one philosopher once said that we usually do not love another person,but rather we love our perception of them

and by relinquishing control,we are able more to see clearly the other person and love them for who they really are

Poem by Rumi

You’ve been fearful
of being absorbed in the ground,
or drawn up by the air.

Now, your waterbead lets go
and drops into the ocean,
where it came from.

It no longer has the form it had,
but it’s still water.
The essence is the same.

This giving up is not a repenting.
It’s a deep honoring of yourself.

that's a great poem yechida, thanks!

It was? Care to explain it to me?

with pleasure

sometimes we think that if we were to 'listen' to the small voice telling us not to indulge, not to give in to our desires, not to hear that juicy piece of lashon hara we are thereby betraying and subjugating a part of our essence. we are stuffing it in a closet and letting it rot and not being 'true' to ourselves.

but that conception comes from a flawed perception of our essence. our essence is good. we do have other drives within us that manifest in ways inconsistent with that good essence but they are not the core.

how's that?

Interesting point although I don't see how you derived it from that poem

Sigh, sometimes I think I have no soul.

yechida wrote on 30 Jun 2011 16:04:


Me3 wrote on 30 Jun 2011 17:04:


The poem is about a paranoid sees trouble everywhere.  He thinks the sky will kill him the ground will kill him.  But in the end its his own bed that does him in.  The point is even paranoid's have enemies and they are in the least suspecting places, because those lurking enemies have the ability to blend in with their surroundings.

You may be wondering what this has to do with recovery.  I think the lesson is that the Yetzer Hora is everywhere.  So


WATCH OUT!!!!

Seasons of the Soul

A poem (written this weekend) about how to deal with those times when our souls does not seem to be thriving,the winters of our souls for very often,even though we may not feel or see it,that is when the most greatest potential growth is taking place

In Spring & Summer
We see clearly
The hidden collecting power
Buried deep within
The frozen cold winter

Barren trees, no growth
Everything seems dead
Snow-laden branches
Appear as a soft covering
Upon what seems lifeless
No outward sign
Of inner vitality

Yet with our own eyes we see
That from the apparent dead
Sprouts forth the essence of life
With great force and animation

Thus is revealed
The secret truth
Of the long cold winters
Very far from death
But rather a hidden process
Gathering of great abilities
Collecting of inherent potentials
So as to subsequently
Bring forth
Beautiful trees, fruits ,fields
We see clearly now
As the spring unfolds
Into exquisite summer days

We have our internal seasons as well
Our cold winters
Confuse us into thinking
That there is no progress, no growth
For when we all feel closed up
Everything within us seems
So empty and barren

But that is not true
Cold Winters of the Soul
Is the time
Of the gathering of immense strength
And the secret quiet nurturing potential beauty
Deep beneath the surface

It is specifically
From that hidden place
Deep beneath the cold hard surface
Where the real growth is taking place

So do not despair
During that season
Of cold frozen surfaces
Not to be discouraged
By not-seen growth

In your mind’s eye
See beneath that frozen surface
Into that great potential
Of the springs & summers of your soul
That will come to the light of day
In its proper blessed time

When you thought I wasn't looking


Author: Unknown

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,
and I wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you feed a stray cat,
and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make my favorite cake for me,
and I knew that little things are special things.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I heard you say a prayer,
and I believed that there was a God to talk to.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I felt you kiss me goodnight,
and I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw tears come from your eyes,
and I learned that sometimes things hurt,
but it's alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw that you cared,
and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I looked....
and I wanted to say thanks for all the things
I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.

When we thought Yechida was not looking

When we thought Yechida left
and we felt bereft

profound prose
never morose

words of beauty
as well as duty

Who will search and cull
will our life be dull?

but fret not
Yechida we've still got

we can now smile
for a while

great to see you again, Yechida!

thank you,my friend

יחידה ליחדך

thanks for the amazing insights as usual!

Who ever sustains
Even one member
Of Klall Yisroel
It’s as if he
Sustains
The entire world

For each and every individual
Is the entire universe

This is the reality
In regards to the incomprehensible
Profound loss
Of the Holocaust

It’s not 6 million

A single human being killed
Is actually an entire universe
Being eradicated

And then the 2nd individual is killed
And another entire universe
Is being destroyed

This happening
6 million times over

Not too long ago
Oprah travels to Aushwitz
With Eli Weisel

They walked together
In that place
The biggest killing factory
In the history of mankind

They come across a display
Of a pile
Of children’s shoes

All these dead children
Eli says with great sadness
Who knows how many future doctors
Nobel Peace Prize winners
Scientists who may have found cures
For so many diseases

Of course
We know God has a plan
Despite our inability
To comprehend it

But at the same time
He desires us to have
This awareness
That every soul
Is an entire universe

Yes, even that soul
Whom you
Thought
Was not worth
2 cents

thanks! so every one person who guards his eyes is holing up the world!