The Light of Hope

Sometimes all we have is hope;
a faint beacon of light at the end of a dark tunnel.
Something to grab on to.
When all else fails us and we feel so alone;
left at the end of our rope.
That is the time to search for any fragment to hold on to.
A sunrise of a brand new day;
soaking up those warm, bright rays of light.
For a new day is a new beginning.
The innocence of a new baby;
Untouched yet by life’s confusion and pain.
Savor the brand new soul,
Eagerly taking it all in.
The awe in those young eyes.
Hope is so very important.
To have it is to have faith that someday things will change.
Someday the light will shine again;
as bright as it once did.
Hope that darkness won’t prevail.
Sometimes it takes reaching out and grabbing a hand;
of someone else in need.
Because sometimes helping others,
helps our own light shine bright.
And in the process fresh hope is born.
The thing is hope needs to live.
To let it go is in essence giving up,
and life is too precious to cave.
For the pain of the journey is often the path to the light.
Loving others and loving ourselves too.
This love is what heals us and gives us faith to go on.
The kind of love that believes in something.
Anything that gets us through,
and in turn leads us to blessed serenity.
So during those times we struggle to shine.
Hold on tightly to your light.
Never let go of the miracle of hope.
For to hope is to breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inspired by a twitter prompt:
“How people find and hold on to hope”
From: @MyHopeSpace

Angels are Amoung us

An angel came to us one day
in the shape of a little girl.
She was born into a family
giving life on Earth a whirl.

A Mom and Dad to love her,
and two big sisters too.
She was made of smiles and laughter,
and gorgeous eyes of blue.

Their precious little cuddle monkey,
sweeter than homemade pie.
She grew and loved to learn,
with a twinkle in her eye.

This little girl, so young and sweet
was wise beyond her years.
To look into those bright blue eyes
was to watch her mind shifting gears.

Their busy baby loved life.
She grew in leaps and bounds.
Then one fateful day,
frightful cancer came around.

This little girl fought so hard.
At times we thought she'd beat it.
But an angels work is never done.
There were places she was needed.

In the loving arms of her family;
and surrounded by Gods love.
Her breath became so very soft,
as the angels watched from above.

They beckoned her to come on home.
Her work on Earth complete.
Her angel wings were waiting,
up in her heavenly suite.

Although the tears would be many;
for on Earth she'd been adored.
The work she'd do in Heaven,
would touch so many more.

