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THE JOURNEY by Deborah Beach Giordano

This poem was inspired by a friend’s comment about “fighting” a health battle…

I think we need to be mindful of our use of language; is life a fight, a struggle, a “battleground”? Our words inform our hearts as well as the other way around; and we are surrounded by the notion of violence as a solution. It is not. As I composed this “reframing” of health journeys, it became clear to me that it applies to all of us in every stage of our lives. 

The Journey
by Deborah Beach Giordano

It is not a battle, but a journey:
another hill, another valley,
another curve in the road;
family and friends alongside
for a time;
some will fall away,
some will remain,
all will have done their part.

It is not a battle, but a journey:
a grand adventure;
learning familiar paths
finding new lands,
new worlds,
a new life;
returning
to what was known
and seeing it
with new eyes
and greater understanding.

It is not a battle, but a journey
through quiet forests,
flowered fields,
and often-rough terrain;
crossing raging rivers,
splashing in frog-hallowed ponds;
facing challenges
as high as mountains,
taking pleasure
in a well-earned rest
and delighting in
the majestic view.

It is not a battle, but a journey:
a voyage of discovery
along shoals and shorelines,
pushed by currents
pounded by storms,
blessed by a favoring wind,
sailing bravely forth
with a well-worn map,
an ancient compass;
navigating by the stars
upon a moon-bright sea.

It is not a battle, but a journey:
a pilgrimage,
toward the sacred goal;
a love-fueled longing
through shadowed valleys
into green pastures,
where gentle streams
will heal and nourish
the weary soul.


Deborah Beach Giordano: I am a struggling Christian, committed pacifist, near-obsessive recycler, incurable animal lover, inveterate tree-hugger; a nature mystic, a socialized introvert, an advocate for the vulnerable, an opponent of exploiters. I live in beautiful Marin County, California, where I practice a ministry in Spiritual Direction and healing arts. 








~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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