Remembering

My One Rose

Crystal prisms surround it

reflecting hues like memories,

soft and surreal.

Other roses beside it

wither and show the stress of time.

Its enchanting fragrance drifts freely,

sweet and intoxicating.

There is no comparison between this rose

and any other created,

beautiful in its perfection,

fragile in its core.

How is it that I produced this flower so different from the rest?

I will always remember this one rose,

and it shall be,

to me,

forever young.

Periodically I will post poems I wrote as a part of my healing journey after loss. I found that writing allowed me to express my deepest and most complex feelings, feelings that were difficult to verbalize. I was able to clarify my deepest meanings through words on paper. "Words are the voice of the heart."

A Space to Use

When I was teaching Time Management years ago, I found a quote in the textbook by Steven Covey that I use to this day. As a matter of fact, it is hanging on the bulletin board in the waiting room at my office (the quote, not the book). I will paraphrase his words - Between stimulus (event) and reaction there is a space. It is within this space that we find our power and freedom (to respond in a balanced manner). Take this space, observe your feelings and thoughts, and determine if they are coming from a calm centered place or a negative and anxiety producing place. Try it! Practice it!