Tag Archives: mindfulness

Bouldering

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I carry rocks,
like a body builder,
showing off strength,
but in the shadows,
where the lens,
cannot see me,
I climb them,
instead.
Bouldering,
rock after rock,
until the muscles,
of my fragile heart,
have grown strong.
I keep on climbing,
knowing that,
the great Chinese wall,
was not build,
in one single day.
My soul alike,
cannot be build,
in a moment.
Strength takes time,
and as the clock ticks,
I concentrate,
merely on the next,
positions of my hands,
so my feet can follow,
where the rope leads,
to the top,
of my ability.  

The dance of the starlings

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The dance of  the starlings

As the content of my soul,
is spilled on the white marble floor,
the history of nature forces me,
to let her guide me along the way.  
Through the raindrops I fall down.
Through the fog I rise again,
but the sun remains behind the clouds,
until time is ready to show her off again.
Rainbows bring hope and promises,
of new beginnings and better times,
where the grass is finally greener,
on my side of the meadows,
and where birds joyfully fly.
Life has an art of falling and rising,
like the dance of starlings in the sky,
where one never knows the next step,
but the heart always follows the rhythm of the music,
the soul plays at that particular time.
As my arms spread and my hands open,
I catch the first raindrops of the season,
bringing the joy of my heart to the surface.
However dark the seasons are,
the knowledge of what is ahead,
softens the cracks in my broken heart,
teaching me that the negative will never last.
So, even when I do not know the future,
or what my next step on this road will be,
love is teaching me that greatest endurance,
is learning to dance in the pouring rain,
for the future that is already in sight.

Roots

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Roots

Roots dig deep,
at the rivershore,
laying a firm foundation,
for the old cottage.
The water rises,
the wind blows through the trees,
bowing and breaking the branches,
but the roots do not give in.
As the sun sets behind the horizon,
the country roads become dark,
and the foxes come out of their holes to play,
still the roots protect the house,
for whatever is built on love,
will never fall,
and whoever relies,
on this firm foundation,
will find goodness,
for the rest of his life.

Summer Festivities

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Summer Festivities

Sunbeams warm my face,
music softly colors the background,
and rich scents of food swirl around me.

My heart is at ease,
even though the fire is still burning,
destroying everything on her path,
just a stones throw away from me.

Somehow I decided to shift my focus,
by turning my head away from the horizon.
Life is here to enjoy and celebrate,
so, instead of focusing on what I cannot change,
I allow my heart to breathe.

The wind plays with my hair.
And as a new energy caresses my skin,
I feel an energy of growth,
mixing herself with an energy of determination,
creating a whole new beat,
teaching me to sing about letting go,
while still holding on to the rhythm of purpose.

Summer festivities are a great distraction,
to celebrate this new beginning with love.
And as new friendships suddenly embrace me,
I realize that love generally finds you,
when you learn to lose control,
over the past and the future,
to live in the present with joy!

The Freedom to fly

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The Freedom to fly

A little feather,
with a million silky hairs,
lays desolated on the ground.
Blown away by the wind,
it catches my heart,
and captures my soul.
A gift on a bed of grass,
glimmering in the sun,
it shines like the stars.
The stories it could tell me,
reach beyond the farthest galaxy,
where Heaven meets earth,
in the palm of God’s hand.
And as suddenly as it came,
the Spirit takes it away from me,
leaving me with an imprint,
of an unknown future,
where my feelings will find,
the freedom to fly.

Photo taken by me: Gineke van Keulen. (Do not use without permission! Thank you!)

Unchained

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Unchained,
you are free.
Able to spread your wings,
to fly away on the wind.
Away from me –
from who I am,
and who I used to be.

You are able,
to choose for me,
or against me.
You are free
to be,
who you were always meant to be.

I set you free,
like a bird from a cage,
because I love you,
and for love,
to be real pure love,
it has to be free.

Love is not chained,
nor forced or caged.
In the end,
love is free.

So now,
I am unchained,
I am,
finally free.

Inner Child

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Inner Child

Butterfly bushes grow in many colors,
and yet I can only look at you.
Your small eyes stare at me in great wonder,
as if you have a thousand questions to ask.

As the years went by I kept you at a distance,
but your soft whimpering haunted me.
As hard as I tried to run away from you,
I somehow carried you along with me,
making the distance nothing more than a hair.

