14. Life
14. Life
The final Power is Life in which every cell of our bodies is vibrantly alive with God. No label, diagnosis or condition can be the truth of who we are since we radiate Divine Love and Light in all circumstances. Charles and Cora Fillmore remind us that, “Man forms his own consciousness from the elements of God, and he alone is responsible for the results.” They further state that, “The pure life of God flows into man’s consciousness through the spiritual body,” and that, “Only those who have come into consciousness of the spiritual body can feel the holy stream of life.”
I Am Peace *Life, peace, consciousness, love
I am Peace.
It starts at my very core, right there next to love because there is no peace without love.
My peace comes from a lifetime of disappointments, failures and ultimate successes
because I have built it out of the richly colored fabric my life has woven for me.
Sometimes it seems to slip away,
leaving my inner little girl wide-eyed with panic that it has abandoned me for good.
But it always comes back with a soft kiss and a firm hug
to calm my soul and reassure me that it never left me.
I had only strayed into the fringes of my consciousness
to sample the imaginary world I think is around me.
Because I am perfect peace within my universal soul,
I am defined by my love that envelops my every thought and action.
I live to serve others by showing them a path to balance, wholeness and health.
My inner peace is my stabilizer and comforter that wraps around me
with the softness of a down feather or a single snowflake.
I return to it whenever I need its soothing balm
to remind me that the crazy world around me
cannot change the magic of Who I Am and who I Always Will Be--
Love and, above all, Peace.
--May 2020
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Uncertainty *Life, consciousness, release, energy, change, light
Uncertainty means that change is happening at all levels of our consciousness.
It means that we are not in control
but we can choose how we allow it to affect us.
Consciousness responds to our mind’s imperfect understanding,
urging us to release that which no longer serves us.
It expands as our energy bodies learn
that they can flow with change rather than resist it.
Change then becomes a central energizing force
that allows us to bypass our mind’s need for control
and accept that WE are the light that we seek.
--August 2020
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Flow *Life, consciousness, Oneness, love, peace
The flow of Life carries us into the eddies of doubt,
around the rocks of resistance,
over the gravel of experiences,
through the mists of consciousness,
and into the canopy of Oneness
to finally rest in the calm, still waters of eternal love and peace.
--September 2020
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The Universe and I are One *Life, energy, control, Oneness, consciousness
I am part of it, it is all of me.
Every molecule and atom of my being
is an energetic copy of All That Is.
The sense of this much energy being at my command
is almost overwhelming yet comforting at the same time.
My challenge is to capture, control and channel it
into imperfect language that can create mental pictures
evoking emotions that stir my soul.
My Oneness is my solace and my challenge
because it drives me to probe ever-greater depths into my consciousness.
I have no more control over where it is leading me
than I can control the weather or the beating of my heart.
I just know that my need to express it comes from beyond my mere mortality,
from beyond space and time since the creative impulse IS the Universe after all.
My impulse bubbles from depths I can only ponder
as I struggle to provide the words and images I am being given at warp speed.
---September 2020
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Mother Earth Is in Agony Now *Life, anger, love
Mother Earth is in agony now.
She has been abused by her children for so long
that her anger has produced the fires in the West.
Her tears have sent the hurricanes in the East
and the earthquakes are her shudders of tearful grief.
Her children have poisoned the air she needs to breathe,
the crops that grow in her very bosom, the oceans that sustain her.
Yet mankind has no fear of her retribution, no compassion for her pain,
no understanding for what their cruel neglect is doing to her.
They think only of their own needs, after all,
needs that their societies have promoted
as necessary for their comfort, pleasure and profit.
Now, by her rumblings we know she has had enough.
We have been warned and our leaders are ignoring those warnings
because of political expediency.
Yet Mother Earth has no ulterior motives, no hidden agendas.
She simply is telling us that she will no longer tolerate our mistaken attitude
that she was created merely for our benefit.
She will have the last word, of course,
as humanity engineers our own destruction through neglect and abuse.
Unless we can learn to love and respect her as she does us, her beloved children,
we are doomed to a desolate and despairing future.
--September 2020
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God’s Superheroes Rap Life, music, love, peace, forgiveness, Oneness
Refrain:
We’re all superheroes in the eyes of God.
We are One with Him while He gives us the nod
to be ourselves and fulfill our role
to learn and to grow and enrich our souls.
His way is our own and His will be done—
our lives as superheroes have just begun.
The rhythm of the Universe ebbs and flows,
like an endless tide and the wind that blows.
It sings to our souls using multi-tonal love
and tiny bits of light showering down from above.
Our souls spread their wings to soar to Destiny
and our superhero senses give us new eyes to see.
God must be proud of His progeny
since He gave us this whole universe to teach us to agree
that the only way we can achieve His gift of peace
is to love each other in a way that cannot cease.
With forgiveness serving as the glue uniting all,
our superhero ears will be tuned to heed God’s call.
