Do you think of life as a journey? I do. Looking back, I can easily see that my life has been a journey. The experiences I’ve had. The ups and downs. The joys and pains. The good decisions and the bad, as well as the consequences that came with them. I’ve suffered a lot, and I’ve experienced great joy and peace. I’ve thought a lot and grappled with my world-view. God willing, I still have a good number of years ahead of me, so I know that this journey continues. I’m very thankful that I don’t walk it alone, and that I am constantly learning and growing. I know that the phase, or season that I am currently living will come to an end, and mesh into the beginning of the next one. And when my life comes to an end… that’s just the beginning to a whole new phase.
Do you think of your life as a journey? Have you considered how your experiences and choices have shaped you into who you are today?
The above poem is a Monotetra, which is a form that is made up of four lines in a stanza, each line being eight syllables long and each line rhyming. The last line in a stanza is a couplet of four syllables repeated. This is also in response to “The Reverie Journal’s weekly prompt, which this is week was “Quiet Journey”.
stacilys.wordpress.com 
I love this poem and the art work! ❤
Life sure is a journey, not always a pleasant one, but I believe the good experiences outweigh the bad ones or at least I can say this for myself. When I look back some bad experiences have taught me valuable lessons and without those I would be a different person. One more thing comes to my mind when I think of a life's journey – it sure has been a literal journey for me: from Bosnia to Germany, then to the USA. Never imagined that, but God sure has a plan for each and every one of us.
Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry for the delay Sibella. Thanks you soooooo much. I’m so glad you enjoyed this one.
You can say that again @not always a pleasant one. But I agree with you though about the good experiences outweighing the bad ones. Especially because even the bad ones can serve to teach us. It’s all in the attitude, right. 🙂
Hahaha @literal journey. For me too. I went from Vancouver to Ottawa. Then to Asia and back to Vancouver. Then to Brazil, and all over as well. Hahaha.
Have a wonderful week, my friend. I’m off to the doctor this afternoon to see about my foot. Wish me luck.
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That’s OK, Staci! Always enjoying your art and poetry!!!
I pray that God puts His healing touch on your foot and remove all discomfort and pain in Jesus name. Love you friend, have a great week too! :* ❤
You’re so sweet. Thanks so much Sibella.
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You’re most welcome! Always! ❤
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Beautiful work–both your writing and your Youth With a Mission “commission” 🙂 Life is a journey, a tapestry too–it will all make sense when we’re with God face to face. I don’t know how anyone survives without Him. God bless you abundantly.
Thank you so much M. That’s a great word, ‘tapestry’. Hmmmm, maybe I should use it as inspiration for a future poem.
I will be by soon to see your blog.
Many blessings.
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Ages ago I heard a story of how our lives are tapestries–and that we see the back side, full of threads that don’t really make sense; but the side God sees (and we will too) is the gorgeous masterpiece 🙂
Ohhh, that’s wonderful. Yes, the side that God sees is the masterpiece.
Thank you for sharing this, and please have a wonderful week.
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It’s a journey down a path that’s twisting, turning. But everything happens for a reason.
So true Wendy. Lots of twisting and turning, along with those, growing pains. Haha.
Have a wonderful weekend Wendy.
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Wow, Staci, this is wonderful, both the image and your words! 🙂 ❤
Thank you so much Natalie. I’m so glad you enjoyed this one. I actually got inspiration for the girl from one of the illustrations that you posted some time back. I chose to do this for my painting class I’ve been taking on Tuesdays.
I hope you are doing well, my friend.
Have a lovely weekend.
Love and hugs.
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You’re so welcome! A painting class?! How fun! Enjoy! ❤️
Oh yes, the class started in March. It’s an oil painting class. It’s free, provided by a governmental arts and culture centre. I’m also doing a photography course on Thursday evenings, plus my daughter is doing the ballet.
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Well enjoy learning all these new fun things❣😊👍
Staci, this is a beautiful post. The artwork and poem are gorgeous, clever use of sun and son in the last verse. I think life is most definitely a journey, although at times it doesn’t feel very quiet. After reading this how can you not think about where you’ve been and where you are now, thank you for taking me down memory lane! Wishing you a lovely and enjoyable weekend.
~ Mia 🙂
Mia, thank you so much. I’m humbled by your generous appreciation of this.
Hahaha @clever use of sun and son in the last verse. You noticed that one eh. Yea, I liked that part.
