Giant

GIANT

You were a giant in this life

my love.

As though you were the galaxy

and everyone else the stars.

You were so full

of life

in this life

that in death

you are the same

giant.

And the hole you have left

is giant too.

You were so giant in the life

that my grief for you

must be giant also

that's the science you see.

And really

there is little to be done

about that.

For love breeds grief,

grief breeds love

and a giant hole

does not easily fill.

~Donna Ashworth, Loss

Called to rise

From RAWR Women

It all matters

That someone turns out the lamp,

picks up the windblown wrapper,

says hello to the invalid.

pays at the unattended lot,

listens to the repeated tale,

folds the abandoned laundry,

plays the game fairly,

tells the story honestly,

acknowledges help,

gives credit,

says good night,

resists temptation,

wipes the counter,

waits at the yellow,

makes the bed,

remembers the illness,

congratulates the victor,

accepts the consequences,

takes a stand,

steps up,

offers a hand,

goes first,

goes last,

chooses the small portion,

teaches the child,

tends to the dying,

comforts the grieving,

removes the splinter,

wipes the tear,

directs the lost,

touches the lonely,

is the whole thing.

What is most beautiful,

is least acknowledged.

What is worth dying for is barely noticed.

~Laura McBride

Inside out

INSIDE OUT

Get used to grief my friend

for once it calls

it does not take its leave

an unwanted guest

but a guest nonetheless

and a guest

we must receive.

Get used to grief my friend

for once it's with you

it sticks like sea to shore

the folks who grieve

get no reprieve

just the learning

to live once more.

Get used to grief my friend

for when it arrives

it won't be escorted out.

so usher it in

let the grief win

it's love

turned inside out.

~Donna Ashworth, Loss

Punishment

Punishment might

strengthen your power,

but it will eventually

weaken your 

influence.

~Lori Petro

Children in heaven

CHILDREN IN HEAVEN

I spoke to a robin

who visits my tree

I told him I thought

you were waiting for me

he shook his soft head

and much disagreed

"the children in heaven

are happy, you see.

They know of no fear

they feel no regret

they spend the days wrapped

in a blissful forget.

they're loved very much

by your ancestors all

and they run around playing

with sticks and a ball.

And the only time

children in heaven seem sad

is when they look down

on the life that they had

and the people they love

feel no longer alive

even though it's not their time

to travel this side.

So chin up, said Robin

let no more tears fall

your child is quite free

with their sticks and a ball

and they're in no great rush

to see you just yet

you've life still to live

and more memories to get

And time may pass slowly

here on the ground

but in heaven it's moments

and will quickly come round

so let the world turn

and let everything be

the children in heaven 

are happy, you see."

~Donna Ashworth

Yes authentically

If we don't say yes authentically,

we say yes resentfully,

and that leads to far more problems

than if we'd said no in the first place.

~Nat Lue

Everything you can

 

When you've done

everything you can do,

that's when God will step in

and do what you can't do.

~1 Corinthians 12:10

Love you as long

I will love you

as long as the sun

burns in the sky,

as long as the moon

shines its light

into the dark night,

until the raging

blue oceans become

calm and run dry.

I will love you until

the end of time.

~Christy Ann Martine

Constantly

 From 3 am Thoughts

You can't hurt someone

constantly and expect their

energy to be the same.

Even people with good hearts

have limits.

Safe and open space

 A relationship cannot improve if you don't provide your partner with a safe and open space to express their needs and concerns. If you continue to perceive your partner communicating as an attack, you're never going to get anywhere. Humble yourself and listen to their needs.

Mother like no other

 HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

To ALL women...

Because all women have mothered someone at one point

in their life, it's just what we do.

We care, we nurture, we "mother":

For the mothers who are knee deep in family, this is

your day to feel like a queen, please do. It's entirely

deserved and no one needs a day of pampering more. The

chores can wait, be at rest.

For the mothers who have lost children, this day is another

on your "harder" calendar, and for that I send you love, you

are so very brave, every day.

To the women who no longer have their mother, this day is

a heart-breaking reminder of an overwhelming grief. Your

mother would want this day to be a time to say her sayings,

cook her favourite meal and play her favourite songs. So,

please don't avoid that today. I know it hurts, but it will help

the heal.

To the women who have not made it into motherhood, who 

so desperately want to. This day is tough, there is nothing

you want more than a 3 am wake up and a hand-drawn card

full of love.

Please take today to acknowledge all the hard work and

energy you have put into your endeavours. I see the hold in 

your heart. I see you and I want you to know you're a 

warrior of love and you deserve so much joy in life. Please

let it in.

