Tag Archives: mindfulness

A Week to be Mindful and Grateful

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Last year about his time, I was experiencing much doubt as to whether or not I should be grateful or not. I had just lost my son and I was in a lot of pain and also angry. The stages of grief are experienced in different ways and the emotional tsunami strikes down our belief system sometimes. Doubt and questions set the tone to feel helpless. Thirteen months have passed since my son’s transition to that very familiar but truly unknown and mysterious space people talk about. Some call it heaven. I call the space between because I want to believe he is that close to all of us. So, therefore, today I am grateful because I am in a slightly less negative place and I want to thank the people who have provided emotional support during my journey, some even among my WordPress community.

This week will be devoted to being more grateful and mindful of the many things that truly matter in this life. I collected many quotes to share with you. Some of which have been the inspiration for this post and for some poems I have written. I hope this helps those of you who have had doubts about gratefulness and who have a personal reason to believe that being mindful is a part of being grateful.

Here are some quotes to ponder:

“How can i grasp it? No, do not grasp it. Whatever remains when there is no more grasping, is the self,” – Vidyaranya, Panchadasi

“Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around us in awareness,”

-James Thurber

“I found myself being grateful for the acorn that dropped directly on my stubborn head to let me know I am alive and that I must live it fully.” – Melba Christie

Please let me know what you think and share what you are grateful for these days.

Soul Moments

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Had a talk with my soul today;

I thanked it for grounding me.

It told me not to fear;

his soul is always near.

For it is he,

who brings me back,

to those sweet memories,

that fill my eyes with happy tears.

Had a talk with my soul today;

asked it to stick around,

until all love lost is found.

Soul moments can be eternal;

even though life is short.

It reminded me,

life begins again every minute

magically and mindfully;

in the stillness of now.

Seventy-four days – Time to write a poem.

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This is another found poem of sorts. Please see the attributions.

 

How important is it?

If I had a song,

My very own song,

An earth song,

 

I would be dancing on my own,

without a care in the world.

 

Are you listening?

The magical tune of the river tells us

It is hopeful in a time of confusion.

 

But wait I still hear some craziness.

I still feel like I am in the dark.

 

Wait a minute.

or is it an hour, a year or just seventy-four days?

I too am beginning

to see the light.

 

Photograph by Melba Christie

 

Attributions:

Man of many thoughts,  keithgarrettpoetry

johncoyote

Pat Cagan

Sketchuniverse

Edge of Humanity Magazine

 

 

Silent Waves

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Listen to the silent waves

They bring sweet compassion from afar

This may sound strange to some

but when you listen mindfully

the sound of silent waves

liberates and exhilarates the soul

It helps us cultivate Gratitude and Joy

Listen to the silent waves

and calm will overwhelm you

because God is trying to get our attention right now

Listen to the silent waves

Listen to the silent waves

 

 

 

 

On Breathing

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Image by ju Irun from Pixabay

Take a deep breath with me

Visualize a brand new world

free of hatred and craziness

no more absurd

only love and peace conserved.

Take a deep breath with me

close your eyes

there is so much beauty to see

even a raindrop seems magical

learn to watch for the miracles.

Let your goal be to be free.

Take a deep breath with me

look inside your soul

pure love will take control.

Take a deep breath with me

I am sure you will agree

that with every breath you take

you will find that all heartbreak

will disappear

and fears will be no longer

and you will be much stronger.

  • I believe that we all need to learn to breathe intently and mindfully in order to free ourselves from pain and anxiety and to reach calmness. During this time of social distancing, isolation and for some of us deep sorrow, it is imperative to keep the faith and to maintain our immune system stronger than ever. Below is a link to a video on how to take deep cleansing breaths by Dr. Andrew Weil. I have passed on this video to many of my family members and friends. A fun way to keep connected is to use the Zoom app and do the exercises with a group of friends. Teach your children how to do the breathing exercises. Please let me know about your experiences. In the meantime, stay safe.

https://www.drweil.com/videos-features/videos/breathing-exercises-4-7-8-breath/

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Food For Thought

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Because today I have been thinking about so many things at once, I decided to stop thinking. Our political scene which filled with mindful and mindless debates, continuously infusing cleverly crafted alternative facts are driving many of us to drink. It truly saddens me. But we must continue to listen mindfully. I came across a few quotes that calmed my busy mind. I want to share these with you today just in case you too are drained with all that is going on.

“You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing and dance, and write poems, and suffer; and understand, for all that is life.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” -John Milton

The Heart

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Usually colored a bright red

shaped simply symmetrically

symbol of adoration,

as to be beloved

on every 14th of Feburary.

