Well, it’s been a strange time starting on the 19th June 2022. When, out of the blue, a haemorrhage stroke landed at my door. The next I knew, my brain has scrambled. Not great.
It’s taken many months, but I am on the mend.
However, now physically I’m brilliant. I am stronger and fitter (and beautifully thinner too). I am still improving my reading, writing and speaking, but still more time is required. It is so strange but it will be all right again.
Thank you very much, my friends from WordPress – so many who giving me support. Most of all, Cliff, my wonderful man, keeping me safe and sound. He is my soulmate.
And now you’ve seen me around and eventually I’ll be back properly.
To mark this day, International Women’s Day, I’m posting a poem which I wrote in 2020. I wanted to remind us that wherever we may be in the world, we have a bond of common experience. I’ve found it when travelling in parts of rural Greece and Spain and, when I moved to South Africa and met women from more diverse cultures and with very different life experiences, this connection came even more sharply into focus for me. It’s called ‘Sisters’.
growing up on distant continents without a common tongue lives so seemingly different rich north, poor south experiences diametrically opposed
and yet
sharing corresponding smiles weeping mutual sorrows our hearts are touched by the same love and loss
because, in the end we are all sisters under the skin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another reason I’m posting today is to draw attention to the release of After Rain Skies by Michelle Ayon Navajas (Michnavs – Poetry by Mich to us here on WP). It’s a is a collection of true and inspiring stories of abuse and violence in prose and poetry, which I know has taken Mich some time to bring herself to write, given that it deals with complex and deeply emotional issues. Mich is donating a portion of her royalty fee to the Perak Women for Women Society, an NGO that helps and supports victims of abuse and violence, and with which Mich has become closely involved.
Making preparations for the coming festivities, modest though they are again this year, I gaze out of my kitchen window. Carols from Cambridge are playing in the next room as I chop and stir. Craning up at the wide blue African sky, I think of all the friends I’ve made across the globe. The storytellers, the poets and the bloggers who through their words, thoughts and dreams make my world all the richer every day.
warm wind blows while thoughts from abroad embrace me
Be happy, be safe, and let us look to a better future for the world, my writing friends!
A big thank you to everyone who fished me out and dragged me dripping from your spam folders this week, frequently clutching a pile of repeated comments. Dusted down and dried out, you kindly unspammed my messages, and now 🤞 normal service has been resumed.
I’m not sure if those ‘Happiness Engineers’ had a hand in it. They didn’t say. But anyway, I’m happily back to making my usual round of visits, reading and commenting on your wonderful words 😊
Have you noticed I’ve been a bit quiet on the comments front?
Have I just popped in a ‘like’ and run away?
Well, it looks like my witty quips and encouraging asides may have gone astray. It seems they may have been swept up into your spam folder. But I have no idea why.
It hasn’t happened to all of them but it started at 1a.m. PST on Tuesday 12 October. I’ve dropped a note to a few folk and those who’ve seen and checked have found my missing words in their spam folders (thank you all! 😊🙏).
I’ve contacted the ‘Happiness Engineers’ too.
For contributors to Sadje’s WDYS, to Di at Pensitivity 101‘s Wednesday 3TC, Denise’s happy band of Sixerians, and anyone who regularly hears from me, if you see a ‘like’ but no comment, it’s a pound to a penny my comment is in your spam… if you have a moment, please track it down and approve it. Maybe then Askimet will stop whisking my words away and hiding them.
I don’t know how long this will last… but please don’t think I’m ignoring you. I’m missing our happy exchanges already. 😢
luna's on line 