38 Comments
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Saira Anwar's avatar

This is incredible and powerful, Trudi. Each question digs deeper, layering the emotional weight so gently yet so impactfully. That final refrain, ‘And yet, keep our hearts open?’, is such a profound echo of what it means to stay human. Beautifully written. And like Ross said, it's so relevant. ❤️🫶🏻✨️🥰

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Thank you, Saira for seeing this and understanding. Remaining open-hearted in times of distress is a real challenge we all face. ✨

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Saira Anwar's avatar

My pleasure! So true, Trudi, it really is a challenge, but your words remind us it’s a courageous one worth facing. I can see that, having been through a divorce and other challenges. Thank you for putting that into such beautiful, honest poetry. ✨

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Ross Ion Coyle's avatar

Really beautiful and extremely relevant

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Thank you, Ross! I appreciate that feedback 🌟✨

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Ross Ion Coyle's avatar

❤️❤️💚🙏

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Cori Bren's avatar

This one will be an open prayer I’ll speak to God to guide me through a deep familial pain. Thank you for this.❤️

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

That’s the toughest pain. I see you, Cori. Sending love.❤️✨

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Cori Bren's avatar

Bless you

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Simone Kornalijnslijper's avatar

This is so beautiful Trudi and the line ‘and yet keep our hearts open’ hits so deep… we have to, it is the only way to a better life and a better world, and you captured that urge, that need so amazingly well ❤️

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Simone, thank you! We need a better way, for sure.🤗✨

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Simone Kornalijnslijper's avatar

We do, let’s keep on sharing beautiful messages like yours ❤️

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Heidi Zawelevsky's avatar

Beautiful, Trudi, a true call to the human condition, of compassion and love in the midst of suffering.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Thank you, Heidi. We need compassion and love. 🥰✨

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Valerie Nettles's avatar

Powerful! This is especially poignant right now. How do we keep our hearts open at this moment in history? So much turmoil heaped on us daily.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

True, Val. We have to keep a sense of balance, stay in touch with those who also want peace and collectively keep our hearts open.✨

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Michael Newberry's avatar

How, indeed.

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Perry J. Greenbaum 🇨🇦 🦜's avatar

We are living in troubling times. There are forces of darkness at work to keep us alone, isolated and in despair. We all know that this is evident, and it is a dreadful feeling. So, we must battle this spirit of isolation. And remain open.

How we keep our hearts open likely varies among us. We do so despite almost everything around us telling us to keep ourselves safe by shutting the gate behind us..Often a kind word or gesture to another can keep hearts open.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Open and connected. Thank you, Perry. ✨

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MamaCarole's avatar

How?

With love.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Yes!🙌

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Julie Dee's avatar

The million dollar question eh? :)

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Yup!

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Jo-Ann Petrarca's avatar

How can we? This is so profound Trudi, thank you!

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Jo-Ann you are welcome. 🙏

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Charlotte Pendragon's avatar

In the face of pain, fear, and suffering, how do we maintain openness and connection? Wonderfully profound Trudi! ✨💜✨

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Thank you, Charlotte. It’s a daily practice, opening the heart. ❤️

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Charlotte Pendragon's avatar

It truly is a daily practice requiring attention. ❤️

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Francesca Bossert's avatar

I was thinking about this earlier, watching hundreds of birds diving for insects in the pond, and swooping in the dusky heat and it was so beautiful. And I think we can do it because of birds diving for insects on a gorgeous evening. Because we have to open our hearts to hope. Your poem is beautiful ✨

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

We can do it. I love the way you described the birds. They have open hearts, too.✨

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Diana van Eyk's avatar

A profound question for these times, Trudi.

I just had a conversation with someone yesterday about retaining our humanity as Israel gets bombed after committing genocide for twenty months in Gaza. Think of the innocent children of both countries, and keep our hearts open.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

It is so important to remain open and retain our humanity - as you say, Diana. It’s heartbreaking thinking of the many lives lost and the futility of it all. Yet we can still hold onto love.

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Serena Camacho's avatar

Beautiful poem and such a good question. I think we sometimes need to retreat in order to not be overwhelmed by

all the horrific things happening around us. Then we can emerge again open-hearted.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Serena, I appreciate you reading this and understand the need to retreat, regroup and resurface. I won’t watch the news - I don’t need to, to know what’s going on. It’s everywhere. Focusing on love and hope keeps me sane. ✨

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Serena Camacho's avatar

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree! I avoid the news as well. I really can’t handle it. And if there something ai really “need” to know, I’m sure someone in my life will tell me!

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Yes! News finds its way to us, one way or another. 😆🌟

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Serena Camacho's avatar

It certainly does! 😁

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Lori Ann Bloomfield's avatar

By reminding each other of the truth. As you so often do for all of us in your wonderful poetry. May we all be kind and present enough to keep reminding each other that the secret is to keep our hearts open. May you keep giving us the gift of your words. xo

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