From a distant shore



(Image Source: Bing)

"Sometimes being a brother is better than being a superhero"

Marc Brown



Australia's terrible disaster fill the latest news. There are many stories but none have touched my heart as the one about Jordan Rice, a young boy who asked rescuers to save his little brother first. Moments later he was swept away by the ravaging waters.

I've sat for a long while staring at this boy's photo. I am moved beyond tears. From a distant shore, this boy has sent a message. In one split second he reaffirmed the incredible beauty of love and it's trascendental power. His tragic, sad death has touched me deeply, and I am humbled by his lesson.

Jordan Rice, I never met you, but I will never forget you...

Endings and Beginnings

(Image Source: Bing)

Normalcy has returned.  A sense of peace and space permates the house, reminding me of the fresh smell in the air after a heavy rainfall.

January soothes me. The snow covered grounds make me seek shelter, not only under a comfy blanket, but rather into that part within, so easily forgotten when Summer arrives. Distractions are minimal now, as I go around fixing, cleaning, organizing, I am also meditating, breathing slower and deeper. I love the silence that befalls, the muffled sound of my footsteps, as well as that of Abby's as she follows me around.

These days I am bracing myself for what's about to come. My mother's condition is rapidly declining (she has been in a nursing home for the last 4 years suffering from advanced Alzheimer's Disease) The end is approaching and even though it would be a blessing to have her break free from those terrible chains, I am filled with more than the pain to loose a parent, I am also filled with longing and what-if's (for a bit more on this please click here)

It saddens me to realize (yet once again) that I will never know what it is to have had a loving, warm, relationship with my mother, and I feel cheated, though no longer angry. Maturity has brought along the wisdom to let go off things which can't be changed and to realize that endings bring new beginnings.

When the nights are done

And we see the sun

A new day dawns

With hope for some

When the fairies of spring

With warm breath breathe

The snow from the winters

Will leave their freeze

When the bellies of clouds

Can hold no more

They spread their rains

To wash earths shores

When the grub that lived

Leaves its cocoon

On the flight of wings

Will play till noon

When the days are done

And we lay us down

The stars will twinkle

In the moons playground

When the ends that come

Make it hard to see

There is something new

To set us free.

(Poem by Robyn Blauw)

May this New Year bring you sweet endings and great beginnings!