An orphans christmas

I am forever saying that your friends in London are your family, well this is probably never more true than at christmas. This year, I loved the way everyone rallied around to really help create such a special day. The food was AMAZING, secret santa was highly entertaining (with a meerkat being a very sought after gift) and the people, were as always, the best part.

Thoughts

So I've not posted in a wee while and I will get around to updating about Christmas, New Years, my amazing trip to Portugal AND I still want to post about my birthday!

But firstly....here's the first installment of 'Things I'm grateful for.' Just something I decided I would do each day as one of my New Years goals / resolutions ....ideas?! I like to think I do recognize many things each day I am grateful for, however nothing resonates more within me like writing them down. So here goes....

1 Jan

Sleeping right in the middle of a nice and cosy bed (hot water bottle included).

2 Jan

Flatmates that make a flat a home.

3 Jan

Good old fashioned letters. Nothing beats a bit of pen and paper.

4 Jan

Returning to work and having 27 wee smiling faces to greet me.

5 Jan

Left overs in the fridge. Makes dinner so much easier!

6 Jan

Honesty.

Barcelona in pictures

Love on the Transplant List

Now I don't watch much TV at all....but after reading about 'Love on the transplant list' in the paper and hearing people at school talking about it today, I was inspired to have some couch time and hopefully see some good tv.

However I was not expecting to lay down to relax and end up spending an hour fighting back tears. This is exactly what I did.

'Love on the transplant list' is a documentary about a young 21 year old girl living with Cystic Fibrosis and waiting for an urgently needed lung transplant. To cut a long story short, she does eventually get the lung transplant but only after coming incredibly dangerously close to death. It was a real tear jerker, especially as she had to fight off life threatening infections in the few days leading up to her wedding, the day of her wedding and then immediately afterwards.

For me, watching this documentary provided me with 2 things to think about...

Firstly it highlighted the importance of organ donors.
For many of us going about our daily lives, we are unaware of how many people are waiting for life saving organ transplants. But for families and individuals experiencing this wait, it is a very real and very serious issue.

Secondly, it was a good reminder about the importance or should I say un-importance of the things we worry about. I know our worries are relative to us and our lives and what may be going on for us, but knowing that I live a very happy and full life, the things I worry about (which thankfully isn't usually much)....they really are usually quite irrelevant. I like to be reminded of this, because I like to be appreciative and thankful of all I have got.

I'm pleased I took time to watch this documentary for both of these reasons. I could have done without the tears, but really....life is really, rather good.

Shantaram (1)

I am reading a truly amazing book at the moment.
How do I know its amazing?
Because I am sticking post-it notes through it for further reference.
I know. Weird right?
But it really is the kind of book that makes you want to post-it note it.
Loved Twilight, didn't post-it note it.
(Although between you and me, I'm pretty sure my dear friend Amy highlighted one of the most romantic scenes...romantic vampire scene...)

Name: SHANTARAM.
Author: Gregory David Roberts.

Its set in Bombay, India (making my desire to travel to India even stronger) and is the personal narrative of a fugitive on the run from an Australian prison after being convicted of armed robbery.

I told my flatmate tonight about just how incredible I am finding it and even though she hasn't read it, she englightened me that it is actually based on a true story and the author in fact wrote the book 3 times after prison guards trashed the first 2 versions (and yes I did realise just now this is written in the blurb, somehow missed it). So intrigued have I been, I googled the book and the author has a website all about his life and what hes doing now...as well as there being numerous other posts on the internet by various other people. I am saving all these to read after I have finished the book, do not want to risk spoiling any part of the story.

So as I read anything interesting, thought provoking or perhaps even disturbing in this book (and I anticipate there to be quite a bit) ....I am going to share some of these parts with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, or that they even stir some of the thoughts which the words have within me. And if you've read the book already, I would just love to hear what you thought of it....

Page 123:

It was only there, in the village in India, on that first night, adrift on the raft of murmuring voices, and my eyes filled with stars; only then, when another mans father reached out to comfort me, and placed a poor farmer's rough calloused hand on my shoulder; only there and then did I see and feel the torment of what i'd done, and what i'd become-the pain, and the fear, and the waste, the stupid, unforgiveable waste of it all. My heart broke on its shame and sorrow. I suddenly knew how much crying there was in me, and how little love. I knew, at last, how lonely I was.
But I couldnt respond to it. My culture had taught me all the wrong things well. So I lay completely still, and gave no reaction at all. But the sold has no culture. The soul has no nations. The soul has no colour or accent, or way of life. The soul is forever. The soul is one. And when the heart has its moment of truth and sorrow, the soul can't be stilled.
I clenched my teeth againstthe stars. I closed my eyes. I surrendered to sleep.One of the reasons why we crave love, and seek it so desperately, it that love is the ony cure for loneliness, and shame, and sorry. But some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only loneliness can help you feel them again. Some truths about yourself are so painful that only shame can help you live with them. And some things are just so sad that only your soul can do the crying for you.

-Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts

I'm Loving....

My bestie Bee is a talented blogger (and superbly amazing friend) and I am blatantly copying her whenever I update my blog with new section 'I'm Loving...'.... but as my mum always told me and as I always tell my kids at school.....'Copying is the highest form of flattery' :)

So for the first edition of 'I'm Loving...':

This song: Who you are-Jessie J

2. This cute wee dress from Zara.

3. The fact I am sharing my birthday celebration with my special wee sister Georgie, only its her 22nd (O to be 22 again) and we are on opposite sides of the world. Happy Birthday Georgie xxx

People making the best days

Yesterday 4 of my dearest friends took me out for a birthday treat. We sat in a plush venue and sipped vino. We chatted, laughed and listened and I just relished being in their company. For not only do they make me happy and smile, not only are they such cherished friends, and not only does just thinking of our friendship really warm my heart, but they are some of the best types of humans you will ever meet.

They really are.

And I am so lucky to be connected so tightly to them, and to so many other amazing humans in my life.

For in order to make every day the best day, these are exactly the humans that one must surround oneself with. If each day is to be a gift, then those people who you choose to be in your day should offer the most positive presence.

And these girls....they really do.

I felt overwhelmed by their gifts yesterday (I can't wait to get experimenting with my Diana F camera, and creating some 'dreamy' images, or swirling on the d-floor in my HOT new black version of the Louisa dress) however as horribly corny as this is going to sound....their friendship is the most valuable and most treasured gift ever.

Thankyou my girls. And thankyou all you humans who are in my life, and make it possible to have so many best days.

I love life, but I wouldn't love it anywhere near as much without you in it.