You know, in thinking about journey and all, I even notice that in the most monotonous times of life, there is still that understanding and expectation of it being part of the bigger picture. I’m in that type of time in my life right now, with having to homeschool/unschool my Aspie son and all. Before he was born (and even after for a couple of years) I was all over the map. Now I’m very routined day in and day out. I sense though that in this time I am meant to grow where I’m planted. I’m positive that it’s not just stagnant, as life never is, right? 🙂
Have a wonderful week Mia.
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Staci, you’re so welcome and thank you for a wonderful reply. It’s a lovely verse and smart, you clever girl! I agree, I don’t believe that life is stagnant at all, even in the quiet moments when there seems to be no movement, much is happening, whether it’s a time of reflection or growth. I think to be aware of this is half the battle, some will fight it, which is a shame. I also think it goes beyond a conscious understanding and it should just be, letting things happen. All is revealed in time, we’re always right where we need to be. The way I think and what I believe does not work for everyone, it even encourages people to look at me sideways, ha-ha! Wishing you the very best, hopefully today is the big day and you can say goodbye to the crutches! Thank you, have a wonderful week as well.
~ Mia 🙂 ❤
Mia, that’s hilarious @ it even encourages people to look at me sideways. Love it. I wonder (and secretly hope) people look at me sideways too. 😉
Hooray, the crutches are gone and the boot is off. I do, however, walk very slow. The bones and muscles in my foot and calf have to get accustomed to be used again. It’s a strange feeling. Soon enough I hope to be up to my regular self. Been missing my exercises and running.
Have a great day Mia.
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I especially love the last stanza. I was planning to write about that this week. I think I will point people to your blog when I write that. God uses everything for good, even our most hideous sins or the worst things others have done to us.
Heather, thank you so much. I am so pleased that you like this. I must see your post about this, and thank you so much for pointing people to this.
“God uses everything for good, even our most hideous sins or the worst things others have done to us.”
–I totally agree. Like that verse, “all things work together for good…”
Have a lovely week Heather.
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Beautiful Masterpiece you great Staci 💕 Your genuine thoughts were felt, and definitely got me thinking. Loved this Staci ➕
Thank you so much Monica. I’m so glad you enjoyed this.
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Have a lovely week. I'll be by soon to see what you've been up to.
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Thank you Staci, you have a beautiful week as well 🙂
Lovely poem! Life is definitely a journey where one is always learning and growing–understanding their purpose in life. I will always be on a journey moving from one stage to the next, as I believe all of us will. Your poem definitely conveys this message.
Thank you so much Crystal. I love that, even during the times or phases of monotony, there is still a deeper purpose behind it all. Life isn’t stagnant. Even when it may feel like it is.
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Thanks you so much Crystal.
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Your poem and art are wonderful as usual dear Staci, for sure life is a journey, we need to go ahead using what we have learned to make the next step easier.
Hi Elizabeth. Thank you so much for your kind words and appreciation. I can tell that you certainly see life as a journey, and that is a great thing.
Please do have a wonderful week and keep up that journaling.
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Indeed Staci life is such a fascinating journey and it is such a wonderful journey of learning to unlearning to relearning…nothing can be better teacher the life itself. Life is the best teacher and it depends on us how take and look at life. We are positive, life looks at us positively and if we are negative we see the negativism all around. It is a mirror and it reflects what goes in our mind and mind is the driver of life and it is journey of fathoming the mystery of mind and the magical power that resides in the mind. Harnessing and nurturing the power makes all the difference.
Yes, one phase of life ends and another phase begins, one season gives way to the next, it is a clock and nothing contest the power of time and everything heals and settles with time, bad time goes away with time and good times comes with time, virtue of patience and the power of persistency can turn things around and we should know how to face it and deal with, nothing is permanent and it is those bad or good time needs to be handle with care and there has to be a balance, we get swayed by the good times and get desperate with bad times but it is only a transient phase and that phase to go, we have to nurture our patience…tenacity is the key and the poem sums it all so beautifully…journey is a quite one and it is within in the mind we win or lose the race.
Have a lovely day ahead.
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Nihar, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment.
“mind is the driver of life ”
–that is so true. We have to take care of what we allow in our mind too. Like a security guard. I don’t let what is unhealthy or wrong take up residence in my mind. It only does harm.
I love the word ‘tenacity’. It is so needed for a triumphant life, don’t you think?
