poem ~ whose fight

Whose battle are you fighting?
Your own or someone else's? 
That might seem like a strange question to you,
But have you considered if it's true?

Will you fight for truth to win the fight? 
Or will you fight to do things because it's right?
That might not seem reasonable to you,
But have you considered what's motivating you?

Will you fight with others or your own opponent? 
Or will you let fear, ego, anger take the moment?
That might seem like not a possibility for you,
But have you thought whose battle you're trying to prove?

Will you let love and peace be the biggest fight?
Or will you lose focus in it's painful price?
That might seem like nothing to you,
But have you thought about what it means to you?


© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #TheSassyVoice #WhoseVoiceAreYouListeningTo #WhoseFight #KeepFightingTheGoodFight #DontQuit #StayFocused

poem ~ how can I say thanks

How can I say thanks

for all the problems you bring my way?
For in dealing with them head on
I find more courage each and every day.

How can I say thanks
for the difficulties I've been in? 
For it's when I get beyond them
I see you were with me until the end.

How can I say thanks
for the rejection of close Friends?
For if I saw it as protection
I'd not regret the loss of any of them.

How can I say thanks
for the physical pain I've been through? 
For it gives me a deeper perspective 
of exactly what my body can do.

How can I say thanks
for the patience I must learn?
For when it's uncomfortable then
is when I find the choice to love again.

How can I say thanks
for the challenges that never end?
For when I see them from your view
I find that changes mine too.

How can I say thanks
for the things I feel I lack?
For it's in the missing parts 
that I can have a gratitude check.



© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #HowCanIGiveThanks #Gratitude #Thankfulness #ThankfulHeart #HeartOfLove 

poem ~ the sassy voice

As I write and share my heart
there's this battle deep within,
Do I write to please my friends and fans
or write to make a difference again? 

Do I write to share the truth
so others may be made free?
Or do I dilute it's power deep down
so you'll always just like me?

Do I question what others leave on the table 
to be ignored or assumed? 
Or do I open up and expose
for the entire room to choose?

Do I dance around the hard things here
that come to take my breath away?
Or will I press on and through 
with a hope beyond the problem of today?

Do I help you to see
the fear and guilt that covers thee?
Or do I let you stay in doubt
in what these principles really are about?

Do I believe with all my heart
that there's a reason God wants me to stand up and out?
Or will I choose to run and hide
when it gets hard and friends leave my side?

Will I choose even in this quest
to believe you've got a purpose for all of it?
Or will I let it get me down
when disappointments readily abound?

Do I let you see my doubts 
or pretend they don't even affect me now?
Or will I reveal the truth
of what's going on in the behind the scenes view? 

Will I find others who want more
for what this life has in store?
Or will I be one of the few
intentionally pursuing a life with you? 

Do I give it my all
even when the price is tall?
Or because of others view
will I stay small lacking courage to?

Do I know that even in this
there is a test in the risk?
Or will I trust my mission here
and why I'm called to make a difference clear?

Do I believe it's time for more
knowing what commitment gives?
Or will I let you keep me too
stuck further in bondage and regret?

Will I let all these enemies
destroy my message and all you've done for me?
Or will I pursue my voice
knowing you've given me a choice?

Do I believe your guiding me
to forge ahead when I can't see?
Or will I stop and suspend my view 
for fear because of what a ripple effect will do?

Will I continue to seek
excellence in my sassy speech?
Or will I give up instead
and never by love willingly be lead?



© Misty W Gilbert and inspired by @stevenfurtick and his message on 05.14.2017.
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #Authenticity #TheTruthWillSetYouFree #Freedom #BeYOU #CreateTheLifeYouWant #LiveIntentionally

poem ~ mission trip

I went on a humanitarian mission trip
and I saw with my own eyes,
The horrific horror and circumstance 
that people have just to try to live their daily lives.

Walking three to twenty miles or more
just to get to the water resources there, 
That lay deep in the ground  
not like us in a pipe from town.

Seventeen days in Kotido Uganda
with only one full meal a day,
That consisted of rice, beans and greens
prepared in the same fashionable way.