She'd leave behind a family,
who'd given her such love.
And peacefully watch over them all,
sending blessings from Heaven above.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inspired by a beautiful, blue-eyed little girl named @LaylaGrace who is in the end stages of a vicious battle with Neuroblastoma. At 2 years old she's fought a brave fight. Her loving family and their strength in God has helped them stay strong during this fight. Even in the adversity of it all, they have not lost their faith in God's blessings and love. The world is blessed to share every little moment they are granted by having known Layla Grace. Even as I write this for an angel, I continue praying for a miracle that will heal this little girl and allow her to stay with her family on Earth.

~~~~~~~~~~
Layla went to play with the angels...
11/26/2007 - 3/9/2010
Rest in Blessed Peace Layla

“Miracles Work in Mysterious Ways”

Smokey Mountains Children’s Home
is a blessing to us, you see;
for it helped our family grow
and make our way back to happy.

Years of stress and change
had left us feeling blue;
we needed a little help,
so we came with hope to you.

Learning how to communicate
and better ways to deal.
Learning forgiveness and respect,
finally starting to heal.

The loving staff guides our child
and offers their heart and their hand;
to teach him to work through his emotions
and help him to understand.

Learning some needed discipline
and responsibility too;
learning to take action
and how to follow through.

Things aren't always easy,
nothing worth having really is;
but with God’s love here beside us,
we will make it through all of this.

©alaurilee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a life prompt:
Smokey Mountain Children's Home helped our family and our son.
This is our Thank You to them for all they do to help families in crisis.

"Unrequited Rage"

I felt it slowly consume me,
eating little pieces of my soul.
Why i ever let it,
I'll never really know.

It started out with just a grudge,
then more grudges grew.
Soon they overwhelmed me;
I didn't know what to do.

Over time the pain of life
left me feeling crushed.
The pressure of trying to deal,
sometimes feeling rushed.

My little soldiers of anger
marched along with me each day.
I tried to hide them deep inside
but they continued marching anyway.

All around me storm clouds
of emotion blew and blew.
I tried to keep my head on straight
while my anger continued to stew.

I tried to deal, one by one;
putting each grudge in its place.
Trying so hard to keep them caged
before they blew off my face.

Blown away by feeling the weight
of gravity shoving me into myself;
watching me suffocate, then implode,
with leftover pieces for that box on a shelf.

I couldn't take it anymore;
I had to set it free . . .
before this unrequited rage
totally destroyed all of me.

I tucked each grudge up carefully
inside helium balloons so bright.
Released them up into the sky
on a bright moon lit night.

I watched them slowly float away
with each grudge tucked inside.
Making my peace with them all
as they took their final ride.

Letting go of them for me,
taking a breath of brand new air;
starting this thing all over again,
allowing myself the freedom to care.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a twitter prompt:
"Unrequited Rage"
From: @churchpunkmom

"The Flame of Love"

A beautiful bonfire of love burns in our hearts.
We sing the same song in our soul.
Miracles never cease to amaze us,
every day we grow.
Troubles come and go my love,
yet you and I survive.
Life may trip us up at times,
yet you and I, we thrive.
My inner flame shines with you—
it absolutely glows.
Yet even when I’m burning dim,
your loving heart—it knows.
We are each other’s balance,
at times when nothing is.
We are each other’s strength
when fear and pain grabs hold of this.
We own our love with passion,
embracing heaven on earth;
all of this a miracle so sweet,
we couldn’t ask for more.
A blessing so fruitful—
—as long as I have you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a life prompt:
The photo of a bonfire taken tonight outside of our friend Jim and Shirley's house. They share a very powerful, deep, spiritual love much like shared between me aka @grnladybug and my hubs aka @uanmeintn ~ this poem is for them, for us and for all who share a flame of love.

"Sea of Faith"

I fell into a sea of faith, love and divinity;
hope, strength and tranquility.

The cool calm waters quench my thirst,
filling my soul, I long for more.

I wandered through life for many years,
struggling with just what to believe.

My heart began to drift . . . I struggled to hold on,
rocking away on troubled waters, trying not to fall in.

Sometimes I'd slip, taking a dip;
struggling to swim.

One day my troubled waters
parted right in front of me.

Before me I saw . . . I thought . . . a mirage.
A beautiful tranquil sea.

But it was real; it was faith and hope,
