Poetry & Reflections

by Gloria Lionz

Intro:

In my early 30’s I left my first husband; began a new life. I also withdrew membership from my Christian path. It was clear a change was due. Members of my church conveyed my decision to divorce was ‘my responsibility’ as a “Good Christian wife could have helped her spouse heal from alcoholism and live faithfully.”

Nine years and too many failed counseling sessions later, I “read the writing on the wall for what it said, not what I’d hoped:” I had done all I could. It was time to move forward with my life.

Fast forward a little about 4 years, I had met and married again. The woman we chose to conduct our ceremony was a ecumenical minister with an on-line degree. It sounded odd to us at the time, but she exuded a kind of living faith & deep respect for everyone’s search for God. Soon after we married, I began studying spiritual truths with her.

Before we met, I’d been hearing what I came to learn was the “sound current” for over a year. For the next year, she kept telling me it was “likely the space beings trying to get a message to me.” I just laughed and chalked it up to another mysterious aspect of the Divine. Confident “It” would eventually guide me to whatever I needed to know next.

My studies with her included studying Genesis as a book of symbolism; filled with metaphors designed to help humans realize God is always present in every moment. Water stood for Spirit, as did “Light.” References to ‘the path’ involved not only the seeker but also masters (seen and not) who were dedicated to helping each Soul find “their way home to God.”

She exposed me to channeling; for myself and a few times for others. Those ‘exercises’ weren’t done for show. She’d direct me to center myself while focusing on whatever I perceived as the ‘sacred voice within’ then ask whatever question she asked.

Most of the time, ever-so-gently, answers (some with visions, some with specific guidance and always a soft glowing white or golden light) followed.

One afternoon she asked me to “envision your next path.”

What came next was far too big for words at the time. I was immersed in a spiritual experience so ‘real’ I was altered beyond words.

The poem didn’t appear until a few weeks ago.

But it inspired me to go where the path showed me while I was trance state; a red-dirt path up a high mountain.

Love comes in stages; as does our ability to understand and grow into it. God doesn’t demand we ‘fit a particular mindset, book or ritual.’ Instead, It presents openings each Soul gets to choose how, when and where It wants to experience.

This is my story.

I titled it “Walking with an Open Heart.
Jesus was someone I ‘knew’ – in my early years (by choice) and as I later learned, in past lives as both a friend and a guide.

When it comes to Love, there’s NO SUCH THING AS TIME OR DISTANCE.

That’s what makes life’s walk SACRED, INDIVIDUAL AND MOSTLY BEYOND REASON.

As you read this poem, know this.

Everyone can be a way shower for others. Jesus was one of mine. Once I’d learned what I’d agreed to learn with him, he warmly nodded indicating it was time for me to move forward and meet my next spiritual guide.

I didn’t meet Harold Klemp, the Mahanta, the spiritual leader of Eckankar, in the 80’s for another year or so.

But here’s another cool fact: Masters don’t keep score, they don’t set time limits, they don’t judge. They love us where we are and when we’re ready, they agree to show us the way forward.

What I left behind on that mountain was only the beginning of what I now embody; true compassion for myself and others.

I’d say that’s a gift worth sharing, and re-learning every single day.

May the blessings be.
Gloria

Walking with an Open Heart

In my 30s, I left a dead marriage
Returned home from “duty” as an army Captain’s ex-wife
Starting over once I accepted that expired union
Would never breathe itself back to life

I’d indulged the fantasy too long
Then mercifully ended it before I lost my gumption
Landing “home”’ashamed yet determined to realize
Competency wasn’t dependent on being a wife

My sparkle reappeared when I stopped waiting
Accepting being valued in an inside job
When I tossed away the poison apple of self-doubt,
I nurtured myself with gratitude & engaging dreams

A year later, the Army returned stored items I no longer wanted
My innate optimism quickly led me back “home”
As I celebrated each new feather in my nest,
Friends arrived affirming love was my Superpower

So where does Jesus come in?!?
It’’s “how” he showed up on a hike that surprised me
Not just “any” trek; but an inner call from Mt Shasta
During a meditation with a spiritual teacher

The guidance was simple: ‘climb a red dirt path
Go with a friend. Leave at pre-dawn
There you’ll meet someone
Don’t worry about the details; “He’s waiting.”