We’re all superheroes in the eyes of God.
We are One with Him while He gives us the nod
to be ourselves and fulfill our role
to learn and to grow and enrich our souls.
His way is our own and His will be done—
our lives as superheroes have just begun.
--July 2021
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Who am I? *Life, truth, boundaries, Oneness
Who am I to think I can be
courageous and honest intellectually?
I may be wrong but I speak my mind.
It’s the truth of who I am even though I may find
that I’m feeling afraid to push ahead
and buck the critics of what I just said.
If I’m to grow in this Game of Life,
I have to push my boundaries and disregard strife.
My earthly body just holds my true self—
someday I’ll just put it back onto the shelf.
That’s when I’ll know it’s time to go Home
and be One with God, never more to roam.
--August 2021
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The Shift *Life, control, love, energy
I am not controlled by my past
because I focus on love for myself, the world and the universe.
By connecting to my Source,
I can physically change my body to redirect my thoughts.
By connecting with Love,
I can cause an energetic shift in everything around me.
By holding my Intent to raise the world’s vibration,
I can change the world because I AM.
--October 2020
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Knowing Peace *Life, peace
Peace is a sense of comfort inside,
a knowing that judgment can no longer reside.
The heart connection is the key to it all
for our souls to be happy, our egos to fall.
A light touch will lead us to look for a sign
that inner peace can bring us all things Divine.
--December 2020
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Fear *Life, consciousness, love, peace
Fear has no place in our consciousness.
It is the tool of the ego to force us into judgment
even when the logic is absent.
It eats away at our confidence and peace
by cloaking our decisions with dark, dripping dread.
Fear is the tool of tyrants who have few benefits to offer.
They know their falsehoods can take root
in ground made fertile by doubt.
Our spirits are primed to resist the onslaughts of fear
if we would only listen and resist the ego’s siren call.
We do not have to live with something that destroys our peace
and clouds our futures.
We can choose our thoughts, our feelings,
our reactions to the falsehoods that assault us.
We do not have to succumb to rumors
of possible negative outcomes that might come.
We can still our egos with intention
and infuse them with love.
Only then can we rise above this moiling cesspool
that threatens our sanity.
Only then can we find peace, stillness
and our connection with the Divine.
--December 2020
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The Cosmic Breath *Life, love, forgiveness, power, Oneness, peace
The Cosmic Breath, the breath of love,
connects us through our bond of innocence.
It ebbs and flows, but always gently reminds us
of our primal need to love and be loved.
Suffering does not have to be our natural state
since everyone is loveable at their core.
It merely provides the space for forgiveness
to overcome the ego’s brutal diversions.
Once we begin to see and feel
the unifying Cosmic Breath
residing in every heart and soul,
we can tap into its compelling power
and ride it as it flows into the ocean of Oneness
where we will find stillness and peace.
--February 2021
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Patterns of Life *Life, awakening, forgiveness, love, Oneness, peace
My life is built on patterns
given to me, forced on me, adopted by me.
I cannot escape them so I must embrace them,
alter them and make them my own.
Only then can I resolve this war within myself
and awaken to my role as a peacemaker
trying to bring the world together
by letting go of that which no longer serves me.
Only then can forgiveness, kindness and love
lead me to my ultimate goal of becoming
One with the Universe,
where patterns are no longer needed
and peace is All There Is.
--March 2021
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Abundance *Life, love, abundance, power
I manifest, you manifest,
we can manifest as one.
Our quiet minds can visualize
our goals until they’re done.
Our love can make the difference
when abundance is our goal.
It multiplies our purpose
and satisfies our souls.
It just needs one to start it
with courage and intent.
One love vibration at a time
‘til obstacles are spent.
Miracles come through us
when we focus on our prize—
We can change the world
regardless of the size.
Our power is unlimited since
each person has their own—
The universe is waiting
to grant all our wishes sown.
—November 2021
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Swimming in the Same Pool *Life, light, consciousness, Oneness, peace, love
Does life feel easy or hard?
It’s a thing we ask each day.
Sometimes we feel all alone
and our differences hold us at bay.
We know we may push back too much
on things when we think we’re right.
It makes us feel good inside
but it keeps us out of the Light.
We’re not just a single point
in the Cosmic consciousness.
We’re an equal part of the Whole
and forcing our views will cause stress.
It’s respecting those we oppose,
like ML King used to do,
and taking the moral high ground
that cements our win-win like glue.
The world doesn’t have to be split
by our animal instincts’ rule.
We can admit that we are all one
and we’re swimming in the same pool.
We want the same things after all,
the same hopes for peace and love.
That’s where our power comes from
and how God rewards us from above.
Equality is meant for all people
whether they’re black, white or brown.
The sooner that we can join hands,
the sooner our world can rebound.
Only then can our hearts open wide
so we can be all we can be,
and our world can unite through love
and EVERYONE can be free.
