Along the Merry Way....

by Matthew Arnold The sea is calm tonight.  The tide is full, the moon lies fair  Upon the straits; on the French coast the light  Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,  Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.  Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!  Only, from the long line of spray  Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,  Listen! you hear the grating roar  Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,  At their return, up the high strand,  Begin, and cease, and then again begin,  With tremulous cadence slow, and bring  The eternal note of sadness in.  Sophocles long ago  Heard it on the Ægean, and it brought  Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow  Of human misery; we  Find also in the sound a thought,  Hearing it by this distant northern sea.  The Sea of Faith  Was once, too, at the full, and round eart...

The waves keep on coming, one after another, hour after hour. Sometimes we glided smoothly over gleaming sea hills while at other times, giant crashing waves fought around us for hours. Ups and downs! Lifting the boat high and then sending it flying back down a watery slope. Somewhat like life :) Troubles and thrills. Ups and downs. Problems and solutions. Forks in the road, and decisions to be made. Mysteries and sorting-outs. Questions and answers. It seems never-ending! When one thing passes, the next looms up. Thinking about the waves out at sea helped me realize that the trick isn't trying for there to be no problems, mysteries and questions. There's no point in being angry and frightened by the next wave. Or trying to figure out just how we're going to get over a wave that hasn't even arrived yet.  How will we make it over this monster? What is past the horizon? That's just part of it - not knowing and not being able to see, yet believing, having faith tha...

Here is a poem that I wrote, which was inspired by the famous " Bookmark " of Teresa of Avila and written in the traditional sonnet style. Peace Let nothing of this world disturb thy peace. Or cause thy kindly soul to be distressed. Cast fears aside, tell clawing thoughts to cease. From terrors of the mind give thyself rest. The driving ache and loneliness of heart, Will melt like mist and sadness fade away. For from his love none ever shall thee part, And he will not abandon nor betray. Defeat and disappointment thou may face. Yet bitterness shall not thy hope destroy. For he shall guide thee onward with his grace, And in his love and through his radiant joy, Thy shattered soul will mend; its ruins rebuild. In love divine the empty heart is filled.

Another reason I love Victoria :) I'll add more as I find them.         I like this: Sink the Bismark and then Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams! :)

“Think that it's fun, that you're guided, and that all is well. Think that there's time, that life is easy, and that the best is yet to come. Think that the reasons that elude you will one day catch up, that the lessons that have stumped you will one day bring joy, and that the sorrows that have crippled you will soon give you wings. Think that you're important, that you cannot fail, and that happiness always returns. And think that you're beautiful.” ― Mike Dooley

Last year at this time, my former fiancé and I had recently gone separate ways. Feeling pretty grief-stricken, I decided to do something constructive: Operation Spread the Love . I made valentines and gave them out to strangers - street bums, lonely-looking people, and anyone who appeared sad in downtown Ottawa. It was so much fun, that I decided to do it all over again here in the new and lovely city of Victoria on Valentine’s Day this year. It's a lot easier on the laid-back West Coast! I gave out almost two dozen of them within a very short time, and people glowed and laughed and thanked me! One lady was a bit defensive at first, thinking I was targeting only lonely-looking people, but she thawed a bit when I said they were for anyone! Another couple chased me down afterwards and asked me why ? So I explained that it was a tradition to Spread the Love a little bit. Another ricketty old man, sitting alone, was really happy to get one, but only after I assured him that there was...