blessed spirituality.

Healing washed all over me . . .
cleansing my soul of the pain and loss.

Cleansing my heart of guilt and regret,
forgiveness and a second chance.

For new beginnings . . .
floating today . . . in my new found sea of faith.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a twitter prompt:
"Sea of Faith"
From: @semaphore

"Standing By My Man”

The man I love has gone away,
to better himself for another day.
This man I love is an addict too.
There’s something deep he needs to do.

I can’t help myself, I love him . . .
and all his little ways.
I can’t help myself . . . I want him,
when everyone else wants him gone away.

He grabbed a piece of my heart,
took it with him when he left.
I still smell the place, where his pillow lays
lovingly on my bed.

I still see the way he looks at me,
I replay it in my head.
Though many people would disagree
by his side is the place I choose to be.

I’ll welcome him home when he beats this thing
and give him another chance.
I’ll welcome him back to my waiting arms
and my dreams of a beautiful romance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a twitter prompt:
"Standing beside someone when everyone says you should leave. And loving an addict"
From: @sweettpepper

"The Traveling Man"

The traveling man looks at the clock
slowly ticking away.
Bit by bit—time takes a hit,
eating away his day.
His body sighs;
he closes his eyes
on this—his last day home,
savoring every moment,
trying not to moan.
His bags are packed with laundry fresh.
His lovely wife drops him at the gate.
Hugs and kisses and words of good-bye,
it’s time to start his week.
Lord, he misses her while he’s away,
he thinks to himself as the plane lifts off.
He bites his lip—struggles a bit,
then quietly tucks it away.
That piece of her he tucks in his heart,
she rides in there—along with him,
with memories to keep him warm,
of her silliness and her happy grin.
The way her eyes sparkle at him,
filled with so much love.
This life he shares with his loving wife,
a beautiful blessing—from up above.
He troopers up and works his week
then meets his love right back at that gate.
Grabs her in his arms and kisses her,
savoring her and home—today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a twitter prompt
"A traveling man's life while he misses his loving wife at home"
From: @uanmeintn (my traveling man and loving husband) i:heart: :)

"The Fight For A Life"

Cancer came into my life,
I'll never forget the day.
One hopes it will never happen
but it happens anyway.

It took a hold of my body
eating little pieces inside.
"But it cannot take my soul!"
I state, with strength and pride.

It may trouble my body
but I won’t let it cripple my heart.
It may cause tremendous pain
but I won't let it tear my world apart.

I intend to fight this fight,
giving it all that I can.
I will not let this disease
define my being and all that I am.

I won't let it conquer my spirit
or let it shatter all hope.
I won't let it eat away my faith,
even when I'm at at the end of my rope.

I'll keep on pushing along
with everything that I've got.
And when it's all said and done
I'll know how hard I've fought.

By: Lauri Halterman
02-17-2010
©alaurilee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a twitter prompt:
I joined a project to make cards for cancer patients.
This is my poem for the fighters...the survivors....never give up hope.
From: The wonderful organization @Cards4Cancer
Care to help the project? Go to their site below to help us.... :)
http://cards4cancer.wordpress.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please note special permission granted on only this poem to all who wish to share with cancer patients and families for support. Please include my name, date and copryright signature when using.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimer:
I have had pre-cancer seveal times, but never fought the Cancer fight myself.  I've lost several people in my life to Cancer and have rallied behind others who keep fighting and living.  I also walked in the local Buddy's Race for the Cure for the past 3 years.

I wrote this from the Cancer fighters perspective with the help of a survivor, Barbara Jowers.

"Closure"

Closure is a timely thing;
to get it one must let it go.
But it’s hard to really do that
until you really truly know.

Why did it all fall apart?
Why did dreams turn into pain?
What happened to change this love
into teardrops of lonely rain.

It all seemed so real . . .
for a moment in time.
We appeared to have a future,
between your heart and mine.

I let you into my world;
embraced you into my life;
introduced you to my kids . . .
cohabitation, like man & wife.

I got used to the way you held me
and the scent you left in my bed;
the way you laughed at my jokes.
you understood what was in my head.

Then one day you troubled me,
you said you had to leave.
Although you said you would return.
something in me just didn't believe.