Have a great day and rest of the week Nihar. My hubby will be speaking tonight at Pecha Kucha conference here in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It’s pretty exciting. Have you ever heard of Pecha Kucha?
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I fully agree Staci, “tenacity” is indeed a powerful aspect of our life and living, so many situations that come we have to face it and we need to have the patience and perseverance to overcome that phase of life…it is matter of how we deal and we handle a problem in life, it is not always the solution but many times it is the approach that makes a difference.
So well put, it is like security guard we have keep a check all that enter our mind and we need to keep ourselves vigilant and prudent is screening and selecting thoughts.
Congrats to you and best wishes to your hubby for speaking at the conference, not heard of Pecha Kucha, love to know about it and the name sounds very interesting. What is the topic he will speaking about?
Have a wonderful week ahead and seems so exciting things this weekend for you.
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Nihar, PechaKucha is a conference that started in Tokyo by a couple of arquitects. Here is the official website: http://www.pechakucha.org. My husband was asked to share about his experiences as a journalist/video documentary producer in the Middle East. He spoke on the values and good things that exist – the things that the media doesn’t show. It was a great night.
You have a great weekend Nihar.
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Hi Staci, I was just reading in the newspaper yesterday on Pechakucha, in Japanese it is chit-chat, it is started in India and it seems the conference deals with innovative ideas of sharing one’s work in any sphere. They have a format what I read is called 20*20, twenty images each for 20 seconds and the format is informal and the audiences can interact and engage with the creator and enhance the overall wisdom of the gathering. It looks very interesting and as it plays with creativity and gives space for creativity to expand, must be exciting and highly intriguing when you come with some brilliant ideas and concept that can disrupt our thinking and working…
Middle East experience must be very interesting and I understand not an easy one and yes, media somehow has become completely blind to good things, stopped showing the values and good things around us, and there are so much of negativism shown in the media, perhaps we get swayed by negative and bad things in life.
Have a lovely Sunday.
take care!!!
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Oh yes, that’s exactly right Nihar. The Japanese meaning of ‘chit chat’. And yes, it is meant to be a comfortable atmosphere, not too formal. Actually, not really formal at all. It was nice.
Have a wonderful week Nihar.
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Good that Staci you touched on this concept and I could read and relate it, otherwise I would overlooked on such new ideas…
Good to hear that you had nice time…take care!!!
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It’s the mind the battle’s won…Like I said before, a woman after my own heart.
You are too kind Jennifer. Thank you so much.
Have a wonderful day, my friend.
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Wow did you come up with that poem and the picture behind it all on your own? It seems like you have skill, and we love skill at Gastradamus, so please if you would check out our stories and let us know what you think. We would really appreciate some feedback on our latest piece, “The Bald and the Brestless”. Its Truly original.
I feel like I have journeys within the journey –
and I love how you noted the poem:
Monotetra…
you are a true teacher – and it is just so nice for folks to read and learn more about poetry – if they want this that is…
xoxo
Thank you Yvette.
Journeys within the journey eh. I guess I can see that. Because within a certain phase of our lives, we can have a couple of roads to go down, right?
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yes – and joyce meyer just said her trainer told her _if you are not challneged – you are not growing” and so the cahallenges ont he journey (or mini ones…) are to be embraced….
Ohhh, that is so true. I always used to say to my students, “No pain, no gain. It’s true for the physical, and the spiritual.” Haha. Love it.
Hope you’re having a great week Yvette.
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Yes I agree to the questions and I answer them in the Affirmative.
That’s a beautiful poem you see.
I could not resist after I got your smile.
So I came here.
Its 1 am here I am going to bed, Good Night!
Shiva
Ohhhhhh Shiva, thank you so much for your kind words. 1am is quite late. I hope you had a good and full night’s sleep. Haha. I used to be quite the night owl, but I’m finally starting to sleep before midnight. Haha.
Have a wonderful weekend Shiva.
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‘the journey is a quiet one
for it’s within the race is run
It’s in the mind the battle’s won
won with sun.won with the son’, u just melted me with this…… impeccable writing…loved it to the core 😀
U r such a true artist Staci, very formidable, very winsome.
loved the colors and the way they elated wisdom in sanity 🙂
Saaransh, you never cease to make my heart smile. Thank you so much for your very kind and generous words, my friend. You are more than appreciated.
You have an amazing weekend Saaransh.
