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Inspiration for the Spirit

A lovely place to wander for poetry and inspiration to soothe the soul

  • Mount Holyoke Commencement Speech

    The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the ... Read more

    Mount Holyoke Commencement Speech
  • You Don’t Have That Kind of Time

    “Oh my God, what if you wake up some day, and you're 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or ... Read more

    You Don’t Have That Kind of Time
  • The Fabric of My Life

    Cotton. The fabric of our lives. That’s what the ad says. My sewing room says otherwise. I had ... Read more

    The Fabric of My Life
  • Sarah Lawrence Commencement Speech

    I have seen your salvation; and it is you, staring back at yourself, your eyes windows to your heart ... Read more

    Sarah Lawrence Commencement Speech
  • Goodbye, Dr. Spock

    I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the ... Read more

    Goodbye, Dr. Spock
  • On Aging

    I was at a wedding Saturday with a lot of women in their 20s and 30s in sexy dresses, their youthful ... Read more

    On Aging
  • Is That All There Is?

    How do you explain mortality to a kid who insists he wants to be cryogenically frozen—while he's ... Read more

    Is That All There Is?
  • Exhaust the Little Moment

    The year my mother died, I learned something enduring about life: that it is glorious, and we have ... Read more

    Exhaust the Little Moment
  • Breaking the Surface

    I think you should get to have your true authentic healed whole self and buns of steel, but ... Read more

    Breaking the Surface
  • Villanova Commencement Speech

    People don’t talk about the soul very much anymore. It’s so much easier to write a resume than to ... Read more

    Villanova Commencement Speech
Reflections Poetry Writing Inspiration Love Food for Thought Body, Mind &  Spirit
Welcome to Inspiration for the Spirit!

Random Reflections—One Woman’s Personal Journey

cup of tea

What Do You Say to a Naked Man?

Today I received a letter from my ex-husband. It came as quite a surprise. It’s been over five years since I last heard from him, and he was the last person I ever expected to hear from again. Yet, there he was, baring all … Read more

“Whoever said revenge is sweet never tasted the yumminess of forgetaboutit.” —Karen Salmansohn

peace

My Loneliness

Old? I Think Not

A Year in Art

Singing in the Rain

buildings in Oaxaca

An Awakening

More Random Reflections

Poems on Life, Living, and Love

A Birthday Gift

A Familiar Taste

A Love Poem

mother holding baby

A Missing Child

A Pocketful of Spring

More Poems
EMBRACE THE LOVE
Home is where the heart is, and at my home on the web
—Inspiration for the Spirit—
you will find a heart on every page. Let each heart be a reminder to keep your heart open, embrace each new day and the people you know, and live life to the fullest . . . doing things always in the spirit of love.
Patricia

Thought-Provoking Essays

75 Life Lessons Learned

A Beast and an Anxious Person Walk Into a Bar

A Father Remembered

A Heart’s Breath

Breaking the Surface

More Essays

Endless Inspiration

love string

Love ♥ The Greatest Gift

Mandalas and More

Native Voices

Petals of Sunshine

Positive Reinforcement

Videos to Inspire and Motivate

More Inspiration

Quotes, Proverbs, and Other Words of Wisdom

advice

Advice and Encouragement

Aging

Autumn Blessings

change

Change

Courage and Strength

More Quotes
heart stamp
 Welcome
Inspiration for the Spirit is all about love—not only romantic love, but also love for our fellow man, loving life and its many wonders and, most importantly, the love of self that comes when you are truly content with the person you are ... Read more
hands up
“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” —Buddha
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The Poetry Pages

My Poems
Guest Poets
Selected Poems
Classic Poets
Classic Love Poems
Zen Poetry, Haiku, and Wisdom

Most Recent Posts

Tentra Nepalese Totem

by Patricia Petro

Peaceful Thoughts

by Patricia Petro

Something About Circles

by Patricia Petro

A Beast and an Anxious Person Walk Into a Bar

by Karen Sandstrom

The Fabric of My Life

by Peggy Bird

The Simplicity of Tea

When I drink tea, there is only me, and the tea. The rest of the world dissolves. There are no worries about the future. No dwelling on past mistakes. ... Read more

The Language of Flowers

During the Victorian era, people often gave each other flowers and used the "language of flowers" (sometimes called floriography) to express feelings ... Read more

My Miracle Heart: A True Story

daisy and a heart

When my ex-husband and I parted ways, I was angry. Our marriage had not been good for a lot of reasons. And though I was relieved the ordeal was ... Read more

Native American Wisdom

Native American chiefs

We, the great mass of the people, think only of the love we have for our land; we do love the land where we were brought up. We will never let our ... Read more

Beginnings

"Messenger" mandala by Caroline Hofstede It had been a pivotal year for me. A bad breakup early on had left me feeling fragile and fragmented and looking inward for answers ... Read more

Sign My Guestbook

guestook

One of the first things you discover when you put an inspirational website online, is that a lot of people will write to you. ... Read more

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