Matchless strength, hold fast against the storm.
A wave, a thousand more
crashing like thunder.
Stand tall, weathered tower;
storms break.
Look again,
how limitless the waves.
Changing tides, rushing currents
shift and shape ancient stone.
Violence against the established;
strongholds break.
A force to be reckoned with
bound in a being.
Created for a battle already won,
hands and hearts strengthened;
silences break.
A beauty beyond skin
wrapped in humility,
see how she reflects and refracts.
From ashes to beauty;
strivings break.
Washed away in grace,
seeing yet only a fraction,
eternity placed in the hearts of men.
In unfathomable depths;
hope built.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Sunday, March 13, 2016
In The Waters
The ebb and the flow,
the push and the pull,
the in and the out.
The ocean and the heart,
dancing to make a rhythm of each other.
One so massive with one so small,
who could contend against such a force?
And they merge, and they match,
an ebb and a pulse.
A heart given over
to the stillness of the ocean,
at peace in the arms
of one greater and stronger,
at rest in a presence
that it could never control.
Not sure when to resurface
but content to be carried
to places yet unknown
in a strength beyond its own.
The storm above now a place far away,
the howl and the rage quieted
finds a heart matching pace
with the one that holds it.
An ocean full of love
making a rhythm,
dancing on a current,
in a stillness that is active.
the push and the pull,
the in and the out.
The ocean and the heart,
dancing to make a rhythm of each other.
One so massive with one so small,
who could contend against such a force?
And they merge, and they match,
an ebb and a pulse.
A heart given over
to the stillness of the ocean,
at peace in the arms
of one greater and stronger,
at rest in a presence
that it could never control.
Not sure when to resurface
but content to be carried
to places yet unknown
in a strength beyond its own.
The storm above now a place far away,
the howl and the rage quieted
finds a heart matching pace
with the one that holds it.
An ocean full of love
making a rhythm,
dancing on a current,
in a stillness that is active.
Friday, March 6, 2015
No Less Beautiful
I've been many places, and I have many stories and experiences I would love to share. But there is never time to sit down and put them all in a book or a document. But there are so many things I want to share about the experiences I lived and the things that have changed my world view, and the way I move now. This is, I guess, a travel journal, but a few years late. Kenya was my first big move, so I will begin with that.
you will have culture shock.
you will be confused.
it will be hard.
are you crazy?
I decided to move to Kenya for 6 months, and this is all anyone could say.
It is a whole different world. It is completely the opposite of everything we live in our first-world-highly-developed-skyscraper-and-sports-car world.
But when you have your eyes open and your heart willing, walls down, expectations high for new things, it is not hard at all.
These lands have more history than all our countries combined, and moving to a place is different than just visiting for a week or two. The mindset going in cannot be to bring everything from your own culture and move the same way as always. The key is to bring nothing actually, and just learn as you go.
Rolling plains, thorny trees, dry grass, open skies, big cities, tiny villages, warm people.
It is stunning. These lands are more than just safari parks, more than just a one-week-vacation spot, more than just a tourist attraction. It is a home, an upbringing, a way of life.
I could go on for weeks about the diversity of the Kenyan landscape. I had the pleasure of experiencing the spring and summer of the south western part of Kenya, including the rainy season. There are so many sunsets and landscapes and cloud formations that I could never describe, and could never have captured with a photo. Sometimes it rains, but the sun is till behind the wall of clouds, and it makes all the air around you a dusky orange color that tints everything it touches. There are the kind of rain clouds that are so dark they are blue and purple like a big bruise on the sky, bursting with the fattest rain drops I've ever felt. The trees change in a matter of days from a brittle brown flaking sprout, to mighty flourishing beasts, along with the grass that is suddenly knee high when just last weeks it was poking through your skirt as you sat outside for lunch. The water tank can be anywhere from flooding the area to bone dry in the span of a few days. In the rainy season, on the rare days it does not rain, the air is so heavy with moisture, and the sky is dotted with so many termites that you catch them and fry them up for dinner without even breaking a sweat. The ground is too heavy and moist, so they have to take to the air, and you can't walk without getting a few in your face, and a thousand everywhere else. But more than the termites is when all the animals come to feed on the grass. If you wake up with the sunrise, you can catch a glimpse of the giraffes feeding from the tops of the trees while the zebras munch on the grass below. And sometimes, if you are really lucky, the elephants will be out wandering around. It is magical. I wish I didn't have to use that word to describe it, but it is the best word I can find. I saw everything from desert land and dried river bed, to flourishing terraced farms of banana trees and coffee plants, to the stunning costal cities with white beaches and coconut trees everywhere. The diversity in such a small country is mind-blowing. And there is so much history. Each area has their own generations and stories and wars and reformations. And this has built stronger communities.
