If I could awaken from love’s dream
turn the mercury to a sliver
and hush the very breath that warmth and joy delivers…

If I could snuff the laughter
to a filtered pretend chuckle
and fasten tight the mystery with a hardened cut-steel buckle

If I harnessed dreams’ heart and hope
with a cold and cloudy stare
and turned my face from what is real,
if I could stop love there.

Soon the prickle of the cold
would turn my heart to grief,
if I awakened from the dream laid at my lover’s feet

And so this vision must remain
sweetly moving, gently nurtured
in the hope of love’s embrace

© Sandy Hibbard

I’d rather deal with the pain of trying to get to you than the pain of losing you…

“Be encouraged today by the strength that lies underneath your pain. 
Feel your tears then let them go – joy comes in the morning – you can count on it!”

You are the Spark that is Enough

You think big things come easily?  Try giving birth to a child.

You think the earth exploded into being without a blast?

Does metamorphosis come without dying? Try to catch that butterfly.

Do we ever find the answer without asking the question?

Will Spring return if there is no winter death?

There is a season for everything

A time for all things

We are destined to grow and change and move into ourselves to bring nourishment and life, shelter and shade

But the shadow of our height will not appear if the rain and the sun have not done their work

Or the clouds with storm and thunder have not declared it so

When warmth mingles it’s kisses with the cold and frigid earth, a miracle will happen

A seed will grow, an opportunity, a healing, a new beginning

Small things are big, fragile things are strong

You are the spark from the big bang

Your creativity is the hand of God

Joy will come, oh yes it will

Grace and mercy too

As sure as the sun will rise

Because YOU are enough

YOU are all that is needed

© Sandy Hibbard

Amazing images are by A/R.

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

Waking the Muse

I don’t know how long this will last
or where it will go
it may fade
like smoke from an extinguished candle
but my heart is awake now
and I am writing again
dreaming of love again

There’s a spark beginning to burn
igniting feelings in my heart
rushing through me
like claps of thunder trampling the sky
i can feel the rain as it falls
turning into a torrent
washing away my grief
giving birth to a new life

@ Sandy Hibbard

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”  ~ Henry David Thoreau

So sorry I have neglected my Saturday Soul blog, it’s not that I haven’t had anything to say, I have, I just haven’t felt like saying it.  I have been quiet and contemplative and introspective and thinking about the stuff going on in my life.

As always I want to share my experiences and insights with you – that’s what Saturday Soul is all about.  I don’t know the answers but I have my eyes open looking for them.

I look for the same things that you look for.

I am preaching to the choir, I am searching for the same things you are.

I am learning every moment of every day about myself.

I see things I like, I see things I hate, I embrace some of it and discard a lot of the other.

I do my best to be aware, to observe and to learn – and as I learn and “see” I will pass it on to you – I hope you will do the same and share with me as well.

Life is not at all perfect, in fact, it’s pretty damn hard. The imperfections and the challenges that come with our circumstances will quietly provide the answers we are looking for, if we’re listening.  And that whole experience will build a strength of character that ultimately instills a sense of joy toward life that moves us further along on our journey.  I promise!

Love & Peace,
Sandy

Yes, the words that we all understand – pain, loss, grief, faith, hope, despair, love.  And you know what I like about them?  They connect us! If we could ever stop long enough to be honest with ourselves and each other, we would find that #1 – we are not alone, and #2 – we are all connected.  May not know all the answers (and we don’t) but we can sure get through this life easier when we don’t single ourselves out to be some kind of lonely martyr or pitiful victim.   Really.  What has gotten me through the tuff times in my life (along with the love and support of my family and friends), was knowing that there are MILLIONS of women (and men) around the world that are going through the same type of thing (or another type of painful thing)!  And we survive.  With love, we will survive.  Love for ourselves and with acceptance.  Acceptance without judgment.

Last night I watched Clint Eastwood’s movie Hereafter and wow, I will be thinking on this story and characters for days!  My short review is: slowly moving, powerful, beautiful, deeply touching, deeply emotional.  There were parts in the movie I wanted to wail!  But then other moments that made my heart smile.  My take away?  Just what I was talking about – the many similarities of our stories, our connectedness, and the sweet thread of humanity that holds us all together  – no matter where you are, who you are, or what you believe.  Oh, and let’s not forget that thing that is so common among us ALL – our faith, and our desire for more.  I thought about the loved ones I have lost and the blank despair your heart feels, just like one of the characters in the movie.  I related to Cécile De France’s character in her search for meaning of her experience – how many of us have a “secret” we are trying to give meaning to in our lives? And then Matt Damon’s character that struggles with his “gift” – is it a blessing or a curse?  Ever wondered that?
I love Eastwood’s movies.  I like the way he patiently moves you into his characters, until you know them, relate to them.  I just sat back and enjoyed each nuance of the 3 main characters and their stories that intertwine throughout the movie – it was a quiet pleasure with a hint of sadness mixed throughout, then blossoming into a cool breeze of joy…life is kinda like that, don’t ya think?
Love and peace…always!
Sandy