Archives

To be an immigrant

May2

 
Imagine having a thousand ideas
But being unable to express them
At least not eloquently

Imagine looking for words and stammering
Each time you want to communicate with someone

Imagine having to start your life over again
But with new rules and different road signs

Imagine having a career but
Having to put it on hold or abandon it for a while

This is how immigrants feel
They feel fortunate to live in freedom
But there is a price to pay
After all, nothing is free in life

Imagine being stuck between
The culture of your parents and your friends

Imagine living under a lot of new rules
Some of them not so obvious

Imagine competing with those for whom
Your new language is their mother tongue

Imagine seeing your friends do things
That you are not allowed

There are the challenges of children and teens
Who immigrate

Most of these issues gradually get resolved
Going through these challenges is an education in itself

But let’s give immigrants the respect they deserve
They literally start their lives all over again
May 1st, 2016

Circle and square

Apr12

Sometimes when we are facing interpersonal problems
We forget that most likely
We are part of the solution
That learning to thinks and act differently
Can change the dynamics of the situation

We tend to want to tell others how to live
To make things easier for us or remove our hurt and pain
We don’t realise that sometimes
It’s us who has to change
We have no control over other people’s actions
But we can determine our own response and attitude

In trying to fit a square peg through a smaller circle
We can complain that the circle is too small
Or we can shave off the edges of the square
April 11th, 2016

What I tell my kids

Apr7

Did you have fun?
We sometimes ask our kids when they come home
The subtle message being life is supposed to be fun

I’m not trying to be a downer
And say life is always hard
But I feel our children should know
That life is often hard

We don’t learn much when everything goes our way
Not that there is anything wrong with that
But life is so much more than idyllic days when all goes well
And in all the hardship and heartache there are lessons to be learned

So, I tell my kids
Life is full of ups and downs
And they should not be surprised when
Difficulties come along
I tell them that they can learn from challenges and grow
Life is fun, but in reality, it’s often hard!

April 8th, 2016

Serenity

Apr5

What brings us joy and serenity
Is a sense of purpose and meaning
Waves of happiness and sadness come and go
But underneath, the ocean is calm

Pleasure is like bursts of bright light
Serenity a soft light that always shines

Our response is what gives a situation meaning
A positive response to a harsh situation
Comes from wisdom
April 4th, 2016

Our insecurities

Apr3

It seems that we all have insecurities
We think others can do things better than us
If we only knew what went on in other people’s minds…
They surely have some of the same thoughts

Most people put on a happy, confident front
They want to be accepted and loved
But most people doubt themselves

I think the best we can do is
Give something our all
If it’s accepted, great
If not, at least we have tried
April 3rd, 2016

The long view

Apr2

One must learn to live with uncertainty
Some problems take months or years to resolve
If one is not comfortable with uncertainty
Those months and years will seem so long

One must find peace in a chaotic world
One must find some joy in sorrow
Life is full of ups and downs
Joy and sorrow come and go

Patience, perseverance, reliance on God
These are good provisions for our journey
And it’s good to remember that
When one problem is solved
There sits in wait, another one…

 

April 1st, 2016

A lady of leisure

Mar30

A lady of leisure, how I feel now
After years of looking after my children
And family, I have time
Time to write
Time to contemplate
Time to start my own projects

And those previous years, had their place
What I gained from them, I’m grateful for
But now, I can reflect and write
To my heart’s content
A lady of leisure, who I am!

All I needed

Mar22

When I was in pain
All I wanted was to be listened to
To feel that someone saw and felt my pain
That they acknowledged my suffering
Without judging or giving advice
I didn’t need to be told what the silver lining was
Or how fortunate I was

Sometimes I just wanted to be held and consoled
Sometimes all I needed to hear was:
This must be so difficult for you
This would give me the strength to carry on

And this is what I have to remember
When someone else shares with me their pain

 

March 22nd, 2016

Nobility

Mar21

How can one endure pain and not complain?
How can one be treated unfairly and not show anger?
How can one be mistreated and maintain a positive attitude?

The answer alludes me
But I know it is possible
Because I have known such people
I’ve observed them
I’ve read about them
And wondered where their strength comes from
Why their hope does not fade?
Why in their lives, sorrow does not reign?

Someone said that no one can take away
One’s freedom of how one responds to difficult situations
It is the response that defines us, shapes us

It’s in realising that we have a choice in how we look at the situation
How we interpret it
How we react to it

To maintain hope
To have patience that is born of wisdom and faith
To be resigned to what can’t be changed
These are born of the nobility of man
That allows him to respond so heroically to injustice
March 21st, 2016

Life is messy

Mar15

If we expect life to be a smooth ascent
We’ll be disappointed time after time
If we see challenges as part of life
We’ll be less frustrated and distraught

If we don’t accept wrinkles as part of getting older
We’ll be saddened each time we look in the mirror
If we see them as a natural phenomenon
We may stop noticing them

If we think things should go the way we hope and plan
We’re in for a big surprise
If we realise somethings are out of our hands
We’ll accept detours with an open heart

Life is supposed to be messy, I was told
Otherwise we would not grow
And if I accept that
I’ll see challenges as part of the plan