--January 2022
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Our Cosmic Path *Life, unity, consciousness, love, Oneness
Our path to unity leads us beyond our primal natures.
Only when our egos’ blinders are cast aside
can we see beyond our cultural limitations
and gently ascend into a larger consciousness.
There we blend our single selves into the greater Whole
where all people, cultures and countries have value.
The stark reality is that all aspects of our world
are needed to make the Whole
with all of its messy imperfections.
Reaching a state of enlightenment,
we absorb the reality
that all beings have value and deserve love.
Only then can we say “yes” to the good and the bad alike
since we are, after all, Sons of God.
To continue meeting this Cosmic challenge,
we become the change we hope to see,
discarding our fears of rejection
and reaping the infinite bounties
awaiting all who aspire to be
at One with the Universe.
--March 2022
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The Cosmic Waterwheel *Life, light, resistance, Oneness
I am a drop in the Cosmic waterwheel
that spins eternally,
seeking to return me to the still, primal Pool of Creation.
But I like being that drop.
I admire my clean lines
and ability to sparkle in the light.
If I return to the Pool of Creation,
I am afraid I will lose my singularity.
So I fight the current
and attempt to propel myself upstream
to keep from falling, falling
into what I perceive
as the wet, energetic abyss.
The outcome I fear is the loss of my specialness
and my stubborn ego thinks its resistance
must somehow be worth the battle.
Yet I finally tire of the tumult and strain
of going against the Flow
that, with infinite patience, keeps trying to reclaim me.
I surrender to the energy of the Whole
as it flows back to its source, the Pool of Creation.
Only then do I realize that the Flow has always borne me
and that I had fought it only in my dreams.
I was never a drop
and I had never left the sweet, endless cycle
of being One with the Flow,
One with the Universe,
and One with God.
--March 2022
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The Dance of Life *Life, duality, light, love, Christ, joy, power, Oneness, peace
We are challenged by the duality of the human condition
that’s molded out of shadows and light,
continuously judging between “good” and “bad”
while choosing between the worthy and the unworthy.
It’s called the Dance of Life.
Only when we envelop ourselves in the state of absolute Love,
especially while experiencing and witnessing
our own and others’ suffering and pain,
can we fully appreciate what it is to be alive.
Only when we’re in that unified state of Love,
like Christ on the cross,
can we make Suffering into a sacrament
and unite Joy with its close cousin Sadness.
Only when we ascend to that sacred space of Love
can we awaken to the true Presence and Power
of being One with God where we will find true peace.
--March 2022
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Our Way of Life *Life, control, peace, transformation
Our spiritual wind compels us
to ride it as it flows,
up and down, then back up again
no matter where it goes.
We cannot go against its force
although we sometimes try,
especially when it dips down low
and all we can do is cry.
It leads us where we wouldn’t have gone
as though we thought we could choose.
Over and under it follows its course
and when we think we will lose.
But we trust in God that our path is clear
and that our loss is really our gain.
Each dip will bring us closer to peace
if we just accept our brief pain.
It’s our Way of Life to ride our wind
that takes us from place to place.
We know our transformation will come
if we trust we’re in God’s grace.
--April 2022
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Love and Joy *Life, love, joy
Prayer and meditation lead to love and joy.
That connection is what I aspire to employ.
The outcome I achieve has peace descending—
I surrender to God to create my best ending.
My spiritual prayer muscle gets lots of use
by pushing me firmly away from abuse.
My inner voice tells me the outcome may be
not what I expected as my intellectual “me”
but instead what I needed to expand my heart—
because love and joy were my goals from the start.
--August 2022
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Happiness *Life, love, energy, truth, joy
I see happiness in my future
and I leave my past behind.
It’s allowed me to be One with God
and my new “normal” state of mind.
I send love to my future Self
and its energy will return
to mold me and change my life
in ways hard to discern.
Once I connect with my future Self,
I can feel God’s love in me
and realize that our Oneness
is where I yearn to be.
I’m changed because I live my Truth
while blessed because I find
my future Self is happy
that my past is left behind.
--August 2022
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Meditation’s Gift *Life, love, meditation, peace
Start with the heart to change the world
and give its vibration a lift.
Our Divine connection will be the source
for our loving societal gift.
Our hearts’ wavelengths can project far and wide
when our meditation begins.
Love’s vibration becomes a carrier wave
and our collective intention wins.
The blessing we give to our troubled world
comes from each open heart.
We can overcome life’s negative vibes
and intend for world peace to start.
—September 2022
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The Song of Oneness *Life, Oneness, Christ, awakening, peace
Our hearts are full of Oneness thoughts
and the Presence we all share.
The “me” we’re raised to think we are
is not really there.
Since we’re all equal in God’s eyes,
we share the Son’s acclaim.
Born the same way Jesus was
means we’re all just the same.
Awakening to this basic fact
and surrendering to its song,
we know that we can find the peace
that’s been there all along.
