Journey of the Heart

I wrote this poem July 2011 and it still rings true…  It was a tough summer, to say the least and reminds me that the flow of being is full of crests, the occasional tidal wave and then there are times the waves tickle us and we smile to smile. My mom still ends every conversation the same as she has Alzheimer’s. She is here and she is not. It’s truly Zen to have nothing but the moment because we’ve lost everything else. That being said, I end each of my yoga classes with a bow to the heart where our blessings reside and we find gratitude for what is. And still my life is a way to give. Poetry helps me find the truths I know, and the lies I don’t know until shown to the light where they cannot flower. For lies lack roots and feed the needs the poem can crack until it’s shell is in pieces and what matters remains. 'I Can Feel It In My Bones' photography by Madeline Gibson On Teaching Sometimes the Sun looks just like the moon And...

Life is a journey, and as we age sometimes there are bends in the road that we will never foresee… I am employed by a post-acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility. Some of our residents come and stay only briefly to recuperate from surgery. Others reside with us because they have physical handicaps or specific medical needs that their families are not equipped to handle.  And many come to us because they have become lost in their own world with Alzheimer’s or dementia,  and require round-the-clock care to keep them safe and comfortable.  Each resident touches my heart and inspires me in some way with his or her story. This is one such story, one of my “tales from the inside,” about a woman who came to stay in our facility, and the husband who visited her faithfully each day… Love Undying He comes to visit each day, reminding us as he enters that he’ll be taking her home as soon as she’s better, as soon as she’s stronger; ...