Thursday, 21 March 2013

It matters not what path we took, but rather what we became on our journey......  


Life's Journey

Written by Beverlee Blampied (c)


Life's journey has left me a little more tired
At the end of each day
And I'm a little less anxious to have my way 
A little less ready to find fault and place blame
And I'm a little less needy of fortune and fame
I have a little more laughter still to share
And yet I shed a few more tears
I'm not as active as I once was
But thankfully I have no more fears
As I now, with more life behind me than ahead
Am walking toward my journey's end
Where time and eternity will meet and blend
I'm traveling down the twisted, winding way
On a path that leads to a different stay
Heading to where we all must go
To a place where we, the living, don't yet know
The book of my life's journey is coming to a close
And when all is said and done
No sadness or tears are needed
But happy I'll be, if some can say
That they are a better person
Because I passed their way

Tuesday, 19 March 2013

Our lives are filled with emotional tunnels, but by learning how to navigate these tunnels we can find healing and a new understanding of the meaning of life.....


Broken Fences And Shattered Dreams

Growing up she was taught to strive for perfection -  in all areas of her ife - so, to her, it was a foregone conclusion that she could achieve all that she desired if she worked hard enough to attain it.  And, oh, how she tried! 

The most rewarding of her successes was her home with the white-picket-fence-perfect- family. When she closed her eyes, even now, she could still see the white picket fence off in the distance - flowers surrounding it, and sun shining on it. Her memories provided her images of her twirling around and basking in all that was beautiful.

But somewhere along the twisted paths of her life journey,  through painful family losses and divorce - circumstances beyond her control - she grasped harder to her dream than to reality, and her dream shattered. She was left with a broken fence and trampled flowers, and now, instead of dancing, her heart ached and she walked slowly, choosing a new path at the fork in the road.  Her soul yearned to mend the broken pieces of her life, but she was far from being able to do so.

With every loss she had experienced she felt as if she had been plunged into darkness - she was mortified and discouraged - and often felt overwhelmed, torn apart, and dreadfully disappointed. She believed she had been punished for past mistakes she had made, in fact,  that she had been unfairly punished just for being her imperfect self.

As she went through this period of extreme loss and pain, she began to reflect on the people who meant the most to her, instead of on her personal successes, and on the clear design of her life, instead of on life's distractions and white picket fences. After much soul searching she started to learn from her negative experiences and so began to grow again. She learned through these transitions and changes, and was able to really grasp that the purpose of her life was not about a white picket fence and a garden full of flowers. It was not about a husband or marriage or family relationship that could be looked upon by others as being perfect. Nor was it about being the mother of perfect, well-mannered, intelligent, university educated, married children who she grew up to be her success 'trophies'. 

Life now became about looking at her every circumstance and every moment and knowing that through her troubled times and brokenness she could continue to grow and find her way through life's ordeals. She could cultivate her family garden, giving each flower it's own space to grow and learn. She could now stand firm in her newly found reality, but also offer assurances that would make it easier for those special to her, as they adjusted to her change.  She had learned that to be complete within herself, her relationships have to be continually cared for and nurtured, and she was finally willing to risk presenting her imperfect self to those she loved within those relationships, and she now knew, clearly, that white picket fences were not the measure of her life or her soul.   
  

Friday, 15 March 2013

There is a difference between living and existing as beyond the physical needs are the emotional ones.....


Bringing Dignity To Those With Alzheimer Disease  

Written by Beverlee Blampied (c)


Thank you.....
To those with a happy and generous smile
Who stop to chat for a little while
To those who understand 
Their shuffling steps and shaking hand
To those who seem to know
That their eyes are vacant and their mind is slow
To those who are aware that their hearing goes astray
And their ears must strain to hear the things others say
To those who quietly look away
When they spill food on their dinner tray
To those who try never to say
"But you've told that story three times today"
To those who have learned the way
To help bring back their memories of yesterday
To those who make certain to let it be known
That they are loved, respected and not alone
To those who will help ease the difficult days
Of their life journey, in thoughtful and loving ways  









Sunday, 10 March 2013

In my every thought there is power to change the footprints I leave along the paths of my life journey.....


And More  Random Thoughts

I can never 'fix' anyone because 'fixing' is an inside job - the only thing I can do is love and appreciate the person by creating enough space for that person to 'fix' themself.....

I might not be proud of some of the things I've done in the past but I'm proud of who I am today.....

Even in times of sorrow my heart knows that my memories will always endure.....

When I stand in my own space it always becomes clear what my choices are and which ones I need to make.....

The role I play in another's life is only as powerful as the trust between us.....

The purpose in my life is to have made some difference that I have lived at all.....

 I am learning to listen to my soul no matter how overwhelming my fears may be.....

Every time I don't listen to my soul I experience a loss of energy, a loss of power and a sense of spiritual deadness.....

If I undervalue myself I will be undervalued by others who cross my path.....

I have learned, finally, that allowing myself to say "NO" is the best way I can look after my own self-care.....

I have realized lately that it is okay to leave enough time in my day to write and that by allowing myself this freedom of creativity I will be  happy and satisfied.....

Today is the beginning of the LAST day of my life.....  


Saturday, 9 March 2013

The past is where I learned the lesson, the future is where I can choose to apply the lesson, but the middle is where I must diligently live the lesson.....