At my side, a spiritual teacher 40 years my senior
Whose familiars included guides beyond 3D
Assured me this trip was “exactly what I needed”
As new and odd as trekking sounded, off we went

I was never a “quest kind of gal.”
But the mountain ‘called’ so I followed
In an act more random than rational
Two fools for God left at predawn for who-knew-where.,,

Some choose quests to discover insights
Some abandon comfort to find renewal
Some obliviously curious suit up for “whatever”
Strangely landing exactly where they want to be

When the “mountain” invited me, I accepted
My curiosity led me; my strong legs carried me
Meeting Jesus was never my goal
But I’d seen us meeting during contemplation so off I went

My vision in the teacher’s home weeks before
Opened a visceral, ephemeral portal
Real yet not; solid yet surreal; melting any misgivings
Two hours “in” there Jesus stood, illuminating me

“Welcome, my dear. So good to see you.”
Standing in front of him felt as natural as greeting a neighbor
No drama, only gentle all-enveloping peace
His presence suffused everything with Love

A brief gaze exchanged then obliterated the “self”
Inwardly I asked, “is it OK if I walk past you?”
He nodded & replied, “I’m here because you asked a question.
There is another master waiting for you, go forward with my blessing

Because you asked, you are ready
There are many things you will learn
The greatest of these is to trust yourself
Always ask questions, listen then move on

Whatever you do, remember it’s only part of you
We agreed to meet long before now
How you see will change as you mature
But always remember your purpose is to love

Begin by loving yourself as it’s part of you
Continue refining your ability to hear
When in doubt become a channel for the Light
And always, always challenge what you fear

The only illusion that closes any path is fear
Or confusion you are not enough
Everyone is enough
As long as they walk with an open heart

(C) Gloria Lionz
January 25, 2026

by Gloria Lionz

Life has a way of introducing us to people who are looking for a puzzle piece we carry for them. That’s what this poem was for a man I recently met in Mexico. I was there working with a team of medical practitioners at a clinic in a very small town outside Ensenada.

One afternoon a patient around my age arrived for treatment. The doctor introduced us as a result of several days of conversations; that in spite of prior medical care that hadn’t provided the healing desired, I was confident the opportunities to move beyond fear to love had developed far beyond where I’d been when I began. After all, when we following love’s path, ultimately that’s where everything leads.

The doctor’s next patient was a ‘regular’ at the clinic. He visits every six months for ‘tune-ups.’ But his visit the day I was there, he wasn’t feeling as hopeful. After talking to the doctor, she introduced him to me saying, “Talk to Gloria. She’s shared some things that may help you…”

Though the scenario felt a bit odd, I was ‘game.’ “Surprise” requests typically let me know Spirit’s got a “plan” I’m part of. I listen and go where my heart leads. Those moments provide rare openings to really “see” who’s in front of me, to hear what they’re asking and stay open to how Spirit wants to “use me.” Along the way, surprise doses of humor, love and wisdom show up. And nearly always, insights awaken or refine the speaker as well as the receiver!

I had a lively conversation with the fellow. We laughed. He also has a strong relationship with Spirit. But he felt defeated. Each story included heavy doses of self-doubt and a sense of failure. Then he asked, “How do you deal with life when it feels like everything is falling apart all at once?!?”

I chuckled. “There’s no one-size-fits-all solutions to anyone’s problems. But I do have a really great way to get unstuck. Would you like to hear about it?”

He agreed, so I told him about the sacred sound of HU; how it’s helped me move through difficult times for decades.

As we spoke, our rapport softened. He said he wanted to try the HU. So, there we sat, singing the HU in doctor’s office. The doctor was in the lobby; she’d encouraged our interaction. I had shared the HU with her earlier that day while she was trying to place a needle in my veins. It hadn’t gone well. So on the 2^nd attempt to place the needle, I suggested we sing HU together.