--September 2022
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Discerning my Path *Life, success, surrender, love
Where do I want to go with my life?
Who do I want to be?
My Divine Self knows where I should go—
but my ego thinks IT has the key.
Then my body gets into the act
and I must decide my path.
Is it something I feel that I must do
just to keep from society’s wrath?
Or is it in line with my spiritual goals
and something I WANT to do?
Can success be mine in spite of blocks
and my ego satisfied, too?
It’s a balancing act between my three parts
and the ultimate mystery of Life.
So I surrender to the Grace of God
and trust I’ll be relieved of strife.
It’s not my problem after all
as long it’s God that I trust.
I open my heart to love all I see
so my resistance can turn to dust.
--January 2023
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The Power of My Mind *Life, truth, intention, love
I am a drop of water in the vast spiritual sea.
My faith gives me the strength to see my possibility.
I accept the Truth with affirmations every day—
my automatic mind creates and manifests the way.
I choose what I repeat since I know I will create;
my future’s in MY hands alone and not just random fate.
I declare what’s true and my intention after all.
I know I can achieve it as I heed my Spirit’s call.
I cement it then with Love which is the universal glue,
and always will amaze myself with what my mind can do.
--January 2023
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Everyone Wants to Be a Hero *Life, love, consciousness, belonging, peace
Everyone wants to be a hero,
especially to their own tribe.
It requires taking risks to do something
that raises the communal vibe.
Sharing love’s consciousness with others
allows them to feel your love’s song.
It gives them superpowers of kindness
since then they know they belong.
The vision we have for our future
can mold it no matter its goal.
So when we foster belonging
everyone can play their own role.
The end result of this union
is healing each wounded heart.
Only then can peace be upon us
when everyone can play a part.
--February 2023
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Longing to Belong *Life, belonging, change, sharing
Everyone wants to belong somewhere—
our society is built on this need.
The desire to be loved motivates our lives
and inclusion is the starting seed.
We can “own” our belonging by giving it away
so outsiders feel safe and secure.
It can change their minds about their choices in life
since what they REALLY want is a cure.
We all need respect for our thoughts and our views
with no judgment to get in the way.
Then our minds can clear and be open to change
when we feel we can have a say.
It’s all about sharing an ultimate goal
and contributing to the tribe we’re in.
Once we’re a part of a collective heart
we’re guaranteed to win!
--March 2023
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Currents and Connections *Life, love, sharing
Currents and connections define our lives.
One leads to the other like bees in hives.
We fly from all over in our wandering phase
while we collect pollen on warm, sunny days.
Then we take our gold to our home space
where it’s made into honey and glued into place.
That honey is love for ourselves and our young
to hold us together with lives so far flung.
The currents we ride are the winds of life
that go up and down through triumph and strife.
The connection at the end makes it all worthwhile
and is what we crave for our ideal lifestyle.
The love that we share as part of a whole
nurtures our souls when we reach our goal.
--March 2023
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My Consciousness Game *Life, consciousness, awakening
I watch my consciousness and it watches me.
No matter what I’m doing, my life is what I see.
I sit in my witness seat to recognize God’s plan,
since pain focuses my attention more than anything else can.
Pain has a purpose in God’s scheme of things.
It reminds us to look inward to see which role needs wings.
Is it my inner Critic knocking or my Victim crying loud?
I know it means for certain that my ego’s not yet cowed.
My process to awaken needs its “pure awareness” train
to lead me ever deeper where my body can’t complain.
Because I’m not a body, I’m a Spirit after all.
Life’s just a game I’m playing ‘til my final Awakening call.
--April 2023
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My Life’s Journey *Life, connection, surrender, awakening
Connection to others is what I crave
to give me a reason to live.
In younger years I thought I knew
just what I needed to give.
I’ve learned that my life is not about me;
each phase of it had its own goal.
But I wasn’t happy with what I’d achieved
or what it meant for my soul.
Now I’ve surrendered to an uncertain fate
by avoiding my ego’s call.
I’m walking on a razor’s edge
and trying not to fall.
I know my awakening will come at the end
whether I’m ready or not.
It’s up to me to make my own way
and the razor’s all I’ve got.
If I fall to one side by ignoring the call
to serve my fellow man,
I won’t be the Wise One I hope to be
until I get back to God’s plan.
I finally know where I want to be
in the twilight of my years—
living each day in service to God
will banish all of my fears.
--May 2023
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The Spark of OHM *Life, awakening, consciousness, spark
The Spark of OHM ignites our souls
over and over again.
The process of awakening never stops
and the end is where we begin.
We never can fail, we can only pause
since our re-birth is certain to come.
Each time our consciousness cycles around
we’re higher than where we came from.
We win and lose at different times
as we tread on destiny’s way.
Each lifetime’s place in our spiral ascent
is unique as each part that we play.
The constant role that repeats itself
is the mother who gives us life.
She suffers our birth and gives us up
to grow and expand through strife.
