Personality, Payments, and Pride

Is it wrong to take payment for what one sees as a sacred mission?
Without food, clothing, and shelter our missions can't come to fruition.
Are we meant to sit alone and pray for falling heavenly manna?
Or are we meant to pursue our callings with our greatest stamina?

I believe that taking care of our own needs is our first responsibility,
But I've missed the ability to share our resources with society,
And I have longed for being able to share the gifts of our largess.
I don't know if this comes from pride; I must honestly confess.

I simply enjoy planting seeds and watching changes grow.
For metamorphosis to happen, there is dormancy, then show.
It seems that I was given an excess of forceful personality,
And people seem to be attracted to and follow me.

Several times, I have been called to be a catalyst for change;
During most of my years of service, my upkeep was arranged.
Now I find myself as, once again, a breadwinner.
Does taking money for my vocation make me a sinner?

My children are good parents who don't need my interference;
Their children are almost grown, and need not my recompense.
The skill I bring to life is the ability to spread passion
In the little mountain hamlets, these virtues aren't in fashion.

This area where even the weather is violent in its expression,
Where if one believes in something, it is accepted as obsession,
Is a good match for someone as passionate as I am?
Is this is a Divinely inspired part of my Eternal plan?

I Could Learn to Live Like This

Fear makes people become deranged;
Passion has power to affect change.
Communities built on shared goals
Enjoy their progress as it unfolds.

Meeting people at dinner parties
And various other social sorties,
Where teams get together at an event,
With passion for a cause they represent.

The conversations are quite upbeat;
The latest gossip, we don't repeat.
Everyone is there to celebrate,
Positive changes their passion creates.

While it is true that I go with a mission,
Not quite as important as nuclear fission,
Working for the community for which we care
Is a passion I think that we can all share.

I can't believe that I'm being paid,
And have an assistant that's been engaged
To help to plan these occasions of bliss;
I could definitely learn to live like this.

Sun Sprites and Other Delights

I still miss the rainbows that played on our windows when we lived right on the water.
Ripples reflected sun sprites through an unseen prism, that danced delightedly to me.
I know that there are scientific explanations for fairy dust and magic moments,
But I've never cared about who are what is, only what to me seemed to be.

I'll never forget the first time I heard each grandchild laugh out loud
To something that delighted only the innocent child's perception;
Simply sharing the delight that the child shared with me was magic
Though I know many say baby smiles are gas; that's their projection.


Was it a teaching moment for a lesson in science and natural phenomena
When grandson said the gulls were laughing and the sun was a ball he could touch?
Or was it a good time to enjoy his belief in life's wonderful manifestations
That I hope he and my other grandchildren always enjoy ever so much?

I am glad that there are those who figure out the ways nature works,
And those who help to mold nature to our earthly health and benefit,
But I also celebrate the child's, artists' and philosophers' souls
That have no patterns into which all nature should be forced to fit.

Blow Winds Blow

Wind, waves, and driving rains --
Ah, it's good to be home again!
There is something about the sea
That makes me feel drama-free.

When things around me are too still,
I have the urge to seek a thrill.
When nature is creating movement,
My soul tends to feel content.

I'm always grateful for a safe place
To lay my head and say my grace.
Watching turmoil that stays outside
I know my life's a truly blessed ride.

Blow winds, blow, out to the sea;
From my cares you set me free.
The new currents will bring in
A fresh place for me to begin.

Giving Back My Blessings

Friends of my daughter have complimented me
On the woman that she has become.
I answer them quite honestly that I only had
Sense enough to leave her and her calling alone.
She heard a more powerful voice than I ever had.

Her grandmother, who died as the babe grew in my womb,
Must have imparted her spirit to her grandchild,
And the fierce will that her grandmother possessed
Guided her through daughter, wife, and motherhood.
I'm humbled to have been chosen to nurture this special gift.

Her daughters are brought up to be mighty women;
What great seekers of earthly justice they can be!
How blessed I am that their mother has kept the faith,
And has continued to be true to the calling she was given.
Example and protection being what parents are meant to do.

 I have come through the darkest night of my soul,
When I feared my daughter's motherhood may be cut short.
I became greedy to hear her values so that I could stand in her stead.
I am so very grateful that she has lived to accomplish her goals,
Something that her grandmother was sadly unable to do.

There is nothing to replace a sense of mission in our lives;
There is not enough entertainment or life's drama.
For everyone there is a calling, whether we hear it or not.
If we ask ourselves daily how can we best serve,
We will find many ways to give back our blessings.

My children embody of all the special in their ancestors;
They are strong, generous, and kind as people and parents.
I never felt that they were given to me as gifts to keep,
Only spirits that were lent to me that I must safeguard.
I give back now by allowing them to truly fly on their own.

Mirrors of My Soul

My oldest granddaughter is almost eighteen;
In many cultures she'd already be married.
Thankfully, she lives in a country that allows
Her freedom to become her full self.

She has always had a head for numbers,
And she plans to become an engineer.
How wonderful that she is not yet limited
By the constant needs of her own family.

I don't know how today's families do it,
Juggling their careers and relationships.
I know that the couples have made changes
In terms of strict lines of gender roles.

Many is the husband who cooks the meals,
And the wife that earns the larger paycheck.
The work of the partners needs to be done;
It matters not who has the talent for each task.

Where my granddaughter will go from here,
And what path she will ultimately take,
My prayer for her is that she finds a partner
Who is equal in strength to her original home.

I hope she also finds kindness and laughter,
The kind of laughter that opens the soul.
And, if she should decide to become a mother,
That her children will be blessings to the world.

For she has been such a blessing to me,
As was her wonderful mother before her.
How little would I have accomplished in life
Without these young women to mirror my soul!

Free to Flee

A journalist that I met at a recent meeting offered this: 

Prayer to Help Relinquish Anger

"Anger is perhaps the most destructive of emotions. It not only sends negative thoughts in the world, but it can raise our blood pressure, harden our hearts, and lead to illness or even death. Teachers of the Kabbalah, the ancient book of Jewish mysticism, suggest that before retiring for the night, the following blessing be recited:

"May I forgive anyone who has hurt me, on purpose or by accident, in this lifetime or in any other lifetime. May I forgive (name) and release my anger at this time."

Or,

"May (name) be blessed."

Or,

"May (name) receive God's healing grace."

Blessing someone at whom we are angry is not easy, especially at first. At the same time, it is unwise to force ourselves to forgive another person when we are not truly ready to do so. For this reason, a suggested alternative might be:

"Although I cannot do so now, I pray to be able to relinquish my anger towards (name) in the future."

With daily practice, the act of blessing those who have hurt us will become more natural. Remember that the purpose of these blessings is not to become friends with the person, or involve him or her in our daily life. Its primary goal is to help us relinquish anger towards them, thus allowing ourselves the inner healing and peace that results."

But how should we protect ourselves and those who are vulnerable from injustice if we give up even the healthy anger that keeps us on alert to evil? I do believe that it is possible to be angry with someone's actions without necessarily continuing to be angry with the perpetrator. I don't think it's healthy or wise to give up all anger. Though anger does cause stress, it is necessary in the struggle to overcome injustice. 

Many of us continue to invest needless energy into a cycle of empty anger. When I am free to change my circumstances, continuing to operate in an arena that encourages anger seems senseless. I must always remember that there are those who will not ever be positive influences in my life. I should reserve my anger for their actions, not for who they are. I should also feel free, once our incompatibility has been established, to exercise my right to walk away.