<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="auto">I love the little bird's voice in this poem, Riantee. It was wonderful to hear you reciting it as we whizzed through the Oregon/California border mountains creeping up on Mount Shasta. It all just blended so beautifully...</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">~ Ed</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div id="composer_signature" dir="auto"><div style="font-size:12px;color:#575757" dir="auto">Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div><br></div><div align="left" dir="auto" style="font-size:100%;color:#000000"><div>-------- Original message --------</div><div>From: Riantee Rand via Thespiritexpress <thespiritexpress@lists.mcn.org> </div><div>Date: 12/6/22 8:19 PM (GMT-08:00) </div><div>To: thespiritexpress@lists.mcn.org </div><div>Subject: [Thespiritexpress] Poem read this morning at the group: It Used to Be </div><div><br></div></div><div class="" style="text-align: center;"> The little bird perching on my knee while I was lying under a tree really happened, </div><div class=""><div class="" style="text-align: center;">only much later did I realize it was a message from my higher self</div><div><blockquote class="" type="cite"><br class=""><div class=""><div class="" dir="ltr"><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
Used to Be – <span class="" style="font-size:10pt">A Journey from Innocence to
arrogance and ever-so-slowly back to innocence</span></div><p style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"" align="center" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
used to be</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">that
the world was full</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">of magic
and mystery.</div><p style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"" align="center" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
used to be</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">that
as a child of immigrants I was insignificant</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">––many
others out there</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.75in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">so
much smarter, more capable,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.75in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">beautiful,
powerful</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.75in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">and
convinced of their value.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
poor immigrants are of not worth anything!</div><p style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"" align="center" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
used to be</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">that
I tried to be smart,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">worldly,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">sophisticated,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">cultured,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">so
I could have friends to admire me,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">men
to adore me.</div><p style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"" align="center" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
used to be</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">that
I wanted the moon</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">to
reflect my grace and beauty,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">the
wind through branches</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">to
whisper</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">about
my insights and understandings,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">the
sun to broadcast my achievements</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">in inspiration
and vision …</div><p style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"" align="center" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
the wild me took me to the forest</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">and
when I fell asleep under a tree</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">a
small bird landed on my knee</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">singing
a little melody:</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘you
are all you desire to be ––and more,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">in
your joy of being,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">of
creating blissfully with no purpose,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">no
goal,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">just
to enjoy the joy,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">to
witness the healing of the healed,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">the
awakening of the already awakened.</div><p style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"" align="center" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘The
mind doesn’t know what’s of value,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">what’s
of service to humanity,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">so
forget trying,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">just
follow your bliss</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">for
it will take you</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">wherever
you need to be,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">your
heart knows how valuable You are</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">when
you love your friends for who They are,</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">and
in return…</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">they
can’t help but</div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">love
you!’</div></div>
</div></blockquote></div><br class=""></div></body></html>