I wanted to have faith in you,
with all of my heart and soul.
I thought this love of ours would last;
I hoped in my heart this was also your goal.

But as our fate would have it
your promise to me was made of lies.
No closure from you or understanding,
just painful emptiness and lonely sighs.

Months went by, then almost a year . . .
before you made contact with me.
All I wanted from you was closure,
explain to me what made you flee.

Turns out that your faith in me
was much less than mine of you.
You thought I’d break your heart;
it was nothing that I had intended to do.

You left before I could hurt you.
You didn't give us a chance.
So this my friend is closure
and our final parting dance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a twitter prompt:
"Closure"
From: @allconsoffun

"In Good Company"

Imagine . . .
if you would.

You start your day the usual way.
With the sounds of alarms and children's padded feet.
Sleepy yawns of good morning
and smells of coffee brewing.

You sigh . . .
as the sun slowly rises.

A happy sigh of contentment.
Sure life can be crazy.
Nobody ever said it wouldn't be.

But this . . .
all of this . . .
is worth it.

You have found good company.
Here in your heart,
and here in your life.

Your family.
Your friends.
Your faith in yourself.

Better than any fortune cookie . . .
is this fortune that grows.

These precious memories . . .
the priceless ones that live on
in the faces of all that you love.

It is here . . .

right in front of you.
All of it.

You have found good company here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inspired by a twitter prompt:

The photo above....

From: @mentallyinked

"High Desert Sun"

The sunlight drips
from the California sky;
in gorgeous rays of gold,
gently warming the sand.

Embracing stucco walls of tan,
aesthetically framed in rustic red.
The cycle of that which lives . . .
breaths in the trees of green.

Soaking up the daylight,
shadows of the day cast and play.
Dancing in the high desert sun
of the west coast mountains.

Displaying their beauty,
creating masterpiece pictures,
in this, my backyard.
We lovingly call this place home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inspired by a twitter prompt:

The Photo of the submitters back yard in California

From: @mentallyinked

"Surviving Old Man Winter"

I look out my window,
there's winter all around.
It makes the leaves fall,
it freezes the ground.

The trees are all nekkid,
they're colder than me;
for they live outside
with no heat for a tree.

Feeling so random
I look back inside.
Surviving this cold
makes me want to hide.

While I do I'll drink water
and suggest you do too.
Hydrate your body,
it's healthy for you.

I look towards my couch
at the Snuggie, so pink;
think looks can deceive,
it's not as warm as you think.

I curl up on my couch
and grab my laptop;
open up my email
to see what I've got.

An email from Pakistan
says I've won some bling-bling.
I laugh, clicking 'delete' . . .
never trust a "sure" thing.

My mailbox is now empty
and I've blogged about my day.
Logged on to tweet on twitter
with a thing or two to say.

Suddenly struck by a craving,
I want some food for my tummy.
I serve myself some peanut butter,
it's pleasing and yummy!

I satisfy my craving
then opt to take a nap,
with my sweet little girl
curled up on my lap.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Inspired by a twitter prompt:
The following random statements...
~surviving the cold
~looks can decieve
~i love peanut butter
~nekkid trees
~don't ever trust a sure thing
~drink water
From: @mentallyinked


10.25.2011 Posted at dVerse Poets Pub OpenLinkNight - Week 15

"Heaven Lives Here"

My heart is tickled by your soft touch;
your tender love means so much.
The words I have aren’t nearly enough;
the two of us have grown so much.

And now we start our fourth year,
and in my heart I hold you dear.
It seems our hearts never knew such love
until we joined hands thanks to God above.

My heart is at home with your love so true;
my eyes never roam they only see you.
Your heart and your soul sing music so sweet;
your body and mind simply curl my feet.

All that I am and all that I do;
the great parts of me come out ’cuz of you.
Heaven lives here deep in my heart;
I feel such peace, and you’ve played a part.

This love that we share will never be dead.
I put it on replay in your’s and my head.
Together forever then after we die,
together again in the blink of an eye.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a life prompt:
Happy Valentines Day to my sweet Husband Mark
From: the love between me @grnladybug and my hubs @uanmeintn

"Skater Boy"

Tall and lean at seventeen,
he rocks his skinny jeans.
Puts on his globe skater shoes,
gets down to skating dreams.

With a Pluto's shirt upon his chest;
props to his favorite skate shop;
he tightens the skateboard up a bit,
lifts it up for a look, then lets it drop.

