Picture Perfect

I used to dream
of a picture perfect life.
Perfect house, perfect kids,
perfect job.

Then I realized that perfection
is unattainable,
and I made the catastrophic mistake
of trying to look perfect instead.

The mental strain
of pretending to be someone I wasn't
took its toll,
and separated me from joy.

No one has
a picture perfect life,
although it may seem that way
from the outside.

Life can be wonderful,
beautiful and good,
but never perfect,
and that's okay.

So I tore up the picture
of the life I thought I'd have
and found joy
in the one I've been given.

Alive

Your success in life is not measured
by your accomplishments.

Your worth is not measured
by what others think of you.

Your intelligence, your income, your body, your age --
these things don't define you.

Only you can do that.

It doesn't matter
how many times you've fallen short,
how many scars you've accumulated,
how much you have yet to learn.

What matters is that you're alive,
that you're striving with the rest of us,
playing wrong notes with panache.

I pray that on those days
when you feel empty and alone,
you will lift your eyes to the sky
and keep your hope alive.

Write Your Story

Write your story
on the canvas of your heart
in living color.

Live your story,
love your story,
give it all you've got.

Learn to dance
through shadow and light.
Make your peace with darkness.

Move with grace
through sorrow and joy.
Don't let your pain be wasted.

Work like it matters,
play like it doesn't,
and never be ashamed of who you are.

Rise When You Fall

Now that you're grown up,
are your dreams still alive?
Are you confident and hopeful,
do you have the same drive?

Life can steal your joy,
but you can steal it back.
Your dreams will guide you
when you get off track.

Those things you longed to be,
you can be them still.
There's always a way
when you can find the will.

Remember those dreams
you had when you were small.
And remember to rise
every time you fall.

When You Were Small

Remember those dreams
you had when you were small,
when you could be anything,
anything at all?

Remember how it felt
to believe in yourself,
to feel confidence, courage,
and nothing else?

The influence of fear
and those negative voices
had no impact at all
on your everyday choices.

You were free to dream,
free to live,
free to love,
free to give.

No goal was too big,
no mountain too steep,
no distance too great,
no ocean too deep.

Remember those dreams,
and who you wanted to be.
Remember them
so you can inspire me.

Spark

Who is this stranger, veiled in shadow?

Surely she is not like me.

She looks different, acts different, talks different, walks different.

We could not be less alike.

But there is a hint of something,

a spark of recognition.

I have never seen her before,

and yet ... something in her eyes calls to me.

Could it be that she knows laughter,

that she knows pain?

Does she know how it feels to long for love?

Does she smile, does she cry,

does she have sleepless nights?

Perhaps we both know

the joy of victory

and the sting of defeat.

Different cultures, different Gods,

different worlds, different lives,

but the same humanity,

the same craving for understanding.

Who is this stranger, veiled in shadow?

In every way that truly matters,

she is just like me.

Light in the Dark

This is for the days when you feel empty inside,
for the moments when you want to run and hide.

This is for the heartaches, the heartbreaks and pain,
through the dark and the cold, through the fog and the rain.

This is for the dreams that never came true,
for the times when no one knows how it feels to be you.

Through the storm, through the night,
through the struggle, through the fight,
you are seen, you are known,
in the dark there is light.

Beneath the Surface

Sometimes life can feel
like an endless grind.
Learning, working, striving,
facing the storm with gritted teeth.

Life can be a lonely walk,
an arduous pilgrimage.
But there is joy to be found
beneath the surface.

There you can discover
what's truly important,
what's truly lasting
and what truly gives life.

You are here
to share your true light,
to see your true beauty,
and to be your true self.

The quest for meaning
is a journey without end,
and it is in the searching
that meaning is made.

A Life Well-lived

To make a positive difference for others,
to be a good friend,
to live with integrity
and simplicity

To find a balance between
work and play,
effort and rest,
recreation and discipline

To move in rhythm the way nature moves in rhythm:
day and night
low tide and high tide
winter and summer

To rise after every fall

To live with passion,
to cultivate rich and rewarding relationships,
to make a contribution,
to feel valuable and valued

To leave a legacy,
to love and be loved,
and to develop
imperturbable inner peace

These are the ingredients
of a life well-lived

The Courage to Create

You were born to create
beauty, art, memories, love, smiles
You were born to use your gifts,
to live without masks,
to be authentically you

You were born to work
with your hands
to speak with your lips
to express what's inside
and leave your mark on the world

You were born to live
To share your light
to be
to breathe
to become

You were born to feel
to embrace
to endure
to overcome

You were born to be you
and no one can do it better

Paths of Joy

When writing a poem,
the hardest part is the start
This can also be true
of the process of change

Once we've begun,
all we need to do is continue
But it's the beginning
that determines the ending,
or rather the way we begin
that determines the outcome

A half-hearted effort will never yield
the desired results,
Neither will attempts to fit in
and meet the expectations of others

Some paths we've chosen,
and others were chosen for us
But make no mistake,
our fate is in our own hands

We can choose paths of joy,
paths of pain,
or paths of pleasure

Pleasure is external and fleeting
Joy is something we carry inside
And pain will lead us to joy,
if we heed its message

Sometimes we may find ourselves
Trapped by darkness, pain and fear
We may want to escape,
to be anyone or anywhere else
But lack the courage and knowledge
To walk into the unknown

Take that first step
Take it now
Don't look back
Take heart
And know that rewards will come
to those who are willing
to begin

The Worth of a Soul

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

Light? Darkness?

Scars? Flaws?

Mirrors don't lie, but minds do

Look again

There's only a person staring back at you

A person with a past,

a future,

and a present

Those secrets you keep inside,

and the pain you've caused others,

are burned like a brand into your self-image;

it is time for release

You are more than the secrets you keep,

more than the shadows you harbor

You are more than you know