A year in review
Of joy and of sorrow
Of cheerful meetings and sad partings
Of laughter and tears
Of excitement and fears
It’s been an eventful year again
Bonds of friendship have been strengthened
And because good friends mean so much to me
It has been an amazing and enriching year
December 31st 2017
I travel to meet people who are living a different life from mine
I enter their lives for a short time and having exchanged thoughts, ideas and feelings, I depart
Sometimes it will be years before I see the same people again
Sometimes I’ll never see them at all
It’s a short intense relationship
A connection of the hearts
And the fact that I won’t be with these friends for a while, seems not to matter
I don’t know why!
July 14, 2017
Amsterdam
Revealing what’s personal
Takes guts
You have to be secure in yourself
Not afraid of being judged
Opening up
What friendships are based on
How we develop trust
Revealing what’s personal
Was so hard for me
For so long
But over the years
One step at a time
I’ve arrived at a place
Where I can share personal things
With those I choose to trust
One still takes a risk
But without deep friendships
Our lives would be so dull
Loneliness, lack of support
Not having those we can lean on
The disadvantages of not
Taking this risk
I’m glad my journey has brought me
To a place
Where I can confide in my friends
January 23rd, 2017
I’m happy to let you know that my book, Feeling Fortunate but Awful, is now available on Kindle and at a very reasonable price. Besides the subject of depression, the other topics I write about are: the value of authentic friendships, the importance of self-care, the role trials can play in our growth and development and the importance of creativity and spirituality in our lives.
We can play it safe and follow the status quo
Or we can live based on principle and stand out
The courage to question the norm
When the norm seems unfair
The courage to stand for friendship and justice
The courage to defend a fellow man or woman
This kind of courage is admirable anywhere
What’s unfair is unfair
No matter how much the truth is twisted and turned
In the age of instant communication
It’s harder to convince people of whatever one wants
Those old ways don’t work anymore
Soon, what’s been hidden will come to fore
May we have the courage to stand
For what’s true and fair
May we break our silence when we see injustice
There was a time propaganda would work
But now everyone is looking for proof
To all those who stand for truth
I salute you, I honour you!
May 16th, 2016
When things you thought would never come to pass, do!
When people you thought you would never hear from again
Reappear in your life
When friendships that started years ago can continue to grow
When I have a connection to my homeland I never thought I would
It becomes clear to me again that life
Is full of surprises, difficult and joyous
That things can change in an instant
For better or worse
That one never knows what lies ahead
That technology is bringing the world together
In amazing ways
So thrilled to be in touch with my classmates
So proud to know what they have achieved
So happy that we can still be silly and laugh
So wonderful that we don’t take ourselves too seriously
Life is full of unexpected turns
And this connection certainly takes the cake!
Lida Berghuis
November 4th, 2015
Connecting to others is what life’s about
Life without connections is meaningless
Connection is based on vulnerability
Letting our guard down
Appearing less than perfect
Admitting to not knowing
To uncertainty
To confusion
Asking for help when we fall down
Sharing the hard times
If we let someone into our lives
And confide in them
They will confide in us
But someone has to have the courage
To be the first one
We have all known adversity
But we will only share that with
People whom we feel close to
Those who won’t judge us
Those who will have time for us
Those who will hang around in tough times
These kinds of connections
Only come about if we are open about our ups and downs
And are willing to take off the mask of ‘feeling fine’
August 24th, 2015
At Green Acre
Making friends
Renewing friendships
Building bonds that will last
A life time
Amazing conversations
Wonderful people
From across the US
And a few from Canada
The magic of Green Acre is alive and well
So much positivity in the air…
Flowers outside
Flowers inside
What more can one want
Few days of the respite
From the world around us
Living an elevated life
Prayers and singing
Lectures and discussions
Music and games
Family reunions
Grandchildren spending time
With grandma and grandpa
Getting together at home coming
Is a true homecoming for us all!
August 8th, 2015
Green Acre
The requirements of our WhatsApp group:
Lost of coffee and tea to stay awake and alert
And read all the posts which rain down continuously
A few committed people who post consistently
Lots of dedicated people who read regularly
And some people who we don’t see we but don’t forget
Everyone is needed to make the group work
And of course a highly skilled ‘modeer’
A highly effective ‘mobser’
and a wonderful ‘nazem’
Occasionally we have intensive classes
Offered by esteemed ‘ostads’
Often we laugh at funny posts, photos
And conversations…
Poetry is a staple of the group
So is breakfast with ‘mosha’ereh’
And the group wouldn’t be complete
Without the beautiful ‘deklames’ we receive
And posts from the ‘morning police’
The group never sleeps
The sun never sets
And even when the sun has set somewhere
The magical moon is ever present
This is a special group
Made of love
Made of friendship
Made of loyalty
Made of a common history!
May the group grow and develop
Over the years
May our friendship last a long time…
Lida Berghuis
August 3rd, 2015
Best provision for the journey
The world works in mysterious ways
What hurts you ends up helping you grow
What seems sad at the time
Brings you happiness
The person you have a hard time with
Teaches you the most
Your friends often surprise you with
Their love and attention
With holding your hand when the going
Gets tough and
When you feel like your world
Is falling apart!
Good friends are the most valuable
Things you can acquire in life
Better than gold and diamond
Better than honors and degrees
Better than assurance and security
In our changeable world
When from one day to another
Everything can change
A good friend is the constant
That won’t change
July 28th, 2015
lida's musings 