Diamonds winking

Diamonds winking on the frost tinged grass
shimmers a blanket of wonder to the dawning day.

Mesmerized,
I am drawn into their light,
the glint of how
to keep that spot of sparkle alive.

What hardened lumps of coal
had to be swallowed,
compressed by the flames of challenge,
wrought, wrung and molded
into the diamond-hearted
center of me?

Lessons learned pale in compare

as I relax as a single
drop
in the treasured meadow
of this day's forever rise.

mj 11.12.13 poem and photo

I choose Love

Ok, not exactly a poem from my Kindspring friends, it's the words to a song by Shawn Gallaway called "I choose Love"

 

I can see laughter, or I can see tears
I see a choice, love or fear
What do you choose?
I can see peace, or I can see war
I can see sunshine, or I can see a storm
What do you choose?

Now I choose to live with freedom flying
From my heart, where the light keeps shining
I choose to feel the whole world crying
For the strength that we can rise above
I choose Love

I can see sharing, or I can see greed
I can see caring, or poverty
What do you choose?
I can see gardens, or I can see bombs
I can see life, or death
Coming on strong
What do you choose?

Now I choose…

I see us healing, the darkness dying
I see us dawning, as one world united
So what do you choose?
Love or fear
Oh, we choose

Now I choose to live with freedom flying
From my heart, where the light keeps shining
I choose to feel the whole world crying
I choose to feel one voice rising
I choose to feel us all united
In the strength that we can rise above
I choose Love

2003 Shrabuvu Music (SESAC)

You can listen to it here.

Let’s Do Something New

                                                    

Let’s do
Something new
In life…
Some extra time
With family…
Some extra care
For our society…
Some Extra bread
For a beggar…
Some extra love
For our beloved…
Some extra play
With children…
Some extra meditation
For our soul….
Something extra
For our universe….
For our nature ….

KM Bhai

Empowering Love

Just as the sun shines its everlasting light regardless of the momentary clouds or the darkness of night, our universal love is always present and a part of us no matter what our current limited perspective may be. We are reawakening to this potent and enlivening energy and it is infusing and permeating our veiled consciousness, inspiring us to restore and empower reality from our heart. We are rapidly remembering our connection to everything and everyone and clearly seeing the results of choices made without consideration to the whole.

Love is a unifying principle that encourages and inspires. It is compassion and kindness in action. It forgives and releases what was and allows the pure potential of what can be. Love is the cosmic connection to life itself. As we embolden ourselves with this animating power, we fully reestablish its presence in our awareness and begin a new adventure with love as our guide and constant companion.

Empowering life with love is our true adventure. Fear as a motivator is no longer viable, necessary, or useful. There is no reason to be afraid when we know love is always present and infinitely more powerful as a choice and a way of being. It begins within by realizing and embracing our magnificence and acknowledging the marvelous wonder of life. From the tiniest subatomic particle to the stars that shine light-years away, we are a part of it all. With love in our heart, we are the magic and the miracle right where we are, and as we share our love, life itself expands in ever-greater expressions of love.

Love and hugs,

Harold W. Becker

Founder and President

The Love Foundation

Hope Dealers

❤️ "We deal in Love,
We deal in Hope.
🙂Turning frowns into Smiles,
Spreading kindness
Across the miles.
We are Hope Dealers" ❤️
~ The Mishinator 😎✌️

Light

The way the light
hits the barn
as we whiz by on the highway

strikes me
as a bolt of red-orange and blue

setting aflame a canvassed
create
of such a deep appreciate

that I
am that sky.

mj 5.31.17 poem and photo

At Chapel today

the walls expanded
the trees breathed
and i blended into

TheExpansivenessOfWonder

that took hold of me
shook me in a rush of swaying wind
until i could only sigh with gratitude
and slip from the meditation bench

to the ground
delving further into the depths
of the sunlight's glint on the grassy stubble

halos echoed
the dropping needles and pinecones of sound
heard in-between
the keening and the hallelujahs

reintroducing me to a song beyond time

"In the glories we sing with a reverence for all and everything. We bow before our God, thankful and blessed."

mj 11.22.17 poem

The Ocean Of Grace

All is well.
Just remember,
Everything is perfect.
Nothing can go wrong
In this beautiful place,
This ocean of Grace.
You are part of it.
You are in it.
It is in you!


