THERAPY

Some of the goals of therapy

To find ways to love and accept love

How to stop getting stuck in feeling bad about yourself

To create a fuller and happier life

To find ways out of helplessness and the feelings of being overwhelmed

To find a way out of the unnecessary pains, sadness, and losses in our lives

Thursday, December 1, 2011

POEM VI

            THE NEXT TWO THINGS

            After the last friends depart
                empty glasses and cups
              are collected and washed
the floor swept and that first night alone
                     the best I can do
               is the next two things.

                       Feed the cat,
                          Make the tea.

                       Braid my hair
           Discard the obvious junk mail.

               This is how to get through
                  when the light and dark
                   are completely different
                         slants and hues,
               when every  moment's routine
                  holds the unexpected news
                           of your absence.

                                Feed the cat.
                           Empty the dish rack.

                              Fold the blanket.
                   Clear the answering machine.
                     Pick up the empty can
                   tossed out by the mailbox.

                       Bless the dust which
                          can be wiped away,
             dirty laundry that can be washed clean
           the path that can be shoveled clear of snow.
                             Bless the hungry cat.

                                          Anonymous


For many of us facing loss, the night becomes the territory most difficult to get through.
Night is the time when we seek connection and protection and if not, then a quieting of  the mind - often by foolish ways.  Emptiness at night is a most intolerable feeling state.