Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Remembering Bob


Someone emailed me that a friend's husband Robert "Bob" Bauman left this Earth experience yesterday morning, March 28, 2011. I shed a few tears because I have loved Bob since I met him over 12 years ago.

Bob's life had not been easy. He had suffered a traumatic brain injury several years before I met him as well as having various health challenges throughout his life. But what I always felt when I was around him was an underlying cheerfulness, an acceptance of Life as it happened and living the best he could with the results.

Bob had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to see me roll my eyes. He also loved Jennifer Aniston. He and I had a running joke about when she was coming to visit him. When we spoke, he would always ask if I had heard from Jennifer yet. :o)

Last summer I felt impressed to create a Life Stamp for him to commemorate his 64th birthday, which was in August. This impression had an urgency about it, as if the Life Stamp had to be done immediately with no procrastination.

The poem that came to me used sailing, Bob's great love, as a metaphor of traveling through life, death, and beyond. Bob's wife Mary told me he had tears in his eyes as she read it to him. In remembrance of Bob's life here and in honor of his new adventure, I have posted the poem below.

Sail on, Bob! I will miss you.

--Vicky :o)

Setting Sail

The dawn arrives, crisp and clear,
The sea is calling to my Heart:
“Come and play! Do not fear!
Bring your Soul; no need for charts.”

The brilliant sun shines up above,
Looking skyward, I see the sails
Full with wind, God’s breath of Love;
I know I am guided; I cannot fail.

The sun begins its slow descent,
Night’s silence will soon prevail,
And still my boat glides and ascends;
Gentle breezes embrace my sails.

A new Life begins;
what do I see?
A Universe of stars
waiting for me.

Trimmed and ready, my Soul and I
Set my sails toward Source’s Light.

Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Who or What Is Too Small for You?

...anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

--David Whyte

This collage is one of a series I am calling "Inspiration for the Journey." Each collage is a blend of painting, collage elements, and a phrase or quote. I chose the background colors to represent a chakra center. While this one uses green to represent the heart chakra, it also is special in that all 7 of the chakras are represented by color. You can see two other members of the series on my blog here and here. Eventually I will be making cards of each of the 5 collages.

I discovered this quote while looking at a blog. An artist had included David Whyte's poem "Sweet Darkness" from his book House of Belonging. The quote on the collage is the final three lines of the poem. When I read those lines, they grabbed me and showed me my own power and greatness (and not in an egotistical way). When I read those lines, I thought of how often I allow others (even those I love) to determine and diminish who I am and what I offer because I am swayed by their opinions! I also thought about how my heart feels when I embrace opinions or situations that are "too small" for me; it feels tight and constricted!

When I think about the quote, I often substitute the word "grow" for the word "bring" in the second line. If someone or something is not growing me alive, why would I waste my time being upset or concerned about their opinions or thoughts about me or my work? Why would I continue to engage in behaviors or thoughts that stunt my growth?

As you finish reading this post, take a moment and consider the question posed as the title of this post: Who or what is too small for you?

--Vicky Lynn :o)

"A Heart Grows Alive"
Mixed media collage
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Another Angel Doodle Appears

Meet the Angel of Fire, Light & Second Sight. She speaks in rhyme and always has an inspired message to spur you on your way.



"I am the Angel of Fire, Light & Second Sight.
My Eternal flames forever burn bright.

Creative ideas & a turbo-boost of Will are but two
O
f the en-lightening gifts I have for you.

Sparks of Intuition & Insight I inspire;
Flashes of Wisdom & Foresight leap from my fire.

My wings are powered by a Spirit of play,
A reminder that too much "serious" can ruin your day.

A butterfly at my throat reminds you to keep Life "light";
Each moment the Eternal Eyes offer you "Second" Sight.

Love overflows from my Rainbow of Hearts,
It embraces your Soul and enlivens your art.

Never be shy to call upon me
My help & guidance are always free.
My deepest desire is for all to see
The magnificent Divine Spark you came here to BE."

