Always and Forever © Amy Brown CILM License #CI-3416LM

Love in the past is only a memory. Love in the future is a fantasy. Only here and now can we truly love. Buddha

This is my special place on the internet. I am so happy you found your way here. Sit back, relax, have a hot cup of cappuccino or your favorite beverage and enjoy your stay. Thank you for visiting.

This beautiful poem was written by a very special lady who has this marvelous ability to express the way most of us feel every day. As each day goes by I often wonder if I make a difference in this world. Then I read Kari's poem and know that each of us makes a difference by the number of people we meet. Every day we meet people just in passing. What did we do to affect those people? Did you smile? A smile has the power to improve the day for a total stranger.

Love and Joy

So many times we sit and wonder,
Just what we can do to make a difference,
To help a friend, or even try to change the world.
We reach out to talk, to listen, to try and understand,
And we never can be really sure that we have helped.
But we keep trying, we keep loving and showing we care,
And maybe, just maybe, we get a sign that we were there
At the right time, in the right place, for the right person.

I sometimes think,
'But, I'm only one person, what can I really do?'
So, I put my heart on my sleeve, and catch a cloud to the stars.
I put my love out there for all to see,
And share with me the wonder of the Universe.
I know it is true, that one reaps what one sows,
For this day, I feel I have reaped a great deal of love and joy,
And my spirit soars !

Kari
Copyright © May 19, 1997
Please do not use this poem without permission of the writer at
The Realm of TheGodess

Dreary Castle

A castle built of stone,
With no sunshine to be found,
Was the home I lived in long ago.
My solitude was self-imposed,
I'd built a wall around my heart,
Afraid of anything I didn't already know.

I was wading in gloom and doubt,
If I didn't dare to allow myself to dream,
Disappointment wouldn't find me.
Then you walked into my life,
Your eyes reflected the sunlight,
Your presence sparked a warmth in me.

As fears began to melt,
As feelings I had buried surfaced,
I felt alive and eager to face another day.
Before I touched your face,
Or kissed the sweetness of your lips,
Hope had swept the darkness away.

Now I live in a crystal mansion,
Where the light never grows dim,
Thankful and dancing because I'm free.
I know that glass can be shattered,
It's just a chance I have to take,
Trusting the instinct within that guides me.

A castle built of stone,
Somewhere deep within my soul,
Hiding from a world of disillusion and pain.
Now it only takes a word from you,
To breathe new life into my weary body,
Leaving me eager to live and love again.

©Dianna Doles Petry
11/07/2006
Used with permission.

Thinking Of You

I can't always find the words I need to say,
But in my heart, you're never far away.
I think about you both day and night,
Talking or laughing with you feels so right.

There are times like now when I'm blue,
I would sell my soul to be held by you.
All I can do is close my eyes and float away,
Hoping that I'll see your face someday.

I can't find the words to tell you tonight,
They won't show up with the morning light.
I can't even explain my feelings to myself now,
I only know that I need to be with you somehow.

All I can do is close my eyes and float away,
Walking hand-in-hand with you some day.
Dreaming and laughing into the early morn,
Where dreams become real and love is born.

Dianna Doles Petry
©July 7, 2005
Used with permission.

Friend By Choice

You are the cool feeling I get from a summer mist,
A sunrise that awakens me through a window pane.
You are the serenity of the flowing water in the river,
The summer flowers that abound after a steady rain.

You are the light that keeps me walking onward,
The song in my heart that makes me want to dance.
You are the friend that brings me shelter in a storm,
The one that proves that it's okay to take a chance.

You bring me happiness that I never imagined,
A smile from the deepest part of your heart.
You share your joys and your sad times, too,
You forget mistakes and give me a fresh start.

Dianna Doles Petry
©2005
Used with permission.

Waiting There For You

If all the stars fall from your sky,
And you don't know what to do;
Just reach down deep inside your heart,
I'll be waiting there for you.

I'm as close as your next heartbeat,
And within your heart I'll stay;
I will be there when you need me,
I will never walk away.

If your burdens become heavy,
And they seem too much to bear;
You know that I will share your load,
I will always be right there.

Always in the background,
And it is there I'll stay;
Until the day you call my name,
I won't be far away.
I will be there in the sunshine,
As it shines upon your face;
When you feel its warmth, remember me,
I'll be waiting in my place.

I will be there in the soft breeze,
As it dances 'cross your skin;
So quietly I'll be there,
Like a whisper in the wind.

So if the stars fall from you sky,
And you don't know what to do;
Just look for me inside your heart,
I'll be waiting there for you.

Author Unknown

Thinking of You

I found myself thinking about you today,
Of moments shared and talks we had,
It's always the good things that I recall,
Were there any feelings that were bad?

It's not big things that stand out to me,
In fact, it is the times when we did nothing at all,
Looking forward to the sunshine of summer,
Walking through the colorful leaves of fall.

We talked, we dreamed, we shared, we lived,
Conversations, meals, a trip or two along the way,
The good things in life multiplied when I met you,
You encouraged me to be myself every single day.