After all these years I have stopped running,
to focus on what you are trying to say.
Without words I have to learn to assess,
every little movement you make,
and every little emotion you display.

If babies could speak the time would go faster,
but I have to learn how to embrace patience,
as the clock is loudly ticking behind me.

Then suddenly, for the first time in forever,
my hands reach out to you to lift you up,
into my arms where I know you are safe.
I have learned to understand what you need,
to give you everything you deserve at the right time.

The baby I am holding in my arms,
is none other than my own inner child,
who is teaching me that in order to survive,
I have to learn to accept and embrace her.

As the world is slowly passing me by,
and the last words of the sermon escape me,
I walk out of the church service,
with a wisdom that is greatly exceeding me.

In order to live life to the utmost fullest,
embracing the purpose awaiting you,
you first have to learn to take care of a baby –
the representation of your own inner child.

A Lesson in Strength

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A Lesson in Strength

A storm in a glass of water,
maybe that was all I had to endure,
but for me it was a tornado,
a giant flood overwhelming me.
I needed the world to stop,
for my life to come to a halt.
I needed panic to take me over,
and fear to pierce a way through my heart.

In order for us to become stronger,
we first have to become weaker.
For strength can only enter our soul,
if it defeats all the negative inside us,
and diminishes our fears and doubts.
When the mind grows stronger,
it allows our faith to grow,
so we can learn to trust ourselves.
Like a seed in the dark earth,
first has to die,
in order to bloom in its brightest colors,
that is how our dark hearts,
first has to die inside of us,
in order to become strong and invincible.
When we are willing to face our fear,
we are able to defeat them in the battle.
If we are willing to work on ourselves,
the victory of self-growth will be ours.
The lesson of strength,
has been the most valuable in my life,
for it has taught me,
that when you do not give up,
anything is possible.
The key is to put one foot in front of the other,
to breathe one breath at the time,
to force your heart to keep on beating,
when the darkness seems to engulf you.
But the greatest help in this process,
was a man on a cross,
who rose from the dead,
and who believed in me,
long before I did.
The road to pure strength,
goes through deep dark valleys,
and over high mountains,
but at the end of the road,
the prize of self-love,
understanding, wisdom, and confidence,
is worth everything!

DSCF3415
Photo: taken by myself at a bamboo forest in France in 2014!

Self – Care

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Self – Care

As my hand strikes across my skin,
the oil pours into my soul,
as a well needed refreshment.
I can feel my skin breathe again,
pulling my depressive mind,
out of the thick black fog,
it has resided in for so long.

Sometimes we need to look,
at the person deep inside of us,
ask her what she needs to live,
to feel loved and cared for.
We need to embrace who we are,
and what we look like,
instead of punishing the beauty,
that we so evidently cannot see.

Look in the mirror and witness,
the beauty you already possess.
Instead of looking at your imperfections,
teach yourself to look at the assets of yourself,
that define your inner soul,
and make your whole being shine,
like the look in your eyes or a smile.

When we look at our own beauty,
we appreciate what we have been given,
allowing us to live a more positive life.
Self-care is the love we give to ourselves,
to rejuvenate us, embrace us,
and value the beautiful souls we are.

Self-care is the most precious gift,
we can ever give to ourselves,
and to the One who created us.
So, whenever you feel unloved,
begin to love yourself,
and your mind and soul will heal itself.

 

 

Appreciation

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Appreciation

Waterfalls rain down on my open hands,
setting my mind free for the first time.
The silence in this desolated isolation,
is a gift for the weary and burdened soul,
that has become a part of every detail of my being.

Through the years the street noises have overruled,
the peaceful sounds of nature around me,
and the car horns are still ringing in my ears.
How I have longed for the silence of today,
where my mind is finally as peaceful as a mountain lake!

The sound of birds is music to my ears,
healing my soul with every breath that I take.
For a single moment nothing seems more important,
than the beautiful gift of being alive,
yet the dark clouds are still hanging over me,
as a painful reminder of a previous life.

There is nothing more challenging than hiking on rough terrain,
where clouds break and lightening strikes all around me.
But perseverance in endurance build my self-confidence,
providing me with joy and satisfaction,
as I am rewarded with this beautiful view of the future.

Remembering the valleys helps us,
to appreciate the victories,
and in this peaceful silence of today,
there is nothing that I could more appreciate!