By Sparrow
Under the Waterfall of Grace November 2011

Step

❤️

Step

feeling smaller
than a ladybug's spot
she sits on the garden bench
watching a turtle disappear
into the tangled brush
perhaps the willows
will hear her weeping
and flutter her grief
onto the healing wind
of time and change and
love and life and death
and rebirth
slowly
she starts
with a single step
and creeps across
the newly mown grass

mj poem

Rainbow souls

Knowing the splendor of each distinctive band of color in a rainbow readily mixing with the next, comprising something even grander than itself, reminds us of our celestial and eternal heritage. When the ever-present light shines from beyond the cloud, the reflection of our rainbow colors emerge. Symbolically this is the awakening we are all undergoing.

Where some presently see only rigid and structured contrast of black and white, us and them, others are becoming keenly aware that a new dawn is prompting us to arise and walk consciously together in our world once again. By noticing the interconnected and multidimensional magnificence all around us, we are allowing the spark of light within to shine through us as joy and compassion, kindness and integrity. It is our unconditional spirit that seamlessly blends with our reality and brings the full spectrum of color into our experience.

As we venture forth, do we continue to prolong our slumber under the sense of separation or choose to fully awaken to our heart’s calling? The choice is as simple as we make it and unfolds moment-by-moment with our intention. Let’s stand up and be an active participant embracing our rainbow colors letting them shine, rather than lingering for a while longer in the duality of contrast as the alarms get louder. The call of unconditional love is beckoning us forward in our full creative capacity dreaming new worlds into existence. Future generations are counting on your dazzling courage to fully awaken now.

Love and hugs,

Harold W. Becker

Founder and President

The Love Foundation

You

You are the light that shines within me.

You are the song that soothes my soul.

You are the life that lives within me.

You are the One that makes me whole.

You are the gift that fills my present.

You are the answer to my past.

You are the secret of my future.

You are the Truth that holds me fast.

You are my every inspiration.

You are my courage in the night.

You are the hope that holds my head high.

You are the thought that sets me right.

You are the glory of the sunset.

You are the myst’ry of the stars.

You are my first and last and all between.

You are the peace within my heart.

You are the comfort brought by others.

You are the kind words of a friend.

You are the secret in a stranger’s smile.

You are my rainbow’s end.

You are the Love that burns within me.

You are the Love surrounding me.

You are the Love I can depend on.

You are my Love, Lord, eternally.

Patrick

September 2011

But what we forgot

Did you know
that you know everything already?

You just forgot, is all.

This process of life,
this learning, this re-remembering
is our stepping back thru the gate
of that promised land.

Trellised in forgiveness,
bridged with lotus blossoms,
we are the seeds
struggling thru watery qualm,
to be constantly newly born.

We dance upon the land,
swimming as skylarks
blending into the brilliantly blue
shedding all clouds of doubt
as layers of mulch.

No under-glass, hothouse flowers us.

We weather the frosts, the droughts,
the unsettled indecision, the burning,
until there is nothing left

but what we forgot.

mj 11.5.17 poem

Who is at my door?

Rumi poem

He said, "Who is at my door?"
I said, "Your humble servant."
He said, "What business do you have?"
I said, "To greet you, 0 Lord."


He said, "How long will you journey on?"
I said, "Until you stop me."
He said, "How long will you boil in the fire?"
I said, "Until I am pure.


"This is my oath of love.
For the sake of love
I gave up wealth and position."


He said, "You have pleaded your case
but you have no witness."
I said, "My tears are my witness;
the pallor of my face is my proof.'
He said, "Your witness has no credibility;
your eyes are too wet to see."
I said, "By the splendor of your justice
my eyes are clear and faultless."


He said, "What do you seek?"
I said, "To have you as my constant friend."
He said, "What do you want from me?"
I said, "Your abundant grace."