It’s the spark in our soul that she creates
but has no way to control.
As a part of the Source, its destiny is
to serve our awakening’s goal.
--May 2023
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The Patterns of Life *Life, patterns, success
The Divine Child within is both yang and yin.
It’s the hope of the world or the beginning of the end.
It’s the helpless victim that constantly cries
or the precocious magician who can win the prize.
It can change its groove at the drop of a pin,
bringing delight or tears and back again.
If we bow to the beast and give it its way,
it will simply want more at the end of the day.
Its potential for good outweighs its wrath
if safety lets it re-think its path.
The patterns of life are within us all;
only reaching our potential can avert our fall.
The grooves that life tracks can be subtle and long.
If the world’s to succeed, we can’t get it wrong.
--May 2023
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Listening With Our Hearts *Life, power, love, Oneness
How can our brains, acting by brute force,
carve out the delicate nuances that make life worth living?
How can they filter the visual images their willing eyes see
into meaningful tableaux filled with soothing colors and shapes?
How can they discern the good smells from the bad,
the bright, bitter tastes from the sweet,
the soft lover’s touch from the harsh slap of rage?
Our ears are filled with words and sounds,
sometimes meaningful, but mostly just noise.
Yet they contribute to our versions of reality,
the foundations of our world and with it
the myriad outcomes we think we experience.
The order our brains create for us
creates and preserves our sanity in a chaotic world.
Our brains feed our egos with a continuous stream
of validations and admonishments,
giving us the power and devastation of judgment,
leading us down the often rocky path towards doom and destruction.
Our alternative is to listen, see, feel and smell with our hearts,
using love as a catalyst to convert the ugly world around us
by encouraging soft-edged intentions and actions.
If we choose to use love as both filter and pilot
to guide us through the sea of impressions that construct out daily lives,
the chaos responds by offering sometimes thorny but otherwise smooth paths
through the rocky terrain our daily lives present to us.
Listening with our hearts rather than our brains,
we can hear the cries for love from everyone around us.
The unlimited amount of love we all carry
can be poured as honey onto the wounded hearts of others,
soothing their pain and showing them how to forge their own individual paths
through their endless fields of soft grasses, prickly weeds
and hard stumps of broken dreams.
Seeing, touching, tasting and even smelling with our hearts
can open up a whole new direction to our souls
that universally hunger for sweet sustenance.
Then the power of love can be the transformative glue
that draws us back to the Oneness where we all began.
--May 2023
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Stepping Stones to Peace *Life, Oneness, awakening, success, peace
I love each moment just as it comes,
the good along with the bad.
My life is unfolding each breath that I take
and there’s no need to be sad.
Each experience I have is part of the whole
in my journey to become One with God.
Each stumbling block’s really a stepping stone,
each path’s a new one to trod.
I know I will never come to the end,
that success is just taking each step.
All moments are precious along the way
and scores don’t need to be kept.
The peace I seek as awakening dawns
comes in pieces along the way.
I grab each one as it passes by
and wish for each moment to stay.
--July 2023
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Everlasting Wings *Life, light, Christ, love
How I live my life is up to me—
I can focus on the Light.
If I follow my ego’s corrupting advice,
I’ll be diverted from doing what’s right.
I confront temptation each and every day,
though I know what’s right from what’s wrong.
But it feels so good to indulge myself
and so easy to just go along.
I rely on the Christ inside of me
to counter my ego’s guile.
But since I have my life in my hands,
it’s more than a question of style.
Instead it’s a conscious decision I make
to choose love over all other things.
Saying “I’m sorry, forgive me, I thank and love you”
gives my spirit everlasting wings.
--August 2023
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The Music of Life *Life, music, energy, love
The vibration of the Universe is all there is
since energy is at its core.
Each present moment plays its own tune
that’s unlike any other before.
The flow of life is an energy wave
that can be accessed by all.
We only need to meditate
to have its power on call.
Love’s what it takes to harmonize
with the music of the spheres.
It attracts the highest good for all
and releases our most basic fears.
The music of life is in our hearts
and can drown out the static we find.
If we live each moment with love and care,
healing is not far behind.
-- September 2023
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Filling the Hole *Life, healing, joy, peace
What feelings do I leave behind in my wake?
Sometimes it’s anger or sorrow or grief.
But I hope it’s peace and feelings of joy
or healing that offers the balm of relief.
On my rocky karmic journey through life,
I know I control each reaction and thought.
I look at the things my consciousness finds
for the peace and love that I’ve always sought.
I’m filling the hole inside of my life
so I can be whole by healing each pain.
I’m changing the Universe one thought at a time
so the peace in myself is everyone’s gain.
--October 2023
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The Flow of Life *Life, control, alignment
Water flows as water goes—
it’s Nature’s way after all.
Life begets life in a never-ending way
no matter if it leads to a fall.
Sometimes it speeds up, or maybe slows down,
but it always flows as it will.
