Nearly
every summer, since childhood to the present, I have returned annually to the
shores of Cape Cod…
…Spending
days walking along its sandy beaches and gazing at colorful kites pirouetting
across its sun drenched skies.
As
my family and I make preparations to have our senses once again inundated with
the exhilarating combination of salt air and invigorating waters I couldn't
help but reflect on the fact that every time I come back to this place of
abundant memories I return a different person.
One
year I remember going up to that most treasured peninsula jutting out from the
eastern seaboard as a child dreaming of being an astronaut. Mesmerized by the
heavens I sat, wide-eyed, gazing out at the view before me stretching out into
infinity. Another summer I went up as a bright-eyed dreamer envisioning that I
would change the world and someday ride the ocean's waves on Greenpeace rafts
and save whales from being murdered.
I've
returned to the beaches of Cape Cod as a new Christian in my later teen years,
hymns pouring out of my heart and out across the sea, lifting my praise towards
a Creator whom I recognized through Jesus. I've gone up there in the summer of
my first year of college, finding love and passion in the same places where I
once dug holes to make swimming pools for dolls toted along in pails. Just last
summer I arose while my family still slumbered to walk where wave meets sand,
my lone footprints trekking through damp sediment. I mindfully chanted my
mantra on japa mala beads as fishermen prepared for their morning ventures.
What of this year?
Where do I "find" myself now? I return to the place of my childhood
feeling much like a blank slate in many ways, spiritually speaking.
I've
pretty much abandoned any notion of dogma or doctrine, any assumption into the
spiritual. This time around I am seeking only to witness the life reverberating
around me in a more complete way as I practice mindfulness and simply enjoy
witnessing my children explore the wonders that once thrilled me as a child.
Perhaps some new insight will come, or perhaps a poem will be born or an idea
to pursue when I return home. I do have a collection of books I am bringing, my
journal, and my japa mala bag. Such things I can't imagine traveling without!
No
matter where my heart or head is at, the one thing I love about Cape Cod is
that I always feel I've come home when I return. It's as if the deepest part
within me sighs, loosening up parts wound tight to open and receive a new found
joy as brilliant as the sparks that seem to dance atop the waters.
Reflecting
on all of this I wrote a short poem today between folding clothes and sorting
socks. I hope you enjoy it.
These
Waters
I've
entered these waters with various dress
as
a child of God these waves caressed
my
self once ignited with passion and zeal
For
a God in my heart I once held real.
I've
entered a dreamer, a poet, a child-
a
mother, a lover, with dreams running wild.
I've
walked along where water meets shore-churning white,
Reciting
my mantra, my heart taking swift flight.
I've
met these waters with pen in hand
Sketching
out thoughts as numbered as the sands.
This
time I come, my slate nearly wiped clean,
Only
seeking to take within these waters blue and green.
Longing
to watch the seagulls circling high,
Reeds
bending neath Atlantic's steady sigh
The
boats drifting as boats often do
across
a seascape of caerulean blue.
 |
| 'Flight of Freedom' by Naomi Stone |
Jessica Mokrzyckl: "I am a mother of two beautiful children and have been married for almost ten years now. I seek the truth into my own nature and that of God's and explore my experiences and reflections on a regular basis on my blog Ascending The Hills. I have found a lot of inspiration and direction from the Bhagavad Gita and other Vedic scriptures and have found that chanting has been an invaluable spiritual practice that I engage in daily."You may contact me via my facebook page here.
~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~
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