Chalk Outline

There's a chalk outline where family used to be.

Stark contrast to what once was

There's  a chalk outline where family used to be.

Cold and wounded for all to see

There's a chalk outline where family used to be.

Caution tape and cries they refuse to hear

There's a chalk outline where family used to be.

Pointing fingers, tossing blame

There's a chalk outline where family used to be.

Denial, anger, mourning

There's a chalk outline where family used to be.

I can't be the only one to notice

There's a chalk outline where family used to be.

"A Good Fitting Bra"

Oh, how I love a good fitting bra. It is beyond comfortable, makes me feel confident and pretty. 

On the contrary, an ill fitting bra can be like torture; it pinches if its too tight, the straps can dig

in or fall and fail to support you when you need it most.


A good fitting bra, a really good fitting one isn't as easy to find as one would think.  It takes time

and energy to get right fit, and not to mention it's sometimes pricey.


A good support system, a close knit group of friends is just as important to me as that coveted

good fitting bra. Good friends support you, hold you close without smothering you, protect you

from potential embarrassing situations. You feel confident, pretty and ready to take on the world,

or you can just enjoy the comfortable fit. We need that perfect friendship fit and just like that

wonderful good fitting bra there can be a high price to pay if we don't take the time to develop

these relationships.


How many good fitting bras do you have in your life?

Quiet please

3/21/2012 10:38 AM

Jumbled thoughts, rapid fire pace.
Beautiful individually, all together a tangled mess
Overstepping boundaries, shouting, cutting each other off mid stream
Breathe... slowly... breathe, focus
Close your eyes, breathe, listen
Feel the thoughts with each slow breath
Take hold of them, gently...
Genuine, unfiltered
Beauty of God

© 2012 / Ilene Guido »»*******************************************************************««

Although the selection above is much shorter than I normally write, I am at peace with it. When my passion and intensity are overshadowed by anxiety and fear of failure, I take joy in the blessing and reminder that God guides my writing abilities. For me, this was a "hug", a "hand on my shoulder", reassuring me. Although my life my become fast paced, with responsibilities and things I'd like to accomplish, the ideas for journals, poetry, blogs, books flooding my head, I don't need to worry. I realize that as long as I seek God, all will be sorted out.

Evolution

Relationships.

 That one word can bring us warm good feelings or send us running and screaming in the opposite direction.  Unless you’re a hermit up in the hills, you can’t escape it, relationships are all around us. From the moment we’re born we’re in one; the parent-child relationship, which then flows like a river into several others, the sibling relationship, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents.  These are the biological relationships that are decided for you, good or bad these are the first steps of careful navigation.

Friends, acquaintances, co-workers these are the ones we get to choose, in the early days, our parents may choose our friends/playmates. As we grow older we have more say so in whom we let enter into our lives.  For some, it’s the “family” we thankfully get to choose.

Now this being said, all these relationships can add or detract from what we hold of value in our lives.  Each relationship is unique although you can certainly see similarities from one to another. A friend can remind you of a cousin, grandparents can be strict version of your own parents or the total opposite, by spoiling you rotten when you’re a kid.

No matter which one it is, they all go through its ups and downs. It goes through changes, some that are barely noticeable, some that are so dramatic you wonder how your life isn’t nominated for an Oscar or Emmy each year.

Just like the seasons, our relationships go through much needed phases. It is up to us to decide if will survive through each season; will it survive the “harsh winter”, the bad times, and blossom again in the “spring”?  If we don’t adjust to these changes, allow each of the parties involved to grow, express themselves, it will wither like a flower with no sunlight.  How many people do you know that are stuck in a rut, be it a parent & child, always at odds, never willing to hear the other out for fear of losing control? How many siblings hold on to the rivalries and disagreements of our youth? How many grandparents find it so difficult to let go and see their grandchildren as adults with opinions that no longer agree whole-heartedly with everything they say? Do we even begin to ask about the spouses who can’t see past the “person you were when we got married” or are still trying to “mold” them into the perfect spouse to the detriment of the marriage?

As much as we want to be recognized for who we are, we need to also recognize who and why we continue to let people into our lives and to what level we allow their behavior to affect us.

Lighthouse

I’ve always had affinity for lighthouses but, it’s more than just the picture perfect postcard aspect. Certainly we are all aware of their purpose, to guide ships safely home from dangerous areas at sea and through the storms by shining that beacon of light.  This elegantly understated structure, beautifully & prominently perched atop the cliffs, watching over the ships at sea whether its placid or turbulent; much like God protecting, guiding & lighting our way --- all we have to do is seek Him. 

Not only should we constantly seek God’s direction, we need to follow where He is leading us, the timing is hardly ever something that matches our own; be patient, listen, trust. Faith for me is having the courage to move through the uncertainties, the insecurities and fears.

As I ponder the direction of my own life, God has placed a desire in my heart to accomplish more, through assisting and encouraging others, be it by “lending a helping hand”, listening, advising and just being the best person I can be; not for selfish gain, not to be remembered as just having done good things, but to move people to do the same.  Connecting with, one life touching another, encouragement goes a long way; it’s the safe harbor when we feel like we’ve lost our way.

How splendid would it be if we’d all look out for, guide one another, just as that lighthouse on the cliff, following God’s example; shining brightly, that light within, encouraging one another, building each other up, growing in faith throughout life’s journey, in the calm & the storm, illuminating as it should be, the selflessness of extending ourselves for the greater good.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Philippians 2:3-4