Poems

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10 Life Lessons Learned from a Grove of Giant Sequoias
(c) 2001 Julie Jordan Scott

In the hushed silence of the forest deep within Sequoia National Forest, life lessons were whispered from amazing heights as these elderly giants grew magnificently heavenward.

1. Be ever observant and aware of the Majesty that surrounds you.

2. A spirit of wonder and child like delight will serve you and your community in ways that an adult may not understand until taking action and dwelling deeply in this spirit.

3. Beauty of this magnitude is effortless. It manifests simply by being, not by striving or struggling.

4. Growth continues over time, whether the life span is 15 years, 50 years, 85 years or 2,000 years, like the oldest Sequoias. When growth stops, breath stops.

5. Surrounding yourself with others who share a similar mission and message will increase the effectiveness of each one of you. You will encourage each other's growth, support each other's vision and purpose, and in allowing each other to be who you were meant to be, the outcome is a masterpiece that could not be accomplished as a solo act.

6. Choose the soil you plant your seed in carefully. Sequoias need a very specific soil to root in and remain healthy. Tend your soil. Plant yourself with loving care, not fearful acceptance of what is offered.

7. Delight in hospitality as you share what you offer to people who come to enjoy and learn from you. Spread your beauty and knowledge. Allow others to bask in your shade, soak up your radiance and take lots of notes and pictures.

8. Give shelter and comfort with care and compassion. Invite people to become empowered to their own brand of greatness, without expectation. Gratefully receive the same from someone else in your circle of friends and associates.

9. Remain steadfast and deeply rooted. Do not follow fads or false teachers. Listen carefully. Dance with the wind but do not be swayed by it.

10. Believe that the qualities you possess are truly magnetic. People will be amazed. They will travel for miles to hear the message: to see it, touch it, dwell in it, and breathe it in, deeply.

To view pictures of the Giant Sequoias:
http://www.swparks.com/us/travel/centralcalifornia/grant_grove_pics.html

TO BE A WITCH

 To be a witch is to love and be loved.
 To be a witch is to know everything and nothing at all.
 To be a witch is to move amongst the stars while staying on Earth.
 To be a witch is to charge the world around you and yourself.
 To be a witch is to share and give, while receiving all the while.
 To be a witch is to dance and sing, and hold hands with the Universe.
 To be a witch is to honour the Gods, and yourself.
 To be a witch is to BE magick and not just perform it.
 To be a witch is to be honourable or nothing at all.
 To be a witch is to accept others who are not.
 To be a witch is is to know what you feel is right and good.
 To be a witch is to harm none.
 To be a witch is to know the ways of the old.
 To be a witch is to see beyond the barriers.
 To be a witch is to be one with the Gods.
 To be a witch is to study and learn.
 To be a witch is to be the teacher and the student.
 To be a witch is to acknowledge the truth.
 To be a witch is to live WITH the Earth and not just on it.
 To be a witch is to be truly free.

 Author:  Unknown

I Believe

I believe-
that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe-
that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe-
that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe-
that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe-
that it's taking me a longtime to become the person I want to be.

I believe-
that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe-
that you can keep going long after you can't.

I believe-
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe-
that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe-
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I believe-
that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe-
that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I believe-
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe-
that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe-
that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe-
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe-
that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe-
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe-
that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

 I believe-
that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe-
that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe-
that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe-
that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you you will find the strength to help.

I believe-
that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

So, You Wanna Be A Witch, Eh?!

Well, sit right here, by my side,
And I'll tell you the secrets of the tide...
And just get comfy, honey child,
While I speak of nature, free and wild.

But you don't have a cloak, or a pointed hat?!?
Bah!! and Piffle!!.. What's with that?
The Witch is worn within the soul,
Not donned for occasions, or kept in a bowl.

When you think of witches, you tremble at magick?
Oh, Silly girl, that is indeed tragic!

Well, take a deep breath, and hold tight to my hand,
And together we'll dream to the edge of the land.
Where forests and sky kiss the edge of the waters,
Where the spirits as we, claim a kinship with daughters
of elements born before words are remembered,
And feelings, and thoughts are no longer hindered.

Tis every day things, that Witches are 'ware of,
The Sun and The Moon, and the wee tiny cherub,
Who tugs at our heart strings, and drives us to madness,
Yet give us such joy, and fills us with gladness.

A soft gentle rain, nudging buds to full flower.
Hurricane! Twister!... Such terrible power!
Candles, and hearth fire, warming and scented.
Forests ablaze!... Volcanic stacks vented!

A mantle of snow, both preserve and gives pleasure.
Avalanche! Iceburg!... So full of treasure.
The warmth of the Sun, bringing Life we so cherish..
Bleak desert landscape. Burnt tundra... we perish.

Now open your eyes, look closely at me.
You came here so fearful, now what do you see?
A kindly old woman? An evil old hag?
A cloak of maturity? A dirty old rag?

Both sides of the coin. Light and Dark we encompass.
Good and Evil abide, still walking among us.
So be very sure, that a Witch you will be...
For we own it all... you and me... you and me.

By - Jacci Sutton-

The Witches' Ride
Karla Kuskin

Over the hills
Where the edge of light
Deepens and Darkens
To ebony night,
Narrow hat high
Above yellow-haired witches
Ride through the skies.
Over the seas
Where the flat fishes sleep
Wrapped in the slap of the slippery deep,
Over the peaks
Where the black trees are bare,
Where boney birds quiver
They glide through the air.
Silently humming
A horrible tune,
They sweep through the stillness
To sit on the moon.

