Tag Archives: Rick Schwartz

“Healing Waters.” Written by Jenny Hardin. Shared by Yu/stan/kema.

23 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Photos, Poetry, Psychology, spirituality, Uncategorized

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Found on Pinterest on 8-23-16. Ocean.

Found on Pinterest on 8-23-16. Ocean.

HEALING WATERS

When your life begins to flood

And you don’t know what to do,

Lean back into the ocean

And float your way through.

When burdens seem heavy,

It’s time to Leave the shore!

The soul cries out inside you,

There must be something more.

Surrender to the current,

 And just let go.

 

Float away across the ocean,

Toss your troubles in the sea;

Just feel this holy water,

The sun, the sky, and thee.

These waters will support you.

Fall back and  just breathe.

For you possess already,

 All you truly need.

For the soul that has surrendered,

Is the soul that lives free.

 

Found on Google+ on 5-19-16. Rick Schwartz. Best intentions.

Found on Google+ on 5-19-16. Rick Schwartz. Best intentions.

Disengage the critical mindset,

That says you haven’t tried.

 Go find your quiet place

And throw your arms wide.

 Breathe in the air around you;

Let your fear subside.

 Believe in your own value,

More than the sun and sky.

Soon you will see,

“You” can finally just ” be.”

 

Laugh, cry, and scream,

It feels good to be free!

JENNY HARDIN

 

 

Shared by Yu/stan/kema.

My Favorite Inspirational Poems, #7: “Deserts.”

31 Sunday Jan 2016

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Found on Google+ on 10-27-15. Rick Schwartz. Walk At Sunset.

Found on Google+ on 10-27-15. Rick Schwartz. Walk At Sunset.

DESERTS.

A desert does not have to be

A sandy waste where springs are dry;

A life can shrink to barrenness

If love goes by.

 

A desert does not have to be

A place where buzzards wheel at dawn;

A heart can hold as dreadful things

When faith is gone.

ANNE HAMILTON

Yu/stan/kema

Losing Connection With Others.

21 Saturday Nov 2015

Posted by in Photos, Poetry, Psychology, spirituality

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Found on Google+ on 10-27-15. Rick Schwartz. Walk At Sunset.

Found on Google+ on 10-27-15. Rick Schwartz. Walk At Sunset.

Found on Google+ on 10-22-15. Mina Nore

Found on Google+ on 10-22-15. Mina Nore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOSS OF CONNECTION

I have lost the knowledge I once had,

Of how to love another as myself.

To reach out and touch the human heart,

With hands that could be gentle with one’s pain,

Who  knew just how to heal the deepest hurt

And make the human spirit laugh again.

I have lost the knowledge I once had

Of  how to touch another with my tears.

Yu/stan/kema (1979).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will You Remember Me?

28 Wednesday Oct 2015

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G+.found on 10-27-15. Sarasota Bay. Rick Schwartz.

G+.found on 10-27-15. Sarasota Bay. Rick Schwartz.

If I should go before you,

And leave you behind,

Not because I want to,

It’s part of God’s design,

Will I still exist,

In the corners of your mind?

Will the love I felt for you

Still be in your heart?

Remember, I liked you

From the very start.

Or will the pain of my death

Rip us  apart?

Will my words and laughter

Ring with in your ears

And will you still remember

I wiped away your tears?

Will the things we shared,

Be erased in future years?

You need to remember,

Put away your foolish pride.

I will still be waiting 

On the other side.

When I see you coming,

My arms will open wide.

Yu/stan/kema

Sharing Poems I Liked In Childhood,# 12: “Who Knows A Mountain.”

10 Saturday Oct 2015

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I remember many years ago living in the Kittatinny Mountains for five summers working with a small group of children from the slums of New York City and New Jersey at a camp in the woods. The ground was rocky, the terrain uneven. We cooked over campfires, slept under mosquito nets, lashed together tables made of saplings and binder’s twine. We slept in round-tos, lean-tos, covered wagons, and tepees. We chopped wood for fire to keep warm at night and to cook food. The trees were plentiful and were slim. Mighty chestnut trees lay on the ground from a blight which killed the trees many years ago. The wood from the chestnut tree is quite beautiful and it’s smell is unforgettable. There were birch trees, sycamore trees, maples, ash, oak trees, cedars, and there were many blueberry bushes, rhododendrons, and plum trees. The floor of the forest was overgrown with giant, green ferns, pine needles, and granite rocks. You could not take a step without tripping over a rock. It rained a lot, and we learned to do every thing in the rain with a poncho on. We all had to work together as a team to survive.

I learned most of my knowledge of nature there. I learned the names of trees, flowers, bushes, and how to survive in the wild.  I had never left home before, on a bus heading for Port Authority in New York City. I had never lived in the wild. It was a grand and exciting adventure. I grew emotionally there and spiritually. The mountain was strong, tough. But I learned to respect it and love it. The following poem reminds me of what those days were like.

