Present and Connected

At the end of last month I got a text from my oldest sister "Dad asked me to tell you, he wants to see all his children as soon as possible, because his health is getting worse. He has some things he wanted to discuss." I haven't  seen my dad in a good three, almost four years. Ever since he chose not to attend my wedding day (not without an excuse, he's always good at giving those) Up until that moment I gave him every opportunity to be willing participant in my life as a father, but when he didn't show up on that day, something within me hardened and I had set a firm boundary. If he wanted to see me, he had to make the effort as I wasn't going to visit him anymore. My dad's health has been getting worse from this year on, his heart condition had gotten worse. One of his heart valves is not working properly anymore and with the bypass he had, the medicine he is taking for it, well let's say, it's not getting any easier for him. The doctors sa...

Loving Kindness Metta Meditation Every morning before going to work or starting my day, I sit at my desk with a cuppa coffee and write my  Morning Pages . This morning was no different. All the crafty stuff are pushed to the side and it's quiet time with me, my thought, my deeper self. In the past week I have been writing down transcripts from "The act of Forgiveness, Loving Kindness and Peace" from  Jack Kornfield . I finish, as I usually do, with writing down the Loving Kindness Metta Meditation and set the tone for gratitude and compassion for the day. the state of my desk this morning Later at work I met a colleague whom is going through chemo therapy from her second encounter with cancer. She was exhausted and was heading for another round of chemo this afternoon. But she was at work for an hour because she wanted to feel she was doing something useful and did some research for an article she wanted to write. I said it was so good to see her again and I w...

Today I am sharing a personal story in correlation to cultivating gratitude and how that can open new possibilities in your every day life. Yesterday I had a craving for Risotto and went out with my husband to Den Haag to eat at the place I really wanted to eat. Sadly the restaurant was so crowded and a due to a technical malfunction only cash payments were accepted. Who carries cash with them these days?! Anyhow, a bit of a disappointment there, but then my husband, the darling he is, google searched for Risotto and Italian meals. We ended up in this beautiful little restaurant, (which was a 30 minute walk from where we were at the time and I experienced Hangry symptoms all the way, my poor husband can attest to as I asked 'are we there yet?!' like a 4 yo toddler every 4 minutes), which had a gorgeous turquoise canopy (yes, turquoise is my fave color, not sure if you noticed ) and thought "hmm, maybe this day won't suck after all.." and oh, what a wonderful...