Looking back

Looking back over this year 

As we move toward the next, 

I wonder what it is we will remember, 

And if that will be tempered 

By the year that’s still to come, 

Or bear fruit somehow 

 In a variety of creative endeavors…

Living on the edge

Living on the edge can be wonderful 

If the edge you’re living on is a body of water, 

The cliff is solid, and there are no storms 

To threaten your living environment. 

But the other edges that are not so pleasant — Joblessness, homelessness, 

Relationship issues, disease… 

Those are much more challenging, 

And we’re grateful for the friends 

Who get us through.

In solitude

In troubling times, the temptation is strong 

To retreat into a lonelier, quieter space:

 It’s easy to assume it’s other folks 

Who are making our lives miserable: 

Surely watching from a distance 

 Will ease our pain; 

So much easier to claim we love 

When we’re not required to act on it. 

And yet… so much of what gives pleasure in life 

Is found in interactions with other humans.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 

May your holidays be filled 

With peace and joy, 

Good health, and many blessings!

Ready to love

Like the objects in this mirror, 

Christmas is closer than it appears, 

And are we ever ready 

For the shift in consciousness 

That birth was meant to bring;

 To truly love one another as ourselves?

Holiday wishes

Whatever your plans for the holidays, 

Whether you’re flying or traveling by boat, 

Car or train, or staying home,

 I wish you warmth, comfort, and the special joy 

Of family and good friends.

Our inner light

A lighthouse without a light, however beautiful,

 Is just an empty shell and has lost its purpose. 

Each of us has been born 

With an inner light as well: 

May it never be extinguished, 

But continue to light the way 

For ourselves and others.