--Vicky Lynn :o)

"Angel of Fire, Light & Second Sight"
Ink on paper doodle and poem

Copyright
© 2009 by Vicky Lynn Macchione

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Venus Rising: A Star Is Born

Here is my newest collage mandala and the poem it inspired me to write. Enjoy!

--Vicky Lynn :o)



Venus Rising: A Star Is Born

From the floods of darkness
Where emotions reign supreme;
She finds her Self awakened:
A voice whispers, "You are Queen!"

Her Heart quickens and responds
To this calling of her Soul;
Love pushes her emergence--
"Up! Go up! There awaits your goal!"

Unfolding and stretching,
She reaches toward the Source of Light;
Her wings unfurl, her Self reflected
From watery depths, to star-filled night.

The Love she Is becomes the Light
You see shining at dawn, at dusk, at night;
She whispers to you--truly seeing Who You Are--
"Up! Go up! The world awaits your Rising Star."

"Venus Rising: A Star Is Born"
Mixed media collage and poem
Copyright © 2009 by Vicky Lynn Macchione

Friday, August 14, 2009

Another Life Stamp Completed!

I am posting the artwork I created and the poem I wrote for another Life Stamp. (Life Stamps are a way to commemorate special events in a person's life. The link takes you to the one I made for Michel.) Ironically, the Life Stamp I just created is a gift for another woman who is celebrating her 60th birthday next month.

I painted the abstract before I scanned it into Photoshop to add the collage elements. The name of the painting is "Windows into Unseen Worlds." To me, the background painting was the woman's Soul and the collage elements are the windows into the Unseen Worlds that exist within her.

As I was working on the collage in Photoshop, the words "The best is yet to be" flashed through my head. Those words became the theme of the Life Stamp and the poem.

The Best Is Yet To BE

For many years
Your love you shared,
You gave yourself,
You showed you cared.
Always there
To offer your hand,
To listen, to comfort
And to understand.

But forever present
Deep inside:
A precious treasure
In your Soul abides.
This wondrous gift
Is Who You Are:
A wise woman of Grace,
An Eternal Star.

Just like the sun
Your Star shines bright;
No doing required,
Just BE the Light.
And always remember:
Your presence is enough;
Your Soul holds the key;
As you journey through Life
The best is yet to BE.



As always, the message is for me, too! The Universe is generous that way.

Here is the finished Life Stamp:



--Vicky :o)

"Windows into Unseen Worlds" Acrylic & Graphic Collage
"The Best Is Yet To BE" poem
Life Stamp
Copyright © 2009 by Vicky Lynn Macchione

Monday, August 10, 2009

Long time...no blog!

Life (and death) has been happening since we moved to our new apartment on June 1. Besides some glitches in our move and the apartment we chose, Michel's uncle died on July 5. Literally, he dropped dead while mowing the lawn. Then, on July 28, one of my friends who has been living with ovarian cancer for several years departed this plane. (The entry "Finding Grace" is about this wonderful woman.)

Michel's uncle Marcel left behind his wife of 40 years whose birthday was also in July. The collage shown here is part of the Life Stamp I made to commemorate her 60th birthday. Here is the poem I wrote that illuminates the collage. Enjoy!

--Vicky :o)



The Valley of the Butterflies

In the Valley of the Butterflies
My Love waits there for me…

With eyes that see who I am:
My glory and my worth;
With strong arms to support me
As I journey on this earth;
With caring thoughts to soothe me,
To calm my wild mind;
With tender words to comfort me
When no peace can I find.

And though I always thought
My Love was the loving man I knew;
In the Valley of the Butterflies
I made a wondrous discovery
That I now share with you:

All that I admired in him—
His strength, his love, his care—
Are the qualities that I possess
Reflected in Life’s mirror so fair.

And so it is with everyone
Who walks this path with me;
Each is Life’s reflection of My Love:
Of Who I am and Who I decide to be.



Valley of the Butterflies, collage and poem
Copyright © 2009 by Vicky Lynn Macchione