You can hear me walking
     from your bed, where blankets
          are not enough to keep you warm.
It's a long night of snow, and sometimes
     and winter loneliness, and what else I do not know,
          but I am thinking if you can hear me.

Walking you might want to visit, to knock
     on my door with a story you have been waiting,
          days, months and maybe years, to tell.
Tell me something that cannot be told,
     and I will be in my worn bathrobe, or brushing
            my teeth, my hair, putting away things.

I have tea and muffins, a bottle of wine:  come up
     we will not swamp ourselves
          with anything like sex, yet.
I do not want to talk about the past,
     or work, or politics, but yes, kindness and compassion
     will do. Come upstairs when the floor creaks.

And, we will stretch the night slowly,
     because, I have not wounded you, 
          nor you me, because
The time of talking is now, 
     not tomorrow or the next day;
         when we are a memory of people who are not quite us.

This journey has taken its toll
     My body, older, less agile
          Struggles as it faces
The cold, the rain, and...
                                       uncertainty.

Yet, my heart knows where I must be.

As I shed these ill-considered
    Personal choices, commitments,
          And, yes, relationships

I find myself inner resolve, focused
    On what I know
          Is best for me.

What I seek has been inside of me
    All along, ...and, now,

It will be fulfilled, and
   I'll be transformed into who
        and where I'm meant to be.

Our relationship has had it's ups and downs, 
     Occasionally, they have been rough,
           And, seemingly, unrepairable.

You say why go on, there's nothing that's right,
     But the deep love we share for each other
          Has never diminished. 

There are times when you feel despair,
     That's there no end to your journey
           And, you've reached the end of hope.

I've never given up on you, or we,
     Living in the moment,
          We've created a safe haven for love.

When we both turn inward,
     We find the burning glow of love
          That gives us insight.

For true love for each other is not a gift.
    It is forged in difficulties, doubt and pain.
       And as these trials complete,

We realize that what carried us through, was pure love.

You see, easy just happens, 

      but simple is planned, carefully curated, 
            
            well executed.

                                -- minimalists.com

Thankfully, there are many ways we can add value…

Create something someone can use
Inspire someone to take action
Lend a helping hand
Be a shoulder to cry on
Show someone how to do something
Show someone a better way
Provide a new perspective
Lead by example
Listen more
Give your full attention
Just be there for someone
Love them.

From The Minimalists...http://www.theminimalists.com/value/ 

Waiting in the rain, a cold winter’s night.
Calm as I am. Hair blowing in the wind.
My eyes they close; as I breathe in deep.
You run through my mind.

I open my eyes, but you're not there.
No one takes your place.
With you my heart I share.

A cold afternoon, hands as cold as ice.
Thoughts go through my mind
Laying in your arms; we’re the perfect match.

The distance discourages.
Waiting under streetlights,
Nobody compares.

I want to cleanse my soul

With your indecency and brevity.

I want to linger in our sin.

Feeling your toxic essence, I delve in....

Exfoliating my soul,

You rub me raw with your presence.

My past I erase,

Beginning the endless chase.

I desire to leave this place

In the least state of disgrace.....

Clarity of vision, desire for truth,
     Centered on this moment.
         No distractions.

Discard yesterday's debris.
     Strip the mind bare.
          Embrace the purity surrounding me.

Ignore those whose journey contradicts me.
     Laugh, exuberantly, like a child.
          Let tears form from fond memories.
               Absorb nature's energies.

A certain darkness

     is needed

          to see the stars.

                                      -- Anonymous

When I met you, my life changed.
I do not know when this feeling came.

Now is not the right time to love you, I know.
But I can't force myself to forget you.

I told myself to stay away from you.
But I can't teach my heart not to love you.

My mind always tells me to let you go.
But my heart always says "I Love You".

Both my mind and heart say what is right.
One thing is for sure, you are a part of my life.

Feeling the need for simple, yet hearty food;
So… I’ll slice and chop winter vegetables.
And produce something tasty
May be a soup or may be a stew.

Carrots, squash, turnips, garlic and onions
I’ll add to the pot, drizzled with ghee.

And, spices: dill, thyme, sage and marjoram

And sauté them slowly in a brown vegetable broth.

I’ll serve the soup in bowls with warm crusty bread.
Adding shaved red cabbage to suit,
With a side of sliced golden beets.

A meal for family, friends and kindred spirits.

A Wolf Moon rose last night:
    who stands to share these bright nights?

Whose eyes search the velvet night
    to bask in each drop of golden light?

Which heart will be enchanted
     by the mystic runes woven into the Wolf Moon?

For whom does this moon shine;
   Reflecting beneath that ancient sine?

Whose hand will touch the velvet night
     and tease the ripples of moonlight?