He said, "Who was your companion on the 'ourney?
I said, "The thought of you, 0 King."
He said, "What called you here?"
I said, "The fragrance of your wine."


He said, "What brings you the most fulfillment?"
I said, "The company of the Emperor."
He said, "What do you find there?"
I said, "A hundred miracles."
He said, "Why is the palace deserted?"
I said, "They all fear the thief."
He said, "Who is the thief?"
I said, "The one who keeps me from -you.


He said, "Where is there safety?"
I said, "In service and renunciation."
He said, "What is there to renounce?"
I said, "The hope of salvation."


He said, "Where is there calamity?"
I said, "In the presence of your love."
He said, "How do you benefit from this life?"
I said, "By keeping true to myself


Now it is time for silence.
If I told you about His true essence
You would fly from your self and be gone,
and neither door nor roof could hold you back!

From dreams, I woke.

From dreams, I woke with a thank you
on my lips
whispered
for the amazingness that this day holds
the immense possibilities and probabilities
that rise
as we struggle to peek over the horizon.

In the shadows are silhouettes
formed and shaped
from the absence of Light
the sense of emergence, of what could be
if only
if only
the path stays open and clear.

For it is from my heart that the flame burns
a forest
dappled with a hoarfrost of diamonds
waiting
waiting
to be discovered on the tips of needled pines.

I will then be refracted and spun
into a treasure

dawning as day.

mj 11.1.17 poem and photo

I don't know God

I don’t know God
But I have life,
I can try to know him...

I never see God
But I have eyes,
I can see his goodness....

I never meet to God
But I have mother & father
I can live with them.........

I don’t know God’s house
But I have neighbors,
I can visit to their house......

I never do anything for God
But I have my society,
I can do something for him......

I don’t know God’s creations
But I have nature,
I can create beautiful nature....

I never chat with God
But I have friends,
I can share my feelings with him....

I don’t know God’s message
But I have great soul,
I can spread Love & peace.....

KM Bhai

We are those stones

I try to step carefully along the river's edge
but stones
rounded smooth by water running fast
or slow
and then not at all

still hurt

when I become unbalanced
by a misstep.


Pausing to regroup and find another footing
I take that opportunity
to choose
a single stone

lift it up from the others
and hold it
in my palm

where I can better contemplate
the subtleties that caused its shape.

What rapids did it ride on a tempestuous storm?
What summer suns did it absorb and reflect?
How did it separate and flow past?

I am tempted to save it
safe in my pocket
but if I do, how could I stop at one?

To the river's edge I allow it to fall
back
into the beautiful obscurity
as an integral part of it all.

mj 10.26.17 poem

It's what we all do

✨ It's what we all do ✨

"Darkness, darkness, my old friend.
We meet again and again.
In the darkness abides the Light.
We go there and set things right.
Grateful." ✨✨
~ The Mishinator 😎✌️

World Kindness Day - 13th November

We celebrate KINDNESS every day here on our lovely KindSpring site! I've seen it take so many forms and yet, I know that we have not even scratched the surface of such a powerful force.


It is the key that opens the door,
The siren that heralds what is more.
It is the forgotten smile that stirs hope,
The lion that purrs its willingness to cope.
It is the comforting hug of a friend,
The gift we need for a hurt to mend.
It is the umbrella shared during a storm,
The shelter of a compassionate form.
It is the house we all come to know
Encouraging others to grow.
For what greater gift can we find
Than to support, nurture and be kind?

mj 11.10.17 poem

The Floating Garden

My life is a garden
Mysterious
Beautiful
Perfect
A hidden garden
Secret
Special
Invigorating
A floating garden
Buoyant
Carefree
Delightful
An island garden
Floating in the Sea of Grace
Part of His Being
Carried by Currents of Love
I am in a garden
And there is a garden in me
A place of refreshment and ease
Beloved and Lovely
Peaceful and at Peace
Whole and Holy
Homey and Home


By Sparrow
Under the Waterfall of Grace November 2011

Remembrance







Whether they wanted to go or not
they mustered up and soldiered on
facing fears of uncertainty and challenge,
giving their energy, their dreams, even their
lives.

