Waking Up

There are crocus blooming in my yard.  This is big news because after the winter we've had I do not take such signs of life for granted.  There are trees down in the woods and the rhododendron plants may not come back this time.  The splashes of purple and white are a welcome sight and will hopefully signal to others that it's safe to come out of the ground.

Over the last month I have composed a dozen posts.  None were right ~ not the words or the tone or the message.  I wondered if perhaps I was done writing here, but I decided to wait and see if the words came to me.  I have read books and watched movies, looking for clues, which was an impossible task really because so many things have been impossible to explain.

This is April vacation for me this week.  I have a lot to do so I have several projects going on at once.  If life is already busy why not tear apart closets while I'm at it?  I got into a closet yesterday that needed going through and found all kinds of office supplies I have been looking for for months.  At the bottom of a pile of papers was a copy of a poem that someone gave me several years ago.  I do that sometimes, leave poems mixed in with papers or books so that I come across them later.  It's like planting surprises for myself, although it's not a surprise when the words are exactly the ones I need.

The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
- Rumi -

These are the words that came to me, literally. 
Because the journey continues, I'll be back soon ~