That time, all went smoothly. She was delighted & more than willing to pass it forward.

A moment after my new friend sang HU, his eyes widened. His face lit up, and he said, “But I want more! When can I see you again?”

We agreed to meet later that week as we each would be there for more appointments later that week.

That night before I went to sleep, I asked the inner master if there was anything else I could share with this seeker. And, if so, please let me know what that would be.

Around 4:15 AM the next morning the first two stanzas of a poem came through. They repeated three times until I fully woke, and recorded them into my phone. A few hours later, the rest of the piece came through. I met the gentleman two days later at the doctor’s office and shared his poem with him.

He was deeply touched; then said “your poem answers every question I’ve been asking for weeks!” We laughed again and hugged. To be a conduit for poetry is just one way Spirit creatively activates Itself into form. We’re here for one another – when the time and place is arranged by inner agreement. That’s how love spreads – we ask, we listen, then share.

Below is the poem:

THINGS I CHOOSE

There are things I choose by habit
Some things I choose through the eyes of fear
The best things I choose are inspired by love

When I choose from pattern, my body is cautious
When I choose from trepidation, clarity dims
When I choose from love, I know God is present

So, I have one question:

Why not choose while respecting one’s body?
Why not choose to see through the eyes of possibility?
Why not accept the divine is always with you?

Our illusions are only a game of the mind
Our illusions are only one way to experience life
Our illusions are the view through one window

Today I choose to see with the eyes of a newcomer
Today I choose to see with an open heart
Today I choose to see true choice always brings Grace

(c) Gloria Lionz
January 16, 2026

by Gloria Lionz

If you, like most people, often let “Someday” inform what you choose to pursue in life, this piece may prompt a shift. The insights the words revealed definitely revised my perspective of what my heart would prefer to experience….

Someday I’ll drop everything and drive to the coast
Someday I’ll part with my size 6 jeans from the 90s
Someday I’ll tell my grumpy neighbor I love them
Funny, is it true “somedays” run out?

There I go again, asking questions
There I go again, expecting answers
There I go again, trusting every reply will make sense
Funny, I know better cause God’s a terrific listener!

When we make time to pause, our presence reboots
When we make time to pause, so do those we love
When we make time to pause, fresh aha’s show up
Funny, as I read these words, I feel like dancing

I no longer wait for permission
I no longer wait for someone else to risk change
I no longer wait for the bonus, the gift, the inspiration
Funny, feels spectacular being my OWN ‘someday!’

(c) Gloria Lionz. 
November 14, 2025

by Gloria Lionz

This poem announced itself with three short words – “more than enough.” When that phrase landed I stopped everything, sat down, and listened for the “rest of the story.”

Perhaps the reader is familiar with similar feelings; the creative opening that appears where one chooses a response designed to provide pragmatic insight and the dynamic flow of creative empowerment.

I invite you to “listen” then celebrate this age old truth: when we’re aligned with love each of us automatically realizes we are “more than enough.”

More than enough
It all starts with you
Not the you “on a good day”
Or the you “dressed in your best clothes”
Not the you ‘who’s in the mood”

Nope, the only way anyone gets there
Is when they decide to “act like it”
When they realize, even in a dismal moment
There’s always more than enough

Enough what?
Enough time
Enough generosity
Enough peace
Enough love

But how do you find “Enough?”
Not by looking outward
That will never satiate any craving
It’s impossible.
Why?
Because ‘there’ you’re stuck comparing

God does not compare you to another
It sees each us as the beautiful Soul we are
It knows us as the one who has come before
The one who is going to go on and on and on

Which brings me to the topic of heaven
Is there such a place?
If there is, what purpose does it serve?
Similar to earth (with less friction)

So, what’s the purpose of being human?
To be the beauty we search for
To integrate the wisdom Source reveals
To recognize we were NEVER our STUFF
We’re echoes of God’s laughter and largess

You’re invited to reside in “More than Enough”
No need to see, hold or possess it
Yet once you accept it’s there, you’ll find you volunteered to recall you are More than Enough!

