left on the table

Zho

The day before Christmas this book arrived by post. The timing was perfect, this book is a real gift! It is the visual art journal of a young Dutch woman, Marloes Lasker.
She is wonderful, almost blind and deaf, she made this absoluty honest diary of last year. Her illness is not easy, but she radiates so much happiness.
Her dharma name (she is a zen buddhist) is "Ziende het onzienlijke" ("Seeing the unseen"). So that made the title of the book:"ZHO" (Ziende Het Onzienlijke).

She has a nice blog: www.tussenpoZen.com and i wrote her that her dharma name reminded me of some Gurbani by Guru Angad Dev:

Akhin bajhon vekhna bin kana sunana

To see without eyes,

without ears, hear,

to walk without feet,

without hands, work,

to speak without tongue-

thus living, yet detached from life.

o Nanak, if you follow the word of your master

You shall surely meet Him/Her.

time to go to bed

bestrajaja...wish you sweet dreams my darling!

sweet eskimo

real snow

sometimes my prayers are heard... so we got real snow, clear sky, no smog anymore!

skeletons

cold

sabhna marna dya vichhoda sabhna

"death will come to everyone,

to everyone separation,

who will heareafter be reunited?

go ask the wise ones."

Guru Nanak

b&w

Happy like a kid i am when it starts snowing.

So this morning, after i brought little princess to school, i went for a walk and of course took my camera with me. i wandered in the countryside like a child in a dream.

Somehow i forgot how to go to b&w on this new camera, but nevertheless all pictures taken were only all shades of grey.

My happiness disappeared completely when we heard this "snow" was only frozen smog! Dangerous smog.

Because of the smog problems drivers were allowed only to drive 90 km an hour. Hihi, so i have to speed up!

So i am hoping for some real snow, fresh snow, healthy snow...

soulbrides' kitchen

Those who visit this blog now and then already found out that this bloggie is not the blog with big statements and strong opinions. It is just a reflection of my little life...and it is good this way.
But...
if you want to have a strong opinion or statement i know excatly which blog you have to turn to:

http://kamallarosekaur.wordpress.com


Her blog is called:"Soulbrides'kitchen" and Kamalla Rose Kaur is just wonderful. She is sikh and not afraid to challenge the full world- sikhs and non-sikhs- but she does this in a very funny and intelligent way. She is a great writer!
I love her to bits, because she reflects very often my own search as a sikh and a woman.

So off you go, pay her a visit! You will not regret it!

guru ganesha singh

So that is him, Guru Ganesha Singh, great singer and guitar player.
Funny and warm and a great hugger!

pure ganesh

Last September i saw a concert of Snatam Kaur and in her band is GURU GANESHA SINGH playing guitar. And believe me he is a great guitar player!
So of course i bought his CD: "Pure Ganesh".
It is just great!
It is always on in my car (sorry for Snatam Kaur who was always on, before this one was always on) and so my granddaughter and i sing along in the morning on our way to school and in the afternoon again on our way back.
It is fantastic to hear this sweet voice in her childrenseat sing: "WAAAAAHEGURUUUUU".
Or: "Ek Ong Kaaaaaar, Sattenaaaaaaam...."
It makes my day every morning!
Thank you Guru Ganesha Singh!

winter

This is the time of the year to start christmas preparations.
So on my table are fake snowflakes and fake birds, in my house is a fake tree and a fake star...
Only the light is real... yes, that is real!

don't fence me in

Ghent, Flandres, Belgium. September 2007

liquid city

Ghent, Flandres, Belgium. september 2007

hair

Last monday again a group of young pupils, aged 15-16 years, came to visit our Gurdwara Sangat Sahib. i showed them the slide show: "Introduction on sikhism".

I couldn't finish the introduction because we got stuck in a pretty heavy discussion about the 5 K's.

The kakkar we discussed most was Kesh, keeping your hair unshorn. Accepting the way our Creator made us and realising that we are perfect the way we are.

Through fashion -which is just an industry and a real big one-children and young adults are made believe that they should look like young children, hairless, almost naked.

They don't accept that growing up means that hair is appearing on your body. i can understand (i remember well) how confusing this can be, but this greedy industry makes them believe they should fight, in every possible way, these signs of getting mature.

And if possible by using their products, of course!

Hair in armpits, on legs, facial hair, on chest or back or pubic hair it all disgust them and their cries were without any doubt showing how they resent even the smallest hair on these "places".

i try to imagine how difficult it is to survive your "group" if you decide to be different and accept who you are. So i am very grateful to the young sikh who showed his Kesh. He is a nice young man and his undisturbed brave flair made great inpression.

eat pray love

Number one on my Christmas list of -presents-i-would-be-really-happy-with is a book written by Elizabeth Gilbert:

" EAT PRAY LOVE"

How can someone tell my full lifestory in just 3 words?
I wonder if the rest of the book is as good as the title.
Did anybody read this book already?
And?

happy

J'ai décidé d'etre heureux

c'est excellent pour la santé

Voltaire (1694-1778)

i decided to be happy

it is excellent for your health

water

I do not go very often to the movies, but sometimes i am so glad i made the effort to come out of the house.
Last week i saw this absolutely fantastic movie: "WATER" by Deepa Meetha. She is very controversial especially in her own country India. Cinema's are burnt down where her films play, she and the actrices are threatend etc...
Because her movies are a critic on indian customs, on old habits, on a not-friendly-towards- women-culture. But they are true...and that hurts.
If you have the chance to see this movie (or any of her other movies: "Earth" or "Fire",) , please do, please please do!

Sisters in the world, fight for your rights and use every talent possible to tell that women are equal to men!
We are different, but equal!

"So why call her bad? From her kings are born

from her, woman is born; without woman,

there would be no one at all"

Guru Grant Sahib p. 473

he is really there!

Tineke, my granddaughter (the little girl on the left), was thrilled to see the Sint. But when they had to do their little dance and one of the Black Peters came to dance along with them, she almost froze on the spot. She continued to dance, but kept her eyes on him, ready to scream for oma as soon as he came too close.

Brave little princess!

Sinterklaas

So a visitor came from Spain. Sint-Nicolaas (who is kicked off the list of Holy Men by the vatican a few years ago) or Sinterklaas and my little sikh neighbour calls him Baba Klaas. And yes he was back in the country with all the toys and sweets.
The Sint was visiting the kindergarten of my granddaughter, with 2 Black Peters. The children were so excited, but they did their dances, sang their songs and were spoiled as usual.
i have a lot of critics on this holy figure, but when you see all these happy little faces, one doesn't have the heart to destroy the dream.