Rolling plains, thorny trees, dry grass, open skies, big cities, tiny villages, warm people.
It is stunning. These lands are more than just safari parks, more than just a one-week-vacation spot, more than just a tourist attraction. It is a home, an upbringing, a way of life.
I could go on for weeks about the diversity of the Kenyan landscape. I had the pleasure of experiencing the spring and summer of the south western part of Kenya, including the rainy season. There are so many sunsets and landscapes and cloud formations that I could never describe, and could never have captured with a photo. Sometimes it rains, but the sun is till behind the wall of clouds, and it makes all the air around you a dusky orange color that tints everything it touches. There are the kind of rain clouds that are so dark they are blue and purple like a big bruise on the sky, bursting with the fattest rain drops I've ever felt. The trees change in a matter of days from a brittle brown flaking sprout, to mighty flourishing beasts, along with the grass that is suddenly knee high when just last weeks it was poking through your skirt as you sat outside for lunch. The water tank can be anywhere from flooding the area to bone dry in the span of a few days. In the rainy season, on the rare days it does not rain, the air is so heavy with moisture, and the sky is dotted with so many termites that you catch them and fry them up for dinner without even breaking a sweat. The ground is too heavy and moist, so they have to take to the air, and you can't walk without getting a few in your face, and a thousand everywhere else. But more than the termites is when all the animals come to feed on the grass. If you wake up with the sunrise, you can catch a glimpse of the giraffes feeding from the tops of the trees while the zebras munch on the grass below. And sometimes, if you are really lucky, the elephants will be out wandering around. It is magical. I wish I didn't have to use that word to describe it, but it is the best word I can find. I saw everything from desert land and dried river bed, to flourishing terraced farms of banana trees and coffee plants, to the stunning costal cities with white beaches and coconut trees everywhere. The diversity in such a small country is mind-blowing. And there is so much history. Each area has their own generations and stories and wars and reformations. And this has built stronger communities.
In our first world mindset, we see Africa as a continent to be saved, that needs developing, that needs government overthrows. Well, to be honest, I think Africa could teach us a few things. In Kenya, there is a culture that is so close, so comfortable, that you share a table with total strangers in a restaurant, no problem, and even pick up conversation. It is a culture so respectful and trusting, that you can ask someone to move to a different table if you need the space and they are able to sit somewhere else. And they do it! Smiling, nonetheless. Kenyan people are so ready to serve and help. If you call a friend at 2am, there is no doubt that they will pick up their phone and rush over to your home. Or if they are in the middle of church, they will pick up. Or in the middle of anything really. It is a culture about and for people. It is a culture not complicated by things. It is such a simple life. Where I lived, there was no showers or toilets, just buckets of water, and a hole in the ground. Of course that is not everywhere, but we didn't live in the city, or in nice homes. But most of Kenya is villages, not big metropolises. And this is true Kenya living, for me. The beauty of a home you built yourself, of food you grow or take care of yourself, water that you collect yourself. It is a culture that teaches the value of working hard, and working for the benefit of all, not just for one. It is a culture that takes time. There is no hurry, ever. Things will happen when they will happen, and if you want to go somewhere, then take yourself. There is no social pressure to be on time, to look fantastic, to have the most or the best. Everyone just is, and just lives. And everything they have is yours as well. It is a culture of openness and community, that gives freely, and assumes no greed when people take when they are in need. In the deep deep villages, they have plenty, because they do not know what they "lack". They are living complete because no one has told them they are missing things. It is a whole different world. Because in our minds, we need education, jobs, cars, money, excellent food, fancy coffee, and all that crap to live happy lives and feel successful. And we try to impose that on every other culture we come across. But we can't fit everything into our little box of "what should be". It is such a simple life they live, something so uncomplicated, that it makes me cry to remember living that way. We put so much pressure on ourselves in this culture, and we compare, and we say conform. It is such a different world, but no less beautiful for it.