We only ate meat one day
for this is considered quite the treat,
And so was the fresh pineapple
that we got on market street.

It's hard to fathom how one lives
in such meager of ways,
When your used to eating all you want
in food consumption all your days.

Their huts are about five feet deep
and sleep four to fourteen each,
In a small circumference they sleep
with no blankets or pillows as they rest their feet.

We washed our clothes out by hand
in a bucket with some soap,
For even this was the classy way
when most do it in the mud hole with sand.

I can't tell you what this trip meant to me
to see how they live in such simplicity, 
Yet it forever changed my world view
when I looked into their eyes anew.

As they intently look at you
with a deep longing for hope,
To help them fight off disease and death
as they work to build another sand dam yet.

They can't hide their appreciation and love
for all that's been done for them,
So they sing and dance for you
as a simple way to say Thank You!

I promise if you could go
and see it for yourself,
There are no words for what it does
when you experience this firsthand.

My heart will always be with them 
for all they have to live through,
And the things we take for granted
in the abundant life we have here in America too. 

© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #MissionTrip #CleanWater #ForOneAnother #VolunteerWork #Philanthropy #CharityWork #GiveBack  #Uganda

poem ~ my story

I had to unfriend you
because of the words that you said
Of the things your Mother did
as they lodged inside my head.

I don't think you realize 
how hard it is to be,
A Mother of children
and that we're trying as hard as can be.

I appreciate your perspective 
but I don't think you understand, 
That no matter how difficult the task
there's no need for abusive hands.

To make a child deal with 
match burning of your siblings feet,
And turn your bedroom into a prison cell 
with no option to be treated differently. 

To force your child to eat food
beyond their capabilities, 
And to make it taste absolutely nasty
to try to bring repentance materially.

To lock a child in the room
just to try to bring them to their knees,
Because you feel when discipline doesn't work
the intensity must become beyond extreme. 

To take away everything 
your daughter thoroughly adored,
And focus on treating her like a slave 
doing all the family chores.

To remove all pretty clothing, 
jewelry, books and hobbies too
And make her live a life
with nothing fun to wear or do.

To make her scarred she might be pregnant 
or even worse have aids,
And demand that she get tested
every one hundred and eighty days.

You threaten that if this is true
you'll kick her out for sure,
Making her life more miserable by taking away
the medicine she was given for a cure.

You deny her the celebration 
of her monumental eighteenth birthday,
All the while ostracizing her 
from the family dinner table camaraderie's.

You take away her drivers license
and change all bank accounts too, 
For you believe she must be a thief
for any of this to be true.

You destroyed all her baby pictures 
declaring she's no longer your beautiful child,
Telling her no man would ever want her
since she's now a thoroughly used product. 

You state she won't get married
in a white wedding dress,
For the only color appropriate 
is a black one that will fit the occasion best.

You inflicted 7 years of reaping
since all of this came about,
From a man 28 years older that
raped and took her virginity out.

You believe for me to share my story
and how I have overcome all of this,
Means that I'm not healed 
and to talk of this is too much a risk.

Yet I believe if you look and see
these circumstances have made me who I be,
And to have forgiven my Mother
doesn't mean I must keep my story undercover. 

Forgiveness doesn't mean 
there still aren't life long affects,
That have to be dealt with
as I live with memories I can never forget.

I'm sorry that you don't see
that I'm happy since being made free,
And that I absolutely have no regrets
of leaving home without my parents blessing me.

I'm glad to know 
the real reason you unfriended me,
Even though it hurts 
as to the perspective that you see.

I hope someday you'll see
that to share your horrific story, 
Doesn't mean that your not healed
or that you've not forgiven the ones abusing thee.

But no matter your perspective yet
I'll live the truth without regret,
For I know what I've received
by loving those who intentionally hurt me.

I've got a story I have to share
to help others stuck in despair,
For I know what life can be
when you live in freedom authentically.

© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #MyStory #TheLifeOfMisty #YourStoryMatters #YourLifeMatters

poem ~ OolaGoals

To create your OolaLife
it must start with a healthy level of disgust, 
As you realize that you want
and deserve is much more than this.

This is the beginning
of creating a life lived in balance,
As you dare to live your dreams
and stop saying words I can't do it.

The choice to wake up
with your challenge before your eyes,
And determination to fight forward 
for the chance to change your life.

Don't get stuck on how to change
as you start with your why,
For you'll discover much more
when you simply get up and try.

Commit to do the work 
to have the life you really want, 
For it won't just happen on its own
if an OolaLife you wanna get.

If you have a dream for a better life
don't stay where you are,
Simply set a goal to achieve
and crush it by all means.

We all have have a choice 
in how we live each day,
But the benefits of seeking an OolaLife 
have repercussions beyond today. 


© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #OolaLife #Oola #OolaForWomen #OolaPoem #OolaGoals #CreateTheLifeYouWant #LiveIntentionally

poem ~ OolaLife

Everyone is on a search
to obtain their own OolaLife,
As they try to find the balance
in all the things required for this life.

Oola is an expression 
that you use to describe your life,
For it's a state of awesomeness
living in the 7 key areas of life.

The 7 F's of Oola
help you to focus on less stress,
As you create the ultimate plan
to live a life balanced filled with success.

To have an OolaLife
requires you to do yearly goal-setting,
In the actions, insights and goals 
in all the things that fill your soul.

For when your life is filled with purpose
in Field, Fitness, Finance and Fun,
You know the Oola destination
can never be undone.

To live your OolaLife
with Family, Friends, and Faith,
Means you're on the path to discover
and unlock the greatness in which you're made.

To achieve the work-life balance
and the vision of your dreams,
You've got to address the Oola Blockers
that keep you back in self-sabotaging schemes.

When you create an OolaLife
filled with Gratitude and Faith,
These are the biggest Oola Accelerators
that will grow and change your unbalanced state.

So the question I ask you
as you think about your life,
Are you living it in balance 
as you build your OolaLife?


© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #Oola #OolaLife #OolaPoem #OolaForWomen

poem ~ your view

How do you deal with something
that's heavy on your heart?
Will you lift it up in prayer
or let it tear you all apart? 

How will you process 
the pain in your soul?
Will you let it perfect you
or let it affect everything you can't control?

Will you find some gratitude 
for the lovely things in your life?
Or will you stay focused 
on the things causing you strife?

Will you fervently embrace 
the beauty of today?
Or let fear and anxiety
control all your thinking space?

Will you take action 
to do the next best thing?
Or will you stay frozen
cuz you can't see the end?

© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #HeartOfLove #HeartPioneers #CreateTheLifeYouWant #LiveIntentionally #YourView

poem ~ the results of pressure

I know you are going 
through a difficult time too, 
But what if you remembered
it's part of the process of making a beautiful you?

What if you changed 
your perspective of pressure, 
And saw the results 
as added benefits to measure?

When you glance around at life
and review the things that you see,
Like the butterflies that come 
from a caterpillar pod up in the tree.

You can't help but reflect
on all the changes and effects, 
That come from the process 
from being a cocoon in a nest.

What if you stayed there all scarred
as to what you would be,
If you shed the comfy pod
surrounding your body?

Would you wanna stay there
wrapped all in a pod,
Or would you wanna be more
beautiful and vibrant abroad?

Yet the beauty that comes
when we give into the pressure,
Is one that produces 
so many experiences in the future.

So no matter if you are
a diamond or a pearl,
Remember that there's more 
when there's pressure to the core.

Don't stay stuck
looking at this view, 
When you can be transformed
into something brand new.

© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #TheResultsOfPressure #ADifferentPerspective #GrowBeyond #ChangeIsGood

poem ~ you ask

You ask for wisdom
and I give you a sign.

You ask for courage
and I place a spark deep inside.

You ask for hope
and I show you a glimpse of how I'm gonna take care of it for you.

You ask for direction
and I close the door.

You ask for understanding
and I answer 24/7.

You ask for peace
and I ask for you to let me have it.

