the north you find will be true
When there's no information
And the compass turns to nowhere that you know well

Let your soul be your pilot
Let your soul guide you
Let your soul guide you
Let your soul guide you upon your way...

[Ann]

A Prayer for my Son
~William Butler Yeats~

Bid a strong ghost stand at the head
That my Michael may sleep sound,
Nor cry, nor turn in the bed
Till his morning meal come round;
And may departing twilight keep
All dread afar till morning's back.
That his mother may not lack
Her fill of sleep.

[Ann]

Climb 'Til Your Dream Comes True

Often your tasks will be many,
and more than you think you can do,
Often the road will be rugged
and the hills insurmountable, too.

Always remember, the hills ahead
are never as steep as they seem,
and with faith in your heart start upward
and climb 'til you reach your dream.

Nothing in life that is worthy
is ever too hard to achieve,
if you have the courage to try it
and you have the faith to believe.

Faith is a force that is greater
than knowledge or power or skill,
and many defeats turn to triumph
if you trust in God's wisdom and will.

Faith is a mover of mountains,
there's nothing that God cannot do,
So start out today with faith in your heart,
and "Climb 'til Your Dream Comes True".

Helen Steiner Rice

[Ann]

"May You Always Feel Loved"

May you find serenity and tranquility
in a world you may not always understand.
May the pain you have known
and the conflict you have experienced
give you the strength to walk through life
facing each new situation with
courage and optimism.

Always know that there are those
whose love and understanding
will always be there,
even when you feel most alone.

May you discover enough goodness in others
to believe in a world of peace.

May a kind word, a reassuring touch,
a warm smile be yours every day of your life.
And may you give these gifts,
as well as receive them.

Remember the sunshine
when the storm seems unending.

Teach love to those who know hate,
and let that love embrace you
as you go into the world.

May the teaching of those you admire
become part of you,
so that you may call upon them.

Remember, those lives you have touched
and who have touched yours
are always a part of you,
even if the encounters
were less than you would have wished.

It is the content of the encounter
that is more important than its' form.

May you not become too concerned
with material matters, but instead
place immeasurable value
on the goodness in your heart.

Find time in each day to see the beauty
and love in the world around you.

Realize that each person has limitless abilities,
but each of us is different in our own way.

What you may feel you lack in one regard
may be more than compensated for in another.

What you feel you lack in the present
may become one of your strengths
in the future.

May you see your future
as one filled with promise and possibility.

May you find enough inner strength
to determine your own worth by yourself,
and not be dependent on another's judgements
of your accomplishments.

May you always feel loved!

© 1987 Sandra Sturtz Hauss

[Ann]

The Road Not Taken
~Robert Frost~

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

[Ann]

What God Hath Promised

God hath not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through;
God hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.

But God hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labour,
Light for the way,
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love.

~Annie Johnson Flint~

[Ann]

The Porch Light

"Mother, why is the porch light on?"
My son, it shines for you
Through the weary hours before the dawn
As I wait the long night through.
My thoughts go back to the bygone days
To my innocent little child;
Dear God! how quickly his baby ways
Have been by the world defiled.

"Mother, how long will the porch light burn?"
Dear son, until you come home,
For my aching heart will forever yearn
Till your feet no longer roam.
My fervent, pleading, unceasing prayer
Is for God to protect my son,
And I hear His answer, "My child, I care",
As I murmur, "Thy will be done."

"Mother, is God's light burning still?"
Oh, son! He loves you yet!
To draw you close is our Father's will,
To rest without care or fret.
And God in His mercy will set you free
To serve Him in peace and joy;
To be the man that He made you to be,
My son, my beloved boy.

- source unknown -

[Ann]

Gift Of The Seagull
by Munda

A lonely seagull flies the winds
Majestic... soaring...gliding wings
A single screech sounds from the sky
Come fly with me... come here and fly

My spirit floats to be a part
I feel the beating of its heart
My soul, one with this bird of sea
Now knows the meaning to fly free

I feel the winds caress my soul
And soar the streams without a goal
My being trembles of delight
A treasure I received tonight

The seagull's flight of soaring high
The gift of what it means to fly

[Ann]

The Set of the Sails

One ship drives east, and another west
With the self-same winds that blow;
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That decides the way to go.

Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,
As they voyage along through life;
'Tis the will of the soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

[Ann]

~ A Part of the Whole ~

A human being is part of the whole called by us a universe - a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and his feelings, as something separate from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.