It is a land of wonder, that just puts you in awe. For me, in awe of my Creator, the one who made the heavens and the earth. It makes you feel so small, and so insignificant, but at the same time so blessed to be able to see and experience all the amazing things that He put there for us to enjoy, and to see Him in all His glory. It taught me so much, living in Kenya. It taught me that there is so much more than my way of living and being in the world, my ideas and concepts, and my mindset. And that is something I wish everyone could experience in this lifetime.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Understanding
listen
listen with your ears
listen with your heart
listen with your spirit
words and sound and song
go so far beyond
just the limits of the physical
words pierce
sound flows
song carries
seeing is believing
but hearing is understanding
to hear and to listen
to receive and let it sink deep
those who have ears, let them hear
the heart that has ears, let it hear
the spirit that has ears, let it hear
this is the tool we have to understand people
we listen with our physical ears, which is what many people crave
but also we listen with our spiritual ears,
what God is saying over them, what He is singing over them
that is the key, to have all our ears open
to push beyond the physical boundaries of our senses
God gave us so much in our senses,
they are such a practical way to be a part of His heart
to push past how we think we are limited
and to tap into what He is seeing and hearing and feeling
how He is walking and touching and carrying
this is how He helps us be his heart,
and His feet,
and His eyes,
and His ears.
listen with your ears
listen with your heart
listen with your spirit
words and sound and song
go so far beyond
just the limits of the physical
words pierce
sound flows
song carries
seeing is believing
but hearing is understanding
to hear and to listen
to receive and let it sink deep
those who have ears, let them hear
the heart that has ears, let it hear
the spirit that has ears, let it hear
this is the tool we have to understand people
we listen with our physical ears, which is what many people crave
but also we listen with our spiritual ears,
what God is saying over them, what He is singing over them
that is the key, to have all our ears open
to push beyond the physical boundaries of our senses
God gave us so much in our senses,
they are such a practical way to be a part of His heart
to push past how we think we are limited
and to tap into what He is seeing and hearing and feeling
how He is walking and touching and carrying
this is how He helps us be his heart,
and His feet,
and His eyes,
and His ears.
Through the Eyes
Open up your eyes and see
what I have to show you,
what you think you cannot be.
There is more, much more
that the Spirit has to release,
but when eyes are blocked
when eyes are blind
when judgement comes to quick,
human eyes only perceive
the physical and the lack.
Open up your eyes and see,
with a new vision
healed and clean.
My vision is deep
is clear and pure
is unbroken by judgement.
It is whole,
and it is how I see you.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Say To Me
Say to me that I am beautiful,
my heart and soul desire to be accepted.
But don't tell me just because my eyes are blue,
because my hair is blonde,
or because my teeth are straight.
Say it to me because I like to laugh,
because you enjoy to be in my company,
because I make you a better you,
or just because I am me.
This is the way I want to be beautiful.
Say to me that I am beautiful,
my heart and soul desire to be heard.
But don't tell me just because I use good words,
because I smile and seem happy,
or because I say nice things.
Say it to me because my words move your heart,
because I show that I am weak,
because I care about others more than myself,
or just because I love.
This is the way I want to be beautiful.
Say to me that I am beautiful,
my heart and soul desire to be.
Because I am me, but I am He.
Him who created me.
He who speaks to me that I am beautiful.
Because simply He made me.
Because I am me but I am Him.
I am me and I am His.
my heart and soul desire to be accepted.
But don't tell me just because my eyes are blue,
because my hair is blonde,
or because my teeth are straight.
Say it to me because I like to laugh,
because you enjoy to be in my company,
because I make you a better you,
or just because I am me.
This is the way I want to be beautiful.
Say to me that I am beautiful,
my heart and soul desire to be heard.
But don't tell me just because I use good words,
because I smile and seem happy,
or because I say nice things.
Say it to me because my words move your heart,
because I show that I am weak,
because I care about others more than myself,
or just because I love.
This is the way I want to be beautiful.
Say to me that I am beautiful,
my heart and soul desire to be.
Because I am me, but I am He.
Him who created me.
He who speaks to me that I am beautiful.
Because simply He made me.
Because I am me but I am Him.
I am me and I am His.
How We See
Looking at yourself is sometimes hard, but hearing about yourself from others is even harder. I don't understand why we are so proud that we can't receive compliments. I know that when people tell me my faults it is hard to listen to, but what about when someone compliments us? We are awkward and don't know how to receive it. Because if you say thank you too quick, people will think you are full of yourself, but if you don't say thank you at all or acknowledge them, they will keep on pushing it until you are even more uncomfortable. But I guess this is a lack in our identity. If we only could see ourselves as God sees us, as he made us, original and complete, we could maybe know. We could know how beautiful we are, how marvelous in his eyes, how much room we still have to grow. We could see ourselves without hating our nose, our posture, the way we talk, all those things. We could maybe love ourselves a little bit better, and teach others how to love themselves, too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)