The friends we are

Copyright Marie Kléber

We could talk freely
We could laugh
And we could cry
Just let the tears flow
That was fine

We could want to catch the sky
And dream romantic stories
We could wander early morning
In the midst of chaotic dreams
Never knowing where we would land after
The wake up call

We could talk about everything
The good, the bad
Our deepest fears
Our greatest joys
And the nasty hours of our lives

We would wait till night fall
And confess to each other
Our shitty mess, our darkest secrets

Where we are now
We only talk once a year
Maybe more
I don’t have to tell you
How much I miss you

Our walks on the seashore
The way we wanted to change the world
Making a place where we could share our emotions
Without feeling guilty or scared

Cause together we were the world united
In a bubble of truth
RAW is who we are – friends above everything else

Advertisements

Our new family balance

Copyright Marie Kléber

I like days spent at the park just outside home. Kids playing. I love watching them.

I remember the first time we came here, his first steps on this ground. He would not let go of my hand. He’d rather like me to go down the slide with him, make sandcastles and build games with leaves and chestnuts.

Now as soon as we step inside this space, he is running towards his friends. If nobody is there, he’s confident enough to play on his own or make new friends.

When I stop and take the time to look at him, I breath in the knowledge that we found her balance by walking at our own pace.

Books, friends, fundraising and creation

 

In September last year I shared with you inspiring projects by fabulous ladies! Don’t get me wrong, some men are doing great things too. But I like to honor the ladies here – no offense!

So, let’s see what’s going on around:

• Lisa released her New Book – A Divorce Companion (a must read for all people facing divorce, all people recovering from it and even all people touched a way or another by this life-changing experience)

• Marie (Deep Stones)  is creating wonderful bracelets with semi-precious stones – all made with generosity and kindness. I am in Love with her work.

• Trish is about to set off on a new journey – a walk of 2,190 mile (Appalachian Trail) to fundraise for Kay’s Kisses “Sharing love, books, and gifts with children recovering from domestic violence”. Go check her website and support her along the way – this is just AWESOME!

• Another book by Balroop Singh (Allow Yourself to be a better person) – I can tell you only one thing – you’ll love it. Why? Cause she is writing from the heart and nothing can ever be better than this voice inside sharing what counts.

• My friend in Corsica is raising money for KMG Ethiopia – a charity organization working for Women’s Rights.

Any inspiring project to share with us? I am all for any you have in mind…

It’s time to wish you…

It’s all about time

Or about not taking the time

I’d rather say it’s all about love

And sharing it

It’s all about gratitude

Or saying “thank you”

Not just in our hearts

But saying it out loud

Shouting it

And receiving wonderful more things

When doing so

It’s about You

Being here

Following me

Guiding me

Helping me

Inspiring me

It’s about yours words

Your beautiful soul

Your incredible talent

Your voice

Your light

Shining through the darkest moments

Healing my deepest wounds

It’s about taking the time

To recall what’s behind us

To dream about what’s awaiting us

To plan projects

To send wishes out to the world

♥

I want to THANK YOU

And WISH YOU

A wonderful, joyful, true, inspiring year 2017

May you and your loved ones stay safe, at peace, in love

May each one of you achieved one of your greatest dreams

May you keep looking at life with faith and hope

May you keep writing and being true to who you are

May you reminder that you are important, precious, loved

May you stay connected to the Universe

To GOD

♥

I LOVE YOU!

Credit photo

I need “help” and that’s ok @WMB

As far back as I can remember I always had a clear idea of what a strong woman is and how she should behave. A strong woman would do whatever she could to have all situations under control, would not need help and would not ask for it either, would manage on her own and would succeed alone.

This was before. Before what?

Before I had no other choice than say “I need help”. I need help to go through the day. I need help to wake up, stand up and live. I need help to overcome my fears, doubts. I need help to love my child. I need help to face past memories. I need help to rebuild my life. I need help to forgive. I need help to love myself.

And my idea of what a strong woman is changed.

We often think that asking for help is a proof of our inability to face life and its challenges.

If you ask mums, friends, people around you, I bet that the answer you’ll hear most of the time will be something like this “I don’t want to ask for help. I’m fine. I’ll deal with it like a big girl”.

