Small Stones from the River: Meditations and Micropoems

by Kat Lehmann

the mountain before you is just a symbol what you climb step by step is yourself

you cannot reassemble all the shards that litter your path if that was your assignment you would never be done

sharing is how we find each other like birds finding birds that sing the same song

we tend to see a person in the moment not as the journey they traveled to get here

the world is always blooming somewhere

the small things make up everything there is

the seeds of who I am were always within me how could it not be so? the seeds of who I will become are already within me how could it not be so?

the limitations I place on the dreams of others are the same limitations I place on myself

each day something withers and each day something blooms

happiness has a chance to grow when we see dandelions as flowers when we notice the grandiose within a small expression of beauty when we cherish a stumble as more of a reason for love

your legacy is your love that’s the best thing you do

you are a part of the collective broken beauty of the world

forgiving others is a wonderfully selfish act of liberation even if no one else knows you did it

being a little damaged helps us to be there for others

that thing that happened? it’s over it’s okay to stop running

it is a relief to stand in a moment of simplicity like a tree standing leafless in winter letting go of what is worthless and worn is how we are reborn

enjoy the almost the before the not quite let the anticipation of renewal bloom in your mind

we can listen to the medicine of others but ultimately we must find our own ways to heal

if you are waiting for circumstances to shift so you can be happy you will never be happy

if you are waiting to resolve an old hurt so you can be happy you will never be happy

if you are waiting for happiness to find you so you can be happy you will never be happy

be open to the beauty in the small the quiet and the ordinary that is where a good portion of it lives

recognize your strength and no one else will need to

in your life it’s all up to you

we search for home until we discover that home originates within us

strength is not rigid it is a flexible tree that survives rough winds

when one door closes another door opens what they do not tell you is the door that opens is often within yourself

you are only as strong as you let yourself become you are a seed that pushes through the soil to unfold the waiting flower of you

your body is a work of art

I am glowing a beauty as I birth it from within I am creating a sun

you are the interface between earth and sky

you can be certain it is your path if you are the one who clears it

we strive for more but often the answer is less

be a healing drop in the water of the world

if you want to see the goodness you will see it

I have faith in what I cannot see the river runs even now

if you want to experience serenity you cannot cling to the cacophony

misfortune will not become a part of you if you do not weave it into your bones

being happy might be the hardest thing you ever do

the river says it is not enough to divert from an undesired path you must also pave the path you want move in the right direction be persistent flow around obstacles patiently smooth them or find another way

do not so willingly muddy the clear essence of you

the heart has its own sense of direction

focus on the good the good things are true too

there is more good than bad in the world if it were not so we would no longer be here

do not count the tragedies if you must count count the normalcies and the blessings

after you have seen enough go wrong it becomes easier to notice what is right so much is right everywhere

sunbeams outnumber raindrops even on a rainy day

sure there are many ways to die but there are more ways to live

it can feel like an ending when really the elements of it are rearranging to emerge in a new shape

if you have difficulty seeing kindness in the world make your own