From a Woman of Substance

This poem was sent to me by one of us, as a New Year present. One of the most beautiful gifts I have ever received. Too beautiful not to share with you.
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The past year has taught me many things.

The power of choice.
The power of change.
The power of friendship.
The power of faith.
The power of love.

The power of choice.
To give voice to an inner longing.
To map out a plan of action.
Fashion the dream into reality.
To choose to make it real
Out of the amorphous substance of our subconscious.

I chose my paths
and I strode briskly into the future
that changed at every step.
And it changed me.

The power of change.
Choices brought about changes.
You embark on the road
and life changes.
One path over the other
One different turn
and all the variables shift
into a newer reality.
A reality where you may be
A force for good
An agent of change
An answer to a need
A woman of substance.

The power of friendship.
How can this be described?
The trueness of deep companionship.
The mingling of spirits.
The unbridled joy of being together.
Half-remembering the kinship of the past
Half-reveling in the friendship of the present
And it grew
in the months of preparation
It grew
and expanded
and exploded in the celebration
of years together
years apart
It made no difference to the heart.

The power of faith.
To accept changes in your life often takes strength.
Some changes are unexpected
and catch at the spirit
sadden the soul
Yet, we persevere
sure in the faith
that God does not bring to pass
that which we cannot cope with.
It takes a very special grace
not to cry out in anguish
when things seem difficult in our eyes.
Yet God remains constant
and his plans for us
are always for the good
If we but open our eyes
and believe.

The power of love.
To transcend all
Years
Differences
Changes
Choices

It is the all-encompassing
forever withstanding
totally undemanding
reality I find myself in.

It has brought me from this point of embarking on a journey

To this point of realizing the journey never ends.