tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27173958729891092172024-02-19T00:36:22.888-08:00Sipping Tea with Buddha and Christ A new book and other writings by Alexa Benson-ValavanisUshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-5629506307923989432013-01-13T11:48:00.001-08:002013-01-13T11:51:53.151-08:00It Doesn't Take a Storm <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Human capacity to unite and help</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
car in front of me hears the siren a moment before I do and pulls over.
I do the same then glance in my rear view mirror and watch the dense
stream of vehicles behind me make way for the ambulance to get through. </span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Habitually,
I offer a prayer. I’ve done this since I was a small child. This time
with the rain falling, I offer two. One for the crew in the ambulance
and one for its unknown destination. Altogether it takes a few seconds
for those of us on the road to unite and synchronize our efforts. In
this case our help is to move aside so professionals can get through. </span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Underneath
the dark sky there is no time to consider who needs the help. We don’t
hesitate. We don’t ask about religious views or politics. Are they rich
or poor? Gay or straight? Do they deserve it? We don’t care. None of
that matters when a siren sounds. Someone needs help so we move aside
to let the ambulance through. </span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
human capacity to unite for a stranger always pulls gratitude from the
middle of my heart into my throat. We are good on the inside. I know
this but love when clear evidence is given unexpectedly. I take a huge
gulp of air to keep the tears back then pull onto the road and continue
driving. </span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">~</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ve
always been drawn to everyday kindness and generosity. The kind
offered when we think no one else is watching. When we offer a hand.
When we open a door. When we make a real sacrifice for someone who will
never know our name. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And,
during times of crisis the human capacity for compassion is
overwhelming. The day after Hurricane Sandy hit my telephone at work
was filled with messages from people wanting to know what they could do
to help. Mirroring the response after Katrina, the Tsunami and the local
fires. The same response seconds after a local car accident or
heart attack. People want to know what they can do to help. This is just
who we are. We are good. We are generous and kind. It doesn’t matter
where we live, what language we speak or God we pray to, when we see
someone in need - we move. </span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
am humbled by the generosity of our local community members. Whether
it’s lending a few hours to volunteering at the animal shelter or
dedicating their life to making a difference in the world - it all
matters. We can all make a difference. </span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shirley Adams comes to mind. Shirley is a local woman who has made it her life work to bring access to</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> clean water to areas of the world at the mercy of rainfall. I think of Dan and Joan
Strauss, a local family who turned the devastating loss of their teenage
son Alex into efforts to prevent youth suicide </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">in our region. </span></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then there is Justin. A local boy who decided one Christmas that he’d rather give a bike to a child without one</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
than to have a new one of his own. A project that has lead to dozens of
bikes being gifted each Christmas to local children. I am reminded of The Twelve,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
a group of women focused on caring for local families not on Santa’s
route. This is the proof I have that we are good! We are so very good on
the inside. </span></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So
many of you come to mind when I think of the generosity of our local
community. And, although I know it doesn’t take a storm for us to come
together to help, knowing when a storm comes we have each other brings
me great peace. For that, and for your incredible generosity, thank you! </span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
holiday season may we continue to offer our gifts of compassion and
generosity to all those who cross our paths. There has never been a time
when those gifts were needed more. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(Originally published in Upgraded Living www.upgradedliving.com) </span></span>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-33510852779182305442012-07-30T12:52:00.000-07:002012-08-15T15:25:15.512-07:00In My Prayers<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In God’s name you throw stones against my body. You sling words of hatred at my heart and judgement at my soul. I will not beg for you to stop nor will I long for your acceptance. I ask only this, please judge me in your own name. So when night comes I know who it is I am praying for.</span><br />
<br />Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-2250057854740515702011-06-01T12:41:00.000-07:002013-07-16T14:01:30.768-07:00Love At the End of a Dirt Road<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">My love </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">like a tall slim street lamp</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">illuminates </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">each room she </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">graces</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">barefooted </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">and breathtaking </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">in ripped jeans </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">and quiet brilliance</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Not far from her reach</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">a country morning</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> hums</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">dinner plate dahlias burst</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">untamed oak trees dance</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Our souls stir, slowly</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">still intertwined </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">in last night's dreams</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">wrapped in soft white sheets</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">and boundlessness</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A home, our home -</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">at <span style="line-height: 22px;">the end of a dirt road </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">amid almond trees and wild flowers</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And, the sweet bliss of finding the very woman </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">you were born to love. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For Melinda Lee </span></span>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-64406284055827081402011-05-10T14:15:00.000-07:002012-08-15T15:25:36.719-07:00Home<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To find home...</span></span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I've searched the rugged mountaintops in Laos and along the crust of China. I've crawled inside the Guatemalan jungle and down the shores of Vietnam. I searched without knowing what it would look like. I just trusted an unmistakable love would be there.Truth would be there. God would be there. Joy and kindness would splash about. There would be no doubt left in my mind. </span></span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Seven months ago, today, my search ended. I found your heart. My home. Happy Anniversary, Melinda Lee. </span></span></h6>
Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-9321697825747198802011-03-10T11:53:00.000-08:002011-03-18T14:31:42.180-07:00ExtraordinaryOn this ordinary day<br />
in my ordinary ways,<br />
I find your essence <br />
your very existence -<br />
extraordinary.<br />
<br />
Durham, CaliforniaUshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-35137990148799681962011-03-10T10:09:00.000-08:002011-07-11T13:25:24.708-07:00光"Light"<br />
<br />
Charcoal gray skies<br />
feet dangling off the coast<br />
of Shanghai <br />
I overhear him say to her<br />
Sweet Darling,<br />
the heart is the sun<br />
the mind is the moon<br />
for there is only one light<br />
the other but a reflection.<br />
<br />
Shanghai, China.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-86011625533873256712011-03-09T15:10:00.000-08:002011-03-10T11:33:05.956-08:00IntertwinedAt one point this morning<br />
while we were making love<br />
I felt the wings of your heart<br />
tickle my soul.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-84209496460888075392011-03-08T14:42:00.000-08:002011-03-18T14:32:44.824-07:00Iposxesi"I Promise"<br />
<br />
As long as I have air in my lungs<br />
but a single moment left in my palms<br />
I will do what I can<br />
to make a contribution to this world.<br />
<br />
<br />
Antigua, Guatemala.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-26810862931055063282011-03-08T14:12:00.000-08:002011-03-15T10:17:43.167-07:00Sigao"Silence"<br />
<br />
I came here to walk alone<br />
to find my own peace<br />
my own space <br />
my own place<br />
in this world.<br />
<br />
In this solitude<br />
I've sought only God's company <br />
looking to this ever-changing sky<br />
this ever-moving tide <br />
the ever-present fears inside my mind.<br />
<br />
How magnificent<br />
after days of quiet<br />
to hear Her voice this morning<br />
inside the silence.<br />
<br />
<i>Written on the shores of Vietnam </i>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-35862745622130143642011-02-17T15:58:00.000-08:002011-03-18T14:26:07.693-07:00Empty<span style="font-size: small;">Following the barefooted</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">tracks of angels </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I reach back</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">deep inside my heart </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">to clear it out</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">to start anew. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Written on a mountainside in Laos. </span>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-69992140031566013282011-02-17T15:53:00.000-08:002013-01-13T12:06:25.651-08:00EightWhen our bodies turn to dust<br />
let us be remembered<br />
not for the love we stopped<br />
but the love we gave<br />
<br />
when our laughs turns to memories<br />
let us be remembered<br />
not for the differences we feared<br />
but the tolerance we shared<br />
<br />
when the sunrises that first time after we are gone<br />
let us be remembered<br />
for all the times we stood up<br />
when others sat down<br />
<br />
for all the times we turned to forgiveness<br />
when others turned to fear<br />
for all the times we spoke up<br />
when others were silent<br />
<br />
knowing inequality<br />
can never be justified<br />
knowing just because<br />
this is how its always been done<br />
<br />
and done in the name of God<br />
doesn't mean it makes God proud.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-22128102260577587412011-01-27T11:43:00.000-08:002011-01-27T21:40:44.854-08:00Morning Light<i>For Melinda Lee </i><br />
<br />
There she lay<br />
in the morning light<br />
naked, save the shadows<br />
cast by her own curves<br />
flawless, complete <br />
<br />
Her soft green eyes<br />
remain closed<br />
untouched by fear <br />
holding only the slight<br />
remnants of sorrow<br />
from living raw and alive <br />
in a numb world <br />
<br />
Reluctantly I move <br />
un-wanting, unwilling<br />
to stir her, to pull her<br />
from the dreams<br />
keeping company<br />
with her heart<br />
<br />
Instead I remove my shirt<br />
slowly press my breasts<br />
against her back<br />
wrap my small hand<br />
around her waist<br />
and, breathe in<br />
<br />
I breathe her in<br />
I breathe her<br />
so deeply, so completely<br />
into my soul<br />
<br />
The morning light<br />
unabashed, dances on<br />
through the fruit trees <br />
against the lawn<br />
inside the dawn<br />
as our witness.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-1043028028288854502010-10-29T12:14:00.000-07:002010-10-29T12:23:37.338-07:00Stay AwhileCome tonight. Stay awhile. We'll tuck in the stars then watch the morning light chase the horizon. If this night becomes tomorrow, if tomorrow becomes forever, I am ready.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-53081848659270349152010-10-24T22:27:00.000-07:002011-03-10T10:19:02.570-08:00If I Had One More Minute.<div class="MsoNormal"><i>For Roger Williams. </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If I had one more minute I’d tell you what it has meant these past five years to have you in my days. I’d tell you all the ways I’ve learned from you. You showed me that someone can actually live their legacy. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">If I had one more minute I’d thank you for the children. You simply never retired. Because you believed in our children you fought for their education. You never stopped working to create quality education. I trust your footprints can be seen from heaven. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">If I had one more minute I’d tell you how much I loved your strength and how feisty you could get. I loved how you pushed back. Man, we could get each other going. I loved that more than I ever told you. That’s why I wanted you by my side. That’s why I immediately asked you, the first day we met, if you would help me. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">I loved the way you thought. The way you cared. The way you knew what mattered most. I loved that your family came up in every conversation - your Nancy, your girls, your grandbabies. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">It was such a gift to be around you as you made your difference. You woke up each morning knowing your purpose and everyone that knew you could feel it. Along with your tan and your golf clubs you carried the contentment we all crave. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">You were living the life you loved. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">Sure, once a week, you’d tell me you were going to work a little less but you never stepped away. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
