Poetry

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Relay For Life – The Silent Lap

Relay For Life

I have been asked to read the following poem that I wrote at the Gardner, MA Relay For Life 2014.  I am extremely honored and excited.  Cancer has taken the lives of several relatives and friends and I have several relatives and friends who are also amazing survivors.  Hope, Pray, Fight for a cure!!

 

Relay For Life – The Silent Lap

More than a thousand people
On a quarter-mile track.
Gardner, MA
One of the largest Relay’s in North America.
So many people
Focusing on how cancer has touched their lives.
The silent lap begins.

Thoughts turn
To celebrating the Survivors;
Our loved ones,
Other people who have shared their stories,
The differences they have made
In other people’s lives
Through their journey,
All they’ve done since their diagnosis.
We are filled with gratitude
That they are still with us.
Silence.

The walk
Turns to a shuffle
As the track is filled,
One by one by people
Who are filled with sorrow and hope.

Silence falls over the large crowd
Except for a few teenagers
Playing basketball away from the track,
Unaware of the depths of what they miss.
Even the children are silent.
The tiniest of babies, are silent.
Memories,
Gratitude.
Hope.
Tears fall.
Silence.

We remember those
Who have lost their battle with cancer.
Luminaries line the track…
There are far too many and we wish there were none.
There are decorated in honor of…
Relatives,
Sisters, brothers, parents;
Grandparents;
Aunts, Uncles, Cousins.
We look for ones we recognize.
Friends
Coworkers,
Acquaintances,
Those who have touched our lives,
Loved and cared for us,
Made us laugh,
Made our lives better because they were here.
Memories.
Silence.

People standing
On the side of the track,
Missing their loved ones,
Praying for the survivors,
Hoping for a cure.
We are all united as one.
Thousands within a half mile radius
Contributing to the search for a cure.
Hopes and prayers
That no one else they know
Is added to the list they honor
At a fundraiser.
Silence.

In honor,
In memory,
In celebration of life,
With hopes for a cure.
Silence.

 

Please “Like” below if this has touched your heart and “Share” by using the buttons below if you feel others will be touched as well.

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The Universe – A Poem

I have been trying to be quiet and listen more often lately, especially at night before I fall asleep.  I used to do this when I was younger and that was my greatest time of inspiration.  Many of my poems came to me quickly and were unstoppable.  I would jump up and write them down and be done in minutes.

Recently, I was somewhere in that in between state where I was not fully asleep but not fully conscious.  I was asking questions.  I know that a part of meditation is putting all thoughts out of your mind but phrases and pictures kept popping into my head.  I tried to quiet them but they were too persistent.  I grabbed my phone and wrote the following within minutes.  I didn’t change it because of the way it came to me.  It came to me as “The Universe” but could have easily have meant “God.”  I do find it quite ironic that I was trying to listen and was being told to do so when I couldn’t quiet my mind.  I hope you enjoy the result…

universe_scenery-wide

The Universe

The universe
Is within us all
It’s the grass, cut short
And the trees grown tall

The voices that echo through
The tall mountain heights
The baby bird
Who attempts his first flight

The seen and unseen
Music’s beautiful sounds
The universe is
The energies that surround

There’s chaos in the Universe
But it is also surreal
It changes
With the moods we feel

Be silent
And quiet your mind
Take deep breaths
And give it some time

Let the universe, as it is
Speak directly to you
Do not question
Accept it’s clues

There’s so much to hear
And so much to learn
Stop talking for a few
It’s the Universes turn

I have some of my other poetry here in this blog as well.  My book of poetry, “Heart Versus Mind – Words That Touch Your Heart” by Missy Bell,  is also now available on Amazon by clicking the above link.  You may also enjoy other posts on this page that offer tips and strategies for increasing your peace and happiness.  I hope you will become one of my newest followers.

Thank you for stopping by The Peace And Happiness Project!

