Temple

 Lord

Nourishing

The temple

That is mine

Is an exercise

I’m attending to

These days

Please pray my body holds. Fighting some issues I can’t really explain. Trying to stay grateful. Patient in affliction takes on new meaning each day. 

Love you all. 

Coffee

Coffee

Wake me up

Infuse caffeine

And mix it

With some 

Happiness

And gratitude

Trust

 What I need 

From you

Is peace

What you want

From me

Is trust

Who moves first

Determines the result

That means

I trust

Even when

I’m towing

The line

Sunday

 Taking the time

To savor the coffee

Smell the roses

And revel

In the frivolity

Of a good book

Gills

 Let my words

Not merely be words

What you see

Is what is gotten

Not some carefully

Crafted creation

Tried conforming

Lost myself

Off the cliff

Of indifference

Which left

Me reeling

Like a flapping

Fish hooked

In the gills

Reality

The greatest regret

Squandered talent

Denied or otherwise

Words become real

As You give

Me license

To create

A world

Only dreams

Could have

Made me believe

Nothingness

 Distraction

Is deception

And I’ve 

Been the master

Of my own

For too long

What price

Have I paid

For my own

Foolish ambition

I have not

Valued my soul

Well at all

Destroyed my peace

For an earthly possession 

That couldn’t keep

My heart happy

Friends

Revel

In your nothingness

For when its done

You’ll have everything

Ground

 Lord

When the rope

Is at its end

You tug

It back

To center

Knot it up

And anchor 

It on steady ground

Flavor

 The richness

Of savory gnocchi

Surrounded by spinach

And butternut squash

Melt in a combination

Of food saturated

In a flavor

That radiates

Warmth

Of an evening

Where the wind

Whips around

The mountain

With a chill

That shears 

Man 

With impunity

The wind

Is You

Where you display

Dominance

With a flicker

Of an icy fire

That roars within

Fire

 The mountain

Covers me

Protects and shades

Me from harsh realities

Until

I’m able

To face

The fire

Rest

Learning truth

Is best 

No matter what

No regrets

As sleep

Is peaceful

And deep

Mind and soul

Align in rest

Promise

 Lord,

You are teaching me to not be afraid to ask. No is not a rejection. No is a not yet. It’s I have better. It’s not in your best interest. I’ve been drowning, and now I’m surfacing. That alone is a blessing. 

The pain

Not wasted

Not in vain

All a part

Of the process

To get out of me

And into

The present

Where

The promise

Is alive and well

Receive

 What you learn

When you’re not looking 

Is the most magical gift

I’m now willing 

To receive 

Joys

 What are you reading?

What is bringing you joy?

Favorite purchase this week?

Tell me something good that happened to you?

Give a compliment to a stranger

Norm

 Flexing the toes

Up and down

Around and around

Activating flexibility

And strength

Within the body

Letting joy 

Through quiet

Become the norm

Present

 Shifting into

Seas of grace

Where I’m cocooned

In a love

That cascades

From spine

To metatarsal

And massages

The membranes

With soothing caresses

Though the ocean roar

Calm is present

Where presence

Meets the present

Unwind

 Walking down

The drive

Dreaming

As my soul unwinds

Finding the time

To take my pup

For a walk

And a respite

For my restless

Mind as well

It might be cold

But the shiver

Is worth it

If my mental state

Is given time

To be still

In a world

That only delivers

Noise

Satisfy

 Let the wind

Carry you

The waves 

Buffer you

The rock

Be the buttress

Be at peace

If not

Find creation

Until your own

Can satisfy

Agua

Taking a stroll

Down the mountain pass

Seeking the birds flying

High above

In majestic formation

In the heights

Worry melts

And peace

Is as readily available

As the living water

He has 

For his beloveds

Love

When the words

Don’t come

Let my heart

Be the compass

To the thoughts

I cannot speak

Lead me to the place

Where Your love

Is all I find

As I seek forgiveness

And acceptance

In the Hands

That formed

What I see

In the torrent of rain

Reawaken my soul

To the joy

That comes

When I’m 

Wholly reliant

On Your Power

To allow me

Peace

To see life

As it is

Even if

I struggle

To grapple

With its goodness

Search me

Find me willing

To love others

Even when

I question

The benefit

Distorted distraction

 God,

You’re speaking. Am I listening?  You keep telling me to guard my heart. What I want is not in line with who you are. Yet my self will is running like a cheetah at full speed. The songs I’m listening to on repeat are reminding me that what I want will not satisfy me. I know it, and yet I still desire what is so unhealthy. This habit is one of the hardest to break. As my therapist has advised, I’m human. Habits don’t break in days. It’s a choice to put one foot in front of the other, list my gratitude, and take breaks from worldly influences. If you must, turn off the tube, blast music and write until the keys cease working. Nourish the soul, cultivate your creativity and know that no one is you. The prism in which you see yourself must shift so patterns are broken. 

