Laura Lane's Blog, page 7

“His Name was Steve” poem by Laura Lane

His name was Steve

Small of stature
long dark hair
friend of a friend
a little forlorn
look in his eyes
that sadness it
penetrates deep into the soul

I drove by
He was standing there
against that wall
he peered into the car
I waved
Climb inside
Where do you want to go?
Do you need a ride?

I knew that street
that corner
standing against that wall
I knew those boys weren’t
peering into cars
looking for me
they were peering into
cars looking for ….

But this friend of a friend
Why him? Why there?
Do you have a place
to stay tonight?
No? That’s terrible!
Working the streets
no place to go
Have you eaten?
No? That’s terrible!
Working the streets
no place to go

I have a little food
I’ll share with you
and a couch
and a blanket
Stay with me tonight

But where is he now?
His name was Steve
I look for him
on that corner now
Where did he go?

His name was Steve
Don’t tell me things happen
No! That’s terrible!
Working the streets
no place to go

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Hamilton Mountain Writers Guild Anthology Volume V 2021

“Peace” Poem by Laura Lane

Peace

Silently I listen to the beating of my heart

the peace moves around me

flows through me

caresses my soul

gratitude envelopes me

then evolves into peace once more

my heart has been touched

and my soul has been healed

silently I thank the Lord

again, in the quiet of the night

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Brock University Unesco Poetry Contest Ebook 2020

“Guardians of the Land” poem by Laura Lane

Guardians of the Land

Row upon row

                        standing sentinel

wind swept snow covered

            feet firmly rooted

reverent heads bowed to the winter sun

ears stung by bitter cold

            cradled in brittle fingers

                                    hardened casualties of time

Forlorn heroes solemnly maintaining their rank

            fighting against the wind’s forceful blow

            never abandoning fealty sown in the field

a duty planted deep within the tilled soil

bravely thrusting up like new recruits

their sweet prize protected from every element

courageously loyal to the land

the seasons having stolen the victory

harvest is the last relief

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Niagara Community News 2010 and Brock University Unesco Poetry Contest Ebook 2020

“Winter Blanket” Poem by Laura Lane

Winter Blanket

A shimmering blanket of snow

lays there peaceful and cold

enveloping the house in its chilly embrace

covered in little sparkling diamonds

its edges folded precariously over the eves

eagerly awaiting the opportunity to tumble

slowly crashing like a wave

in one swift motion

so it can smother the flowerbeds below

covering them until spring.

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Niagara Community News 2010

“I am the Light” Poem by Laura Lane

I am the Light

I am the Light

            blazing down on the desert sand

            glowing florescent at the bottom of the ocean

            filling the night sky as a canopy of little diamonds

I am as tiny as a firefly

            and as powerful as a laser beam

I flood the stage with colour

and gently peek through the clouds

I prompt the birds to sing, warm the earth and wake the flowers

I gaze shyly over the horizon during the northern yuletide

I dry out the creek beds at the peak of the drought

I am  …the aurora borealis dancing across the northern sky

            the eerie calm that peers through as the eye of the hurricane

            the torch creating puppeteer shadows on bedroom walls

            the rainbow of colours reflected over the waterfall

            the lightening that strikes during thunderous summer storms

I keep the children awake on summer evenings that seem to last forever

I warm the sunbathing kitten in windowsill

            and dry the fresh laundered clothes on the line

I brighten the face of the moon and can be seen in the flicker of the candle

I tan your skin and bleach your hair

I am the sunrise and the sunset

I am the Light

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Hamilton Mountain Writers Guild Anthology Volume 3 Arising 2019

“I am the Earth” Poem by Laura Lane

I am the Earth

I am the Earth

I am the desert oasis

            the rainforest jungle

            and the snow-capped mountains

I am the sand from which sandcastles are made

I am the stones over which the babbling brooks run

I am the prairie field out of which the thanksgiving is harvested

            my branches cradle the tree fort in my arms

my herbs give seasoning to the savory stew

my flowers are laid to rest on the open tomb

my evergreen holds the tinsel

my petals fill the vase

perfect pebbles skim across the surface of the water

majestic mountains rise up from out of the sea

I am the aroma of lilacs and cherry trees blossoms in the spring

            the feeling of warm mud oozing between toes in summer

            the sound of the crunch of dried fallen leaves in autumn

            the sight of boughs bending under the weight of the storm in winter

I am the Earth

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Hamilton Mountain Writers Guild Anthology Volume 3 Arising 2019

