Wishcasting Wednesday: What do you wish to shed?

October 27, 2010 at 11:14 pm · Filed under Observations and tagged: Depression, faith, Love, sadness, Spirituality, Wish Casting

Current Mood: Sad

Thru the Fire ~Sketched by CordieB.

What is it that I wish to shed?

A foot that feels it’s filled with lead

A sunrise giving light to dread

Another day must be lived on

With empty promises never born

What is it I wish to reveal…

Beneath the darkened shadowed veal?

If I have the strength to exfoliate

The deadened skin – the armored plate

That grew and calloused over faith

What shall I find beneath the skin?

Soft fleshy cells where life begins?

A moment to begin anew?

The healing of fresh morning dew

When all surfaces have fallen apart

Love sheds light upon the darkened heart

~Written by CordieB.

Posted for and inspired by Wishcasting Wednesday:  What do you wish to shed?  Join us in casting your wishes each Wednesday! 

And so it will be so!

Peace, Light and Love,

CordieB.

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Thankful Thursday

August 6, 2009 at 5:06 pm · Filed under Observations and tagged: anger, anguish, cordieb, Depression, dispair, Envy, George Sodini, Gratitude, gym, gym murder, Love, madness, murder, resentment, sadness, Spirituality, Suicide, thankful, thanks, thanksgiving, universal laws, woman killed

After seeing the news today and viewing the awful incident involving George Sodini who shot into a gym, murdering 3 woman and injuring 9 before killing himself, I have decided to begin posting 5 things I am greatful for on Thursdays.  Sometimes in life, it helps to remind ourselves of what we are greatful for, and not put so much thought and reverence into that which we feel we lack.  Expressing gratitude sends out a message to the universe that you are thankful, and you will draw to you that more to be thankful for, like a magnet.   Don’t you give more to those who reflect thanks than those who reflect anguish when you you offer them something???  It’s one of  the basic universal laws!  Misery attracts misery and joy attracts joy!

There are so many things I am thankful for today.   Reflecting back has made me realize some things I feel thankfull for changes each day,  as some things about me change—while other things remain stagnant. I believe we can see how we are growing; what we are knowing, etc. by what are greatful for.

I urge you to list five things in your life for which you are thankful.  You’d be surprized how much this list can tell you about yourself and your frame of mind.

Here’s my five for today:

I am thankful that I have people in my life who expect certain tings of and from me, but truly love me regardless…whether I live up to those expections or not…uncondiionally…and the feelings are mutual.

I am thankful to be gainfully employed and earn enough to take care of myself and my son, and to share with others every now and then too.

I am especially thankful that my mind is not tormented with anger, resentment, sadness and dispair that I see and read about so often.

I am thankful that my words might calm or inspire one person who may be feeling that anger, resentment, sadness, or dispair today.

I am thankful that I have grown to find enormous joy in the so called “little things” like a red rose, a butterfly, or the wind blowing through my hair. These “little things” are far bigger than anything man has ever created, and I often wonder why they are referred to as little things in the first place; as they are oh so grand!!!

I intended to limit my list to 5, but I have one more that I just have to list…I am thankful for the icecream sandwitch my Gee just brought over ot me!! ooom, yummy…:) 

So, what are you greatful for today? I’d love to know.

Peace, Light and Love. . . Cordieb.

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What Is, Is. ~Written by CordieB

April 1, 2009 at 3:21 pm · Filed under Observations and tagged: cordieb, Depression, happiness, Individuality, life, Love, nature, people, present moment, self, Spirituality

What Is, Is.

The nature of my blog tags often draws individuals who are spiritual, deep, and quite inspiring; but on that same token, it also draws many individuals who are searching, depressed, and looking for light in the depths of their perceived darkness.  I’m emphathetic to all of these emotions, as I too have experienced most of the feelings I often see on many of my fellow blogger’s pages and comments. 

Often, I see personality traits that lean toward the inspiring, enlightened, and enthusiastic about all of life. The sky could be very well be falling, yet these individuals will see the positive in such.

But there are often times where I see personalities that lean towards the darkness, the depression, the truely pessimistic approach towards most of life’s issues.  I often want to simply hold these individuals up and let them know that all will truely be ok.  I sometimes do not understand why it is that they do not see that this too shall pass.  .  .

But, in the interim, I am reminded, that we are all individuals with different experiences, and our experiences form many of our perceptions. 

And so, for today . . . I will simply deal with the present moment.  Because, what is is.  How I deal with the What Is is a reflection of how I feel about my self at this very moment.  There are times when I choose to look for the possibilities…it is where dreams are manifested…but it is also where nightmares are manifested…depending on my frame of mind at the time.