You ask for results
and I show you the choice to be disciplined.

You ask for more
and I reveal how you can do with less.

You ask for love 
and I give you more then you could ever want.

You say you need answers now
and I help you to see the value of giving it more time.

You ask 
and I say let's look at it with new eyes.

© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #YouAsk #ADifferentPerspective #GodsPlan

poem ~ prayer to see me through

I asked you to pray for me
so I'd know what to do,
With a client situation 
that's rocked my world thru and thru.

I know the intrinsic value 
of having prayer warriors around you,
Who believe in God
and the power of what He can do.

Ten days have come and gone
and I know now clearly what I have to do,
It's gonna be one of the toughest conversations
but I know who'll see me through. 

Some things have no turning back
or alternative view,
You have to face the consequences head on
and not back down to the values you hold true.

I know you think I'm extremely strong
but I wish you could see the grave look on my face too,
As I deal with the outcome
of a client ripping my heart in two.

Yet as I step back and review
my 13 Years as a Woman Entrepreneur,
I've been placed in other difficult things
which have allowed me to do this one too.

The lesson in this situation once again
is to find the inner strength within,
To move in dignity with no fear 
as I stay committed to my vision clear.

No one ever said this road my Friend 
wouldn't be really hard to live,
But when you look for opportunities to grow
you will find they always show.

I'd appreciate your prayers for me
as I proceed with what I have to say,
That I'll be given the appropriate words to convey
what's got to be done to resolve this difficult situation away.

Thank You for allowing me
to make this request of thee,
You have no clue how much your friendship helps
or the strength your prayers bring to continue in this step.


© Misty W Gilbert 
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #PrayerToSeeMeThrough #PrayerWarriors #PrayerChangesLives #PrayForOneAnother

poem ~ my story

When I share my story
I know it's tough on some of you,
But that's not what 
I ever meant for it to do.

I know the truth of what I've been through
makes it hard to accept and relate,
Yet I know you understand 
living behind a mask increases this fate.

It's not meant to make you feel
guilty for what you didn't know,
Or cause you grief 
for all the love you couldn't show.

I promise you I know the truth now
that you'd of come to my aid,
If you'd ever known the facts
of what went on in this homemade jail cave.

Please don't use the truth against me
even though it's hard for you to know,
Or remotely understand how one 
of your siblings could ever be so cruel.

I lived years deep in fear
that I'd be destroyed if I ever shared,
All the truth of what we experienced
because of the death threats given there.

To share the truth of my childhood 
takes a lot of courage and it should, 
For matters so deep within the heart
intensely hurt when you've been torn apart.

Many times when I share my story
it makes me relive it yet again, 
It's hard to believe this is possible
when so many years have passed since then.

I've chosen to run towards the pain
even when it's uncomfortable, 
Because as exhausting as it is
there's healing in revealing the secret abuse.

Sharing my story with you
is what God wants me to do,
To help others who are stuck
in similar patterns to help them open up.

See I lived years it's true
stuck in fear and deep shame to,
For everything I experienced 
made me feel like I was no longer beautiful.

I've learned the value of being vulnerable 
even when it's hard to do,
For in order to travel this open road
I've got to share how I made it through. 

The process has literally changed my life 
something I never thought it could do,
I pray you'll give me love and grace
even when the truth is hard to take.

I may never be able to makes sense to you
any of the things I've been through,
Yet I promise you even though it's been hard
I love how thoroughly I've been made new.

When you've experienced
a transformation that's this deep,
There are no secrets that you can keep
in this new lifestyle that's so sweet.

I'd love for you to join this journey with me
of living in freedom intentionally, 
But if that's something you can't do
I promise to still love you.

© Misty W Gilbert 
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #MyStory #TheLifeOfMisty #BeCouragous #BeGenerous #BeLoving #CreateTheLifeYouWant #LiveIntentionally

poem ~ namaste

There is a divine light
that shines in you,
It was born in your soul
and is a part of all you do.

There is a divine light
peeking through, 
Even when 
you're in a dark black hole too.

