You Are Not Alone

You are not alone
In this world
Without the loved one
You’ve just lost
 
You are filled with her love
 
Surrounded by proof
Of the beautiful life
Lived together

Shaped by shared experiences

It feels lonely now
Having her with you differently

Learning to sense her presence
In new ways

Ways that once they happen

Might feel like
Oh yes, that makes sense
There you are

Thank you
For finding
A way to walk
With me here

Knowing
I can’t yet
Walk with you
There 

Start With Compassion

Whatever the topic
However important your point
Whatever your heartfelt belief

Be it about
The healthiest way to eat
Or the best person to vote for

If you don’t start
With compassion

If you devalue

Another human

If you mock

If you behave
In ways
We put our 4^th graders
In time out for
 
If you are cruel

If you lack respect
And basic awareness
That another
Well thought out
But opposite opinion
Exists
 
Your words
Lose validity

Your well thought out opinion
Isn’t received

Words yelled back and forth
Never land

Disintegrate
Mid air

I think
We can all
Do better

People Like Me

People like me
Quiet
At attention
Intently listening

I’d like that too

People like me
To be there
For them

Even if

It robs me
Of being there
For me
 
People like me quiet
 
Yet as I age
I’m finding
That I have
A lot
To say

I’m finding
That I like me
Talking

And now that I’d like
To speak


I’m finding it hard
To find people

Who listen
 
Who offer attention
Who remain quiet

I’m finding it hard
To find people
Like me

Journeys On But Not Asked For

For the things
That break
Our spirits

For the way
Life goes
Sometimes

For journeys
On but not
Asked for

May peace
Still find you
There

Listening Is

Listening is

Creating space

For others
To talk in detail
For as long as they need to
About their splinter
While you
Sit across from them
With broken bones
 
Listening is
Having something to add
But purposely refraining
Because the other person
Needs to talk
More than you
Need to be heard

Listening is letting someone
Tell you how they feel
Without telling them
How you feel about
What they are telling you

It is
Sitting quietly, patiently
For half hour, an hour, or more
While someone shares
The big and small details of their lives
And not being asked
Any details
About yours

It’s attempting to interject
Into a conversation
That has required your full listening ears
A tiny portion
Of what you want to share
Only to find  
That the other person
Isn’t listening
 
It is the realization
That others
Consider you
To be an endless reservoir
For their stories and their pain

Unaware that you struggle

Constantly
To find ways
To fill your own cup

Listening is sacrificing
What you want
To give someone else
What they need

Listening is rare

Because it is hard
And we are all
So hungry
To be heard
 
Listening
Is so
Exhausting

And still
It is worth it
Every time

How To Change The World

Be interested
In others
 
Ask with intent to listen
Listen with intent to learn

Slow down
And show people
That they matter
 
Give your time
And attention
Away freely
 
Care about
And for

The people
That cross
Your path

Walk toward
And not away from
Their pain
 
Nurture them
With kind words
And presence
 
This is how
To bridge
The distance
 
This is how
To change
The world 

Heart Breaks A Little

How you do it is
Your heart breaks a little
Every day
 
Some days less
Some days more
 
But daily
It breaks

Daily
You gather up
Your brokenness

Daily
With your brokenness
You rise

Come Around

No discussion
No intent
To understand
 
Just do you
Believe yet
Exactly as
I do

And if not
I don’t need
To know more

But I will
Check in
Again later
 
To see
If you’ve
Come around 

My Hope

My hope
As I leave places
That have shared themselves
With me
 
Is that
I’ve left something
Of value
There too
 
At the very least left
An abundance of kindness
And gentle companionship
In that place

So that
It’s clear
We are one

All pieces of each other

Spread widely

Yet connected

And whole