Helen Rousseau

 

Author, Interfaith Minister

No Regrets, No Shame

 

No regrets, no shame,

no time wasted

as all challenges,

met or unmet,

have coalesced in

the great soup of my life.

 

Surrender does not deplete us.

Rather, it adds spice,

allows new flavors

to enhance the broth.

 

No recipe for transformation;

a cup of this or a smidge of that.

The ingredients come our way

sometimes with force,

other times willy-nilly.

 

We each are challenged

to mix it all together

and serve it up

as our own gift to life.

 

 

 

How Does the Heart Know?

 

Dreams strangled

before they can form.

 

Words broken

over backs in the way.

 

Bodies hungry

with empty bowls.

 

Tongues tightened

with fear.

 

Whence rises desire,

dreams of better,

 

hope seeking light

in a stranger's eyes?

 

How does the heart know

it was made for more?

The Leaf

 

As the last flakes

of snow are falling,

a wintry blast

swirling them around,

my focus, out this kitchen

window catches sight

of a brown oak leaf clinging,

in its vulnerability,

to that naked branch

buffeted by the wind.

 

I see in that leaf

what I was

but no longer am,

no longer holding on

to what seemed permanent,

knowing when to let go,

knowing that surrender

leads to transformation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Become

 

You are a beautiful

human being.

 

You are a perfect flower

in the garden of your life.

 

You are a treasure

still to be found.

 

You are a poem

witing to be read.

 

You are a heart

open to love.

 

You have all yoiu need

within you.

 

Become the person

your already are.