He flexes his feet and stretches out.
Adds a beanie hat on his skater boy hair,
toes the board and sets it up,
as he preps to hit some air.

Starts off simple with an ollie,
gives us a couple of kick flips,
then carves into the ground
before grinding into a varial kick.

He'll someday rock the skate circuit,
these are his dreams he says.
He'll even have big name sponsors
like Pluto Skate Shop and candy Pez.

He'll drink monster drinks all the time
and act in their commercials;
inspire youth groups at church,
with inspirational skateboard socials.

Share this path he's traveled,
along the journey to a dream;
the many hurdles and obstacles
and how tough they sometimes seem.

But surviving these very things,
he'll share this with them all;
is how you'll eventually prevail
and stand with pride real tall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a life prompt:
My son said, "Mom, write a poem about me being a skater" Here it is my boy!
From: @grnladybug 17 year old son Bry

"Survivor"

Inside the heart of a woman,
lies a lonesome child.
This roller coaster life of hers
has been overwhelming and wild.

She lost her dear sweet daddy
when she was still quite small.
Struggled through her youth . . .
playing emotional dodge ball.

Never feeling quite good enough,
to her mom or life in general;
as a girl of thirteen and oh so blue
she almost gave up on it all.

Yet god had a plan for her,
her time wasn't up just yet.
She had a life to live
and places she would get.

She stumbled along through her days;
a bright, intelligent, beautiful girl,
with a heart open and eager for love,
she gave motherhood a whirl.

She lived through them,
her beautiful, bright, little boys.
She taught them to use their words
and engaged them with intelligent toys.

She settled into peacefulness,
then one frightful day . . .
her little boy, just barely two,
was suddenly taken away.

He became a flower in heaven;
she slowly wilted on earth.
There was no comparison to this pain,
not even the trauma of birth.

She stumbled on through daily life,
plagued by loss and physical pain.
Not only tortured by matters of heart . . .
her poor body would hurt with the fall of the rain.

She sometimes wondered how much more
pain in this life can my heart take?
Yet she put on a smile and survived
each morning when she'd awake.

Then one day she met a man
who touched her heart like never before.
She truly finally felt so loved,
this man made her feel so much more.

Unfortunately this man was plagued
by some of the same trouble she knew;
a troubled youth and emotional pain
their understanding of each other grew.

Hurdles and speed bumps appeared in their path
it seemed, each and every day.
Together they thought they'd beat it;
they were determined, some how, some way.

One fateful morning she awoke,
knowing something felt amiss.
The man she loved had quietly passed
into a world much better than this.

Devastation rocked her world
her loss was just too great.
She felt so alone and empty inside.
How much was she meant to take?

Another love in life was lost
while she survived in pain.
Another chance at happiness . . .
he was lost - what did she gain?

She tried to hold onto the memories
of this love so short and true.
Happy for even those precious moments;
their love had been worth this pain she knew.

She wiped her tears quickly away
picked up her feet and took another step.
This life may have tripped her up a bit
but she wasn't beaten yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a life prompt:
"The story of a girl named Danielle. My honorary daughter-in-law and surviving fiance of Erick Smith who passed on 1/13/2010 at the age of 25. Hubs and I took her in for a week and I got to know a beautiful, intelligent, struggling soul. This is her story. She is a survivor. This was written to remind her of all the hurdles she has overcome...and the strength she has to go on. "
From: @grnladybug (aka Alaurilee! ME!)

"Love Is A Verb"

Love is just a word.
Or is it?

It can mean so little,
or so very much.

Sometimes its like a noun,
in a visual sense.
Like the wedding couple on the cake.
Something you can reach out and touch.

But that alone doesn't make it real.

It's just the beginning of all that will or won't be.
It takes more than that.
More than just words . . .
much more than mere uttering of promises from you to me.

For love to truly be something magically delicious,
it must be so much more.
Something that moves you.

Love is a verb my friends
and as such I call out to you all . . .
to stand up and take action!

To do all that you can do.

Love can't stand alone,
left to brave the elements.
Much like a house built upon sand,
it will someday wash away.

It takes hard work you see.
To build up a love that will persevere.
One that lasts through the storms of life,
and stands strong day after day.

One must fight for it.
Invest in it like you want it forever.

Don't just say the words