I often wonder what it is about us that determines what we lean more toward.  There are truely those who relish the darker side of life.  The darkness, depression, and sadness, gives them a certain melancholy of life noir that makes life more interesting for them.  Then, there are those who truely relish the light.  These are the optimist…those who see the rainbow after the storm, the light at the end of the tunnel–all the time.

But in reality, life is filled with ups and downs. We will have our good moments and our not so good moments.  But as human beings, I feel we must strive to endure with a sense of love for life…no matter the circumstances.   Our love for life must reflect love for all life. . . so that life will continue for all.  You see, what is, is.  But if we look around us and take in more of the other is’s other than what is in our own mind, we might begin to see What Is  in a different light.

Look at nature today, nature Is.  Feel the warmth of the sun today, the sun Is.  Gaze at the stars tonight, the stars Are. Watch the moon tonight, the moon Is.  Examine individuals walking, talking, whispering. . . come out side of self for a moment today to truely experience What Is. Experience the allness of allness.  Experience life as if you were God overseeing all creation. . . listen to the small sounds of the small animals. Look at the blade of grass sway in the wind. Take a closer look at what really Is. . . it may give you a perspective about life you never really gave thought to before.  You may come to the realization that life Is. . . . forever changing!

“The only thing constant in life is change"  ~François de la Rochefoucauld

“…A mind not to be changed by place or time.  The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”  ~John Milton

 ~Peace, Light and Love. . . . CordieB.

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The Darkest Shadow ~Written by CordieB.

February 12, 2009 at 6:26 pm · Filed under Observations and tagged: belief, believing, cordie, cordieb, Depression, doubt, emotions, joy, Love, negative, peace, poem, Poetry, Riddles, spiritual riddle, Spirituality, unbelief

Photo courtesy of Jill Greeseth , and is licenced under the Creative Commons

I am the tallest, darkest shadow to fall upon the hearts of men;
I have caused enormous calamity, failure and sin;
With me in a heart, humans seldom ever win.

Such a cold, dark, shallow shadow am I;
I bring on fears and tears, causing humans to sigh, asking why?

I’ve destroyed countless relationships, successes and faith;
I’m quite subtle, yet very strong is my wrath;
All minds and hearts will inevitably at times see me in their path.

All humans encounter me, some more than another;
You see, insecurity is my sister and worry is my brother;
My father is fear; suspicion, my mother.
I embrace souls at night like a new found lover.
If you are not carefull, I will suffocate you under my dark, thick cover.

Like a blanket of dread, I cover my prey;
To release yourself of my wrath, you must kneel down and pray;
Stay thankful and hopeful, live day by day.

I’ve had many second-guessing what’s wrong from right.
I cause anxiousness, apprehensiveness,
and can make hearts uptight;
But my shadow is very easily overcome by the family of light . . .

For the bright light of hope, faith, and love shine so bright
And they bring courage, security and trust to join in the fight;
Such illuminosity, clarity, and brilliance is their light,
It will cause my dark, deep shadow to fade and disappear straight into the night!

Who am I? (click below for answer)
Read the rest of this entry »

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I will know peace. . . when I reclaim all the pieces of my self ~Iyanla Vanzant

December 4, 2008 at 1:36 pm · Filed under Christianity, Humanity, Love, Mental Stress, Poetry, Spiritual Riddles, Spirituality and tagged: African American, Art, cordieb, Depression, discovery, emotions, independence, light, Love, peace, people, reclaiming, Reflections, self, spirit, Spirituality, therapy, value, Wisdom

Print, Entitled "Peace, Love and Soul" Courtesy of CordieB.

If you can’t seem to get it together, it may be that you have given too much of yourself away.  It may be that you have compromised, over-compensated, given in and given over so much of yourself that you no longer know where all of the pieces have been scattered.  Perhaps the things you thought you needed to do to get love, to experience yourself as loveable, to be acknowledged, left you splintered, shattered and broken into so many pieces you feel like you will never be able to pull yourself together.  Don’t worry!  You have simply experienced an invasion of the body snatchers!

A body-snatchers invasion will distort the truth about you.  It will make you forget your true identity.  it will make you feel guilty about your desire to take care of yourself and honor yourself.  It will point out the wrongness of your choices, the dangers of your decisions, the impossibility of your visions and the fallacy of your beliefs.  A little nip here.  A little peck here…

There is a way to pull yourself back together when you have been accosted by body snatchers.  You must examine all the times you gave others the right to make your decisons, when you expected others to do for you what only you had the power to do, when you gave others the right to decide your destiny and when you dishonored yourself in order to pelase others.  When you remember what you have done, forgive yourself!  Most important, you must say, "Never again."