Missy Bell

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My Unborn Child – Fascinating Results From My Tarot Reading

In the spring of ‘95

You were due to be born

I find after all this time

I still do mourn

I wonder if there was anything

That I could have done

But then I think

Of our second son

I shouldn’t be sad

But after 18 years

I still find that

My eyes fill with tears

It’s human nature

To play that “What if” game

In my heart I know

Our lives wouldn’t be the same

I can’t help but wonder

After all was said and done

If he is your spirit

The two of you are one

Maybe you just weren’t ready

To be born in May

Perhaps July 28th

Was your special day

I still mourn you

Because I guess I’ll never know

So my love and appreciation

For him does grown

I’ll think of you often

And blow kisses to the sky

To my long lost child

My girl, or my guy

I’ll think of you still

And hope that one day

We will meet in Heaven

This is what I pray

I wrote this poem a long time ago.  Please don’t be sad.  I dug this up because I had a tarot card reading the other day and the woman explained to me that my daughter, whom she did not know about, is the one who is causing doors to slam, footsteps in the hall, cold spots in the house, door handles jiggling, voices that more than one of us hear at the same time, what felt like knees in my back from the backseat of the car, seeing “shadow children,” and the TV turning off and on.  I was told she is a prankster and likes to hide things on my son’s girlfriend just to mess with her.  I asked Nic if her things go missing when she is here, without explaining what I knew.  She said yes.  She puts things in places and later they are moved.

I am fascinated by all of this.  It brings me peace and comfort to think that she has been with us off and on.  I will forever cherish that information.  It makes me feel that after all this time, I never really lost her.

Unborn Child Tarot ReadingThis was my first ever tarot reading and I almost didn’t do it.  I had wanted a palm reading instead but they were too busy.  I guess it was meant to be.

For further information about my tarot reading, keep an eye on my other blog site, Where The Ghosts Live – The Haunted United States ~ Missy Bell.

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Destined For Greatness – A Poem for the Special Ed Teacher

DESTINED FOR GREATNESSDestined for Greatness

 

 

I am destined for greatness

This much I know

Exactly how I’ll get there

Only time will show

 

I believe I owe you thanks

For whom I will one day be

Because you have shown

So much faith in me

 

You have taught me lessons

Both big and small

I will do my best

To remember them all

 

So many days I struggled

To pay attention to what you say

You showed me patience and love

And forgave me those days

 

You have stood by me

Trying to find what works best

I’m sure all that you’ve learned

Has been put to the test

 

I truly feel

That you believe in me

That’s why am destined for greatness

You will someday see

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My Baby Girl

I wrote this poem about my niece, Stephanie when she was a baby.  I wrote it through the eyes of her parents.  This is one of the poems I’ve had published.  I hope you like it.

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MY BABY GIRL

A child so young in age

But in wisdom is growing fast.

I wish I could stop the hands of time

And keep her within my grasp.

There’s so much I’d like to teach her.

I’m sure I’ll have the time.

Down the road I’ll be proud to say,

“That little girl is mine.”

For now I watch her closely

As she slowly learns to walk.

It seems I know what she’s thinking

And yet she can barely talk.

I’ll try to teach her the best I can

To learn what’s right and wrong.

In years to come I truly hope

Her values will be strong.

In a few years she won’t be so young.

With her smile she’ll rule the world.

The men will think she’s a beauty

But she’ll still be my baby girl.

StephShe is grown now and her smile does rule the world and she did grow into a beauty.  She is also a wonderful young woman.  She is a nurse in the Neonatal Unit.  She is making a huge difference in the lives of those babies and their families.  I am so very proud of the woman she has become and I knew then that I would be.

If you enjoy this poem, I have published a book of my poetry called, “Heart Versus Mind: Words That Touch Your Heart,” that can be found on Amazon.com or Lulu.com.

Feel free to head on over to my other blog, Where The Ghosts Live ~ Missy Bell.  As always, thank you for stopping by.  Please leave a comment below…

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10 Quotes That Will Truly Inspire You

I have been writing inspirational status’ on Facebook for several years now.  These status’ are about what I am personally learning at any given time in my life and I word it in a non-specific way so that other people can benefit from what I am learning.  Often times I write them just for me, as a reminder of where I need to focus my attention, as if it is advice to myself.

The fascinating part of doing this, and another reason I have continued for so long is because I received such a great response from my friends who happened to be struggling with something and my quote put into words what they were feeling or exactly what they needed to hear that day.  I became addicted to helping others at a young age and so when I learned this was helping others, it was only natural for me to continue.

