Tag Archive | kindness

One drop of kindness

Nov10

“One drop of kindness makes the ocean sweet”

Kindness is love
Kindness is being other-oriented
Kindness is gentleness
Kindness is the warmth of someone’s heart

Kindness requires effort
Requires that we pay attention to someone else
Kindness is the absence of ego, being self-centred

Kindness is encouraging words that bring others joy

Kindness says I see you
I care for you
Kindness says I’ll make time for you!

Kindness gives comfort
Kindness listens with care
Kindness is silent when someone makes a mistake
Kindness does not judge, does not compare

Kindness brings joy
Kindness makes one smile
Kindness is a balm for an injured heart!

Lida Berghuis
November 10th, 2014

*-Rumi

The art of life…

Oct13

The art of life…
The hardest art to master
The lessons start when we are young
And never end like any other art!

This art’s techniques are endless
Kindness, compassion, love, honesty
Generosity, curiosity, persistence and so on
These techniques we can learn early on
But to perfect them, one needs time

There are many teachers we come across
Each teaches us something new and exciting
But mastery comes only with practice
And that part is up to us!

There may be times we wish to start a piece
We are creating over again
Times when we look at an older piece
And wonder, ‘where was my head’
Some pieces take a very long time
Some pieces feel inspired and need no effort at all!

But if we persevere
If we work hard
We can create such beauty with this art!
And old pieces may not look perfect
But they were part of the process
And we never start perfect!

Lida Berghuis
October 12th, 2014

Inspired by a talk by Herbie Hancock
On creativity and art

No matter the circumstance!

Jun30

What makes us rich is our relationships…
A house, a car, a piece of jewelry
Can all be gone in an instant
But friendship remains no matter
The circumstance

A job can be lost
A career can take a down turn
But a friend will stay
No matter what

Storms come and go
And so will the crises of life
And what is the thing that gets us through
No matter the circumstance?

Not the material possessions we have
Our fancy job or
Our fancy house
It’s our friends
Who will give us
The gift of friendship and support
The gift of love and kindness
And a reason to hold on
Till the storm is gone!

Lida Berghuis
June 30th, 2013

*Inspired by a poem of Maya Angelou

How much, and of what?

Dec6

How much sugar?
How much fat?
and what kind of fat
Should I eat?
All fats are not created the same
The good ones we must have
The bad ones will kill us slowly

Detoxifying is the rage
Watermelon fast
Juice fast and the rest

Must eat whole-grain wheat
And brown rice
Quinoa is even better
Protein is a must!
But not the fatty protein of red meat
Or chicken or veal
Must go for nuts, eggs, legumes, or tuna
In each meal

Must drink lots of water
Even when we don’t feel like it
Hydration is essential
It helps us think more clearly!

And juice is a no-no
All that sugar is bad
It’s empty calories
And too many calories are bad

We now have the cure-all of the day
It’s quinoa one day
Flax seed the other day
Vitamin D, the third

Too much fat on the belly
Not good for your heart
Exercise a necessity
If optimum health you want

Now don’t get me wrong
I like all that advice
Who doesn’t wan to look good
And live healthy and long?
But with all this attention
We give our bodies
I just hope we won’t forget
The rest of us

Our mind, our heart, and our soul
Need attention too
A soul-diet high on generosity and justice
A heart-diet with lots of love and kindness
And a mind-diet of focusing only on the good and positive
That would also help us feel good and feel fit!

Lida Berghuis

November 29th, 2013

If my heart was a suitcase

Apr24

If my heart was a suitcase
That could only fit five things

In my heart I’’d keep love…
Love for beauty
Love for fun
Love for my friends and family
Love for light

In my heart I’’d keep, joy…
Joy of wonder
Joy of creativity
Joy of travel
Joy of wisdom

In my heart I’’d keep freedom
Freedom to be me
Freedom to share my thoughts
Freedom to learn and grow
Freedom to explore

In my heart I’’d keep music
Music of poetry and song
Music of nature songs
Music of the world
Music for my soul

In my heart I’’d keep kindness
Kindness to you and me
Kindness to melt the hearts
Kindness to share and give
Kindness to grow and thrive

If my heart was a suitcase
These are the things I would take along

Lida Berghuis
April 24th, 2011