Until today, you may not have realized that you had been invaded by body snatchers who have dismembered pieces and parts of your identity.  Just for today, protect yourself!  Be aware of the things you do that deminish and distort the sense of wholeness, worthiness, and your ability to make your own choices and decisions. 

~Iyanla Vanzant

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The Grief Process

December 2, 2008 at 8:00 pm · Filed under Observations and tagged: acceptance, anger, bargaining, bargaining depression acceptance, black on black crime, black-one-black crime, death, denial, Depression, dispair, eternity, god, grief, grieving, heal, healing, hood, Jamal Harrison, Jamal Holland, loss of child, lost, Love, mothers, poem, Poetry, stages of grief, violence, youth

This was very hard to write for me; as there is no greater loss that I can imagine than that of the loss of a child. Yet it happens; more often than we want to admit . . .So often people guilty because they are told they must move on . . . yet healing requires grief and time. Those who intend to bring comfort must understand these cycles too. So I write this for anyone who may be going through such despair. . . and I pray that you find joy one sweet day. . .

 
There are five stages of grief; and most people experience grief in the order stated below. . .

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance

Grief’s Cycle …By CordieB

I don’t believe what’s happening;

Surely this can not be real

I’ll awaken from this nightmare soon

I’ll see, I’ll touch, I’ll feel . . .

your loving eyes; your tender heart

You..are still here! No!

We are not apart!

Oh God why did you take my love….

Such a loving soul was he

If you were such a loving God

Why allow such tragedy?

This world is filled with such despair

What does it mean, who really cares?

There are no answers to eternity

If only you would just take me…

instead; I’d rather be the one -

Please take me God, release my son…

Just leave me be. . . let me be free

Into my solo destiny

Alone ..through misty haze I see – and want to be

No desire to communicate -

I’ve lost my will; such is my fate…

Why is it that he had to die?

I plead, I beg, I must know why…

My heart’s so cold; ice cycled blood I cry . . .

Such agony; I hate- despise…

I can not pray . . my heart still cries

I can’t imagine going on . . .

without my loving, caring son . . .

Time passes by; seems like a distant dream

I cry sometimes….

yes, with time …the sadness weans

and with each day as life goes on…

Your love; it helps me carry on

I miss you still, so much – yet I fear

I’ll lose your vision through the years. . .

Yet memories remain so rich and clear

I feel your love down in my soul

Memories bring me comfort; love keeps me whole

My God holds me each day, each hour

So wondrous is God’s healing power

I don’t have answers to this life . . .

Yet live I must, through peace or strife

as death’s essential to all life

And though I do not understand

I see a glimpse of life again

And I feel so blessed to be the one…

you chose to be your mother, Son.

~Written for Valeria Harrison, Mother of Jamal, for which I wrote an article recently, entitled Lessons from the Hood – Perhaps you can find it; I’m tired ."   Valeria read that post . . . and commented. . . .let us keep her in our prayers and pray that men will lay their weapons down!

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The Lesson of Dispair ~By CordieB

September 10, 2008 at 1:14 pm · Filed under Observations and tagged: abandonment, Christ, coldhearted, coldness, Depression, disillusioned, dispair, god, Grace, Humility, Love, walls

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Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

June 19, 2008 at 9:31 pm · Filed under Observations and tagged: agony, blues, Depression, pain, poety, sadness, sleep, sleepless

Now beside my bed I Kneel
I Pray the Lord My Soul to Heal
If God can take away this pain
I vow to love myself again

Now beside my bed I cry
My soul is heavy; I know not why
for whatever mistakes I may have made
My burdens have long ago been paid

I will Will my heart again
to love freely; even through pain
I will Will my heart again
to sing again in gentle rains

I will Will my mind again
to accept love from which it flows
to love myself unconditionally
What’s of tomorrow; no one knows

Now I lay me down to sleep
Although I cry; and though I weep
I’m thankful that should I awake
New beginnings arise with dawn’s day break

~By CordieB
I was inspired to write this poem after reading a poem written by Paisley , entitled depression’s prayer .  I’m happy to know all is well with her – as time heals all wounds.

Peace, Light and Love, CordieB.