“I am the Waves” Poem by Laura Lane

I am the Waves

I am the waves

sweeping gracefully across the pond

            tossing the storm swept seas

rolling over the vast ocean

constant like the rising and setting of the sun

pushing with the pull of the moon

I crash upon the rocks during a stormy night

or lap against the lakeshore on a gentle day

I rise to great heights when hit by the force of a quake

or ripple when struck by skimming stones

I tumble over the edges pushed by toy boats in the middle of the tub

I can capsize a handcrafted canoe

            sink a millionaire’s yacht

            or shorn apart a majestic tall ship

My tides cover all in their path and recede to reveal even the tiniest treasures

my sounds can sooth

my strength can drown

my power can be harnessed

I bring excitement to those seeking the thrill

I bring fear to those caught unaware

I bring peace to those seeking solace

I am the waves

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Hamilton Mountain Writers Guild Anthology Volume 3 Arising

“I am the Wind” Poem by Laura Lane

I am the Wind

I am the wind

pushing you along

            whispering in your ear

ever present

strong and wild then

calm and peaceful

I rustle the leaves as you pass

I make the wind chimes sing for you to hear

I bring coolness and refreshment to you

            on hot steamy nights

I chill you to the bone

            passing through all your layers

on cold winter days

I warn you of impending storms

            and howl for you at night

I make the candle flicker

            and the porch swing sway

I help you glide across the sky

            and push your sails across the seas

I am the wind

Original poem by Laura Lane, First published in the Songs of the Street Poetry Anthology 2002
1st Prize winner in it’s category Songs of the Street Poetry Contest 2002

Now published as an illustrated children’s book by the same name and available at Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/66637

How to bring self-love and self-compassion into your life

My interview with David Ekram, Episode 26, Hope, Strength & Courage Podcast

“I love to work with parents and to help them get in touch with that tender softness for themselves, and it’s so important.” ~ David Ekram

Click here to listen and subscribe

Summary:

This episode features my interview with David Ekram as we discuss how to bring self-love and self-compassion into your life.

I really appreciate all the content David shares with us from the summary of positive psychology to David Hamilton’s three stages of self to the description of Martin Seligman’s Perma of Authentic Happiness. He covers so many important topics and ideas from the importance of gratitude, spirituality to breathwork and meditation. This is our longest episode in the Hope Strength Courage podcast series.

David does a phenomenal job of covering the huge topic of positive psychology and distilling it down to the a few key topics.

This 26th episode in the Hope Strength Courage Podcast is our final episode for the series but I invite you to check out all the other episodes if you haven’t already. I highly recommend starting at episode #1 for my interview with world renown pediatric surgeon, Dr Bernie Seigel as we discuss how to talk to our children when they are ill.

I hope you will enjoy all the interviews in the Hope Strength Courage series as much as I did.

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Best Advice from David Ekram:

You know, you don’t have to identify as being a spiritual person or a religious person to do these kinds of acts of kindness.it is very common, that when we’re feeling badly, either emotionally or mentally or even physically, for a lot of people to isolate themselves. And so, what I recommend for parents is to help your child connect with someone.  It doesn’t have to be a parent.  Today we have so many ways we can connect, parents should encourage their children to find connection.Breathing into your belly, you know, slowly and then breathing out. Even doing that three or four times whenever you think about it.  It really helps tremendously. Also I really stress, especially for parents who have a child who is dealing with an illness, is really working with the positive mindset of the seven habits.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Interview:

https://happierteachers.com/  to discover what David is doing nowemail David: David@ DavidEkram. ComDavid Hamilton “I Heart Me: The Science of Self-Love”Kristin Neff  “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself”Brene Brown “The Gifts of Imperfection” and “Daring Greatly”Mark Seton: The Seven Habits of Happy People: https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/... Seligman – “Authentic Happiness”: https://www.authentichappiness.sas.up... Csikszentmihalyi “Flow” and “Finding Flow”Neil Pasricha “The Book of Awesome”, and “The Happiness Equation”Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/ Harvard Medical School: https://hms.harvard.edu/

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How to create affirmations that will help families through challenging times

My interview with Natalie Ledwell, Episode #25, Hope, Strength & Courage Podcast

“Because when you can instill these virtues (compassion, kindness, empathy) in children at a younger age, then that will help to permeate throughout their whole life and set up a foundation for them.” ~~ Natalie Ledwell

Click here to listen and subscribe

Summary:

This week’s episode which features my interview with Natalie Ledwell as we discuss how to focus on the positive through affirmations and vision boards.

Natalie is a colleague of mine through the Evolutionary Business Council and I am thrilled to share with you the work she has done to understand how we create our own affirmations and for both ourselves and our families that can help each one of us through challenging times.

I really appreciated Natalie’s honestly and down to earth explanations of how Mind Movie affirmations and other tools like gratitude can help us to stay positive everyday.  I hope you will take her up on her offer for access to the free tools on her website. I know from experience how beneficial they can all be.

I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I did.

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Best Advice from Natalie Ledwell:

Keep a gratitude journal – it’s easy to be grateful in the moment but when you keep a gratitude journal it can be really important when you’re going through a challengeThe more you focus on the good the more that expands.Everything that we live through, and everything that we go through, there is always a greater purpose and a higher purpose for that.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Interview:

www.mindmovies.com

Read Full Transcript Here