Have something super yummy to eat. Maybe ummm… a lemon cheesecake. Haha.
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Every accolade is well earned by u…continue ur grt work …and keep on mesmerizing every one of us 🙂
haha….. ‘cheesecake cheers’ 😀
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I love, love, love this poem!!! Just love it!! ❤
Awwww, thank you so much Lorrie. I’m so glad you ‘love’ it.
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Great combo, Staci 🙂
Thanks so much Richard.
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hey stac – I wanted to email ya this – but I am online in wordpress mode right now and so here is a poem I wrote for you – well sorta a poem…. but it is why you are my favorite christian blog lady to follow…..
xoxo
Staci Lys…
Not proud
Not stuffy
Not Stuck up….
A Sweet artist galore
With paintings all her own
And blog posts so smooth-
As she incorporates her faith
With a natural flow….
And so much love.
Rare to find…
Very rare to find a spirit-filled woman
With tenderness
…and a genuine approach-
Openness and encouraging
Are two things that come to mind
She is also…
Strong and kind.
As I listen to her music play,
Which was a gift that came my way-
I find the voice to be deep, rich, and clear
Melodic layers with rhythmic gears…
Paintbrush vocals
And soothing tracks each one
With her spot on theology
About God’s son….
So many Christians annoy me,
Sad, but true!
So many are puffed up, stuck up, and proud.
So many Christian women have one foot in the world
Not knowing hey have missed the mark
And there is hardness in their heart-
Some legalistically preach – always
Others forcefully teach – leading to dismay
Many misunderstand the Scriptures
And fail to have a loving heart
Some just have lust in their heart
Or anger – or a half belief faith
And not judge, because it is where they are
And God has a plan for their loves
Even though they miss out
By failing to let the Holy Spirit lead
feed
guide
And provide!
And so I am very used to this typical Christian woman-
But dear Stac – as human as any one of us…
Has this humble, loving…. open side
And I like her style –
And that is why
She is my favorite Christian blog lady to follow
And tonight, as her music plays
It reminds me of the music of Jamie Smith
With God lyrics and descant so complete
And thanks Stac, for a faith enriching treat…
…maybe we can all learn
a little bit from Staci Lys:
we can learn to….
Keep it real
Keep it nice
Don’t compete
Know when to retreat
Know when to give
And let us all….
Keep giving as unto our Father
Keep letting HIM lead and feed
~y.prior-5-14-2016
Thanks so much Staci
Yvette, you are such a sweet person. I don’t think anybody has ever said anything as nice as this to me or about me. I am sending you an email ok.
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Well I actually should have made a post for that – and likely will some day! But I only have so much time to blog – but I was going to make you a digital image with some of your art and then the poem – but maybe another time!
In the meantime – my to do list has enough things to tackle and well – thanks again for the sweet music – I mean – really thanks – it has been a joy – the Afghanistan one is my fav right now – but it changes – and later this year I promise to do a formal review of the music – k? Thx again and look forward to the email!
Oh, haha. I hear you @only so much time to blog. If we only had another 12 hours in a day eh Yvette. Haha.
You are so sweet. All this effort you’ve put into this, and even thinking of doing some digital art to go along with it. I’m truly honoured.
It was my pleasure to gift you the music. I am just so glad you like it. I’m also thrilled that you are liking the Afghanistan one.
Oh wow! Even a review. Really, you are so sweet.
Thanks again Yvette, and many many many blessings to you and your family.
Tons of love, my friend.
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well to be honest – if I had another 12 hours I likely would still not blog more – ha! I am at a good place with it – so I guess I should have said I have only “allotted” or “allowed” so much time to blog – cos if not it is like a time vacuum – whew – super fun, but can suck time away so quickly…
ha!
and be in touch – take care.
Oh yes, I hear you. It can definitely suck up so much time. Me too. I try not to blog at all on weekends, and then I give time to it in the afternoons during the week.
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oh that sounds really nice to do it that way – I feel like lately I have had spurts – time son just some daily flow – and then 5 days away 0 then back to some flow – then away….
and of course some month long breaks keep it all in balance….
What an excellent blog you have.
Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement. I am so pleased you like it. 🙂
I will be by soon to check your blog out.
Please have a wonderful rest of the weekend.
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I love Monotetra poetry and this one is truly beautiful. You’re the best, Staci. ❤ xx
Awwww, thanks Vashti. You’re so sweet.
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