The world may change but water will go
in a predictable stream downhill.
Our paths in life will be a success
if we allow events to transpire.
Resistance only blocks the way
but directing it sets it on fire.
The sooner we admit we’re not in control,
the sooner our vibrations align
with who we decide we’d like to become
and how high we’d like to climb.
Happiness comes by staying in the flow
like a cork bobbing in the stream.
It easily avoids the obstacles there
as though floating in a dream.
It’s not an easy thing to do
in our frantic pace of life,
but it’s the easiest way to thrive
and avoid the stress of strife.
--November 2023
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A Recipe for Happiness *Life, gratitude, abundance
We all have the power to change the world
by focusing on the good.
Our hearts can’t help but share our thoughts
even when we don’t think we should.
If we take all we have for granted then
we can only see what’s not there.
This lack festers into angry fears
that our emotional cupboards are bare.
All we can do is empty them more
by throwing bad thought hither and yon.
Events manifest as we project them to be
and our happiness is gone.
Is this the way we want to live,
ignoring the beauty all ‘round?
Our thoughts create the things we fear most
and bypass the good to be found.
By changing our hopes from what’s wrong to what’s right,
we can appreciate what we have.
We all crave happiness in this world
and love is a powerful salve.
Abundance flows as appreciation grows
for our lives and the way things are.
Gratitude and love will change the world
and happiness is our shining star.
--November 2023
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My Game of Life *Life, peace
My life is full of stories to tell,
good as well as bad.
Each day I decide which ones to recall
and whether they’ll be happy or sad.
Sometimes I think I’ll never forget
a wrong that was done to me.
So I allow it to fester and grow
and fear I’ll never be free.
I want to win in this game of life
no matter what the price.
I am the center of my universe
and so I don’t know how to be nice.
I circle the drain each time I return
to the bad thoughts I have.
Until I forgive the ones I blame
I’m an open wound with no salve.
But wait! There is an antidote that
will end my self-imposed state.
I’ll set my intention to de-story my life
and throw bad stories out my mind’s gate.
Then I’ll be free to love and to share
my peace with everyone.
My new “kindness practice” will spread far and wide
and my life’s purpose will be done.
--Betsy Lambert, December 2023
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My Transformation *Life, transformation
What is my deepest purpose in life?
Who do I want to be?
What makes me sure my intentions are right
and what change in myself must I see?
New directions are the scariest things,
with failure as something to blame.
But not achieving the outcome I want
is not the option I’ll claim.
Instead I’ll re-affirm the goals I choose
until I can make them so.
“As I give so shall I receive,”
is the mantra that allows me to grow.
I see my transformation to come
as something that’s already done.
I rejoice in advance and dance in the sun
since Who I Am is the One.
--Betsy Lambert, January 2024
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Golden Seeds *Life
It’s time for us to step back from our grand-kids’ lives.
It’s not that they don’t love us or think that we are wise.
We’re from another era with memories all our own.
We’re beginning to admit just how far apart we’ve grown.
Their Tic Tok posts are something we do not understand
and their culture goes right past us just like wine poured into sand.
There’s nothing wrong with us and nothing wrong with them.
We’ve climbed out of the river they’re just learning how to swim.
We watch them grow with purpose though they’re beyond our reach.
We’re no longer walking with them; they’re no longer ours to teach.
It’s all part of life’s cycle—they’re not toddlers anymore,
though we miss their squeals of pleasure when we walked in through the door.
The memories that they gave us warm us from within,
with their earnest little faces that still make us want to grin.
But nothing is forever—children grow up after all.
Everyone grows old and cranky and waits for death to call.
We hope we’ve done our duty and shown them how to live.
As long as they are happy, that’s the best thing we can give.
Their paths are theirs to take no matter what we think.
It’s not for us to control whether they rise or sink.
We need to clear the way so their parents can have a blast
helping them raise new families like we did in the past.
We’ll just cover them all with love as golden seeds are sown,
and hope it gives them courage to face life on their own.
--Betsy Lambert, January 2024
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The Ocean’s Song *Life, transformation
I am bobbing on the ocean
like sea foam on a wave.
I surrender to its motion
since it’s not mine to save.
I listen for its message
and accept what it may bring.
I align with where it takes me
and let my soul take wing.
My willingness to surrender
doesn’t mean I just let go.
I still have to make things happen
but perception guides my show.
If I think the world’s against me,
that is what I’ll find.
But if I decide it’s working with me
then I’m flowing with the Divine.
So I stay quiet on the inside
to hear the ocean’s song.
I do what I am called to do
and trust I won’t be wrong.
--Betsy Lambert, January 2024
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Our Beautiful Brains *Life
Everyone has a beautiful brain
that does what it’s meant to do.
Sometimes it’s bright, sometimes not so much
but it’s uniqueness will always shine through.
Some brains are creative with images and words
coming out in a tumbling flow.
