bloom

/

Sitting together

Paint tubes scattered on the floor

Brushes filled with an array of colors

A maze of painting goodness is spread throughout the room

The conversation flows easily

With moments of peaceful silence scattered in

As we each delve into our own ideas

Our own thoughts, our own place of comfort

One theme

among

us

Flowers

Yet each creating our own interpretation

Putting our own spin on it

Coming together

To share our joy of creating

To embrace the artist within us

To cheer each other on

Coming together

To witness each other bloom

I sat

/

I sat here

and tried to write it out of me

I sat here

and tried to push myself to get it all out

All of it

Until there was nothing left

But there are words still inside me

That never found their way to the paper

There are words still inside of me

That feel stuck, unable to move

I still sit here

Wondering how to get them out

Wondering how to free myself of them

I sit here

The words swirling around deep inside of me

Swirling, swirling, swirling

The moment

/

On the surface you can only see so much

You can look into

someones

eyes

Feel their arms as they wrap them around you

Listen to their laughter

And smile with them

But deeper than that lives so much more

Passions

Dreams

Desire

The things that make them smile inside

Fill their lives with joy

The things they do not share with just anyone

But if you wait long enough

If you are patient

Kind and caring

They may just surprise you

And open up

You may find out about their love for reading

Their joy of being on stage

Or their desire to move back "home"

You may see a side of them you never knew was their

The one they keep safely concealed

Until they know you

Until they trust you

When someone shares these pieces of themselves with you

Your heart opens up a little bit more for them

You see a side of them you never knew was their

And feel

privileged

to witness it

Because of who you are

They felt comfortable enough to just be themselves

And that is a piece of what makes this life so beautiful

The connection that two people make

The moment when two souls share pieces of themselves with each other

h*o*p*e

/

hope

A small four letter word that holds so much within it

hope, hope, hope

There are many things in this world that I "hope" for

When things we hope for do not happen

We are left feeling disappointed, sad, and most likely upset

When things we hope for do happen

We are elated, filled with joy, and overwhelmed with happiness

Two different emotions

stemming

from one common thing

Hope

Is it worth it?

To hope for something?

To dream about it, envision what life would be like if it happen?

It is good to get excited about it, even though we do not know the outcome?

The potential let down can be

devastating

But the thrill of it happening is joyous

So do you hold onto hope?

The feeling that what is wanted can be had?

Do you

believe

and trust that your desires will unfold before you?

Do you put your guard down and

surrender

to the potential of the unknown?

I know I do

** ~ are you hoping for anything these days?  if you are I would love to hear about it. ~ **

One Another

/

We were all there together

Gathered in one place

Each on own journey

Going through our own struggles

Celebrating our own successes

Each of us living our own lives

The Oregon Coast brought us to one another

Gave us the opportunity to slow down

Unearth ourselves

Let go of some of the things we were holding onto

Bring us back to who we are

It gave us the chance to see each other

Look deep into each others eyes

Embrace, hold hands, laugh, smile, and shed tears

It gave us so much more than we ever expected

Friendships were made

Life long bonds were formed

And each of us know we have little cheerleaders out there

Shaking their pom poms for our successes

Wiping our tears and standing beside us in our struggles

Always there for each other

Four days changed our lives forever

We are able to stand a little taller

Lean on each other for support

And know in our hearts we are there

Present for one another