(c) Gloria Lionz

by Gloria Lionz

This tale began early 2022 when I started experiencing severe muscle fatigue and joint pain. Several specialists, tests, scans, and TIME later resulted in a single  “generic prognosis:“  High inflammation since you’re getting old. Continue exercising and learn to live with the pain.”

Time passed. By early 2024, tremors made it nearly impossible for me to safely drive or get dressed the first couple of hours each day. Gradually my eyesight degraded. My acupuncturist, naturopath, and homeopath’s approaches barely touched the problem. In May, a friend suggested I visit her chiropractor. Though that modality sounded like an odd one to deal with mold toxicity, I made an appointment. Reviewing my case, she asked me why I was trembling as I untied my shoes. When I shared what I knew so far, her eyes lit up; “I think you have mold poisoning from your home.”

What? I had NO visible signs of mold anywhere!

But a couple weeks and two professional inspections later, 4″ of standing water was found below my master bedroom with mycotoxins floating thru the air 24/7. So the new doctor was spot on!

Remediation was pricey & time consuming. Happily, 7 months later, my home was mold free. Simultaneously, I had to eradicate mycotoxins that had lodged in my body. Easier said than done. I got only so far; then the alternative medical treatments I’d undergone stopped working.

What to do? The doctor advised I just “keep going.” But repeating the same action with zero results made no sense. As I’ve learned, one needs to keep leaning in, learning, asking for help. But where and with whom?

While updating a dear friend about the conundrum, another friend learned of potential care options in Mexico. Thru divine providence, the head of a clinic where he’d gone with a friend for dental work, walked into their elevator at the end of their first day there. She took one look at him, and insisted he let her call her friend so he could be seen THAT NIGHT! She called and arranged for that doctor to meet them a few hours later for his first treatment. He was thrilled; in only one session he experienced significant improvement.

Further medical details aren’t important. What is? That no matter what challenges we experience, staying centered on love & asking for guidance is key.

This October, three of us traveled across the border for care. Here’s the rest of that story.

This time, we were clear detoxification was central and it’s a common procedure in Mexico. Treatments are extensive but usually highly effective. The protocol isn’t allowed in the US. But it’s often considered the gold standard for resolving inflammation worldwide. Neither of our doctors spoke English, but the other gal who joined us speaks fluent Spanish. Her language skills were one of many unique gifts of Spirit experienced during that first trip.

When we arrived at the doctor’s office, I was a little nervous. I’d signed on for several days of back-to-back IVs. At home, I got weekly IVs. Good chance back-to-back sessions would be painful. The doctor checked my hands/arms for suitable veins. The worried expression on her face said everything. My veins are tiny.

Rather than pronouncing “Bad news,” she asked a candid question that set the stage for a far better outcome; one NEITHER of us had anticipated. She looked into my eyes and said, “Gloria, you have a VERY BIG SPIRIT but very tiny veins. You know this, right? I need to be calm before I proceed. I don’t want to poke you over and over to ‘find’ a vein that cooperates. Is it OK with you if I say a prayer and ask for calm?

Smiling, I replied, “Oh yes, please say a prayer. And while you do that, I’ll help by singing HU.” 

And with the ease born from decades of trusting in the power of singing HU, I felt my body relax. As I sang, both my friends joined in.

Seconds later, the doctor exclaimed: “Gloria, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!? Several of your veins just “popped into view,” HOW DID YOU DO THAT?”

More questions, sighs of relief, and laughter followed:

“What is the HU?

Can anyone do it?

Does it work like this all the time??”

Suffice to say, that first session and the eight that followed were rich in heartfelt stories about love, God, and miracles. And minimal discomfort for my body.  Before each treatment, the doctor would say: “OK, everyone; let’s sing HU.” 

Each of us relished the experience of singing HU. It filled the room and our hearts with joy, planting seeds for love and trust to grow.

The 2nd session, our doctors asked more questions. When they heard there was a Spanish HU app, their faces lit up. There’s a good chance the HU has become another way each is filling their “love cup” during their busy days.

That first night, once back at the hotel, the words of the poem below began “pouring into my heart.” The entire piece was finished a few hours before my 4th treatment. I read it aloud when we got to the office.

