That Lake Is Me

No excuses anymore, no not for a moment, for who I am. Continuing on, pressing against a rush of water, the tide of public opinion and internal questions. I lift a weary hand to grab hold of the branches of promise jutting out of the banks at every turn, guardians to help in the unsure and trying times. Inch by painstaking inch I struggle through the cold waters, surrounded by banks of slippery self esteem. When I try to crawl out, I slide back quickly, if not for the holds I kicked in the mud, pats on the back, given only by me. I can see in the distance the calm lake, a haven of peace,... (more)

Tags: hope, lake, success, self esteem, struggle

Forgive The Day

This morning the alarm clock just whispered to me in my dreams. Softly calling to me through grey scale beams.

I did not stir. That this day already be over with, I did prefer.

The sun is black and I can not find the hope. I try my hardest to reach it, but I can not grasp the rope.

Earthbound I remain, drowning in this rain.

I just need a bright shiny gleam to light my way- but I suppose I must first forgive the day.

I just need to know a promise can be kept... tears of joy can be wept.

I need to smile ear to ear. I need to be bold and show no fear.

Tags: failure, hope, day, forgive

TO STAND TILL LAST

Looking at the sky it is so dull and high;

I wonder over my thirsty and the ploughed land.

To the patches of clouds I begged, I raised my hand

Stop for a while, pour few drops

At your mercy my life my crops

The cruel gust of wind took away my hope

I cried, tears rolls down to my cheeks

Through my parched lips and choking throat

I bid farewell to the unkind clouds

Once again I looked towards the sky

It is still very dull and high

I looked down

I saw a blade of grass

Standing majestically with dignity and... (more)

Tags: life, trust, faith, hope

Send Forth a Ripple

Whether our life circumstances be happy or harsh,

We have the chance to send forth a ripple even when we cannot make a wave.

From a mountain of despair,

We can work to cleave a stone of hope.

Into an ocean of dismay,

We can cast out a rope.

The world abounds with frightening stories.

Tales of woe in our ears ring.

In turbulent times, fear commonly springs,

Clutching our hearts and ripping our souls on beating bat wings.

We ask of ourselves, “Oh, what can we do?”

For comfort and aid, whom can we turn to?

The... (more)

Tags: legacy, misery, courage, violence, history, hope, affirmation, injustice, struggle, resistance

Say No To Hitler Style Relationships

...and co-workers, or acquaintances.

Also, nurturing relationships is a long drawn process that should begin on a leveled surface. When we enter into new relationships, thoughtful and careful dealings lessen our emotional stress of adjusting to a new way of life. For instance, a new bride hopes to enter her groom’s family with aspirations of affinity and not abomination. In parent-child relationships, clogging a child’s autonomy through excessive control hurts a child’s psychological development and emotional expression. Being a watchdog as a parent is certainly fair, but... (more)

Tags: love, hitler, children, feelings, emotions, leadership, faith, lifestyle, hope, character, change, ego, control, relationsh, governance, authoritarian, control freaks, humanitarian

Can We?

...the dawn.

At that almost mythic time

We knew the reason and felt the rhyme.

A young leader triumphed so attuned

He sought to bind up the nation’s wounds

In the days and nights that have since past,

He has faced a vile and withering blast.

Hopes are in all out retreat

Adversaries swagger and preen in stark conceit.

Can we hold firm or should we restart

The hard, grueling, unglamorous part

Build up again with worn our tools

What now lies smashed and scarred by fools.

Can we look again... (more)

Tags: united states, destiny, unity, hope, change, resolve, renewal

Jaycee Lee Dugard: A Trauma That Sparked Hope

...into motherhood, Jaycee saw a new meaning in her lost life with the birth of her two daughters. She says that her daughters brought her companionship during her imprisonment years with her captor. But in the midst of her solitude, and physical and mental cruciation, Jaycee never ceased to hope. While jailed to a circumstantial silence, Jaycee constantly dreamt of a reunion with her beloved mother though she was coached to forget her past and feel secure in her captor’s den than in the open air. In the lock and key of her abuser, Jaycee lived a chilling life until she was... (more)

Tags: life, emotions, inspiration, abuse, hope, sexual assault, jaycee lee dugard, trauma

Waves of Freedom

... but we lacked the courage to begin and the the commitment to persist? Others may answer for themselves. For my part, I say nay. I have begun; I will continue.

As Bobby Kennedy said to my generation when I was as young as my sons and treasured colleagues -

"Our answer is the world's hope; it is to rely on youth. The cruelties and the obstacles of this swiftly changing planet will not yield to obsolete dogmas and outworn slogans. It cannot be moved by those who cling to a present which is already dying, who prefer the illusion of security to the excitement and danger which comes... (more)

Tags: youth, friendship, crisis, unity, commitment, hope, change, activism, struggle

Beauty In Unlikely Places

While sitting at a coffee shop, a soft voice politely asked if she could share my table. I obliged by moving over my cup of green tea and my newspaper. The young woman before me was very petite, dressed in a silk suit, and she had the most beautiful sea-green eyes. Immediately she attempted to hide half of her face with her hair, which had noticably been burned. She, having delt with peoples responses to her scars and appearence on a daily basis was waiting for my reaction, so I just smiled at her, "Don't hide your face, your beautiful. Own your beauty."

She sat down beside me a little... (more)

Tags: new york, inspiration, hope, lex lumiere, texas, true stories, kintsugi, self esteem, body image, burn surviors, beyonce knowles

Ode to a Beautiful Dreamer

On a winged unicorn she rides with hopes unfurled

In her mind and in her breast, she cherishes a better world.

So when we view this vision so wondrous from afar

Let us all resolve at once to cheer her rising star.

In these times of troubles cascading through months and years

We need something to rally round; someone to soothe our fears

We must but allow ourselves to look into the sky,

There the beautiful dreamer on her mount stirs a hopeful sigh

She is the radiant angel of a better world aborning.

Look upon her as a vision of the... (more)

Tags: inspiration, hope, progress, betterment, aspiration, angel, benevolence, striving