then put it on the burner in back,
as you walk away and let it simmer;
evaporating until the pot burns.
Then blaming this failing love . . .
as your heart like the pot grows black.

I call to you all to fight!
To nurture, invest in and grow . . .
all that your love is and can be.

Action gives us the power . . .
and i stress once again;
love is more than just a word.

You can help it blossom forever . . .
by tending to it like a precious flower.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a twitter prompt:
"Love is a verb"
From: @inkpanther

"Little Boy Blue"

That little boy inside of him
longed to just be heard.
This dealing all alone stuff
was lonely and absurd.

His memories of long ago
evaded him so long.
What had happened in his life?
How had he been wronged?

Plagued by sickness, not in health,
his little body struggled.
Tummy issues left him pained,
made his daily life so troubled.

This little boy depended on
down time in the nurses room.
A little elixir for his belly . . .
easing pain real soon.

His memories were fuzzy
of much from that young time.
Leaving the grown man in him
depressed and feeling sublime.

He longed for understanding;
for truth and healing too.
Until he sought out therapy
it was something he never knew.

One day things got aggressive;
the truth came pouring in.
The male nurse he had depended on
had been a man of sin.

What he had thought elixir . .
had been koolaid and rum.
The man would drunken the boy right up
and do things that'd made the boy numb.

The past came rushing through to him
and took his breath away.
The therapist suggested
you need a confidant today.

He thought he had the one . . .
a girl he'd met, who'd shared his heart.
But when he bared his soul
their closeness quickly feel apart.

She'd promised to be there for him . . .
he truly did believe this.
But life comes crashing in sometimes
and things can go amiss.

Stuck smack dab in so much sad
he longed to feel acceptance.
He wanted to be heard
and to not feel so defenseless.

Even so, he's determined . . .
to laugh, express and smile each day.
He hides behind his laughter
and buries the scars away.

He knows the day will come
when a heart will open and love will swim in;
and love him unconditionally . . .
and the hurt little boy that lives in him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From a twitter prompt:
A story told by a man named Jay who's story needs to be heard. So that he may heal.
From : And anonymous twitter friend

"Right Now Means Everything"

This moment,

this time,
this place.

An open heart . . .
with a troubled look upon your face.

A dream,
a wish . . .
for something more.

Yet settling,
for a little less . . .
keeping open that door.

Confusion,
some chaos . . .
and comfort too.

It is what it is.

A poke here and there,
special moments so few.

Touching hearts,
reaching out . . .
sharing love.

Love that hurts to feel,
yet hurts to stifle too.

You lift it up to him above.

Is it enough?
Is it really?

You both want it to be.

You inhale their love
and exhale yours.

Just breathe baby.

Not the beginning . . .
or the end.

Just today maybe.

Right now means everything.

Nothing more or less.
Just this.

It is what it is.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Inspired by a twitter prompt:

"RNME - Right Now Means Everything" plus Tattoo Picture

From: @allconsoffun

"One Look"

One look.
One touch.
One feel.

Sometimes less . . .
Sometimes more.
What is real?

Sometimes . . .
I see such love behind those eyes.

And other times . . .
the painful cold can paralyze.

I want to fight.
I want to feel.
I want to be.

Can I have a love
that soothes my soul and sets me free?

I look into your eyes.
What I see puzzles me.

Something far away . . .
What are you looking at?

What do you see ?
Are you even looking at me?

We call this love.
We embrace.
We walk away.

We try again another day.

Just one look . . .
is all it takes to melt my heart.

Just one look . . .
is all it takes to break it too.


~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a twitter prompt:
"One Look"
From: @sweetdrgnfly

"It's Never Too Late"

it's never too late
to be - to live - to soar
to dream - to laugh - to play
to give yourself another day
it's never too late
to pick yourself up when you stumble
to be a friend to those who fall
to answer that call
it's never too late
to honor the past and lessons learned
to remember where you've been
to roll those dice again
it's never too late
to dance like nobody's watching
to chose your own song to sing
to look up into the clouds and dream
it's never to late
to remember a failure is just a step
to use those lessons to grow
to stand for something and let it show
it's never too late
to purge away the pain of the past
to start all over again
to be what you might have been
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by a twitter prompt:
"It's never too late to be what you might have been"
From: @kitterztoo