I went through some of them and gathered them together to share with you today.  I will not stick with one subject though because, chances are, if I vary the topics, you may have a better chance of finding something that resonates with you.

Please keep in mind, these are my quotes.  I did not take them from the internet or from someone famous.  I wrote these.  I would be flattered if you share them, but if you do, please be sure you put it in quotes and include my name at the end for credit.

  • FEAR:  “Identify one of your fears that is stopping you from doing something you want to do. Evaluate that fear and question whether or not it stems from your past and if it’s even a valid fear in your present. Your fear may be outdated and no longer serving its purpose in which case you need to eliminate it and move on to accomplish what you hope to accomplish.” ~ Missy Bell
  • WORRY:  “Worrying about something you have no control over and hasn’t happened yet is like trying to shovel the driveway before it snows!” ~ Missy Bell
  • FACING LIFE’S CHALLENGES:  “Challenges are placed before us so we may learn more about ourselves and to give us practice in learning how to overcome them in the future.” ~ Missy Bell
  • MAKING A CHANGE:  “It is so much more important to change how you think than to change how you look.”  ~ Missy Bell
  • TRUTH:  “Want to know the truth? You already do. Whatever you believe to be true is your truth but not necessarily everyone else’s.” ~ Missy Bell
  • PERCEPTION:  “We experience disappointment, sorrow and a heavy heart in order to be able to appreciate joy, bliss and enlightenment.  Without having felt the negative emotions, we would not be able to recognize or appreciate their opposites.” ~ Missy Bell
  • SELF-ESTEEM:  “You are awesome and amazing. Don’t ever listen to anyone who tries to contradict that statement, especially yourself!” ~ Missy Bell
  • RAISING CHILDREN:  “Teach your children well for someday you will need them to reteach you what you’ve forgotten.” ~ Missy Bell
  • AFFIRMATION:  “Today is a new day and I choose to be happy in it.  I will see by the light of love, not by the spotlight others are shining upon what they want me to see.  I will focus on what I can control and not stress over what I cannot.  I will dance to the beat of my own drum and make beautiful music in the process.  I will be who I am an only apologize when I am not.  I will not worry about what others think of me as long as I am happy with my own actions.  I will accept others for who they are.  I will live for now but plan for a brighter tomorrow.  I will not settle for by falling into false beliefs that this is as good as it gets.  I will start each day accepting the day before as it was and asking myself how I can improve myself today.
  • SUCCESS:  “Define your success not by the success of others but by your ability to achieve the goals you have set for yourself. If you feel unsuccessful, create new goals.” ~ Missy Bell

I hope some or all of these touch your heart in some way or inspire you.  Please let me know if you have a favorite!!

If you are looking for more inspiration or tips on how to add more inner peace and happiness to your life, choose something else from the categories to the right of this post.  Please share anything that resonates with you. 

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On The Way To School – What Memories Are You Saving

When my children were young, we were on our way to drop them off at the school when we had an very unexpected surprise. I saw my father’s car parked outside the McDonald’s and decided to take them in quickly to see their grandpa. The excitement was so great that I decided to write the following poem for him to remember the moment.

This was about 12 years ago. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who remembers this encounter. The memory has been kept alive with the words on this screen. I hope you enjoy the poem…

On The Way To School

The children thought

That it was so cool.

They saw their grandpa

On the way to school.

We were driving to the drive-thru window

For soda to drink

When we saw his car parked outside,

Mom asked, “what do you think?”

The kids agreed.

They all went inside.

There he was, eating pancakes

With sausage on the side.

They ran up quickly,

To his surprise,

“Very unexpected!”

You can see it in his eyes.

He hugged them all.

It made their day.

But unfortunately,

We had no time to stay.

Everyone had places to go

And people to see.

But that chance meeting

Filled their hearts with glee.

They told their friends

That it was so cool,

They saw their grandpa

On the way to school.

This is one of the poems featured in my published book of poetry, “Heart Versus Mind: Words That Touch Your Heart.”

I challenge you to start writing your favorite memories down in your own words, in your own style so that you may revisit these happy times, especially when times are tough. It could be your own words that brighter your day.

What do you choose to remember? Write something every day. The act of recording the good moments in your day will also make you reflect on and be grateful for those moments.