central station Antwerp

This really puts a smile on my face every time i see it (and believe me it was sent to me many, many times)!!!!!
Central Station in Antwerp is a really beautiful building,a pearl in architecture.
But to me it is the place where they stole my bag in clear day light. Thank God i got it back...only without my money, my camera or my cell phone. But yes, the building is beautiful (did i mention this already?)and i think the dancing was just great!

goodbye

On Friday my dear dog Kaya passed away. We knew this goodbye was at our doorstep...

But i am sad anyhow... sad and grateful to have had a good friend like him.



I brought him to a cremation centre and some of my friends declared me insane to spend so much money on a dead dog. But it is a way of showing my respect to a noble soul, who was with me for 16 years.

Goodbye Kaya, wonder if we will meet again...but i will treasure your sweet memory.



This is his last picture taken the day before he died... with my reflection in his eyes.

And that is how he died with his "face" in my hands and with his half blind eyes staring at me... until his gentle heart stopped beating.



Goodbye, goodbye, be well there...

... and i want color!

it is about time for spring.
i want sun warmth and color...
better go to india again, because it seems there is no spring coming yet over here ...

i want sunlight!!!!

Valentine's hotel in Bruges

no color...but cosy

white

blue

hospital

Sorry i went quiet again for a while. But my husband was again in hospital in Leuven. So i was travelling up and down every day. And in the evening completely exhausted of doing nothing in the hospital.
Thank God, my husband is better again and back home.
We are so grateful that he is okay now.

doll

Look what i made!
i was knitting this week (that is what grandmothers do, hahaha!) i knitted a skirt, a top,a bag with flower, a scarf, hat with flower and a coat for this little doll.
The dolly i bought in a Kringloopcentrum (recycling center) for 1 euro and the yarns were leftovers, less than 1 euro.
But i put in my expensive sparetime for a full week (at least 10 hours).
it made me so happy to be busy with my hands and meanwhile i could think, think....
like in meditation my thoughts came in my mind and left...again and again...again and again


So me happy, granddaughter happy....isn't life beautiful?

Thay

If your cup is small, a little bit of salt will make the water salty.

If your heart is small, then a little bit of pain can make you suffer.

Your heart must be large.

Thich Nhat Hanh

sikhi

Life in gurdwara Sangat Sahib.

(you can click on the image to enlarge it)

burf

Still singing for Sinterklaas while playing in the first snow.

singing

What fun!

He came, he came!!!!!!

And if you are sweet he really, really comes at night. We had first snow yesterday night, but still he came and brought some sweets and books.
Dank u Sinterklaasje!

Sinterklaas

It is Friday evening and as usual my granddaughter, Tineke stays the night.
End of November till 6 of December children are very excited because Sinterklaas and his friend Black Peter are wandering in the chilly nights on the roofs of our houses.
They bring sweets and toys for all the children that were sweet.
Tineke made a drawing of Black Peter and she put a carrot in her little boot, for the horse of Sinterklaas.
"But Tineke you didn't put anything for Sinterklaas himself in your bootie"
"Look oma, i put a sugar cube in my bootie, if Sinterklaas want to drink a cup of tea!"

... i did not ask who is going to make the tea? Hahaha!

"Sinterklaas kapoentje,

leg wat in mijn schoentje,

leg wat in mijn laarsje.

Dank u Sinterklaasje!!!!"

sevadars

Yesterday it was "The day of the senior". And so some of the seniors of my hometown came to visit our gurdwara.

For most of them it was almost impossible to sit on the floor, so i searched every chair available. i was so busy answering questions i forgot to take any pictures of this group. But i took a few of our faithful sevadars in the kitchen who made some great chai and pakorè.

Thank you guys!

There is still a lot of ignorance about sikhs and sikhism and it filled me with happiness that my fellow citizens took the effort to discover their new "neighbours".

Like one elderly lady said: " I am over 80 and before i die i wanted to see "the church of the sikhs". I am so happy now, they are such nice people, so friendly. We were worried for nothing."

Of course i could have told you that a long time ago!

man in blue

In London lives a sikhbrother of mine Harjinder Singh. Since he is always dressed in blue, he is ...(what do you think?) "the man in blue".
He is born in The Netherlands, lived a long time in India and is settled now in England.
Now and then he comes over to Belgium and visits our sangat.
So take a look at his blog and read about his latest visit over here (and a lot of information on sikhism, a good column, a strong point of vue etc...)

http://maninblue1947.wordpress.com/

loyal friend

First of November i should have left for India. i delayed my trip with a few months because of various reasons.
Some of these reasons were located in India and well known. Problems that are almost solved...
But deep in me there were other reasons that were keeping me here, unknown reasons at that moment.
And last week one reason became clear when i went to the vet with my dog Kaya. My sweet and loyal friend is diagnosed with cancer.
There is no cure. So we wil not torture him with operations and treatments, we will give him his last weeks, months as comfortable as possible. Pain will be the benchmark. His pain.
There is no cure for my pain either, but that will not be the issue, i will be with him every moment.
My sweet and loyal friend...

wabi sabi and me

Did you notice that "wabi sabi" is suddenly all over the place?
It is in every paper, magazine, article etc... or is it me, only noticing now that the western world is discovering this ancient wisdom?
I discovered it a while ago, since i "dwell" in religions, in Buddhism, start practising zazen and so it was only natural that one day i was going to find wabi sabi.
And it fits me so well! It is the way i look at things, hear things, feel things. The way i am surprised by the beauty in so many things...and persons. It is so close to my motto:"If you can not see God in all, you can not see God at all"
I am a simple human being and i have very simple desires, simple wishes. i am not impressed by the big constructions in the world that everyone is supposed to admire. i look in detail, feel in detail. Beauty is in every corner of nature, in small and humble things.
And finally i found a term to cover how i look at the world. A term that expresses and suits my lifestyle.
My husband is teasing me that i finally found a term that gives a good excuse for my untidyness, for all my rubbish everywhere...
"But look at the beauty of it, dear" i said, but he was not impressed. Hahaha! Wabi sabi...

wabi sabi

wabi sabi is a beauty of things imperfect
impermanent and incomplete
it is a beauty of things modest and humble
it is a beauty of things unconventional

(Leonard Koren: "Wabi Sabi for artists, designers, poets and philosophers"