To the women who mother another child, you are a glorious

example of humanity and love, my heart fills to bursting 

just to witness the gift you give. Thank you.

To the women who feel like they have not had that maternal

love they so crave, please be the "new". You need to make 

much love, so that the future outweighs the past. It starts

with you. You deserve it, create it. It will fill you.

To the women,

ALL the women,

Happy Mother's Day...

We mother like no other.

~Donna Ashworth

You

Posted by Nona

YOU...

If every single person who has liked you in 

your lifetime, were to light up on a map, it

would create the most glitteringly beautiful

network you could imagine. Throw in the

strangers you've been kind to, the people

you've made laugh, or inspired along the way

and that star-bright network of you would be

an impressive sight to behold. You're so much

more than you think you are. You have done

so much more than you realise. You're trailing

a bright pathway that you don't even know 

about. What a thing. What a thing indeed.

~Donna Ashworth

Good hearts

 From Ravenous Butterflies

Here's the thing about people with good hearts:

They give you excuses when you don't explain yourself.

They accept the apologies you don't give.

They see the best in you.

They always lift you up. even if that means putting their

own priorities aside.

They will never be too "busy" for you.

They will make time, even when you don't.

And you wonder why they're the most sensitive people, the

most caring people, why they are willing to give so much of 

themselves with no expectation in return.

You wonder why their existence is not so essential to your 

well-being. It's because they don't make you work hard for

the attention they give you. They accept the love they think

they deserve.

- and you accepted the love you think you're entitled to.

Don't take them for granted.

Fear the day when a good heart gives up on you.

Our skies don't become grey out of nowhere, our sunshine 

does not allow the darkness to take over for no reason.

A heart does not turn cold unless it's been treated with

coldness for a while.

~Najwa Zebian

Daily

by Max Lucado

God meets daily needs

daily. Not weekly or

annually. He will give you

what you need when it is

needed.

Strong and soft

what a beautiful thing

it is to find somebody

who is both strong and soft,

somebody who can match

the texture of your soul.

~Mark Anthony

Another table

 Some people never

understand what you

bring to the table until

they watch you in 

action at another table.

From Your Beautiful Life by Alexa

Take so much

Stop letting people

that add so little to your life

take so much of your peace.

~Morgan Richard Olivier

Giver

If you are a giver, and you have a big heart, to be truly happy in life, you must learn when to let go.

Naturally, you're going to care when you shouldn't, you're going to stay longer than you should, and you're going to give when you have nothing. Know when to stop and let things be.

~sylvester mcnutt

A child

 A child that is treated

with respect won't

have to spend their

adulthood learning they

are worthy of it.

~A. Simeone, Wordables

Your worth

 Know Your Worth

You must find the courage to leave the table

if respect is no longer being served.

~Tene Edwards

Waiting a little longer

 Be comfortable with

waiting a little 

longer for the things

you deserve.

~Word Porn

Doing a thing

From Ravenous Butterflies

She wasn't doing a thing that I could see,

except standing there, leaning on the balcony railing,

holding the universe together. 

Your children

 Always felt guilty about this but maybe it's okay...

From The HR Diary

Sleep with your children, hug each other while you can under the covers, do not be afraid of that addiction. Children are small only once, then when they grow up they will find their way and their spaces.

Sleep heart against heart, so much so that you feel their breath, because there is nothing more beautiful than this.  Enjoy their childhood and their company, love them as if the world were going to end today because tomorrow they will have grown up and you will think that you lacked time to hug them.

Scare me

you scare me

but not in a

scary movie

or crazy kind of way.

no,

you scare 

me in the

how could i 

ever live 

a single day

without you,

kind of way.

~v.m. enriquez

Find you

you were always mine

i just had to find you

~r.h sin

Not a fit

By Jeff Brown, Love It Forward

If one person doesn't want the relationship, then it's simply not a fit. No sense trying to figure out why we think they don't want it. No sense blaming it on their commitment issues. No sense waiting around for them to realize they wanted it after all.  Because it doesn't matter why they don't want it. What matters is that we want to be met heart-on by a fully engaged partner. If they don't want it, then we don't want it, because we don't want to be with someone who is not there for it fully. That's the thing about love relationship - it's an agreement that has to be signed by both souls. If one doesn't sign, then nothing has been lost. If it's not a fit for them. it's not a fit for us either. On to the next adventure we go...

Are to love

 Posted by Nona

From Poet's Corner

And if you are to love,

Love as the moon loves.

It doesn't steal the night,

It only unveils the beauty

of the dark.

And if you are to love,

Love as the rain loves.

It doesn't wet the bodies,

It only washes the sad dirt

of the souls.