You stepped in. You dug in. You kept building.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
It didn’t matter what got in the way - you kept building for our children. You gave and gave and gave. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">A couple days before you left for New Mexico you stopped by. Normally we’d talk about the last fundraiser or the one coming up; or a donor you had your heart on, or the next endowment we should open. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">But, not this last time. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">This last time you handed me a letter about legacies and said, “Lex, this is what’s next”. You told me why you thought things needed to change and what you wanted it to look like. Then you said goodbye and told me you would be home soon. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">I didn’t know then that you meant you were going home. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">If I had one more minute I’d tell you how truly grateful I am to have spent the last years of your life getting to know you. I feel so lucky I knew you for this part. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">You were the good in the world. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">In a town far away from my own - you were part of my family here. I miss you already. <br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">I miss all the building we had left to do. I wanted you there. But, since you created a life that made a difference, since you lived out your legacy everyday, I promise you I will do my best to keep it alive. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 281.7pt;">I know we all will. </div>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-667642485604686932010-10-11T11:51:00.000-07:002011-03-08T14:27:57.956-08:00Oxygen<div><div>I need a label like the moon need label the night<br />
or the sun her light. <br />
I need a label like the ocean need label the water<br />
need my parents label me <br />
their daughter.<br />
I just am. <br />
It just is. <br />
Today <br />
an exception<br />
not for your acceptance<br />
or rejection.<br />
Simply because to be yourself<br />
in our world<br />
is still not safe<br />
for our children.<br />
So I'll take the labels.<br />
I'll find the words. <br />
I am gay.<br />
Just as I am human.<br />
Just as I need love<br />
and oxygen.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div></div>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-60286469728418406602010-10-10T12:08:00.000-07:002010-10-10T21:09:45.932-07:00As You Are<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Might you come to me and reveal in that instant all that arises. If you were to change form a thousand times within that moment, might you sense my understanding. If your sharing came only in silence then quiet we will be. For even now, within our unclear evolution, my prayer is to hold you <b><i>as you are</i></b> not as who I imagine. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-8930226608773882942010-10-10T00:14:00.001-07:002011-02-22T08:57:11.463-08:00A Choice<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I will choose love every day. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">One day i will awake </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">and she will have chosen me.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></div>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-57295005593205697182010-10-05T10:36:00.001-07:002011-02-17T15:37:06.867-08:00Life PrevailsAt the bottom of the world there is water; there is sunshine; there is life. I wouldn't have believed it myself had I not gone there and found a tiny flower pushing through a crack in the sidewalk.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-30673751123679078752010-10-05T10:32:00.000-07:002011-03-18T14:21:24.617-07:00Take With MeI will take with me the sun for light and the pearly white moon for romance. The planet will provide the rest - lest I offend her by packing.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-28705981168167978682010-10-05T10:28:00.000-07:002010-10-05T10:29:12.660-07:00HomeWhen there is nothing left to pull you from the darkness - travel. Travel is the compass back to self. Travel is the path to our greatest parts. Travel longs for us when we are gone and accepts us completely upon our return, saying only, "What took you so long, dear friend?"Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-3855162146255579102010-10-05T10:24:00.000-07:002010-10-10T21:06:43.701-07:00ChangeThe tears were not from sadness. It was the sheer magnitude of newness that forced little drops of salt water to the corners of her eyes.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-31423038513626623162010-09-30T21:31:00.000-07:002010-10-10T21:09:22.320-07:00Risk<span style="font-family: arial;">Is it not better to risk losing everything for love than to hold onto certainty and lose thyself?<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-61633139978292369372010-09-30T21:29:00.000-07:002011-03-10T10:17:19.851-08:00Blanket<span style="font-family: arial;">Tonight I escaped my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">uncertainty </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">and wrapped my heart </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">in a blanket of your love.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-39579372715876664812010-09-30T21:27:00.000-07:002010-10-05T10:33:27.459-07:00Inside that Moment<span style="font-family: arial;">The very first time the sun rose above the ocean's crust and revealed light upon the earth, inside that moment, our love was born.<br />
</span>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717395872989109217.post-62568945929081532922010-09-30T21:26:00.000-07:002010-09-30T21:26:11.610-07:00Falling<span style="font-family: arial;">Alas, I understand why it is called falling.<br />
</span>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259805463457270863noreply@blogger.com