We honor all who stepped up and protected us
from threats of annihilation and alienation
from truth beauty love and yes, even
peace.

From our centering calm and meditation
there are times and situations that call
for action, for not keeping silent, for being a
light.

Striking a candle to encourage and guide
has as many manifests as there are dreams.
We have faith thru shadows dark,
back into the space of all beloved hearts.



mj 11.9.17 poem

Ascending in Love

We are here to celebrate life. Every step we take upon this magical journey is ours to enjoy. Embracing our potential and using this power to let go of limitation, we experience a new level of our true self. As we continue to expand in love, the heart blazes brighter with the light of our unlimited divine being. This spiritual essence encased within our form is breaking free and expressing its loving nature.

We have a presence about us everywhere we go and in all we do. This presence is so much more than we currently perceive ourselves to be. It is our higher nature, the angel within. It is our individual divine expression of the Universe. To the degree we choose to align with these higher expressions, our energy conveys love, wisdom, and power. This is our real heritage and truth.

Remembering the nature of our existence allows us to tap this mighty reservoir and use its limitless supply of energy to create our dreams. Awakening to the original plan we are choosing once again the expression of love to guide us on our path. The only thing really changing is the focus of our attention. Yet, by this choice, everything we experience will change.

This spectacular world is our classroom of physical expression. Each time we transcend and overcome a limitation, we ascend another level higher. This ongoing mastery is our personal ascension into unconditional love. We evolve our world by conscious effort and create a new reality through our imagination. Holding to the vision of a world with peace, plenty, and love is how we make it physically real. The imaginative thought and the heartfelt desire provide the channel for the manifestation to occur. Starting in our world first, we mold and shape the images and focus the light to create our reality. We then affect those around us with our light and love. This goes on exponentially, touching the hearts and minds of people everywhere.

(Excerpted from Unconditional Love - An Unlimited Way of Being.)

Love and hugs,

Harold W. Becker

Founder and President

The Love Foundation

The geese know

By Mindyjourney

The geese meandered up from the lake, over the little spillway, staying to the edge of the wetland forest, as far as they could from neighbor's property and still reach the seeds spilled from our birdfeeders.

It made me smile so to see the various broods of goslings and their parents, different sizes and ages, from almost fully grown to the very small, feeling safe in our yard.

They didn't stay long, just a few nibbles and off they went, back to the lake.

Reminded me of a poem I wrote a week or so ago...

*. *. *

Aggressively armed with a leaf-blower,
neighbor strides towards the gaggle of geese,
on his mission to keep nature beyond some
imagined boundary.

And I, just finishing a metta meditation,
melt further into the settee,
under arbor
where the squirrels partake of their
breakfast seeds so close to me
that I know who is a mommy or daddy.

A small goose family has survived the gauntlet,
who nibble the spilled safflower seeds
beside the sleeping garden gnome.
Baltimore oriole scolds and chatters
and then, a distinctive note sweetened with grape jelly.
Hummingbird sips nectar, flashing his ruby throat.
A yellow butterfly floats as a flower
onto a daisy in the St. Francis garden.
Spiderwebs are iridescently strung in the sunlight.

A big black ant on my ankle tickles
and yes, there goes the neighbor again
on his personal vendetta.

And me?
Well, I suppose I must rise
and do the laundry
or maybe it can wait?

Is that a pileated woodpecker
I hear?
And what is that sweet scent,
iris, peonies or honeysuckle?

mj 5.18.17 poem and photo

A piece of bread in the 21st century

A piece of Bread
May not be useful for you
You can throw it easily
You can waste it
You don’t like to eat it
But for me
A piece of bread
Can be a coin of gold
Can be a god
Because
I am hungry
I am poor
I have nothing to eat
Please do not
Waste the food
It is like a God for someone
It is a very precious treasure
For someone …..