There is a divine light 
I promise you,
Don't let fear
have it's hold on you.

There is a divine light
that wants to be discovered,
By the one whose enemy 
is intentionally fighting you.

There is a divine light
when you live for more,
And generously give 
through every open door.

There is a divine light
that I can't live without,
For its my guide
to know what life's all about.

There is a divine light
from heaven above, 
It's yours for the asking
if you'll believe in His Love.

There is a divine light
waiting to be recognized, 
By the one whose looking
deep into your eyes.

There is a divine light
I know it's true,
For love is found
when I'm with you.

© Misty W Gilbert 
[inspired by the Nameste Quote: Nameste - the divine light in Me recognizes and honors the divine light in You!]
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #Namaste #BeTheLight #BeYOU #JustBe #BeautifulYou #ThePowerOfChoice

poem ~ just forgive you

When you go to a blame game mode
and are finger pointing to,
You've lost the connection
to what's hurting inside of you.

Sometimes it's very hard to see
what brought this about to be,
But if we stop to think we'll discover 
there's more peace when I just look at me.

When I connect to what I'm feeling
it allows me to feel beyond the bleed,
And not stay in desperation
making you the reason for my need.

For I can't control what you do
or ultimately how you treat me too,
But I can guarantee that I've got my part
if I stop and search with all my heart.

Instead of asking why you did 
the very things you did to me,
I'd get more ahead if I'd just live
extending grace and let you be who you be.

To be defensive and shut you out
causes more pain then what life's about,
It's better to forgive it's true
then hold onto all the pain inside of you.

But to get to this point
requires me to look beyond the facts,
And focus on what I'm feeling
to create a vision that will match. 

To get outside of the grip
of everything you ever said or did,
Means I've got to communicate
and not keep it all bottled up under a lid.

To resolve the pain in my head
requires I let go of the story I know, 
And share with all my heart
so connection can restart. 

I must take responsibility too
for the choice is mine in the blame game view,
To prevent this hurt to wreck havoc more
and destroy our friendship to the core.

All I can ask is that you listen to
everything I say to you,
As I give away a part of my heart
in hopes of healing the broken parts.

No matter what you choose to do
I can't hold back because of you,
I must love you even more
for this is what Friends just do.

© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #JustForgiveYou #CreateTheLifeYouWant #LiveIntentionally

poem ~ the apology

You avoid them
because you don't know what else to do,
When if you'd think about it
you could apologize for treating them so rude.

We all make mistakes
and do things we regret,
But the choice to repair the relationship 
is better than carrying the weight of it on your chest.

Relationships really aren't that complicated 
because we all know deep down what to do,
When we openly show our love
it's really simple what forgiveness contributes to.

Putting up these walls
to keep everyone away,
Doesn't solve a thing
as you go about your day.

You're only building more layers
of hurt upon your heart,
Which is going to make things more difficult 
to get the key to reach inside that part.

The choice to dissolve the issue
is only one you can choose,
Because nobody can make you
live a life of unresolved apologies, but you.

I promise that the tension between
you and your friend that's suffering,
Won't diminish the hurt you bring
in the silent treatment that you fling.

A simple statement that you can make
that says I'm sorry I hurt you,
I didn't mean to be this way
please forgive me for how I affected your view.

It really doesn't take that much
to restore and make it new, 
But you have to care for something more
than what's going on inside of you.

Yet it seems we often go
long periods in painful silence, 
Wishing we could escape 
the results from the words we hastily said.

Oh how we let it eat
away at us like grief,
When if we'd let it go
there would be connection of our souls.

Life doesn't have to be
this fragile or painful to enjoy, 
There's always a way to show we care
if the determination is right there.

It's up to you today
to show which path you'll take,
For some things never go away
unless the high road you generate. 

So as you step back and think about
your friends and loved ones dear,
It's in your hands what you do
to restore relationships that matter to you.

© Misty W Gilbert
#Poems #AuthorLife #MistyWGilbert #TheSassyVoice #TheApology #RelationshipsMatter #ThePowerOfChoice