Other brains analyze the world around
and create new pathways to go.
Without both brain types, the left and the right,
and everything in between,
the world would be a desolate place
hidden by a monochrome screen.
The same is true for personality types
based on how their brains work.
They have no choice over what they become
or where their demons may lurk.
But all people do the best that they can
given their means and place.
It may not be what society decrees
but we still live in the same space.
So bless your brain for all of its faults—
it’s the only one you’ve got.
It’s all you have to guide you through life
whether you like it or not.
--Betsy Lambert, February 2024
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Driving My Life *Life, control
I accept myself, the good with the bad—
as an umpire juggling the two.
I watch things happen and keep my mind clear
as my life works its way through.
I start with my mind driving the car
that holds my life within.
I watch my thoughts as they charge by
with my ego always pushing to win.
My breath is the fuel for this drive of life
and my emotions the steering wheel.
When I take over and am in control,
I gain a new ability to feel.
Now the world can see me anew
as someone in control of her fate.
I’m the “now” reality I choose to accept
and my breath is my starting gate.
--Betsy Lambert, February 2024
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The Great Equalizer *Life
The dentist’s chair will claim us all
at some point in our lives.
The whirling blade’s a disturbing call
for husbands as well as wives.
No matter what your place in life,
your teeth can pull you down.
Those nasty sweets act like a knife
whether you’re king or clown.
Our pearly whites must chew our food
and give us a warm smile.
They surround words both kind and rude
and help our eyes beguile.
But when they hurt, the pain they bring
will throw us to our knees.
For young and old, teeth are offering
pleasure-to-pain by degrees.
So take the time to brush them well
and treat them with respect.
Because otherwise you know they’ll tell
your care wasn’t what they expect.
--Betsy Lambert, March 2024
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My Tree of Life *Life, Awakening
I’m like a tree in the forest of consciousness,
expressing my goodness as part of the Whole.
My leaves flow with the wind, ever moving in concert
to bring peace and love to my hungry soul.
Bark is my cover to hide my light from the world
so that others won’t know that perfection’s my goal.
My roots hold me steady—they’re my core after all.
I’m One with creation until I become coal.
Since nothing’s forever on this earthly plane,
I’m awakened now and I’m living my role.
--Betsy Lambert, March 2024
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No AI Here *Life
The thing about my poetry is
that no one writes it but me.
Since poetry is so personal
it’s as unique as leaves on a tree.
We all have life experiences
that make us who we are.
And putting them down on paper
is like controlling them from afar.
The details can get blurry
and the meaning change with time,
but the thing I know for certain is
the end product is mine.
It’s not some AI version
of an imaginary scene
or written while under the influence
of a kind of exotic bean.
No, I pull each word out one-by-one
in the old-fashioned way,
by diving deep into my soul
to find out what to say.
It must be part of getting old
to want to speak my mind
about the things I’ve held inside
maybe better left behind.
--Betsy Lambert, May 2024
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My Monkey Mind *Life
The challenge of sleeping all night gets harder the older I get.
Lying awake in the dark gives me plenty of time to fret.
I think about things I have done and wish I could re-do again.
They may be bad or good; I just want the “good me” to win.
I think about dreams from the past that featured some vivid detail.
I might try to re-live them once more but I almost always fail.
Then I focus on my breath in meditative mode.
I hope it helps my mind to relax and release its load.
I give up and try to read, but calming my mind is rough.
The light wakes me up more and my eyes can’t focus enough.
I turn on my other side and start the process once more.
I try not to look at the clock just like I did before.
Then it’s time to pee so I sigh and get out of bed.
When I return I try a new protocol instead.
This time I tighten my legs all the way up to my pelvic floor—
anything to distract my mind so I can begin to snore.
The monkey in my brain is really not my friend.
I wish she would go to sleep so my day can finally end.
--Betsy Lambert, April 2024
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Assumptions *Life
I think I know what I thought I heard
and I think I got it right.
Then I do what I thought, or close enough,
since few things are black and white.
Then, according to what I thought I heard,
my logic kicks into gear.
I make assumptions about what I’m to do
and sometimes it’s not even near.
It makes me think I’m losing my mind
or what’s left at any rate.
I can hear something as clear as a bell
and then act in a dreamland state.
My memory plays its tricks on me, too,
and sometimes won’t let me sleep.
It recalls things from years ago
while allowing the present to creep.
I know where I used to keep my keys—
even last week they were there.
But today they’ve vanished from the face of the earth
and my memory lapse is laid bare.
Fortunately we can call our phones
when we put them in the wrong place.
But even then we tear rooms apart
while losing the ringtone race.
I guess it’s just part of growing old
since the brain’s the first to go.
I’ve forgotten what it was like to be young—
it’s why Nature made it so.
--Betsy Lambert, April 2024
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My Food Dilemma *Life
I think that food is the love of my life
because I crave it each day.
My arms’ extensions are my fork and knife
and the foods with which they play.