And if you are to love,

Love as the wind loves.

It doesn't drift away,

It only cleanses you to

the core by invading

through each pore.

And if you are to love,

Love as the sun loves.

It doesn't radiate heat,

It only pours its warmth

on you to enlighten your way.

And if you are to love,

Love as the star loves.

It doesn't delightfully twinkle,

It only reminds you that

not even death can separate

two hearts.

And so forth,

If you are to love

Love as the whole universe

and not just as part of it.

~Jasleen Kaira, And If You Are To Love

The balance

She fell in love

with him deeply;

he was both: a 

savage an a 

gentleman. The

balance made 

her feel safe,

and alive.

~s. mcnutt

The wild

Talking to the Wild

by Becky Hemsley

(posted by Nona)

She sat at the back and they said she was

shy

She led from the front and they hated her

pride

They asked for her advice and then questioned her guidance

They branded her loud then were shocked by her silence

When she shared no ambition, they said it was

sad

So she told them her dreams and they said she was mad

They told her they'd listen then covered their

ears

And gave her a hug when they laughed at her

fears

And she listened to all of it thinking she

should

Be the girl they told her to be best as she

could

But one day she asked what was best for

herself

Instead of trying to please everyone 

else

So she walked to the forest and stood with the

trees

She heard the wind whisper and dance with the leaves

And she spoke to the willow, the elm and the

pine

And she told them what she'd been told time after time

She told them she felt she was never enough

She was either too little or far, far too much

Too loud or too quiet, too fierce or too weak

Too wise or too foolish, too bold or too meek

Then she found a small clearing surrounded by

firs

And she stopped and she heard what the trees said to her

And she sat there for hours not wanting to 

leave

For the forest said nothing, it just let her

breathe

Tried

 From I Needed A Viking Poetry

"And you tried to change, didn't you?

Closed your mouth more.

Tried to be softer, prettier, less

volatile, less awake.

You can't make homes out of human

beings.

Someone should have already told you

that.

And if he wants to leave, then let him

leave.

You are terrifying, and strange, and

beautiful.

Something not everyone know how to

love."

~Warsan Shire, For Women Who Are Difficult To Love

Best and worst

Posted by Flying Free

Compassion 

without boundaries

is self-betrayal at

best and self-harm

at worst.

~Britt Frank

Generous giving

Found this in my notebook, dated Nov. 30, A Call to Generous Giving

2 Corinthians 8:1-4

Moreover, brethren we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering of the saints.

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:10-15

And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance might also supply your lack - that there may be equality. As it is written, "He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack."

2 Corinthians 9:5-12

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always having sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written, "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever."

Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God.

Monumental things

 Not sure where I copied this down from...

...the poor person who gives everything he or she has is giving a greater gift than rich people who gave much more out of their abundance. God's ability to use a gift is in no way hindered or enhanced by the size of that gift. And it is the sacrificial faithfulness of the giver, not the size of the gift, that is the true measure of the gift's significance. It is not the greatness of the gift that counts, but rather the greatness of the God to whom it is given. He takes the sacrificial and often insignificant gifts of people who give faithfully, and He multiplies them to accomplish monumental things.

(Looked it up - from Twelve Ordinary Men Bible Study book, pgs.72-73)

Still there

From Luminous Light Studio

When you fear that your memory is fading or their image is slipping.

When you want to go back in time.

When no one but you says their name.

When the days are dark and the pain runs deep.

When the tears flow so much they run dry.

When you struggle to breathe.

When you struggle to survive.

When the world comes crashing down over and over.

When your only wish is to hold them tight.

Love is still there.

It will always be there because even in the darkness this love is scintillating. 

It is the light in the darkness and that love will see you through.

So keep loving. Keep breathing. Keep going. Keep reaching ahead.

Cling to that love - it's the one thing that can never be taken from you.

The problem

The problem with the world

is that the intelligent people

are full of doubts

and the stupid ones

are full of confidence.

~Charles Bukowski

Weekend

Nice thing to read on a Monday...

WEEKEND

Forget about all the things you didn't do over the weekend.

Forget also about the things you did do, that you now

wish you hadn't. Life is not for suffering, you are supposed

to feel joyous, to feel free, to feel alive sometimes. So if

you have felt any of those things recently, even for a

moment, be proud. That's what you're here for.. And

sometimes, stepping off the treadmill (or even falling), is

the best thing we can do. Forget about all the things you

didn't get right this weekend and instead pat yourself on

the back for remembering that life is just for the living.

~Donna Ashworth, Life 

Keep your distance

Keep your distance from 

people who will never admit

they are wrong and 

always try to make you

feel like it's all

your fault. 