Why can’t “being a big girl” and “asking for help” go together? Why do we, women, mums, think that if we ask for help, people will consider us failures?

Read HERE

 

Books, friends, happiness and meditation

Today is a beautiful day!

This is the way I start every new day.

Today is a magical, joyful, bright and lovely day!

Today I’d like to share with you what makes me grateful and introduce you to funky, kind-hearted and creative friends.

Here we go on the fabulous news and ideas you should not miss:

 

Kim is hosting her second annual writing contest. Whether you’d like to write or just read, you’d better check the theme and the beautiful gifts the winner will get!

Chris book is about to go on sale. Don’t miss the launch next week. I can assure you that it’ll be a MUST READ.

World Mums Blog became World Mums Network. And started a new program called GLOW (just the sound of it…) to introduce women from all over the world to Heartfulness meditation.

You fancy jewelries or you are looking for a sweet gift for a friend, come and check my friend Karine new passion. All is hand-made and made with love.

Finally, I’ll let you with my last discovery: The Happiness Planner. Start a new life with a positive attitude and don’t fear happiness – You Deserve It!

Credit Image

Friends (for better & worse)

Yesterday I read a wonderful text on friendship (I invite you to visit Chris blog to know all about it).

We tend to say that we recognize who our friends are when experiencing dark hours, when crossing the most dangerous roads of our life. I do believe it’s true.

But at the same time I’d like to think that we recognize our good friends in times of joy too. You know the friends with whom you can share your most incredible dreams, your wonderful news and your amazing projects – the kind of friends who encourage you and celebrate life by your side.

We too often wait till something bad happens to say “I’m there. I love you”. We tend to say “tomorrow” or “another day” when we think about phone calls or letters.

Many of my friends are unfortunately living quite far away. We don’t see each other much. I do miss this. I miss the contact. I miss the endless talking, chatting and gossiping sometimes (for fun). I miss the “I’m around, can I come for a coffee?”

I miss the laughs, the secrets we share, the memories we like to look at when turning the pages of a photo album. I miss seeing our kids playing together. I miss special time around a good meal.

I miss my friends so much that I don’t want to wait till something breaks in their life, leaving them empty and scared. I want to be there for the happy days too. So every now and then I send a card, a sweet message. I give a phone call, even a short one. And when I can, I book a trip to visit.

One day it’ll be too late to tell others how much they mean to us, how much they count, how much their friendship is inspiring and precious.

Some of my friends don’t think like I do. They don’t like cards, don’t like calling. They don’t come to visit. Some have excuses. Some don’t.  It worked for me till today. But still I need more contact, more face to face, more friends to share the daily grace and the crazy hours.

What about your friends? Do you see them? What makes you crazy about them?

Hand in Hand for a New World

Come

Take my hand

Sit down with me

We’re gonna share

Our stories

You’re gonna tell me

How to gain in confidence

I’m gonna tell you

How to feel blessed every day

You’re gonna tell me the secrets you hide

Inside

I’m gonna tell you who I am

Inside

You’re gonna cry – tears of joy

And I’m gonna cry too – tears of gratitude

We’re gonna share

A unique moment of friendship

Just you & me

In a bubble of peace

We’ll be safe to be

Who WE ARE

We’ll celebrate life

As it is

And GOD’s creation

Our bodies

The power within us

That can create amazing things

Come

Hear my voice

Sit down with me

Under the Tulip Tree

With our freedom and our love

Together

We’ll make a new world!

Cooking with Amira

You know or you may remember that it took me some time to go back to the kitchen, without feeling concerned about how I would perform, whether I would make a good or not-so-good dish.

I can say that now I am perfectly happy when I take all my ingredients out to start a new recipe. I even asked Mister Pop to join. And his answer is often positive!

We put on our aprons and off we go…

To be true, I always have a hard time following a recipe. I try and then I lose track. And end doing something quite strange!

The first recipe I followed from beginning to end, I found it on Amira’s blog. It was the Harsha Bread one. And it was good. I can clearly see me dancing in my living room with my delicious recipe on a plate. Note that at this time, even though I enjoyed cooking again, I would not try it when others were around. It was a “me” time and a cooking for me alone phase. I needed time, before having enough confidence to cook for others and let the kitchen door open when others were around.