Lord

It’s me

My thoughts

Must be altered 

So my view

Is not 

A distorted distraction

Sink

 Sink into the arms

That won’t let

Me sink

But float

Until

I’m ready

To swim

And face

The sharks

Racing the tides

And undercurrents

Carbohydrates

 Coiffed

And cute

The chocolate melts

As the tongue

Takes in

The delicious

Buttery and flaky

French pastry

Taking a mental holiday

Relishing the joy

That can be found

In carbohydrates

James

 The gravel

Hits my sneaks

And I sink

In silence

As the soundtrack

Is a James Taylor

Playlist in rewind

As I revisit

A favorite artist

Whose voice

Puts me

In a melodic state

Seek that 

Fuels the fire

Within

Enough

To know 

When to 

Savor the rain

Dog day

Lessons

From the dog

Eat 

Sleep

Repeat

Look cute

Be loved

And treat 

Every empty space

As a new place

To make

Your luxurious oyster

What a life

Run 

Dart around

As if the cat

Is your prey

Have your master

Praise you

And then find

The biggest oak

To be your reprieve 

From a warm

Winter day

Amen

 The shadows illuminate

The light

The vision

That is

The image

Of the deity

In me

Imploring my soul

To let in

The aroma

Of strength

And purity

In refinement

I’m where

I need to be

Disability

The vehicle

He has chosen

To make 

His omnipotence

Known to billions

In using this human

Who finds her being

Lackluster

Yet God

Says otherwise

Worthy 

Cherished

Loved

What a privilege

An honor

That exceeds

A lifetime

Hits

 Stripping

Off the scraps

Of sugar

Being truthful

Is the only 

Way to authenticity

And honesty

With the deity

How many lies

Have I told you

We have this 

Conversation

Too often

It seems

Getting real

Is costing me

Sleep and sanity

Forty

The year

Life decided

To teach me

When to take

The hits

And when

To give them back

Sought

 Singing

The sweet song

Of surrender

Arrives

When the act

Of being comfortable

In your own company

Is all that is sought

Lessons’ blessings

 Lord,

Every time 

I say never

You say

Think again

What I 

Thought

Was in 

The rear view

Is in

My permanent

Periphery

And acceptance

That life

Is never fair

Rules

Don’t apply

To all

Is a teachable moment

I now think 

On daily

As I take

The lesson

As a blessing

Strawberry

 Sitting

Willing stillness

To seep

Into veins

Like the sweetest

Strawberry

Wrapped

In whip cream

Reflection

 Talent

In these bones

Is there

I just deny

The obvious

Every day

Because

I still question

If ability

Is enough

In a society

That craves

Notoriety

The struggle

Is to not

Doubt

The mirror’s

Reflection

The deity and the child

Just on the phone with a friend who was imploring me to celebrate myself for all my accomplishments when I said “I’m just me, and I don’t even know who me is.” I’m starting to think I’ll find her when I stop searching for her. 

Searching for Regine

Only leads

To malaise

Finding her

Joy

Is only

Found

When she embraces

The mystery

Within 

Her very 

Mind

Which holds

Keys that 

Unlock

The handcuffs

She’s allowed 

Disability 

To hold

Captive 

The thoughts

That slowly 

Diminish

The spirit

Deity

Placed

In the innermost location

Not known

To ordinary man

The world

Corrupts not

The enemy 

This child 

Faces

Is her own self

Thirteen

 Taking it back

Paper and pen

To a girl

Of thirteen

Who saw

Life as an adventure

To be shared

Bring back

Me at thirteen

To show

A forty year old

How to believe

In miracles again

Soul

 Finding hope

In each day

Is the journey

I’m now on

Because

Hope

Is the road

To joy

Joy

The destination

To contentment

The desire 

Of my very

Elemental soul

Love

 Acceptance

Is a daily choice

A decision

To champion

The creation

That is me

If all humankind

Can find

Me lovable

I need to find

The desire 

To do

The same

Song of the day

Consumed by Fire  First Things First

Questions

 Tell me something good that happened this week?

What made you smile?

What’s on your heart?

What are you praying for?

What is making you peaceful?

Sorbet

 Vitamin D

Came to visit

And the depression

Festering in my soul

Took a detour

And now

I am

Following my nephew’s lead

And eating sorbet

Straight from

The bucket

For lunch

Lord

 Lord,

What are you doing to me?  All I see is the sin that makes me so ashamed, and yet you show me that not all is lost. Every day someone comes here to remind me that they cherish the beauty in me. They see what I won’t. What do you want me to see?  What is it that is so important?

Show me

Let me be

Willing

To follow through

With your command