Excerpts from Open Passages

Light the Way for Love

 They say beauty comes from a spirit that has weathered many
 hardships in life and somehow continues with resilience.
Grace can be found in a soul who ages softly, even amid the tempest.

 I think the loveliest by far is the one whose gentle heart bears
a hundred scars from caring, yet still finds a way
to pick up the lamp, one more time, to light the way for love.

~

The Greatest Work in Progress

 The greatest thing you can do
 is to become who you are
and not allow the parts
of what make you
 a complete individual—
your creative energies,
your valued interests, and
your unique strengths and passions—
to wither away from neglect
or be repressed by whoever
or whatever surrounds you. 

You are masterpiece and
a great work in progress.

~

It takes a powerful person to cry out despite those who’d prefer the convenience of silence. It takes a fearless person to allow their sadness to come out from the tight box of cultural expectations to be expressed and processed. And it takes a world of strength for that same person to be true to their feelings, own their emotional territory—to walk into the very chaos of its outright messiness—and uncover the paragons of victory and joy that were held by them, for such an aching long time, so quietly within.

~

Worry’s Cure

 In a world where rugs are pulled
and tables turned, words fall flat
and hearts get burned,
there are three things I know for sure:
Life goes on,
love endures,
and gratitude is worry’s cure.