Since this first recipe I kept on trying more and more. What I like about Amira’s cooking, it’s that it’s simple and very well explained. She is even showing how to complete the recipe through a well done video. You can’t go wrong with this!

I have to add that with every recipe, she is sharing some stories about it. Her North African origins are a great chance for us. When cooking, I can tell Mister Pop where this or that recipe comes from, it’s a good way to get close to his other culture and to develop his taste at the same time. It’s a real travel tour!

Our favorites recipes (approved by little one, mum and grandparents):

Simit Bread

Sweet Couscous 

Fatayer with cheese and mint filling 

Middle Eastern Spiced tea 

And you, tell me, do you love cooking? Whose blog do you follow? What kind of “food” do you like the most? An easy recipe to share with us?

Ella

She was on her way to school. She was wearing her uniform with small and dark shiny shoes. I never knew how to approach her. In fact she was never alone, always with boys and girls, girlfriends or her brothers. She was this kind of girl, pretty and sure, knowing where to go and what she wanted to do with her life. She never seemed afraid of anything, even when she was going back home after a party in town. She would never run when meeting a group of guys on the pathway or, like I did many times, take a knife with me, in case, for the ride after midnight. She was tall and thin, with pink cheeks and green eyes. I knew that every boy in her class was dreaming of going out with her. I stood no chance. Yet I took one.

• Hi Ella!
• Hi Martin! How are you doing?
• Can I walk with you?
• No rush this morning?
• For once. So what’s new with you?
• You know, same old story.
• Come on, you are the most beautiful girl in town! Everybody wants to be like you Ella. Girls are dreaming of you each night. I don’t even talk about the boys.
• I know and it makes me sad.
• Why?
• People only see what’s outside. They don’t know me. I mean, really know me. You understand?
• People don’t know me either.
• You’re invisible Martin. And I am all visible. Yet we are two under-rated young adults.
• Who cares after all?
• I do. I’d like people to see behind the first look.
• I do.
• What?
• I do Ella. I do see you as you are. I know you by heart and I know that your heart is big – it is beating at the same rhythm as mine.
• How would you know this Martin?
• We met in kindergarten Ella. We are living in the same street. At some stage we shared the same games. Even our first kiss, remember! Then you moved on but I kept watching you from a distance. I saw you becoming a confident and easy-going girl, messing up with crazy people, yet staying on the right track.
• I thought you moved on too.
• I tried but I have to acknowledge that I can’t. Not without you Ella.
• What are you trying to say?
• I think I love you Ella.
• Really?
• Why? This sounds too funny or scary to you?
• It’s just I never thought that you even liked me anymore.
• Why?
• Since secondary school, you don’t talk to me, you rush home after school, you don’t say hello when we meet in the street, you always answer “no” to party invitation and you even missed my birthday this year.
• You are never alone Ella. You are with your girls, the ones who make fun of me. And boys who yell at me “Martin is gay, Martin is gay!”
• I never listened to them, you know.
• Who cares Ella. Who care if you did.

We were at school by now. I didn’t want to let her go. I could imagine how hard it was now for her to make a choice, even thought I’d never ask her to choose. We could be friends. Maybe. She stood there for a while. I felt lighter inside. I bet her heart was beating hard into her chest. I would have loved to put my hand on it, but I would not want to embarrass her in front of her friends. She moved slowly away towards the entrance, without saying a word to me. I stayed behind, waiting for something to happen, knowing nothing would.

It was one the longest day of my life. It ended at some stage and I walked back home on my own. Till I heard heavy footsteps on the ground. I did not turn away. I kept going like nothing was happening. And then Ella was there, in front of me, looking exhausted. I was about to say something. She didn’t let me. She pushed her lips towards mine. She closed her eyes. I closed mine. I could hear nothing except the song of the church bells announcing dinner time. We stayed like this for a minute, maybe less, maybe more. I didn’t count. We open our eyes and without a word, we walked hand in hand towards the hill, the sun brushing our backs and keeping us warm.

Credit Photo