Filled with compassion, desire,

and hope.

We all want to come home to our hearts,

to make sure we care about what truly matters.

It beats in unison within every living thing

the minute we enter this life.

Let us remember

we all have only one heart.

Let us remember that it can become

broken at times.

But that love will always heal it.

So much resides in our hearts.

We need to remember to be a kind host.

Share it, and always know,

as the great bard once wrote;

” My heart has rights over your heart.”

And when my heart leaps

it is when I see the greatness

in our humanity.

Let our hearts always be mindful

of the fact,

that we are all together

on the same pathway

coming home to our hearts.

Our Hearts Beat in Unison by Melba Christie (c) 2019

Times Have Changed

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“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” – Andy Warhol

 “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” — Victor Frankl

 

Times have changed;

or have they?

The last time I looked

everything that matters

remains the same.

 

I often long for those

good old days

You know what I mean;

the days when things seemed simple.

 

I often thought

I was crazy and brave enough

to change the world.

But I learned what I need was to do is change myself first.

 

But all I hear is

Times have changed?

I hope I am strong enough

to take control

and change the things

I have control over.

 

Times have changed

Yes they have

and so have we

we must accept

to change collectively

as well as individually.

Just do it creatively

Do it in the present

Do it in the now

for tomorrow

cannot be foretold.

We cannot continue to hold

on to the past.

The things wherein we thought

would last and never pass.

 

Things have changed:

yes indeed they have.

And like the Poet Rumi says,

“Yesterday I was clever,

so I wanted to change the world.

Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

 

The changes you make

will be what matters.

Create the ripples in the river,

Do art and music

that help others think

Engage in song and dance.

Always open  your heart

to the miracle of today.

 

 

 

A Poem A Day – This Ocean Knows

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“Individually, we are one drop.
Together, we are an Ocean.” 
― Arshdeep Singh Samrala

This ocean knows

                                                   the secrets of my soul

I wonder where they all will go

                                                    raging by the gusty wind

                                     the waves roll in

a soothing sound

                                A white blanket of froth forms;

                                                                A sense of nostalgia gushes through my body;

Peace surrounds me again

Intimate and majestic

Pure, Tranquil , Mindful

all fears

disappear.

The ocean whispers

                                                                                              confidentially,

                                                                                     “Your secrets are safe, my dear.”

                                                                         

                                                                                             -Melba Christie

Inspired by Stanley Kunitz

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(c) Melba Christie 2018

Every spring I try to plant a beautiful garden like the ones I have seen in magazines. No sooner I plant Begonias, Calandula, Petunias and Pansies, our resident cottontail rabbit and  occasional visiting deer snap up the fresh or new blooms.

The rabbit loves the clover that grows wild and free in our backyard. Clover is a weed but I cannot bring myself to stripping it because it has very dainty white flowers and because I too love the green leaves.

Therefore, my garden is composed of large ceramic pots. I have resigned to the fact that I may never have a garden except for the improvised one on our deck.

So what does Stanley Kunitz have to do with my want to be garden? Nothing really. Except that Mark Doty once described how Mr. Kunitz would walk through his garden “paying strict attention to every inch of it.”

I too thought about Mr. Kunitz’s  visits to his garden.  My grandmother never left her house for years except to step out into her small garden. Hers was a real garden.  She talked to the flowers and plants; she claimed they would grow more and bloom more robustly.

Thus, I wrote a poem about her love of nature and especially her garden.

 

Grandma only felt safe in her garden

the lavender plant soothed her soul

and helped her cope with her phobia.

 

On a few occasions, I heard her sing

to the tiger lilies. They leaned and seemed to listen.

She stood very still as if she were watching out

for prey like the cottontail did on the grassy lawn

there were no prey to speak of

no one would ever harm her

but she listened carefully to nature’s sounds and warnings

every morning among the daffodils

She is gone now

and so is Stanley K.

I wonder if they stand together

in heaven’s divine garden

praying for us here on earth.

 

 

Question Mark ?

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*I often sit watching the clouds change into different shapes. I wrote this poem this morning after a few minutes of meditation.

 

I looked up at the sky this morning

mindful of its enormity

yet so serene

Breathed in and out

so gratefully.

 

Then  a white-grayish cloud framed in lavender

morphed into a question mark

so proudly

it spread across the sky

and asked me,

“When is it that all of you will learn to love each other?”

The cloud stretched

and stretched

until it became an endless line,

Now we need to fill in the blank.

Will we?

 

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