A drop of kindness
Last weekend, my daughter and I went into Stockholm to the vernissage of the talented Maria-Thérèse.
As we got on and off various tubes, we saw buskers playing for money. My daughter opened her purse and gave some of her money to the first man, and then declared, “Let’s do three kind things today, mama!” This was easy as we found many more street artists to give coins to.
We finally emerged blinking into the grey light at Stockholm’s Old Town. And old it is with its alleys and cobbled streets dating back to the Middle Ages.
Suddenly – we saw him. A man kneeling on a coat, head exposed to cold air, hands together in prayer or supplication. He remained there kneeling, as tourists rushed by, totally immobile. A carved statue; a true medieval picture of poverty. His sunken eyes typical of those who cannot see too well.
We put some notes into his hat. I was glad to see that it was full of coins.
But it was a damp, cold day – with a chill that sneaked into your bones and stayed there.
I saw my daughter was almost in tears. “Shall we buy him a sandwich?” I suggested. “Yes, and a big hot coffee too,” she added.
As we returned to offer him our small gifts and exchange a few words, I saw a few people watching my daughter as she handed over the food.
They stopped, paused for thought – and then opened their purses to drop in some generous donations.
It really does seem true that if you carry the flame of kindness, you can help light it in others.
Or, as Beecher once said, “Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.”
For more kind stories, please visit: My World!
Cozy
Some creatures don’t like the plunging temperatures that herald real winter.
I like to concentrate on the icy lace of bare trees
And the lone birdsong of winter birds.
Some creatures delight in the frozen ground
And the miracle of snow.
In fact, lying on a snowy field is their idea of being cozy.
What do you like about winter (if your country has this season, of course)?
For more cozy creatures, please visit: Camera Critters.
Soul food
Each sunset is a miraculous work of art
Reminding me of the beauty and fragility of life.
This is where I come to nourish my soul and lift up my spirits.
For more celestial stories, visit Skywatch.
At play
Now that November has settled on us like a soft grey shawl, it’s hard to imagine that only a few short weeks ago, our world was bathed in sunlight and autumn leaves.
The beginning of October was celebrated with an adventure to the climbing tree,
Where no child was too old to fill her boots with water
Or enjoy the warmth of the old tree and the delicious chill of bare feet in cool air.
Small boys played with sticks – and shadows,
And finally, exhausted from jumping off the tree too many times,
Enjoyed the last rays of sunshine on the patchwork quilt of autumn grass.
For more stories, please visit: My World!
Birthday boy
He’s charming, good-looking and very sweet-natured.
He’s good at swimming and running and carrying things…
……
…. in his mouth.
He’s also a good kisser, an excellent alarm clock – oh, and very hairy!
Now, if he could only go to the toilet by himself and do the cooking, I’d ask him to move in with me!
Wait a minute – I already did… three and a half years ago!
My 8-yr-old, Oscar – who puts colour, the smell of wet dog and exercise into my life!
For more hairy creatures, please visit: Camera Critters.
Misty reflections
Rich autumn colours with pools of gold;
The mist wrapped tenderly around the trees like a warm scarf
While they admire their perfect reflections;
The pastel clouds rising up to greet the blue hour of a new day.
Have you ever seen a more delicious sunrise?
For more deliciousness, please visit: Skywatch.
Extraordinary ordinary
Not much happens in my life. I work, I play, I laugh, I cry.
I focus on the small wonders of life.
A luminous leaf nestled in diamonds.
A strawberry jewel in the frost.
I have faith – even in the dark times – that there is beauty in the ordinary
And that life, in all its frailty, still contains the miraculous.
For more beauty, please visit: My World.
Playful
A cold frosty morning – the perfect time for a quick dip in the lake.
And what better way to dry off than to roll in the crunchy leaves?
A little shake and some moonwalking.
Who else wants to play?
For more goofy animals, please visit: Camera Critters.
Morning has broken
Last week, the world was bathed in light, with the sense of new beginnings and possibilities.
And I couldn’t help thinking of Cat Stevens singing:
Morning has broken like the first morning.
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning.
The feather touch of frost, the misty dawn, those glorious colours found an echo, a song in my soaring spirit.
For more wonderful sights, please visit: Skywatch.
The photos look much better enlarged – just click them!
Celebrating the dead
The end of October and beginning of November is a time of reflection about the dead – and ultimately the meaning of life.
In many European countries, people visit the graves of their loved ones and light candles in remembrance of them.
Other parts of the world celebrate more exuberantly. Take my birthplace, Mexico, for example.
Last week, we visited the Museum of Ethnography – a museum whose mission is to help us broaden our perspective of the world.
There was an exhibition celebrating Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
This celebration is thousands of years old: originating from the Aztec times, it has adapted and mixed with Catholic traditions so that you can find altars in people’s homes, laden down with offerings, skeletons, photos of the dead and crosses.
One popular figure is La Calavera Catrina (the elegant skull), which depicts an upper class lady, and serves as a reminder that even though we might have pretensions of importance due to riches or class, death is the great equalizer.
The living make exotic skulls out of sugar and in some places in Mexico, they have joyous picnics at the gravesides of the departed.
I like the idea of remembering people who gave meaning to your life while feasting and laughing and remembering the good times with them. After all, this is probably the best way of helping their memory live on.
“Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.” — Saroyan
For more traditions, please visit: My World.
Fruits, nuts and lemurs
During my visit to England this summer, we went to a zoo park, which is famous for its collection of lemurs.
The newly-introduced black lemur immediately seized domination of the flock. And with eyes like that, who would dare cross him?
At feeding time, he ate first while the other lemurs looked on.
Then came the familiar ring-tailed lemurs, who quickly gobbled up the bulk of the fruit and vegetables.
The two very rare – and timid – red lemurs looked on hopefully, waiting for their turn to eat up the leftovers.
I guess it’s easy to see where we humans get our ideas of power and hierarchy from.
Just like lemurs, I love fruit and nuts… but that old adage springs to mind: You are what you eat.
I wonder what that makes me?
For more adorable creatures, visit: Camera Critters.
Cloud dancing
Is there anything more delightful than dancing in the clouds
And weaving rainbows to wear in your hair?
And what is more magical than watching fire
Melt into glowing embers in the sky?
And there, in the softness at the end of the day,
You can find enchantment and beauty and love.
For more stories, please visit: Skywatch.
Forest gold
In September and October, the woods are full of people with baskets, torches and little trowels.
Because that is when you can find forest gold.
Hiding there under moss and in the dark damp secret places of the woods, if you look very carefully, you can uncover chanterelles and other delicious mushrooms.
(However, if you ask a Swede where to find great mushrooms, they will say, “Over there!” as they point to an area of forest the size of a small country. Their mushroom spots are guarded jealously and the location handed down from generation to generation.)
I took the anklebiters, the dog and an empty basket in the hopes of picking some of our own forest gold.
Chanterelles are very small and hard to find. You have to concentrate on the tiny details of the forest floor.
Soon the woods were ringing with excited cries, “I’ve found a house of mushrooms!”
“I’ve found a palace!” “I’ve found a whole family!”
“Have you found any yet, mama?” shouted the happy children.
“Well, I’ve found the last blueberry,” I said helpfully.
Soon, the basket was full of edible gold.
Dusk crept over the silent trees with the setting sun breaking free and shining gloriously for a few minutes.
I looked up – and discovered my very own forest gold.
For more stories. please visit: My World.
(Click the photos to enlarge.)
Who says what?