Tuesday, June 12, 2018

The Recipe Has Always Included Sorrow





What I Know For Sure:

that even the worst times were necessary
to teach me the lessons 
my soul needed to learn

that it doesn't matter 
how much or little you gather,
in life, only what you give

that each cell, particle, tree, rock, 
each being, in the world
is connected to every other, and to me

that even in times 
when we feel most alone,
we are being guided and helped

that, in order to be truly  
happy and at peace,
we must follow our hearts, 
even when it scares us ~
especially if it scares us!

My Memory Bowl, this lifetime,
got filled to the brim
with laughter, with song,
with wonder, with broken hearts,
with lessons learned, and taught,
with miracles and serendipities,
with golden friends,
with broken trust which taught me
to trust myself,
with a dream in my heart
that forced me to take risks,
with a search for love
that taught me to love all people,
with a journey made
and the price I was glad to pay.

I sift through the bowl
like a goblet of grapes, plucking one
and then another:
those long-gone people,
from a gentler time, which was,
in fact, the harshest of times,
reviewing my heart’s perilous
yet joyous passage
from yesterday
into tomorrow.

The recipe, my friends,
has always included
Sorrow.




16 comments:

  1. "That even in times when we feel most alone, we are being guided and helped", I believe that. Wonderful reading such a beautiful poem!

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  2. Very good point: " it doesn't matter
    how much or little you gather,
    in life, only what you give"

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  3. I love your last stanza -- the recipe has indeed always included sorrow.

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  4. A life without sorrow is counterfeit; love this lengthy soul-sharing--too long for a framed sampler, but just right for a lover.

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    1. "A life without sorrow is counterfeit". Beautiful.

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  5. stunning for its elegance and grace Sherry, for the lessons learned, hard-earned, and the love, ultimately you have still given away with the best of intentions and no conditions ....
    this is one most exceptional poem - mighty fine and strongly versed, filled with gratitude and grace ...

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  6. Yes, its part of our life isn't it. I love how you confirmed our inter-connection with each other, and how we must follow our hearts ~ Take care Sherry~

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  7. I have heard it said that, Life is the place where joy and sorrow meet!
    dwight

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  8. “The recipe has always included sorrow” - yes, indeed. This poem is chock full of life wisdom in the most eloquently written form. Thank you for this gift, Sherry.

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  9. Yeah...We're family. Always love to read such lines of wisdom from you, Sherry.

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  10. How true, Sherry, the worst times are necessary, even if they are painful, and the recipe always includes sorrow.

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  11. I love this... especially the last conclusion, nothing can be learnt without sorrow...

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  12. Heartfelt words of wisdom. I appreciate the openness in which you share them. I think I have the most difficulty with believing in the guidance when feeling alone. I am a firm believer that sorrow is necessary to feel. Let it take us places we've never been. Some people are very afraid of the journey but it is the journey of truth.

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  13. Oh this is so wonderful! The recipe has always contained sorrow.....We do learn from our travails and disappointments. I love the idea of our life as a bowl....may it be filled to the brim and may we stir it, fold in the problems gently, and produce a wonderful concoction of life! :)

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  14. i so love everything about your poem, from the words of advice from someone who has truly walked the path of life with grace, so totally with grace in every word you penned. i feel you were speaking just to me at this point in life when I am struggling to find purpose, it's all here, my bowl has been filled with much, now I need to let it spill over and bless others.

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