Tag Archive | learning

Internal travels

Jul27

In my youth and young adulthood

I moved a lot

From city to city

From country to country

In the past 25 years

I’ve been living in Montreal

The blessed city of Montreal

But it doesn’t mean I haven’t moved 

Or that I haven’t traversed the stages of life

Or that I haven’t seen the internal sights of life

I have seen my children grow up and get married 

I haven’t conquered the challenges of life

I have seen the diversity of the world in my travels 

I have penned my thoughts

I’m still living in the same home 

But life has kept changing around me and within me

July 27th, 2026

Letting go

Aug9

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My responsibly as a mother is the eduction of my children

I’ve been doing that for years now

In a way that is familiar to me

With them close by 

But as they get older

Their education will come from places outside the home

And I need to let go

They will be around less often

But they are on their path of learning and experiencing new things

I won’t be involved in their day to day life

But I will be there to support and encourage them

Their mode of development has changed

They need the input of the society at large

And by letting go 

I’m allowing them to continue to grow

August 9th, 2021

Do we know how?

Jul5

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Unity can be an illusive thing

We know what it is theoretically

But what does it mean in practice?

We know we must be loving

But are we always?

We have good intentions 

But sometimes we’re misunderstood

We want to creat harmony 

But by what means?

There is a lot of hurt in our communities

But does that justify hurting someone else’s feelings?

We are still so flawed and need to learn many things

But we are on our way to perfection and unity

We have to be very patient with one another on this way

Sometimes we will learn our lessons the hard way

Sometimes we need to forgive and forget

The human condition is a complicated one

We know what we must do

But do we know how always?

July 5th, 2021

Learning from our mistakes

Apr15

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Is man incorrigible?

Will we ever learn from our mistakes?

Not always it seems

We make the same mistake over and over again

But why?

Because we have not changed

We see things the same way and behave the same way

Only a shift in our values and behaviour

Will give rise to better decision making

There needs to be a fundamental shift

In how we see ourselves and our place in the planet

We need to put justice before profit

We need to be less greedy and more generous

We need to look upon others as our brothers and sisters

We need to value honesty and trustworthiness

Our values will determine the outcome

 

April 15th, 2020

Reflecting on life

Dec3

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Sometimes I forget I’m fifty five

After all what is age but a number 

I think what matters is how we feel

What our attitude is

How open to learning we are

How much joy and contentment we feel

What we are doing with our lives

If we’re sharing our gifts with others

 

Youth does not need to die

It can be transformed 

Matured

 

Our minds are as sharp as they ever were

Our curiosity the same

Our need for adventure still alive

Our ability for being of serving others

Perhaps more

So, why do we worry about getting older?

December 3rd, 2019

Web of love 2

Feb25

 

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Words and ideas 

Crisscross the world

At the speed of lightening

Words about how we feel

The challenges we’ve had

The insights we’ve gleaned

 

Developing friendships 

Expanding friendships 

That’s what we do

Technology has brought us together 

This was impossible 

Ten years ago

 

We come together daily

Make each other laugh and think

We shower each other with praise

Wash the dust off our spirits

 

We are spinning a web of love

Across the world 

Connecting our hearts

We are helping each other grow 

 

February 23rd, 2019 

Lessons learned

Dec4

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Some things in life we learn from our parents

Other things we learn through experience 

Here are a few things that I’ve learned 

 

That we can’t avoid pain in life

There is a place for suffering in our lives

That how we respond to painful situations

Is in our own hands

And that’s what will make the difference

 

That it’s OK to make mistakes

Making mistakes is part of life

And not something to be afraid of

Mistakes should be learning opportunities

Not to be dreaded and feared

 

That self care is important 

It’s as important as being selfless

Without self care we can’t care for others

Without self care we become resentful

Without self care we can crash and burn

 

That it’s important to nurture our creativity

That art counts, poetry counts

Art can be a solace in our lives

Creativity a way to unwind

That art brings beauty into our lives

Helps us heal

Helps us shine

 

December 3rd, 2018

Light bulb moment

Sep19

Life is harder when we focus on ourselves
Our challenges, our unexpected difficulties

I now have the challenge of teaching English
To adult students who speak almost NO English

At first, I was frustrated
A bit in disbelief that there are still people
With almost no knowledge of English

I thought I didn’t have the patience
To teach this group
And found the material I taught
Mundane and boring

Brother, sister, son, daughter
All new words for this group of eager students
It was something else trying to explain the verb ‘to need’
As in I need some milk

Then suddenly a light bulb turned on in my head
I started seeing things from my students’ point of view
They are at the beginning of an adventure
Learning a new language
And each day, they double and triple
What they used to know

They try hard
They help each other
And they come to class with smiles on their faces
And a sense of mission

Looking at it this way
What I did became more meaningful to me
Yes, we talk about very simple things:
I like ice cream, I don’t like hot dogs
But these are words that were not
In their vocabulary until now
They will be able to communicate
In a new language soon

Last time we met,
I taught them ‘have a good weekend’
And with that we said goodbye
Teachers keep learning too
No matter how many years they have taught

September 16th, 2016

Our essence

Aug6

Our essence

To learn new things
To go into uncharted territory
To accept starting at the bottom to build
A tall edifice
To explore the unknown
To put the different parts of the puzzle together
One by one
To persevere when it’s not easy
To be patient and not disappointed
With the slow rate of advance
To see the cup as half full
To laugh in the face of challenges
To raise to the occasion
To have faith

These are the strengths of the human spirit
The invisible part of us
The part we sometimes need to pay more
Attention to…
Our essence
Our future
Our treasure

Lida Berghuis
August 4th, 2015

Best provision for the journey

Jul29

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