A Soft Hush

If you look carefully, there are endless moments
of peace offerings throughout our day. Most are
spoken through hushed, almost inaudible song.
Spilled out with soft whispers and full hearts.

I caught a glimpse of this today while sitting in Church.

An elderly couple sitting with their daughter and grandson
shared a simple, yet stirringly beautiful moment. As the ritual
of peace was offered, the daughter leaned over and gently kissed
her Dad’s cheek and whispered, “peace to you Daddy,” and
extended the same sentiment to her Mom.

It happened so quickly I almost missed it. The pureness
of the moment touched me so deeply it drew tears.

I’m not sure why this resonated the way it did, but
ever thankful for the reminder of peaceful, authentic love and
for seeing it play out in this crazy world.

 

Debbie Hope….Full Of Hope

 

Compassion…….Where Does It Live?

Maybe you’ve felt it,
perhaps it floats to the surface every now and again.

Like a buried treasure,
it can be locked away or reasoned with.
I believe it resides someplace deep and real;
uniquely different from love.

It’s beyond what the eye perceives,
burrowed in the soul
far, far down
nestled with bone, twisted through tendon,
sleeping silently in cells.

It’s everywhere and through everything human
A testament of undeserving grace.

When you’ve seen it, really seen it
rubbed up against it,
smelled its essence
it’s remembered-forever.

Lavish it upon yourself,
wear it like a coat of brilliant reds and golds,
toss it carelessly like confetti….everywhere
It is our human fanfare.

Full of Hope
Debbie Hope

A Perfect Sentiment

I ran across this perfect thought in my daily meditation. It’s from Mark Nepo’s book called, The Book of Awakening. I hope it speaks to your heart as it did to mine.

“Perhaps the purpose of authentic relationship is to help each other keep our minds and hearts clear. ”

Such a simple thought, yet so true. I am hoping you have a day, week, and year filled with authentic relationships that fill your heart and clear your mind.

Full of Hope
Debbie Hope

Delivered direct to you from my morning meditation.

Transformation from the inside out

True transformation means being broken, sad and disappointed and consciously moving to a higher place.

The Imperceptible Shift

And so it begins,
more of me and less of You,
trying to squash the fear in me,
unnerved by how it shows through.

Fear has pummeled my door.
Thick, icy layers
staunch and steadfast
wrapped tightly around my soul.

Less glancing up,
more searching within,
intentionally moving away,
I knowingly waiver.

Intentional masterminding,
controlling, calculating.
Less relying,
continuously believing.
Have I pushed you away?

I want to lean in and look up
but, my humaness takes over.
Swirling worldly emotions suck
me back to my own scheming.

Please invite me back.
I need a place to rest,
and unhitch my load.

A tiny vignette of eternal paradise
would surely do the trick,
A glimmer of Grace.

Debbie Hope
Full of Hope

The Sound of Silence

I listen for you in silence
Wondering what I will hear
Will it change me?
Centering myself for the magical moment
Ears intent, mind poised to receive
Are you there?
Still posturing, should be soon
Clearing the crumbs in my brain
Deep breathing should do it, cleansing breaths they say
Focus, Focus
Did you say something?
I must have missed it
I hear everything, except you
Incessant chatter in my head, a dog barking in the distance
The tick, tick of the clock
Was that you?
Ok,
Perhaps tomorrow.

A Place of Sweet Release

 

Buried in the back of a busy tourist-laden lane,

nestled in a cove just off the marshy grass,

sits a small and simple chapel.

 

Ivy tendrils cover every inch of available space,

color so vivid it could have been painted

using a bowl full of smashed sugar peas.

 

Water laps at both shoulders,

A pungent bite of salt at the left and

crisp fresh water to the right.

A taste of both worlds.

 

Gentle breezes fuel the air,

A constant battle of warmth and cool

Like a single strand of hair that won’t relent.

 

An abandoned boat floats in the distance,

quietly waiting for the return of its owner.

A pelican soaks in a nearby fountain

floating to and fro.

 

A man sauntered off the cobblestone path and,

slowly made his way through the arched doorway.

He removed his cap and attempted to carve out a

comfortable patch on the rock hard bench.

 

He laid down his heavy load,

more like cut it loose; set it free

I heard it hit the floor.

He blew a sigh of relief that sounded

like the whistle of a train; long and loud.

 

He found something there in that quiet place,

worth more to him than buckets full of legal tender.

 

He glimpsed a beam of golden light that

pushed its way through a small crack,

and was captivated and enlightened.

 

He found his Holy Grail,

A place to lay his burdens

to sit peacefully and untangle the deep webs within his soul.

 

It felt as freeing as unbuttoning his pants after an enormous,

sumptuous banquet—a sweet release.

 

He knew,

this too shall pass.

 

Debbie Hope (Full of Hope)

 

 

Have you been planted or placed?

Life has a way of haphazardly planting us. Yes, actually planting where we are physically at this moment. And quite possibly, without as much thought or design as a field of scattered wildflowers.  I venture to say that most of us have landed where we are by happenstance.

 If I were an accomplished journalist I would surely provide you with some brilliant statistics on this subject, but I’m simply going with my gut on this one. The simple fact that I am not writing this from a white-washed villa overlooking the stunning blue waters of the Aegean Sea, may lend some credibility to my plight of being planted. At the moment, I am firmly planted at my writing desk in North Carolina which overlooks my magenta knock out roses. It’s all a mind game.

