Tag Archives: love

Lighting the Darkness

Out of the profound sadness that haunted much of Vincent Van Gogh’s life emerged one of the most famous paintings of the world, “The Starry Night” (1889).

Vincent was one of those souls who lived a life that in the fullness of time proved to be famously inspiring to others. While he was alive, his most fervent wish for his art was that it would help people “to see”. During his own personal journey of darkness he created works that would help to light the world.

Not everyone will paint a world-famous picture or write a widely read novel that inspires others. However, each one of us CAN be a light in the world.

Please, endeavor today to do one small random act of kindness for another human being. Be the light, and watch it ripple outward.


Inspirational Quotes:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.” ~ Madeleine L’Engle

“A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” ~ St. Francis Of Assisi

“Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life. Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ~ Plato


© Susan L Hart 2024

Reverence


Message in a Bottle

Chisel not my name
onto elegant stone,
so you that I love
might become slave
to a time and place
that no longer holds
my soul, to which you
could become tied,
lost in sorrow and
life’s limitations.

Rather, joyfully cast
my dust to the wind, so
I may dance on the breeze,
and one day as the leaves
rustle gently overhead,
you will feel me there,
riding a ray of sunshine
kissing your face, and
I’ll whisper in your ear,
“Remember to live free.”


Happy

True, real, enduring,
happiness is being at
peace with who we are.


Poems are from Soul Journey: The Poetry of Life.

You Butterfly, You

The beautiful butterfly captivates us with its brilliant color and lightness of being. Its joyful flitting among flowers never fails to raise our spirits, and somehow it gives us hope. Hope for what? Well, perhaps simply a world where more color, joy, and lightness of being may be possible. Butterflies cut right through to the core of our being. They speak to our souls about joy.

We were born with lightness and joy

As adults, the world and its problems have this way of weighing us down. Eventually we forget that we were born with this innate sense of joy. Watch young children. They are still in a cycle of newness, discovering, joyfulness, positivity.

Butterfly, symbol of transformation

There is a long history of the butterfly as symbol of transformation, resurrection, adaptability to change, lightness and joy. You’ll find more about this in the article: Dance like the Butterfly

Allow the butterfly in you to burst forth

Embrace your soul lessons, because they are food for your transformation process. Learn from them, and do not get weighed down by regrets and problems. Allow yourself to grow, bloom, transform completely, to the beautiful butterfly you were always meant to be.


Born to Fly

I had a “friend”
who wanted to
dissect me,
so they could
determine how
to capture me.

I have worked
hard in this life
to unchain and
free my soul –
Why would I
agree to this?

The young me
would yield
to please, but,
the older me
stands firm for
autonomy.

I’m not an ant
made only
for hard work,
I discovered
I have wings,
I’m a butterfly.

Thank you for
the lesson!
I cannot allow
you to pluck
my wings and
pin me down.

I will not deny
that I am
a butterfly,
real friends
let friends fly,
and so must I.

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Becoming One

Wholly

Living life wholly, fully, completely,
is a process of learning,
with full awareness
and reverently,
for life IS holy –
I don’t mean religiously,
but yes, spiritually,
and respectfully
of All of Life,
not sacrificially
of yourself,
your own soul,
your learning,
but cooperatively
with humanity,
compassionately,
understandingly,
gracefully,
lovingly,
becoming
wholly
One.

Letter to Humanity

On the winding path of life we’re here to learn,
that love’s greatest lessons are not to be spurned.

Be faithful and true first of all to yourself,
but don’t leave your heart sitting on a back shelf.

Brave the big world and embrace what you see,
we all contribute to humanity.

Love is the compass to navigate our way,
a world of connections needs no special day.

The challenge, you see, is to each do our part,
to heal the world, we have to live from the heart.

Unison

Heart, mind, and vision,
intention creates action,
people have power.


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Check out my ebooks store. Some are free! / Poems are from Soul Journey and Humanity’s Lament

© Susan L Hart 2024

It’s All About Love

How Do I Love Thee Better?

Renowned romantic,
Romeo confessed his
love for fair Juliet,
impassioned locution
of sweet young love,
innocence unspoiled.

“How do I love thee?”

A query so complex
the Greeks declared,
“To best understand,
we must divide what
is immeasurable into
quantifiable boxes.

Ludus for flirting,
Eros for passion,
Pragma for partner,
Philia for friendship,
Storge for family,
Agape for humanity.”

A very worthy list
to be sure, and
though incomplete
does beg the question,
“With so much love,
who has time to hate?”

Eternal mystery,
our soul’s mission
often shrouded by
many false starts,
the next question
haunts us forever,

“How do I love thee better?”

Romeo, winking, says,
“You just have no fear!
Strive to love to the
depth, breadth, and height
your heart can reach.
True love is boundless.”


Loss Unveils the Masterpiece

Michelangelo knew …

A most powerful
tool of the Master Sculptor,
Loss is.
It was the taking
away that unveiled
breathtaking David
to the world.

“I saw the angel
in the stone and
set him free.”
Inside every raw
slab of marble
a masterpiece waits
to be revealed.

We are all
magnificent works
of art in progress,
and losing a beloved
is perhaps the
greatest Master
chisel of all.

We gasp, clasping
our hearts when
our loved one dies
or leaves us.
How will we ever
risk to love again?
And yet, we do.

For in our loss
we learn to cherish
the value of love.
We understand
the power and
importance of “now”,
and we grow.

Love is the fine grit
that hones the
rough broken edges
to a polished glow.
The answer to our
growth lies within
the problem itself.

Michelangelo, you said
God guided your hand,
and in the taking away,
you revealed
astonishing beauty.
David is your work of love,
and a lesson for us all.


Continuum

The love that we give
ripples outward and swells in
the Infinite heart.

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