Whose fingers trace the muted runes pressed deeply
     into the silent dunes of this Wolf Moon?

I wish I could show you, 

     when you are lonely or in darkness, 

          the astonishing light of your own being.

                                                         - Hafiz

From Zen Presence: Ideas for Meaningful Living
http://zenpresence.com/2013/02/instantly-improve-your-life-with-one.html 

This is no gimmick.  If you take the following action, I promise you that it will improve your life and it doesn't require you to enter life-long counselling, to participate in some 30 day challenge, or hire a life coach. It will take is a little bit of courage and some reflecting.

Here it is - 

To the greatest extent possible, separate yourself from any person, place, or thing that is bringing you down, is disruptive for you, unsupportive of you, or otherwise harmful to your well being or self esteem.  The disgruntled co-worker, the nay-sayer, the jerk next door.....even the condescending relative.  These negative people are like vampires and will suck the life out of you.  If it is a co-worker or relative then it may be tough.  Deal with them only when necessary to accomplish a task.  It doesn't matter who it is - you have to be tough.  You may have to leave them, block them, or ignore them.  You must not let these people destroy your joy - your passion for life.

I know that this will be hard to do - I've been there.  I've had to cut some close family members out of my life because they were always negative.  I tried but I couldn't help them, they only brought those around them down.  It hurt and I hated to do it but in the end it became necessary.  You can't stop negative people from being negative but you can stop them from destroying everything positive and beautiful in you.  In the end you owe it to the others in your life and you owe it to yourself.

This purging applies to negative habits and routines as well.  Do a self inventory and determine which practices add value and which detract from your life.  Eliminate the negative immediately and entirely.  No mercy here.  Eliminating negative actions is just as important as eliminating the negative people in your life.  On some level you will judge yourself for doing things that are not good for you and this is terrible for your self esteem.

Once you've eliminated or limited contact with the negative influences in your life you will feel your energy returning.  It will be like recovering from a chronic illness.  Your creative juices will begin to flow and you will feel the joy for life that you are meant to have.  

As a symbolic gesture, remove something from your home that you are not particularly fond of and replace it with something bright and positive.  Use your new 'thing' as a reminder and in the same manner, replace the negative influences in your life with creative, positive, and uplifting influences.  You have the power of choice.  You can improve your life.

We define our lives
      by what we've experienced...is that true?

Are there other ways to engage?

Can we imagine
       a new color...is that possible?
                                                  Through illumination.

Can I see the world
      from a new perspective?
                                                  And, never pictured before.

How do I puruse my path
      without having to follow?
                                                 Not those footprints I see before me.

I will be
     innovative,
          adventurous,
               creative,
                    expressive.
                                                 All on my own.

Sometimes.

Someone enters into your life,

     And, everything changes.

Laughter ignites.

Barriers shattered.

     And, you feel like you.

You cannot describe

What that individual does for you.

     And, though you’re alone.

You will never let go.

My soul seeks freedom,
     Not running, rather finding.

          Realizing how constrictive my lifestyle became.
Hindering my ability to grow.

Refusing to let fear control me,
     I moved on.
          And, doing things right this time.
Embarking on this new adventure

However, each choice demands a sacrifice.
     My heart seeks roots that run deep.
          I had grown comfortable with certainty.
This path I walked reached its end long ago.

Someplace else calls me
     One day you'll understand this.
          Stepping away breaks these self-imposed shackles,
Freeing both of us.

After a while, you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining the soul.
You learn that love does not mean leaning,
And company does not mean security.

You learn that kisses are not contracts,
And presents are not promises.
You begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and eyes open.
With the grace of an adult,
Not the grief of a child.

You learn to build your roads for today;
Because tomorrow is uncertain,
And futures fall down in mid-flight.
You forgot that even sunshine,
Burns if you get too much.

So, plant your garden and decorate your soul,
Instead of waiting for delivered flowers.

You learn, then, that you can really endure.
That you really are strong.
And you do have worth.

Empty inside,
     Hard to breath.
          Difficulty sleeping at night,
               Cannot close my eyes.
Unpleasant thoughts that repeat over and over again.

I want to return to a normal day,
     With bad memories slowly fading away. 

          My cries go unanswered. 
Asking why this happened?

So now I know...what it feels like to lose a loved one.


This is for a friend suffering the pending loss of a family member.

We are all one, sharing the same soul.

Our hearts unlocked like our front doors used to be.

To touch, feel, connect and truly know each other.
We’ll all dance together.

Rambling through life until we found
Something that mattered.

This community provides intangible benefits,
But more real than anything we’ve ever known.

Can we care for those who share our space and world?
Of course, we can.

Help us to respect value, and treat all
as each would wish to be treated.

Resist greed, denounce hate speech, stand up to ignorance, fight injustice
And share your love.