Perhaps you went away to college and decided to stay in that area, or a job called you to a new city and you packed up your belongings and set out on a new adventure. I’m sure most of us are planted largely because it’s where we were born, or where our parents were born, and so it felt comfortable and we never thought about leaving. So, by default we are where we are simply because….nothing deeper than that. 

 Of all the breathtakingly beautiful and interesting places we could live in the world, why are we where we are? How many of us consciously pull up our deeply planted roots and move to a new city, state, or country? We may think about it but how many of us actually follow through with this (once again, I will take the amateur plea with statistics on this.) 

Stay with me on this one….what is it that makes us pine to place ourselves somewhere else? Maybe it’s the weather, low taxes, great healthcare, good schools, great neighbors……the wish list winds into eternity.

I am a talker and have always been a talker. Wherever I go I find myself chatting with the people around me. Inevitably, we get on the subject of where we live. I love to hear the stories that unfold during these conversations. I am forever amazed how people end up in the most beautiful and exotic spots on earth. Places like Hawaii, quaint New England towns, mountain hideaways, homes by the sea, English countryside villages, modern European cities, exotic Asian cities and everywhere else you can imagine. I often wonder, were they placed or planted and are they aware how uniquely different each is. 

Seems like we always yearn to be somewhere else. It all comes down to knowing what speaks to your heart and your soul, and that shifts with the seasons of life. I think the fundamental message is to embrace the reality of where we are, that is both the challenge and the joy. Peace and beauty reside everywhere, we simply need to be mindful of this.

  
This reminds me of a great quote from Deepak Chopra,

The past is gone,
The future is not yet here,
At this moment, I am free of both

May your garden grow, wherever you are!

Debbie Hope (Full of Hope)

Is there a process to gain peace?

The path to peace is simple. I am speaking about everyday peace, not Peace, with a capital P . . . . . . because there’s a difference, right?

I know, I know, I hear the same touchy feely, new agey peace mumbo jumbo that everyone hears. Breathe in, breathe out. Suck in your stomach and unleash all those crazy thoughts that are rambling around in your head. Just let it all go. Sounds like a fairly simple and attainable approach to every day life. Besides, what could be more enjoyable than eating, praying and loving your way to a higher level of consciousness, and if you find peace somewhere along the way, all the better. Oops, there I go again thinking that peace is a goal or yet another sought after destination. Exercises like these make me realize how not at peace I really am. Especially when I am trying to suck in my stomach. I tend to be a tad obsessed with what’s next on my agenda. Speaking, walking, eating, working, writing . . these are all things I can do. I can record them in my planner and do them. They don’t require a true sense of peace to soldier through them.

Another full disclosure moment here . . .

I’ve always thought that everyone else (yes, the whole world – everyone except me) is out having fun and doing things that are far more interesting and eventful than whatever it is I am doing. I’m not exactly sure when I started thinking this way. Maybe it’s a seed that your parents plant in your head . . . like, go outside and play with the other kids . . . look at them, they’re having fun, go have fun! Or maybe it’s the way people paint their life, it all sounds so much more exciting than the reality. Whenever I was preparing to go on a vacation and rushing around with excitement my grandmother always said that the anticipation is far better than the realization – very true. After all, we all do the same things, don’t we? We shop for food, pay bills, see a movie, eat out, watch too much TV, exercise (really?), pick up dry cleaning, buy expensive coffee, email friends, send the occasional tweet. I always wonder why the same stinking feeling wells up inside me every time a holiday weekend is looming on the horizon. I look around and think everyone is packing and getting ready to go somewhere wonderful and fun . . . . everyone except me. In the summer, it’s the beach and in the winter it’s some story book winter wonderland. This drives my husband completely insane as he feels tremendous pressure to orchestrate some amazing event to make up for what I believe I am missing. This is entirely too much pressure for one person.

I felt true peace recently while sitting in my beautiful back yard and listening to the tweet (not that tweeting) of the birds as they fluttered from one pine tree to another. I had this incredible intense feeling that I should be doing, moving, cleaning -anything other than what I was doing. I fought the feeling and just sat continuing to listen to the simple activities happening around me. My focus moved from the birds to the sun that was bursting through the morning sky. I then noticed with great appreciation the cool morning breeze that sent chills through the September air. In other words, I was present in the moment. It’s what you hear people saying all the time – be present and appreciate the moment. Look at everything with complete clarity and develop a keen sense of gratitude for just being present. Hhmm, am I suppose to be doing all this while still sucking in my stomach ? Ouch, I could strain my neck at the same time – seems not very peaceful to me.

When I’m in a calm state of mind I have no problem moving over to let the pushy driver behind me get past, or letting the hurried working Mom jump ahead of me at the checkout line. But what about the times I’m not feeling so calm and altruistic? These are the very moments that challenge my faith and my true sense of peace. How do I live in these moments?

I have stumbled upon a simple answer. It’s all about choice – simple as that. Easier said than done? Absolutely, most things are. I have to be able to choose peace at any given moment – no matter what’s at stake. Sounds like something else I will need to add to my agenda. Think peace – it’s your choice.

The below poem I wrote speaks to the busyness of life, and the illusive search for peace that we all search for at one time or another. Enjoy!

The Well

Content with making plans

busy to meet demands,

racing to stay in place

emotions begin to swell

there is solace just over the hill

healing waters that are still

luxurious days at the well

peace and grace, peace and grace

a perfect fit for many days

content to stay in place

the blessed event

peace and grace, peace and grace

the feeling of healing,

ultimately revealing.