Yu/stan/kema

Found on G+ on 1-19-15. Rick Schwartz. Southern Alpes.

Found on G+ on 1-19-15.
Rick Schwartz. Southern Alps.

Who Knows A Mountain?

One who has gone

To worship its beauty

In the dawn;

One who has slept

On its breast at night;

One who has measured

His strength to its height;

One who has followed

Its longest trail,

And laughed in the  face

Of its fiercest gale;

One who has scaled its peaks,

And has trod

Its cloud-swept summits

Alone with God.

ETHEL ROMIG FULLER

Timothy Heron Learns A Lesson In Courage. (Part Three.)

08 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by in Article., Parent Category, Photos, Psychology, spirituality, Stories

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Found on Google + on 8-3-15. Herons. St. Petersberg, FL. Rick Schwartz.

Found on Google + on 8-3-15. Herons. St. Petersburg, FL. Rick Schwartz.

Timothy’s friends were watching when they saw him fall from the sky above and hit the water below. They flew over to where he had landed and as a group, they were able to pull him on to the edge of the pond. Several of the herons jumped on top of him and water was expelled from his bill.  Slowly, Timothy opened his eyes. He was grateful his  friends had saved his life. He was acutely aware he had barely escaped death.

The next several months were busy for the herons, for it was nesting time. Timothy’s friends were out in full force trying to impress the female herons with their strength and their agility in flying.  Every week they would look for Timothy’s happy disposition, but he was absent from the social gatherings. They missed his wit and his ability to make them laugh. They had gone to the nest he had built-in the tallest tree, but he wasn’t there.

Timothy had moved his home to a nest of reeds. He no longer had the desire to fly or eat fish. Every time he would think of those two things, a feeling of dread took over his mind. Fear grew inside his soul. He no longer believed in his ability to fly. The thought of eating fish made him choke. Because he was afraid and felt shame about his fear, he hid from the other herons. He missed his friends but he could not bear them knowing how far he had fallen in his own expectations for himself. He brooded in silence. He would eat only the smallest of mice and tiny insects. He loved fish but could no longer eat them. He loved to fly, but he had to stay grounded or he would die. His nights were sleepless because the feelings and thoughts of almost dying would come back to haunt him. He was miserable, but he didn’t know how to stop it. He thought he would feel like this forever.

Found on Google at www.scientificillustrator.com on 8-6-15. Great -blue-herons. Gina Mikel.

Found on Google at http://www.scientificillustrator.com on 8-6-15. Great -blue-herons. Gina Mikel.

Night fell and as he tried to sleep, he saw a light in the far distance coming towards him. He kept his eye on the light and the closer it came, he realized it was a heron. She came and stood before him with a heavenly glow. It was his mother as she once was: full of dignity and spiritual strength. Her eyes were full of love and compassion for her son. (Continued in Part Four.)

Yu/stan/kema

Timothy Heron Learns a Lesson In Courage. (Part Two.)

08 Saturday Aug 2015

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                                                      Timothy Heron

Found on Pinterest on 5-23-15. Taken by Rick Schwartz.

Found on Pinterest on 5-23-15. Taken by Rick Schwartz.

Morning came and Timothy woke up to the sound of birds calling to one another. He stretched his blue and white wings and shook off droplets of dew that fell on the large tree branch below him. His best friend, Bobby, yelled up at him, “Cut it out, Timothy! I’ve already had my shower for the week.” He and a group of his friends flew down to the corn fields near the pond.  Bobby signaled for Timothy to take the lead in hunting  mice for breakfast. Between the four of them, they had just enough mice to give  to those with disabling injuries.

After breakfast, the group of young herons slowly walked down to the edge of Eagleman’s pond. They used their long , skinny toes to dig into the mud. They waited for their prey to come closer to the edge. The day was hot and humid.

While he waited, his mind went back in time to  the days when his mother was alive. They had a good relationship and she had taught him many skills. Most of all, she gave him knowledge that enabled him to survive. He mourned the loss of her and his heart still hurt with the pain of her death. He heard the group stir, and he walked into the pond with the water touching his belly. He heard a big splash and grabbed a huge fish with his bill. It was so big, he could hardly carry it to the bank of the pond. He could not resist swallowing it whole. He could not help himself and felt the fish slide down his throat.

Found on Google on 8-6-15.- Great-blue-heron-preparing- to-www-jokeroo-.com.

Found on Google on 8-6-15.- Great-blue-heron-preparing- to-www-jokeroo-.com.

The giant fish caught in his throat. It was choking him, and he could not breathe. He struggled to force the fish down his neck. He thought to himself,” If I could just fly, the choking will stop.” He took to  the air and spread his wings . He flew a short distance,  and spiraled out of control. His body hit the water hard. Water closed around him and he felt like he was drowning. Panic arose in him so great, he could not think or function. He could feel he was sinking. “Mom, I’m coming to find you,” Timothy said and he let go. (Continued in Part Three.)

Yu/stan/kema.

Judging Seldom Makes Any One Feel Better.