If Tomorrow Never Comes

Written by Beverlee Blampied (c)


There will always be a tomorrow to make up for an oversight
And we  think we can always get a second chance t
o make everything just right
We think there will always be another day to say an "I love you"
And certainly there's always another chance to ask "Is there anything I can do?"
But just in case I might be wrong and today is all I get
I will say and do it all today and hope that I don't forget
That tomorrow is not promised to anyone so I will be 'in the moment' to share the day
Even though there could be many more, I won't let even one day slip away
I will not wait for a tomorrow, I will make sure to make the best of today
For if tomorrow never comes I do not want to regret what I didn't say
I will take the extra time for a smile, a hug or a kiss
And I will not let myself be too busy, if asked, to grant someone their special wish
I will hold my loved ones close today and whisper in their ear
Tell them how much I love them and that I'll always hold them dear
I will take the time to say "I'm sorry", "Please forgive me", "Thank you" or "It's okay"
So that if tomorrow never comes I will have no regrets about today




Friday, 8 March 2013

The things that hurt the most, teach the most......

Movement From Moment To Moment

Along the sometimes rugged paths of her life journey she has learned the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. She has leaned that love doesn't mean leaning on someone and having a partner does not always mean security as kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't always promises.

She is learning to accept her defeats with her head up and her eyes ahead with the grace of a woman and not the grief of a child. She is building all new roads today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for making plans and the future has a way of offering false hope.

It has taken her a lifetime to realize that even 'sunshine' burns if she gets too much of it, so she will now plant her own garden and decorate her own soul, instead of waiting to be given flowers. 

She has learned, most importantly, that she really can endure, that she really is strong, and really does have worth and that with every goodbye she really can continue to learn.....  

.


Thursday, 7 March 2013

It is important to remember along our life journey that one minute of our life holds all the properties of our entire life.....


Transformation

It was almost midnight and she was not yet sleeping. In the past week her name on the transplant list had jumped closer to the top since her doctor had changed the transplant request for a  younger organ to that of anyone up to 70 years of age. 

Her pager could beep at any time - in an hour, a day, a week a month. She could have no way of knowing when. All she knew was that she couldn't sleep - but she wasn't afraid yet - just tired, she supposed, because  of all her medical problems, but tired also from biding her time, using her time, crying sometimes, laughing quite a lot, and from dealing with all her obvious frustrations. But, on the whole, she had been quite calm. Maybe her calmness was because she was used to dealing with life-changing experiences - and most of the time the changes had always been for the better. She had learned along her life journey tha a life-changing experience could be a very small thing - like hearing the chirp of a bird that she had never heard before or watching a movie in which the subject matter would not normally have been of any interest to her, or changing the style of the clothes she had been used to wearing for years. 

For the past several days of waiting for her pager to buzz, as time was closing in, her husband, children and close friends had started to display more anxiety than she had seen in them since her journey had begun. Perhaps it was hard for them, she thought, as they were waiting for the surgery to finally happen and to see her overcome it, intact, hoping that nothing would go wrong. She began to think that maybe she, too, was just as frightened because, little by little, she felt that her physical world was becoming smaller. Her physical abilities had diminished a lot, and sometimes, just combing her hair was more than she wanted to handle.

She believed in one true thing, though, and that was doing what one is required to do, with an open heart and a soul full of spirit - it was not more complicated than that. Her perceptions had started to become even more clear recently. She had spent so much time along her life journey worrying about all kinds of things. But when it came to waiting for a 'beep' that could extend her life and imrpve its quality enormously, her pre-conceived problems and mundane worries seemed to depart without a trace.

Right now, she felt her primary concern was to comfort her husband and children - but what could she really say to them that would remove their fears? As for herself, she knew that she would be asleep and in good hands during her transformation, but they would be in the hospital waiting room for hours, frightened that they would never see her again. She didn't have any deep or meaningful answers for them, but she would tell tham what was in her heart at that moment, and that they should not worry but, most importantly, that she loved them.

Soon, her life would radically change. She didn't know when, but she was ready and she would move forward, and she would go smiling, because the beginning of a new life would be waiitng for her and she would not allow any fear to stand in the way of receiving such a wonderful gift.        

Friday, 1 March 2013

At certain stages along my life journey it has been important to realize that there is a necessary process of catharsis.........

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my birthday. And I will spend it doing the things I love -  writing, reading, and talking and laughing with those with whom I share my life journey, be they my significant other, my children, their spouses and their children - my grandchildren. And, of course, my closest friends.

Today is my birthday. And there will be moments of looking back, looking forward, and looking in. There will be memories of hard times, sad times, good times, happy times and times that seemed so totally impossible to repair. And there will be new memories that this day will provide.

Today is my birthday. And I will begin this new year of my life by creating a new 'me' - as sometimes I've become overly embroiled in my concern for my family, and my desire to be an integral part of their lives has taken precedence over things I should have been doing to maintain my own sense of well-being - and I have paid the emotional price. I will continue to be close and connected to them, yet separate. There are bound to be unpredictable plot twists in our family narrative, but each person must write their own story, and I can not manufacture, alter, or control their story any more than they, or I, can control mine. What will be, will be. 

Today is my birthday. And I will start the next stage of my life by expanding my mind and my heart. I will concentrate on having sharper ideas, clearer feelings and a more defined sense of purpose. And I will continue to use my creativity to express my emotions and fill my soul. And I will take ownership of my need for spirituality for the full essence of who I am.

Today is my birthday. And I will begin working at developing a creative tranquility, a condition in which I can be free from practical concerns - where I can provide myself an environment that stills my mind and quiets my heart - and then walk from my quiet moment, my walk by the river, my stroll through the woods, prepared to face the world with a fresh attitude. 

Today is my birthday. And the odd thing, the beautiful thing, is that even after many 'pot holes' on the paths of my journey, I feel good, optimistic even - about where I am, about where I've been, and about where I'm headed - even though I don't know exactly where that is. But I will believe that all things will turn out fine, no matter what, and I will learn to take things day by day. And I will trust. 

Today is my birthday. And I will continue to work toward linking my soul and my spirit as they work best when one is connected to the other, and their rhythm is very crucial to making me who I am.