Hands

Healing hands, caring hands, soothing hands, sharing hands.
Playing hands, making hands, giving hands, taking hands.
Helping hands, teaching hands, praying hands, beseeching hands.
Hands in friendship, Hands in Peace
Hands from North, South, West and East,
Reaching out across the sea
To enfold our world in unity.

The ABC's of Happiness

Aspire to reach your potential, Believe in yourself, Create a good life, Dream about what you might become, Exercise frequently, Forgive honest mistakes, Glorify the creative spirit, Humour yourself and others, Imagine great things, Joyfully live each day, Kindly help others, Love one another, Meditate daily, Nurture the environment, Organize for harmonious action, Praise performance well done, Question most things, Regulate your own behaviour, Smile often, Think rationally, Understand yourself, Value life, Work for the common good, X-ray and carefully examine problems, Yearn to improve, Zestfully pursue happiness - Robert Valett

IF TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME
Author Unknown

A few weeks ago I talked to a woman whose ex-husband's wife had just been killed in an auto accident.  She was very, very well liked.  The school systems shut down for her funeral and it was on the news and so on.

On the day the teachers came back to work, they found this poem in their e-mail that the deceased woman had sent on Friday before she left school.

When tomorrow starts without me
And I'm not there to see,
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me;

I wish so much you wouldn't cry
The way you did today,
While thinking of the many things,
We didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me,
As much as I love you,
And each time that you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too;

But when tomorrow starts without me,
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name,
And took me by the hand,

And said my place was ready,
In heaven far above,
And that I'd have to leave behind
All those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye
For all my life, I'd always thought,
I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for,
So much left yet to do,
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you.

I thought of all the yesterdays,
The good ones and the bad,
I thought of all the love we shared,
And all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday,
Just even for a while,
I'd say good-bye and kiss you
And maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized,
That this could never be,
For emptiness and memories,
Would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things,
I might miss come tomorrow,
I thought of you, and when I did,
My heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through heaven's gates,
I felt so much at home.
When God looked down and smiled at me,
From His great golden throne,

He said, "This is eternity,
And all I've promised you."
Today your life on earth is past,
But here life starts anew.

I promise no tomorrow,
But today will always last,
And since each day's the same way
There's no longing for the past.

You have been so faithful,
So trusting and so true.
Though there were times you did some things
You knew you shouldn't do.

But you have been forgiven
And now at last you're free.
So won't you come and take my hand
And share my life with me.

So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're far apart,
For every time you think of me,
I'm right here, in your heart.

BLESSED

If you own inspirational books, you are abundantly blessed.  One-third of  the world does not have access to even one.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people around the world.

If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed that almost three billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still married and alive, you are very rare-even in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because although the majority can, most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or just touch them on the shoulder,  you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch through your caring.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read anything at all.

You may want to pass this along to those in your life who may have forgotten how very blessed most of us are...

How well do you spell "friend?"

A friend....

(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "Hi"
(D)oesn't give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plain things you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality

The Moon's Road

The Moon's Road is a luminous band visible in the west after sunset, and in the east before sunrise, believed to be a ring of unknown composition encircling the world.

To walk the Moon's Road is:

To wander, especially along tide-washed shores.
To talk at length without point.
To be visible at all times.
To serve as an example to others.
To be an adherent of an esoteric doctrine.
To retire to an inaccessible place.
To act in a disturbing or inexplicable manner.
To speak in error, or act inappropriately, usually through ignorance rather than guile.
To act without thought of consequences.
To engage in a difficult enterprise, one whose outcome is uncertain.
To be in love.
To die.

I am walking the Moon's Road.  Are you?

Wisdom of the soul

1. No one can ruin your day without YOUR permission.
2. Most people will be about as happy, as they decide to be.
3. Others can stop you temporarily, but only you can do it permanently.
4. Whatever you are willing to put up with, is exactly what you will have.
5. Success stops when you do.
6. When your ship comes in. ... make sure you are willing to unload it.
7. You will never "have it all together."
8. Life is a journey... not a destination. Enjoy the trip!
9. The biggest lie on the planet: "When I get what I want I will be happy."
10. The best way to escape your problem is to solve it.
11. I've learned that ultimately 'takers' lose and 'givers' win.
12. Life's precious moments don't have value, unless they are shared.
13. If you don't start, it's certain you won't arrive.
14. We often fear the things we want the most.
15. Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you have to say. 
Best friends listen to what you don't say!
16. Yesterday was the deadline for all complaints.
17. Look for opportunities...not guarantees.
18. Life is what is coming...not what was.
19. Success is getting up one more time.
20. Now is the most interesting time of all.
21. When things go wrong.....don't go with them.
22. Sometimes the majority only means that all the fools are on the same side.
23. God can mend all broken hearts...You just have to give Her ALL the pieces.
24. A person who asks a question might be a fool for five minutes, but a person who doesn't ask, is a fool forever.
25. A best friend is like a four leaf clover... hard to find, and lucky to have.
26. A friend is someone who reaches for your hand but touches your heart.
27. I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.
28. Eyes are placed in front because it is more important to look ahead than to look behind.

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