This delusion is a kind of prison for us; it restricts us to our personal decisions and our affections to a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Albert Einstein

[Ann]

"Abou Ben Adhem"

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An Angel writing in a book of gold:

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?" The Vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow men."

The Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!

-- By Leigh Hunt.

[Ann]

I Hope You Dance

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat , but always keep that hunger.
May you never take one single breath for granted,
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed.

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens.
Promise me that you'll give fate a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance....
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance,
Living might mean taking chances,
But they're worth taking,
Loving might be a mistake,
But it's worth making.

Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter.
When you come close to selling out ....Reconsider.
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance....
I hope you dance

Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance....
I hope you dance

Lyrics & Performed By:
Lee Ann Womack

[Ann]

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

There are two days in every week
about which we should not worry,
Two days which should be kept free
from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is "Yesterday"
with its mistakes and cares,
its faults and blunders,
its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday.
We cannot undo a single act we performed;
we cannot erase a single word we said.
Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is "Tomorrow"
with its possible adversities, its burdens,
its large promise and poor performance.
Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
Tomorrow's sun will rise, either in splendor or
behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow,
for it is yet unborn.

This leaves only one day, "Today",
and anyone can fight the battles of just one day.
It is only when you and I add the burden of those awful eternities, Yesterday, and Tomorrow, that we break down.
It is not the experience of Today that drives people mad,
it is the remorse or bitterness for something
which happened Yesterday and the dread of what
Tomorrow may bring.
Let us, therefore, live but one day at a time.

[Ann]

For My Son

I always wanted to be a lighthouse
to light your way
be the beacon to your heart
your guide, your mentor
your hope, your light
so you never drift from my heart
and you will never be lost to me.
and always shine a light to guide your way
by
Das

[Ann]

I accept myself completely. I accept my strengths and weaknesses, my gifts and my shortcomings, my good points and my faults. I accept myself completely as a human being. I accept that I am here to learn and grow, and I accept that I am learning and growing. I accept the personality I've developed, and I accept my power to heal and change. I accept myself without condition or reservation.

Unknown we are the stars which sing. We sing with our light. We are the birds of fire. We fly over the sky. Our light is our voice. We make a road for the Spirit to pass over. When the grandmothers speak, the earth will be healed. --- Hopi prophecy

[Ann]

Imagine

By John Lenon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

[Ann]

Be empty of worrying.
Think of who created thought!

Why do you stay in prison
when the door is so wide open?

Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking.
Live in silence

~Rumi~

[Ann]

Up Where We Belong

Who knows what tomorrow brings
In a world few hearts survive?
All I know is the way I feel.
When it's real, I keep it alive.
The road is long, there are mountains in our way,
But we climb a step every day.

Love lift us up where we belong,
Where the eagles cry
On a mountain high.
Love lift us up where we belong,
Far from the world below,
Up where the clear winds blow.

Some hang on to "used to be,"
Live their lives looking behind.
All we have is here and now,
All our life, out there to find.
The road is long, there are mountains in our way,
But we climb a step every day

Love lift us up where we belong,
Where the eagles cry
On a mountain high.
Love lift us up where we belong,
Far from the world we know,
Where the clear winds blow.

Time goes by, no time to cry,
Life's you and I. A life today.

Love lift us up where we belong,
Where the eagles cry
On a mountain high.
Love lift us up where we belong,
Far from the world we know,
Where the clear winds blow.
Love lift us up where we belong,
Where the eagles cry
On a mountain high.

~Joe Cocker
duet with Jennifer Warnes

[Ann]

Reach For Your Star

Do not take anything as being forever, because forever is only as long as today.

Know that the people who are the richest are not those who have the most, but those who need the least.

That we are at our strongest when life is at it's worst, and at our weakest when life no longer offers a challenge.

That it is wiser not to expect, but to hope, for in expecting you ask for disappointment, whereas in hoping you invite surprise.

That unhappiness doesn't come from not having something you want, but from the lack of something inside that you need.

That there are things to hold and things to let go. and letting go doesn't mean you lose, but that you acquire that which has been waiting around the corner.

Most of all......
remember to use your dreams as a way of knowing yourself better, and as an inspiration to reach for
Your Star!

[indigo]

Beautiful Ann
Thank you.
hugs indie

[51anna]

That's great Ann! Thanks for the inspiration.

Love, Anna

[klegrand]

WOW! I feel like we are kindred spirits. I love all yur postings. Kepp em coming