28 Sunday Jun 2015

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Found on Pinterest on 6-4-15.

Found on Pinterest on 6-4-15. powerofpositivity.com.

All my life I was proud of the fact that I could accept people for who they really were. I never felt I had to convince someone to think the same way I did. I felt that people could be friendly and agree to disagree. For the most part, I allowed my son to be his own person. He was encouraged to think his own thoughts and develop his own values and beliefs. I did pray a lot that my teachings would steer him in the direction of having decent values, because I knew there would be fewer problems he would have to deal with. If he had integrated lying, stealing, cheating, and using other people for his own selfish gain into his value system, I knew things could get dicey for him. I am happy to report he formed a good value system.  I was also very accepting most of the time of my friends, and clients at work.

The only time I can recall having difficulty accepting some one just as they were was in the last several years. There was a big difference in age, values, ways of doing things, and accomplishing goals in a working relationship I had contracted for. Expectations were different for each of us. Because my success in meeting my goals was tied to the other person, I became driven to get the task accomplished. I was full of zeal and wanted to pass on information, skills to get the task done. I saw myself as being helpful but the other person saw it differently, that I was trying to change how she did her work, and I wasn’t allowing her to be herself. Needless to say things got dicey.

I grew from that relationship, but it was hard and stressful, and I should have been more patient, less driven. I should have been more flexible. I wasn’t the best person I could have been, but I do know I put a lot of time and energy into trying to make it work. I learned some unkind things about myself and some valuable lessons about the working relationship. It’s easy to make assumptions about someone else or judge a person without needed feedback. I wish I had known more about her as a person so I could have had a better understanding why certain things were important to her. I do know making any kind of judgement at all was not helpful.  I do want to work on accepting other people, as time goes on.

Found on Google+ on 6-13-15. Path to Holmes Beach. Rick Schwartz.

Found on Google+ on 6-13-15. Path to Holmes Beach. Rick Schwartz.

Yu/stan/kema

When There Is A Will, We Find A Way.

16 Thursday Apr 2015

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Found on Google+ on 4-9-15. Rick Schwartz. Roadside Waterfall in Vancouver.

Found on Google+ on 4-9-15. Rick Schwartz. Roadside Waterfall in Vancouver.

I believe this to be a true statement. We find a way to include people who have worth to us one way or the other. It takes a willingness, the ability to be flexible, faith in the person, and a willingness to think outside the box. If you don’t believe this, take a look around you. The couple who wants a child has many options available to them such as having the child themselves, adopting a child, doing foster care, becoming a house parent at a residential home, taking in the child of a relative when help is needed, or volunteering time as a mentor to a child, or helping out as a teacher’s aide in a public school. We often make room for people on the periphery of our lives. Like any thing in life, we need to open our eyes to what is possible and make a commitment and make the time. It’s a matter of having priorities in our lives. Christ invites us to be like Him in this regard. If you want a dog badly enough, you will find a way to get one and take care of it. There has to be a willingness to do it.

Found on Pinterest on 4-15-15. Unknown author. Also on livelife happy.com

Found on Pinterest on 4-15-15. Unknown author. Also on live life happy.com

Yu?stan/ kema

This Journey Is Mine To Live.

26 Thursday Feb 2015

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Found on Pinterest on 2-18-15. Quote.

Found on Pinterest on 2-18-15. Quote.

Nokomis Sunset Rocks by Rick Schwartz. Found on Google+ on 1-19-15.

Nokomis Sunset Rocks by Rick Schwartz. Found on Google+ on 1-19-15.

Sometimes I feel my greatest flaw is thinking it is my duty to explain to others what they don’t understand about me. I tell myself that it is important for people to like me, to know me as I really am. I don’t want to be misunderstood, or judged by others. Recently, I’m starting to see that I don’t always understand myself and am quick to judge myself, probably more harshly than any other person ever will. I am constantly changing, evolving. I am not who I was a year ago. too much has happened for that to be true. Tomorrow , given new knowledge and new experiences, I will continue to evolve, change. That is who I am. My values are constant, but the ways I perceive my world, the way I see people, or my own place in the world is constantly changing. How I perceive life and death also change from month to month.

I am starting to see that sometimes its OK to just be me, without explanations. I am complex. I think and analyze a great deal. I want to evolve, to become all it is possible for me to become. When I love people and how I express it, it comes from within. I am letting go of the need to explain any of it except to say, love exists and it is good. My past has a lot to do with who I am today. The past gave me some strengths like fortitude, persistence, inner toughness, the ability to look at myself, and to take responsibility for my actions. It gave me a faith to believe in. My past also gave me qualities to hinder my growth. Trust is hard, sharing my feelings and thoughts with others is difficult. I need feedback to understand myself and others better. I am learning that it is all up to each one of us to grow or not grow. The Journey of Life belongs to each one of us. My journey is mine to live. How I live my life  and what I finally do with it is my responsibility as well.

Yu/stan/kema