You don't have to be here for me to think of you,
You can show up in my life anytime and make me smile,
A phone call, a letter, just a note that tells me you're okay,
Leaves me feeling content and happy for a while.

Thank you for helping me to grow and change,
For helping me to find new ways to explore,
You've made the hard times in my life more bearable,
I guess that's what good friends are really for.

I think it was more than luck that let our paths cross,
The gift of your love was meant for me to know,
So I will cherish it for the rest of my lifetime,
No matter what I do or where I happen to go.

Dianna Doles Petry
5/14/2006
Used with permission.

What You Are To Me

Have you ever felt like you knew someone a long, long time ago?
Another place, another time, a friendship of the souls?
Two people who share a bond for reasons neither know,
A feeling that they were friends, a long, long time ago?

Did they stumble onto each other by pure circumstance,
Or was it fate and destiny that played a certain hand?
Two souls intertwined, they are worlds apart,
But the soul, it knows no difference, in matters of the heart.

Somehow they are drawn together, fate has brought them back,
Each living worlds apart, they journey separate paths.
When this life is over, and a new life begins,
Their souls will find each other, two souls that we call friends.

Nina Stephanie

Love Is Never Silent

A loving heart, a gentle smile,
a warm and tender touch,
We give so many things in life
but nothing means as much.

A little inspiration
when someone loses hope,
A kind word of encouragement
when they no longer seem to cope.

A simple phrase, "I love you"
when no one else is there,
Taking hold onto a hand
in a little heartfelt prayer.

Love Is Never Silent,
It has so much to say,
And it is our greatest blessing
when we give it all away.

Nina Stephanie

Words have the power to destroy or heal.
When words are both true and kind,
they can change our world.
Buddha

Have you ever wished you had a love, not like any other?
Have you ever wished for your best friend to hold your hand forever?
Have you ever wished you'd meet someone who thought a lot like you?
Someone who finished your sentences before your thoughts were through.
Have you have wished to see a smile of true and utter joy?
To lie down and pray you never had to die?
Have you ever seen the sun rise and felt a whole new way?
See the stars come out at night, when there are only clouds in sight?
Have you ever felt the warmth of someone in your heart, even if you are miles apart?
Have you ever felt so special, so true and right?
I have because you are in my life.
Kimberley Cerf
Used with permission.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

There were many ways of breaking a heart.
Stories were full of hearts broken by love,
but what really broke a heart was taking away
its dream -- whatever that dream might be.
Pearl Buck (1892 - 1973)

	Some say love it is a river That drowns the tender reed. Some say love it is a razor That leaves your soul to bleed. Some say love it is a hunger-- An endless aching need. I say love it is a flower And you its only seed. It's the heart afraid of breaking That never learns to dance. It's the dream afraid of waking That never takes the chance. It's the one who won't be taken Who cannot seem to give, And the soul afraid of dying That never learns to live. When the night has been too lonely And the road and been too long, And you think that love is only For the lucky and the strong. Just remember in the winter, For beneath the winter snows, Lies the seed that with the sun's love In the spring becomes the rose.
	From The Rose. Words by Amanda McBroom. Copyright 1977 Warner Tamerline Publishing Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

A dear friend gave me some advice about the power of a dream and putting that dream on paper. She said that, although I wasn't looking for a partner, I should write the qualities I would want in a potential husband. I wrote the following list, placed it in my planner, and have gone on with my life. There are no idle thoughts in the universe, so I am very specific with this special request to God and the Romance Angels. God and the Romance Angels are very good to me.

I have a wonderful husband who:

• loves God
• loves me
• accepts me for the person I am
• has a great sense of humor
• is patient with others as well as himself
• is employed or retired
• is excited and supportive about building our business together to achieve personal and financial "freedom"
• is a genuine "people" person
• loves to travel all over the world
• is a voracious reader
• loves music (excluding rap)
• enjoys attending movies/plays
• is family oriented - enjoys spending time with my family
• is in good health
• is a non-smoker
• is computer literate
• same ancestry (European)
• enjoys exploring restaurants
• appreciates quality of life
• loves my cat, Princess (born in 1990).

There is power is putting your dreams and goals on paper. God hears us even in our darkest hours.

Just a small footnote for rappers. We all have musical preferences and I do not enjoy rap to this day. It is just not my personal choice in the sounds I wish to have in my environment.

Those who are awake live in a
state of constant amazement.
Buddha

Not all relationships that are right
for us are peaceful.

Every person we have contact with offers a learning opportunity. It may happen that what we have to learn in some relationships doesn't feel all that pleasant. Even hostile relationships can be purposeful and valuable. Our mission is to heal, and healing occurs through our encounters with others.

It's not unusual to be confronted with the same difficult person day in and day out. That's not coincidental. The agitation we feel is not about the other person, no matter how strong we desire it to be so. That we come together, again and again, can only mean healing is called for, and healing is possible. Our task is to desire it, seek a new perspective on the struggle, and wait. If we really want help, it will come. If we really want healing, it will happen.

Today may include some strife with a friend.
We can draw closer if we so desire.

DAILY MEDITATIONS
for Practicing
THE COURSE
Karen Casey

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