KM Bhai

Rumi

Only the soul knows what love is.
This moment in time and space
is an eggshell
with an embryo crumpled inside,
soaked in spirit-yolk,
under the wing of grace,
until it breaks free of mind
to become the song of birds
and their breathing

 -- Rumi

16 Smiles

SMILE

A prayer from Shantideva

Reposted from Mish at Kindspring.org.

🙏
“May I be a guard for those who need protection, 
A guide for those on the path, 
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood. 

May I be a lamp in the darkness, 
A resting place for the weary, 
A healing medicine for all who are sick, 
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles; 
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings, 
May I bring sustenance and awakening, 
Enduring like the earth and sky 

Until all beings are freed from sorrow, 

And all are awakened.” 
🙏

~ A prayer from Shantideva

May We Live In Love

☀️"I arise today
Blessed by all things,
Wings of breath,
Delight of eyes,
Wonder of whisper,
Intimacy of touch,
Eternity of soul,
Urgency of thought,
Miracle of health,
Embrace of God.
May I live this day."☀️
~John O'Donohue

❤️May we live this day in all its' splendor, with open-hearted loving kindness a "never-ender"❤️
- Mish

Early summer

When I don't know where to contain all the song
that the cardinals, wrens and robins sing.
When I'm sure that green has evolved into some new color
that holds the absolute all of everything.

When I am caressed by the cool of a forest wetland breeze
that kisses my sensitive neck.
When I touch the iridescence of a jeweled iris
that leaves a sparkling speck.

When it is almost too too much.

That is when I pause in the quieting space
between this heartbeat and the next.

To open my heart, to allow the grateful tears to start.

So, tell me what of this life's gifts?
Can they be measured by any ruler
or scales with a balanced bereft?

To be able to hold it all I must first let it go.
For held within is a compassionate Divine flow.
When the realize of this truth dawns again and again,
it is as if each breath is truly a gift with no end.

mj 5.27.17 poem and photo

Embracing Love

For many people, the key missing ingredient to their lives is the simple experience of unconditional love. Beyond our material possessions, families, relationships, and careers, each of us quietly seeks the feeling and embodiment of love.

As we move about in our daily routines, faced with ever-increasing issues of stress and challenge, fear and doubt, a soft inner voice is speaking to us. This is the voice of deeper truth and reason.

There is another way, another path. It is a path paved with the conscious use of love. It is going beyond personal love into the realm of unconditional love. It is the recognition that all life deserves love regardless of its appearance or actions. All life is sacred despite any illusion to the contrary.

It is with this recognition that we can affect amazing change in our lives, both personal and global. In fact, right this moment you are affecting life just by your current attitudes, perspectives, thoughts, and feelings. What if you decided to view life with love?

Let's make love a choice and let's make it popular by our word, deed and action. Begin with yourself by loving yourself and then share it with everyone and everything around you. Sound simple? It is.

Love requires no special talent, skill or knowledge. It is held within each of us every moment. We need only realize it is ever present and available to invoke its gift. When we choose love, we receive and share in the beauty of life itself.

Love is the universal power that connects us all together and brings meaning to life. Yet, how many of us experience this love in our daily lives? Who among us can consciously focus and become this love each moment? The answer is simple: anyone and everyone.

We are all capable of experiencing love all the time because love is contained in all experiences. There is never a time when love is unavailable. It is always there. Love is the creative force within all things. We are the only ones who forget this truth.

The key to experiencing love more frequently is to seek it out and become it. Wherever there is fear, doubt, anger, hatred, resentment, or judgment, we have an opportunity to find love. We do this by first invoking forgiveness. To forgive ourselves and others is the beginning step to realizing the love held within life.

Every amount of effort we can place in this process is worth it. By using forgiveness and invoking compassion we transform our world. It is the only way to free ourselves and others of limitation and negative experiences.

Decide today to make love a priority. Do what comes naturally and follow your heart. Listen within, forgive yourself and others, and ask for the truth of love to become your experience. Make it your intent and it shall become your experience.

Love and hugs,

Harold W. Becker

Founder and President

The Love Foundation