Easy to fool

 Sometimes people will

act like you're hard to

deal with because you

aren't easy to fool.

~Word Porn

Realize

 Once you realize,

the power of your words,

you won't just say anything.

When you realize

the power of your thoughts,

you won't just entertain anything.

And once you realize

the power of your presence,

you won't just be anywhere.

~@MasteringLawofAttraction

Every time

Every time that someone is cruel to you,

do something kind for yourself.

This is how you reinforce your worth

when others refuse to acknowledge it.

This is an incredibly powerful act of self-love.

~Kalen Dion 

It's time

 From The Heart Speaks

IT'S TIME TO 

START MAKING PEOPLE

UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S

A PRIVILEGE TO BE IN YOUR LIFE.

READ THAT AGAIN.

Doing something right

 Sometimes you face

difficulties not because

you're doing something 

wrong, but because you're

doing something right.

~Dave Adamson

Never again

 From I Needed a Viking Poetry

Never again

will I justify

the scars

just because

I loved the person

holding the knife.

~steve maraboli

Not for everyone

YOU'RE NOT FOR EVERYONE

You're not for everyone

but you are most definitely

for someone

and when you find yourself caught

in the trap of "people-pleasing"

remind yourself quickly 

that you are "people" too

and further, refresh your memory

by recalling

that pleasing everyone

is not possible

it cannot be done

just like the sun cannot shine

on all faces at once

but when it does

when you are for someone

it is more than enough

you're not for everyone

but it's the "someones"

who matter most

the "someones"

who will breathe you new life

when your lungs forget how

love your "someones"

they're the only ones

you need

~Donna Ashworth

Changed behavior

 The words "I'm sorry" are

a formal declaration of intent.

Changed behavior is the actual apology.

~Kalen Dion

Your limits

 If you are a giver

know your limits

because takers 

don't have any

Truth and lies

From The Law of Attraction

Truth does not mind

being questioned.

A lie does not like

being challenged.

Rowboat

Love this!

From Flying Free

If two people are in a rowboat and

one has an oar, they both have to row

to make the boat move forward, if only

one person rows the boat, the boat will

go around in circles and not get

anywhere. Hearing this set of

statements, one of our clients said, "I

would just row harder," to which her

therapist responded, "Then I guess you

would go around in circles faster."

~Dr. Edward Kubany

Givers and takers

The takers may eat better,

but the givers sleep better.

Every single one

 I hope beautiful things

happen to you and

when they do, I hope

you can believe you are

worthy of every single

one of them.

~F.E. Marie, Life on Purpose

Why God

From Grief Bites

I have been asked hundreds of times in my life why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I really do not know the answer totally, even to my own satisfaction. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and He is a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering.

~Billy Graham

Called to be

I had to take you from where

you thought you needed to be

to a place you didn't want to 

see, so that you'd grow into

the person I called you to be.

~God

Worked out

 Sometimes, what 

didn't work out for

you, IN FACT, worked

out for you.

~Word Porn

Overqualified

 The whole time you thought you weren't good enough, you were overqualified.

Find it

THAT'S WHERE YOU FIND IT

You search for your beauty in the mirror, in photographs,

in the label of clothes, when you really should be searching

through the messages sent to you by grateful friends, the

cards written to you on special days or in times of need,

the memories of smiles you created from tears. Your

beauty lies in all the ways you touch and care for those

around you my friend - the jokes you make on a gloomy

day and the music you shared to inspire - the times you

showed up when no one else did and the invisible net of

love, laughter and light you have spread across this planet

without glory or vanity.

That's where you find your beauty.

~Donna Ashworth, I Wish I Knew

Favorite line

 Never thought I would be quoting Spongebob...

Spongebob: What if I break your trust someday?

Patrick: Trusting you is my decision, proving me wrong is your choice.

Favorite line.

Still tied

 When a child dies, a parent is still tied to

that child. Souls, tied together across

universes. It doesn't matter the age when

they passed. It doesn't matter how long ago

it happened. It doesn't matter -- none of it.

Their souls are forever tied.

That's the love of a parent. That's the love

that is more powerful than death. That's 

the heart that breaks and keeps breaking

until their arms are filled again. It knows

no discrimination based off age, health,

or time, it just is, and it always will be.

Their souls are forever tied, and there's

nothing that can break them.

That's the beauty of unconditional love.

~Scribbles & Crumbs

Her worth

 And she knew her worth.

It was not wrapped up 

in praise or applause.

It came in the still of the night

and the first light of dawn.

She was loved endlessly by God.

~Lauren Fortenberry