love

The Story

/ Shirley Sorbello / Leave a comment

I’m daydreaming…looking at man with an oversized cowboy hat riding a bull or a wild horse in a large corral. I’m not sure which it was because I was wondering more about why this vision was invading my thoughts. I dismissed it, but then when I saw the same sight in my mind’s eye the following day, I decided to sit down and meditate upon it.

As I relaxed into this vision, I realized that the man was an Italian singer that I enjoyed listening to. This realization made the whole daydream even more bizarre. I started to make notes as I watched the sketchy images of an unfolding story. I wrote the short story, “That’s Just the Way it Is” in a little over two hours which I published in 2013. A little later I wrote a sequel, “Return to Texas,” published in 2014. The cowboy from the vision became John Colter, who is the protagonist Becky’s, first husband.

Somehow Becky’s story never “felt”  finished…too many loose ends needed to be connected. Life got in the way until 2020 when I began working on a book that would reveal a more complete version of Becky’s life. This book became the novella Where the Heart Goes in which Becky’s shares scenes from her life as a child up until her death, from a place that seems like the afterlife. It’s like a saga packed into a novella-sized book informally narrated by the protagonist. This is a story of love, guided by the heart.

Where do stories like this come from? Is this a past life memory…mine or someone else’s shot out of the collective unconscious? Was I Rebecca? Perhaps it’s just the product of an unbridled somewhat creative mind. We will never know for sure, will we? What I do know is that this story was meant to be written and lives in a special place inside my heart. I hope that it will find a place in yours as well!

Note: That’s Just the Way It Is and Return to Texas are FREE on Amazon, today through Dec. 3rd!

A Love Poem for Valentine’s Day

/ Shirley Sorbello / 5 Comments

I wrote this several years ago…thought it was worth a reblog. Happy Valentines’s Day to everyone!

Sweet Thoughts…Precious Memories…Undying Love  How  many of you have ever felt this way?

You have been mine before;

I remember the taste of your tender kisses,

The warmth of your welcoming embrace,

A smile that lit up my lonely world;

That playful way you stirred my passion,

Feeling lost forever, lying in your arms,

Somewhere long ago.

You’re the one I want to be with;

I love you with all that I am.

You are the precious air I breathe,

A character in every dream I cherish,

That missing part of me that I see,

Looking deeply into your eyes.

Love’s Reward

/ Shirley Sorbello / Leave a comment

I recently came across this poem I wrote in 1985 when I was cleaning out a closet today. I hope you enjoy it.

“True love does not seek its own reward; its worth, its dignity, is entrenched within its own existence; it breathes with soft sounds and lives in tender thoughts that touch the soul.

True love understands unspoken utterances; its beauty, its expression, is seen within the gentleness of the eyes; it whispers ‘always’ and never speaks the word ‘impossible’.

True love believes, when faith dares to falter; its trust, its devotion, abides in childlike innocence spotted by reality’s harshness; it feels the deepest depths of vulnerability and knows this to be the secret of its strength.

True love cries silently the tears of the beloved; its pain, its sorrow, is shared sacredly within the heart’s deepest chambers; it enjoys contentment when peace abounds and smiles when it hears the words ‘I love you’. “

January, 1985

I Didn’t Know

/ Shirley Sorbello / 4 Comments

I liked you, even loved you, from afar

I felt I had known you before

In my mind, that cabin in the woods

A cruel, ridiculing father

Brown eyes filled with tears

A boy too sensitive and kind to kill a deer

Was I the disapproving one

Or the other too weak to speak?

Equally a sin against a gentle child of God

Haunted by the memory of your pain-filled cries

Unaware I’d have a chance one day

To heal, and be healed, from the sorrow I caused

Now to hug you dearly as a lost child

And hear you whisper, “I’m hugging you back”

To have you ask for an embrace I couldn’t give then

And feel your love radiate back to me

To say, “I love you” and hear you answer softly, “I understand”

I didn’t know

Photo Credit:  Copyright: mizinatanya / 123RF Stock Photo

The Human Heart

/ Shirley Sorbello / 4 Comments

I was recently going through some old boxes and came across a few poems that I wrote over thirty years ago. This is my favorite; I hope you like it, too.

The heart hears loudly, voices softly spoken.

It cries the tears of today’s tragedy;

It smiles with tomorrow’s hidden hopes.

The heart sees clearly, visions scarcely conceived.

It fears the hurt that strikes its core;

It loves what it dares to embrace.

The heart speaks strongly, words hardly heard.

It argues against logic’s best reasoning;

It trusts in no wisdom but its own.

October, 1984

Photo Credit: Copyright: katjagerasimova / 123RF Stock Photo

It’s the Little Things

/ Shirley Sorbello / 6 Comments

Do you ever take the time to  notice and reflect upon an unexpected flash of nature?  A couple of months ago I looked out of my back window and was amazed to see petunias bursting through a crack in my pavers. How pretty they looked among the hard, gray stones that encased them. I don’t grow any petunias in my yard so that made this sight even more fascinating. It seemed like it was reminding me that beauty can be found anywhere.

Petunias

Recently, I came face to face with a hummingbird that paused in mid-air and looked directly at me for about ten seconds while I was sitting on my front porch. This amazing creature was only about twenty inches from me. That glimpse into each other’s eyes felt meaningful, like a reminder that all of God’s creatures are one.

While sitting on the same porch two weeks ago, I turned around and saw a huge, green praying mantis crawling along the sill of my front window. I stood up as he came close to my shoulder. Even though we are “all one,” I wasn’t sure that I wanted him crawling along the back of my neck. I went to get my camera and returned to find him climbing up the shutter. I hadn’t seen a praying mantis in a few years, let alone one this large. It is said to be a symbol of stillness and peacefulness. Maybe he was encouraging me to continue in the meditation practice that I’ve been struggling to make a habit.

Praying Mantis

Could it be that signs like these jump out at us when we get so caught up in our busy lives that we don’t take the time to feel or reflect?

An unexpected smile or reassuring touch from a stranger can brighten our day if we take the time to notice and appreciate it. A quick hug or kiss form a loved-one can do the same especially if we are not expecting it. Do we take the time to feel and appreciate the love in these actions?

The sky is filled with never ending hues of color and unique cloud formations. How often do we look at it or take the time to notice the gentleness of a breeze blowing across our face?

The world is full of love and beauty; we have only to take the time to notice it. Although focusing on it will not remove the bad and ugly that exists, it goes a long way in enhancing our quality and enjoyment of life, as well as bringing more of these lovely experiences into our existence.