Two poems for the new year
By Sara Schwarzbaum

If you’ve been on my email list for a while, you know that I send about 4 newsletters a year. For this New Year’s Newsletter, I am doing something different. 

I recently discovered John Roedel. He’s my new favorite poet because of the way he captures our human dilemmas and struggles. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
 

For those of you who are new on my list,

• I encourage you to see my old newsletters here
   
• Also, you can browse older topics here and click on one that interests you.
   
• Finally, feel free to forward the links to someone you know and encourage them to sign up to receive the newsletters as I publish them.

Happy New Year. Enjoy!

crying means you made it

if you can still cry it means you can still breathe

and if you can still breathe it means you are still alive 

and if you are still alive it means you still have some work to do 

~ so go ahead and cry for a bit

~ each tear is proof of your survival 

~ each jagged breath you take is evidence of your courage 

~ you may be wounded 

~ you may be discounted 

but you are still here

~ and somedays simply 

still being here despite what the world has done to you

is a miracle 

you are a miracle you are a miracle you are a miracle 

my love, you are a miracle 

don’t hide your streaking tears

they are your badges of salty valor 

that tell the story how you kept going despite the raging storm 

we need you

~so go head and 

~ cry ~ breathe ~survive ~ get back to work

~ be the miracle

Become! Become! Become! 

Me: Hey God. 

God: Hello..... 

Me: I'm falling apart. Can you put me back together?

God: I would rather not. Me: Why? 

God: Because you aren't a puzzle.

Me: What about all of the pieces of my life that are falling down onto the ground? 

God: Let them stay there for a while. They fell off for a reason. Take some time and decide if you need any of those pieces back. 

Me: You don't understand! I'm breaking down! 

God: No - you don't understand. You are breaking through. What you are feeling are just growing pains. You are shedding the things and the people in your life that are holding you back. You aren't falling apart. You are falling into place. Relax. Take some deep breaths and allow those things you don't need any more to fall off of you. Quit holding onto the pieces that don't fit you anymore. Let them fall off. Let them go. 

Me: Once I start doing that, what will be left of me? 

God: Only the very best pieces of you.

Me: I'm scared of changing. 

God: I keep telling you - YOU AREN'T CHANGING!! YOU ARE BECOMING! 

Me: Becoming who? 

God: Becoming who I created you to be! A person of light and love and charity and hope and courage and joy and mercy and grace and compassion. I made you for more than the shallow pieces you have decided to adorn yourself with that you cling to with such greed and fear. Let those things fall off of you. I love you! Don't change! ... Become! Become! Become who I made you to be. I'm going to keep telling you this until you remember it.

 Me: There goes another piece. 

God: Yep. Let it be. 

Me: So ... I'm not broken? 

God: Of course Not! - but you are breaking like the dawn. It's a new day. Become!!!

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