What’s the genesis of the title: “Laughter in her Veins”? It was a friendly reminder that there’s NO need to be afraid. I was in EXCELLENT hands. All I needed to do was relax, envision my veins opening, and laugh at the fear-knowing the doctors’ were doing their best to help me heal.

On day #8, my right hand (the one that had been the main port for the medication) was slightly sore. But considering how easily the veins had opened, the pain was minimal.

Soon I’ll return for a 2nd round of treatments, confident the HU and the kindness of the doctors who treated each of us will continue to bless us with laughter and love.

with gratitude & laughter,
Gloria

LAUGHTER IN HER VEINS

Life on earth is hard
Who said that and is it true?
The MIND says so…

Having a body
Sets us on a wild journey
Unpredictable

Soul writes its contract
With family, birthplace, gender
We choose how we’ll learn

We never come alone
An entire village agrees
to help us blossom

The hard shell of loss
or betrayal by others?
All designed to bless

Fantasy, you say?
Look closer… it’s far richer!
Like God, breath, joy, sight

We are guided by a power
Designed to help us realize
our true potential

No rescue needed
Remembering is KEY
We are sparks of God

Each designed to shine
To fall, to fail, and question
Questions lead us home

To ourselves, to love
Our destiny and purpose
Our joy sparked bright

Laughter fills these veins
It’s fluid, light & healing
OK-fill me up, I’m good to go!

Gloria Lionz
(c) October 4, 2025

by Gloria Lionz

This was written several years ago; tweaked in 2021. It’s a traditional piece I now read aloud most Thanksgivings.

The words came to me while I was in the midst of divorce. Part of that change required me to leave the home I’d owned with that spouse. It was tough to let go of a place I’d loved and shared with many close friends and family for over a decade.

A few weeks before Thanksgiving, I’d rented a home with another divorcee.  She had family to spend Thanksgiving with, but at that juncture, I had “no one.”

A month before Thanksgiving, a group of fellow poets gathered to share our latest work. Each month a few avid writers would meet at a member’s home to read our work aloud, make constructive comments and celebrate one another’s evolution. While at our hostess’ home that November, she asked how each of us planned to celebrate “Turkey day.”

Everyone had plans but me.  No big deal. I’m a grown-up; I would “manage.”  But that was not to be. Our gracious fellow poet and hostess looked at me and said, “Well looks like you’re joining us.”  “Us” included her parents, a girlfriend, and a sister visiting from another state.

I was grateful; I’m a people person so spending that day alone wasn’t natural for me. She didn’t want any additions to the dinner feast; so I decided to bring a new poem. When I sat down to listen, “Never Cut the Bread” seamlessly arrived. It’s a philosophy I’d always lived. As the phrases landed on paper, my heart felt it’s center taking shape again.

That’s when I realized my version of home was far more portable than I’d ever imagined. It didn’t require the ‘best dinnerware, candlelight or a major feast prepared by me. This poem has since become my way of celebrating my life and the lives of those who peopled it every year. Since 2013, it’s traveled with me all over the world; from Mexico, to New York, to California, Hawaii, and Miami.

What I now know for sure is small rituals intentionally shared are key to feeling at ease wherever I find myself. They remind me and those I share it with that “home” is wherever we seat our heart’s attention, that love resides on the inner, and that belonging is the result by how we relate and nurture one another – any time, anywhere.

One never knows where Spirit will take us on any given day. But when traveling with poems touched by love, the joy of belonging thrives.

NEVER CUT THE BREAD…

Never cut the bread
before the guests arrive
This is my sacred creed,
a friendship ritual

Life races through calendars
Stripping away the ability to notice,
Do I “want” something ~
or need it?

What is nurturance after all
but the ceremony of sustenance?
When I move beyond habit,
clocks invite me to relax.

And as I slice the bread for friends
baked dough turns into
conversation, laughter, and
the sound of hearts touching.

This is the gift that seeds
memories worth savoring…
Kindness sprouting into warmth
Life affirming life.

© Gloria Lionz
November 2013