Inspiration for the Spirit

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

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A Familiar Taste

by Carrie Ryman

Your body warm, pressed against mine, a sweetness oozes into me. Its intensity is almost painful. It swells within me. I want to drown in it. Your ... Read more

Filed under love, sex & sexuality.

An Awakening

by Patricia Petro

buildings in Oaxaca

Sometimes you have to go far away from home before you can understand why what you have might be too much. Several years ago, I went to Mexico for ... Read more

Filed under happiness, mindful living, places, simplicity.

Baseball Love

by Carrie Ryman

baseball love

The muscles in my legs work hard to carry me to the end where the field meets the trees. I hear dried leaves crunch beneath my weight before I soar ... Read more

Filed under love.

Cats

by Dennis Janke

Cat eyes looking out at the world ready to pounce galvanize into action by a single motion until they balance thought into perfect contentment and ... Read more

Filed under cats.

Choosing To Be Happy

by Patricia Petro

young woman in field of flowers

Everyone wants to be happy. Whether it comes from fulfillment in our work, contentment in our relationships, pride in our children, or passion in our ... Read more

Filed under happiness.

Dreamtime

by Dennis Janke

The smell of victory reeked in the delivery room. The crackpot, Rachet Man, followed his dream at the Institute of Grace while waiting to be born. It ... Read more

Filed under people.

Goodnight Kiss

by Carrie Ryman

Here is a good night kiss for you, my love, my heart. Only a blue ribbon of moonlight divides us but you seem so far away. Your lips that part to ... Read more

Filed under love.

Home Still Exists

by Carrie Ryman

home

Such a comfort there is in knowing that home still exists. Where the attic is filled with my toys and the aspen trees are inscribed with the name of ... Read more

Filed under home.

How to Make a Woman Fall in Love

by Carrie Ryman

A man will win and keep the heart of a woman if he follows one simple set of principles. It is called the PEACH method of dating and the results will ... Read more

Filed under love.

Jealousy

by Terry Stephen Driscoll

jealousy

Try not to question my love, For I have sought deep within me Cussed at me Cursed and been Cruel to me Do not lay blame on my heart For yesterday’s ... Read more

Filed under love.

Living with a Positive Attitude

by Patricia Petro

painting the world

Living with a positive attitude paints your world in bright colors and attracts positive energy. Here's what you need to do: Realize you have the ... Read more

Filed under happiness, positive attitude.

Love Is

by Dennis Janke

a rose is a rose

Love is a rose and it rose and rose . . . how far it goes no one knows . . . but it got beyond my nose . . . and tried to slip between my toes . . ... Read more

Filed under love.

Making Lemonade

by Patricia Petro

lemons

You know the old saying: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It’s relatively easy to be positive, motivated, and engaged when all is going ... Read more

Filed under happiness, positive attitude.

Mountains

by Dennis Janke

mountains

Why do you ride that contraption? When they go up to the mountains, they sing, they dance, they have too much to give. They leave such things ... Read more

Filed under mountains.

My Miracle Heart

by Patricia Petro

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

Filed under anger, divorce, forgiveness, hope, loving yourself.

On Aging

by Anne Lamott

butterfly

I was at a wedding Saturday with a lot of women in their 20s and 30s in sexy dresses, their youthful skin aglow. And even though I was 20 or 30 years ... Read more

Filed under aging, loving yourself.

Open Mind, Open Heart

by Patricia Petro

open your mind

If you want to live the peaceful life you imagine, you must start now. “Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on ... Read more

Filed under compassion, inner peace, love, mindful living.

Poetry in Motion

by Carrie Ryman

I love the speed of poetry. The swift nature of it, read aloud, racing with the blood. Then it surprises with soft fluidity, pausing around the ... Read more

Filed under writing.

Pretty

by Carrie Ryman

ballerinas

Feeling pretty has never been a priority in my life. Feeling smart, talented, adventurous, capable, interesting, witty, etc., have all taken ... Read more

Filed under being female, loving yourself.

Slow Down to Savor Life

by Patricia Petro

autumn tree

I've been known to tell people that I'm so busy, I don't have time to breathe. It might be an exaggeration, but there are some days when I simply have ... Read more

Filed under mindful living.

Table Inhabitants

by Carrie Ryman

A green, metallic ashtray, its belly scattered with old cigarette butts and torn packages of Sugar Twin. A crumpled napkin, two quarters, two pennies, ... Read more

Filed under writing.

Ten Tips for a Happier Life

by Carrie Ryman

When will you be happy? Will you be happy when you find the perfect partner, save up enough to take that trip, when your children get straight A’s, ... Read more

Filed under happiness, mindful living.

The Darkening

by Dennis Janke

There the wild man of the darkening cried treading softly with startling care in this waning night a beast so rare retreating from the coming ... Read more

Filed under love, love lost.

The Seed

by Dennis Janke

tree

There is a tree in a garden I am sworn to protect. Once as you walked by you dropped a seed and I saw where it fell and I broke ground around ... Read more

Filed under love, love lost.

The Simplicity of Tea

by Thich Nhat Hanh

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

Filed under mindful living, peace, simplicity, zen.

Those Who Love

by Sara Teasdale

Those who love the most Do not talk of their love; Francesca, Guenevere, Dierdre, Iseult, Heloise In the fragrant gardens of heaven Are silent, or ... Read more

Filed under love.

Twilight of Summer

by Carrie Ryman

When the night sky gazes more brightly than the trees, peeping out from behind in a vivid blue harmony against the dark cover, I know . . . it is the ... Read more

Filed under summer.

Two Steps

by Dennis Janke

climbing

I have always been two steps after tomorrow dreaming of some new glory ahead of myself with desire and taking everything with me as I go never leaving ... Read more

Filed under mindful living.

Udine Beach

by Dennis Janke

In need of solitude I had found a revealing silence waiting at the dividing line between sand and sea. Blinded by an illusion and summoned to ... Read more

Filed under divorce, solitude.

What to Do When Your Relationship is Not Working Out

by Carrie Ryman

man and woma

“Relationship” is defined as ‘the way in which two or more people or organizations regard and behave toward each other.’ It could be a work-related ... Read more

Filed under love, relationships.

Why I Did It

by Matuschka

Matuschka

I was a little hesitant getting on the subway that Sunday morning, the day that the New York Times magazine ran my portrait on its front cover. As ... Read more

Filed under breast cancer, loving yourself.

You Don’t Have That Kind of Time

by Anne Lamott

woman in white

“Oh my God, what if you wake up some day, and you're 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or novel written, or you didn't go swimming in those ... Read more

Filed under living, loving yourself.

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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Beginnings

love tree 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

The Simplicity of Tea

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

Native American Wisdom

Native American chiefs

The Great Spirit is in all things: He is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is our father, but the Earth is our Mother. She nourishes us; that ... 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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aging art autumn being female children compassion courage death divorce encouragement family father flowers forgiveness friendship grief & sadness happiness hope inner peace inspiring life living loneliness love love lost loving yourself marriage mindful living mother mountains music Native American people places positive attitude poverty quotes relationships sex & sexuality simple pleasures solitude spirit spring winter writing

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