Touched by an Angel

by Maya Angelou


We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

“Upon awakening, let the words Thank You flow from your lips, for this will remind you to begin your day with gratitude and compassion.” ~ Wayne Dyer

"People are scared to empty their minds
fearing they will be engulfed by the void.
What they don't realize is that
their own mind is the void."
~ Huang Po

One of my favorite quotes...
 

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
~ Meister Eckhart

“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” ~ Thích Nhất Hạnh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

Wild Geese
by
Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

"For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile." ~ Elie Wiesel

Hang in there.
Even the worst weeks have Fridays in them.

Don't Settle For Scraps
 

"If someone won't lift a finger to call you, see you spend time with you, it's time for you to lift 5 fingers and wave goodbye."

An all time favourite...
 

6:59 AM
by
Shane Koyczan

I’ve been told
that people in the army
do more by 7:00 am
than I do
in an entire day
But if I wake
at 6:59 am
and turn to you
to trace the outline of your lips
with mine
I will have done enough
and killed no one
in the process.

Goodbyes are not forever
Goodbyes are not the end
They simply mean I'll miss you
Until we meet again


See you on the other side

In memory of a friend that fought illness for many years