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Get it Together

May 7, 2008 at 12:19 am · Filed under Abuse, Christianity, Humanity, Love, Mental Stress, Music for the Soul, Observations, Spirituality and tagged: Awareness, choices, Depression, family, friendship, hurt, life, Love, pain, relationships, revolution, Spirituality

This one’s dedicated to my regular blog friends.  You know who you are.  For the past few weeks, I think we all have been somewhat “going through something.”  I feel compelled to share this special song with you.  So, let our hearts and minds continue to heal.  Peace, Light and Love, Cordieb. 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/N9TaUE5AB34&hl=en]

One shot to your heart without breaking your skin
No one has the power to hurt you like your kin
Kept it inside, didn’t tell no one else
Didn’t even wanna admit it to yourself
And now your chest burns and your back aches
From 15 years of holding the pain
And now you only have yourself to blame
If you continue to live this way

[Chorus:]
Get it together
You wanna heal your body?
Get it together
You have to heal your heart
Whatsoever you sow you will reap
Get it together

You can fly fly

Dark future ahead of me
That’s what they said
I’d be starving if I ate all the lies they fed
Cause I’ve been redeemed from your anguish and pain
A miracle child I’m floating on a cloud
Cause the words that come from your mouth
You’re the first to hear
Speak words of beauty and you will be there
No matter what anybody says
What matters most is what you think of yourself

[Chorus]

The choice is yours
No matter what it is
To choose life is to choose to forgive
You don’t have to try
or hurt him and break his pride
Just shake that weight off
And you’ll be ready to fly

One shot to your heart without breaking your skin
No one has the power to hurt you like your friends
Thought it would never change but as time moved on
That ugly duckling grew up to be a swan
And now your chest burns and your back aches
Because now the years are showing up on your face
But you’ll never be happy
And you’ll never be whole
Until you see the beauty in growing old
[Chorus]
[chorus]
you can fly fly fly fly…
you can live or you can die
you know that life is a choice you make
you can give or you can take

you can fly fly fly fly
you can fly fly fly fly…

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In Memory of Ms. Deborah Jeane Palfrey (March 18, 1956 – May 1, 2008)

May 3, 2008 at 9:42 pm · Filed under Observations and tagged: choices, death, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, Depression, Escort, life, Little Girls, Love, Patti Labelle, Prostitution, Randy Crawford, Spirituality, Street Life, Suicide, Troubled

I know very little of Ms. Deborah Jeane Palfrey, other than what I have seen on the news.  However, as a woman, I feel a kindred  spirit with her.  Therefore, I dedicate the following three songs to her and to all woman who are “going through something” today or any day.  I invite you to take a moment of silence and listen to the first song – Little Girls. 

“I don’t know the ins and outs of this case any better than you do, frankly, but I can only imagine that Deborah Jeane Palfrey felt very much alone. That’s the part that gets to me. The government against her. The media shoving cameras in her face. All those men who once courted her services desperately scuttling away. She did, of course, have her mother. As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle last year, “‘All I can say is I love her dearly and everything is going to work out OK,’ said Palfrey’s mother, Blanche Palfrey, who, reached at her home in Florida, complained about the stress the whole thing has placed on her already bad heart. ‘I’ll put my trust in God.’” – Sarah Hepola“

Remember, whatever is going on in life, it will BE alright.  We as woman need to stop judging each other and start being there for each other.  There is nothing so comforting sometimes than the unconditional love from one of your girl friends or even from a woman who is a stranger.  A peaceful and reassuring reminder to someone’s whose spirit seems lost that everything will be alright is so easy to give, yet we as humans often miss the opportunity.  Because, when all is said is done; it will be alright if we live through it. And, sometimes that gentle reminder is what keeps us going.  Unfortunately, Ms. Palfrey either chose to move on to another realm or someone made the choice for her.  I simply pray that she has found peace in heart heart ; light in her travels, and love in her spirit.  I also pray that God will send an extra dose of comfort to Palfrey’s dear mother.   I wish the same for all of you – from the bottom of my heart.

Peace, Light and Love, CordieB.

Little Girls – Patti Labelle . . . Little Girls sleep at night, safe inside our dreams, is it a scheme? we think we grow up into queens. . .
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/9y-w7kXm6nE&hl=en]

Almaz – Randy Crawford – “Almaz, pure an simple born in a world where love survives . . . so young and tender, but will life bend her?  I look around she’s every where. ”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/S8pI9H5QHSY&hl=en]

Street Life – Randy Crawford – “Street life, there’s a million parts to play; Street life, until you play your life away;  . . . .Street life, but you better not get old; Street life, or you’re gonna feel the cold.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/YBB1UQMT4hU&hl=en]

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