My family’s important and I love them so,
but especially at dinner time.
The food we cook helps them to grow
and give me pleasure sublime.
Groceries and recipes are on my mind
whether I’m driving or still.
Three times a day I’ll always find
that hunger’s testing my will.
I dream of how foods caress my tongue
in such an intimate way.
I know that ever since I was young
I’ve little trouble putting it away.
But now that I’m old, my belly can’t lie—
I’ve spent years expanding its girth.
Sometimes I fear that others stand by
waiting for me to give birth.
I don’t want to give up what has pleasured me so
just to fit into my clothes.
But I know I can’t continue to grow
like an ever expanding rose.
So I guess I’ll be forced to eat less and less
until my love for food wanes.
My body can’t handle the weight of food’s stress
and neither can my veins.
--Betsy Lambert, April 2024
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Flat Spaces Only Please *Life
My knees remind me of how old I am
at every possible time.
The stairs go up, the stairs go down—
my knees think both are a crime.
I no longer trust myself
to keep hostile stairs at bay
without desperately holding onto the rail
and hoping my knees won’t give way.
I guess they’re part of the warranty
that started when I was born.
There seems to be a finite amount
of steps before knee parts are torn.
So now I search for stair-less space
and treat my knees with care.
I’m just glad I made it this far
and that my greatest fear is the stair.
--Betsy Lambert, April 2024
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My New Master *Life
My bladder has a mind of its own,
just like an errant child.
It wakes me up when I want to sleep
and generally drives me wild.
I think I control my urge to pee
but it insistently tells me, “No,
you’ll do what I want no matter the time
and pee when I tell you to go.”
So I spend my life looking for loos,
in stores or cafes or parks.
I’m a slave to my need to empty out
like a dog leaving his marks.
I remember the days in the prime of my life
when bathrooms held little allure.
I could always plan my life around fun
without seeking a “pee-cure.”
--Betsy Lambert, April 2024
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The Winding Path *Life
Getting old is like climbing a hill—
we can’t do it in a straight line.
There are ups and downs and rocks and creeks
that interrupt our expected incline.
The path winds left and sometimes back right—
we never know where it will go.
Each step we take represents a new day
or even a new path we don’t know.
The rocks we move so we can get by
or else we climb over their peak.
Physical they can be or mental as well
but none are designed for the weak.
The ups we love since they make life worthwhile
but the downs get in the way.
Sometimes the weeds obscure the view
or rain spoils a sunny day.
Then there are life’s creeks that need a bridge
to get to the other side.
Our friends hold us up and keep us dry
through creeks narrow as well as wide.
We’re not sure what we’ll find at the top
or even when we’ll arrive.
But our journey there is all that counts
because it proves we’re alive.
--Betsy Lambert, April 2024
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Aging *Life
Aging isn’t for the faint of heart
though we’re lucky to have the chance.
Our physical processes start falling apart
and begin their final dance.
The experiences of our lives combine
to sweeten our decay.
One year to the next we see decline
and value each passing day.
We’re like fine wine that’s best when sipped
then savored to the last drop.
We hope our prime of life’s not clipped
just when we don’t want to stop.
The energy we used to have
has lost its urgency.
We don’t need achievement salve
and are content to merely be.
It’s not like giving up at all,
but more like giving in.
Where we used to climb up a wall,
we now give it a knowing grin.
Proving ourselves is behind us now
for who is there to impress?
We just hope our kids will allow
us to drive without giving them stress.
Priorities come and priorities go,
but fundamentals remain the same.
We live our lives as the winds blow
and try to keep out of the rain.
--Betsy Lambert, May 2024
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The Spirit of Service *Life, Service
I know that I am the Light of the World,
and I know that we all are, too.
We all have our own gifts to give
and find out what’s ours to do.
True giving’s source is a pure heart
that holds an intentional space.
It makes us all vessels designed to be used
to be in a spiritual place.
The service we give can soothe our souls
and lead to our purpose unfurled.
The love that we hold is what we can share
with others to improve our world.
--Betsy Lambert, June 2024
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Freedom *Life, Freedom
There are many types of freedom to claim,
like freedom of speech and love,
but fulfillment of our potential is one
that might need help from Above.
There’s freedom to vote and freedom to live
in the neighborhood we can afford.
There’s freedom to choose the church of our choice
and freedom to cut that cord.
Emotional freedom’s the most valuable, though,
and the foundation of how we live.
It allows us to achieve all that we can
and also how to forgive.
We are pure consciousness after all,
our body’s a transient host.
The emotions we feel are not really there
but they’re what affect us the most.
Mindfulness works to focus our thoughts
as we look at one thing at a time.
It keeps us from enslavement of body and mind,
so this freedom’s a gift from the Divine.
We may accept it or turn it away,
but our free will is always there.
Our lives can be free or emotionally fraught—
our choices lay our souls bare.
--Betsy Lambert, June 2024
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