It's great to have a family loving each other! With all the things you have been going through physically, Shaista, this is something no one and nothing can take this away:)
Your beautiful family. All beaming. You are rich dear girl, very rich, and healthy, strong in all the things that last and matter. I do not worry for you one bit, but fret for the ones around you who watch you suffer.I would bend on my knees and lace up your dancing shoes for you.
Like I have told Riz before. I cannot believe that is Irfan. I can still recognise you from what I remember of you guys when you were back in Bombay. But Irfan. Damn...he has changed so much. He could have at least hung on to the braces. :)
Aunty doesn't seem to have aged a bit! Uncle's greyed a little (and so have I...) but looking good.
I live a meditative life in a green village in England. I was diagnosed with Lupus when I was 18 and some of my poetry writes itself in response to living with such a peculiar, demanding and life-altering illness. And some of it is about love longing hope birdsong waiting for spring... I write about freedom. And heroes. I am often and very easily inspired!
הנני A few years ago, Leonard Cohen released a song on his 82nd birthday. 'You Want It Darker' is in English but for the rep...
finally, and sadly, finished
Nina Riggs' memoir is so beautiful, and feels like a friend. I read her slowly, knowing she isn't alive and yet very much alive in her words...
Just Read (and Recommend)
The Vegetarian by Han Kang, Man Booker prize winner, and an extraordinary tale of rebellion.
ALSO THIS...
Ocean's poetry has travelled seas with me... the ideal poetry book for travels across Asia. I even nearly made it to Vietnam this year!
Recommended Read
Terese Marie Mailhot's prose that reads like poetry... an indigenous American Indian woman's truth telling.
STAFFORD SAYS, I LISTEN
Some time when the river is ice ask me
mistakes I have made. Ask me whether
what I have done is my life. Others
have come in their slow way into
my thought, and some have tried to help
or to hurt; ask me what difference
their strongest love or hate has made.
I will listen to what you say.
You and I can turn and look
at the silent river and wait. We know
the current is there, hidden; and there
are comings and goings from miles away
that hold the stillness exactly before us.
What the river says, that is what I say.
William Stafford
WU FENG ROAD
The art and heart work of my beloved Jeanne-ming Brantingham-Hayes.
My Mother's Work
Dr Tayabali's Art
A lifetime selection of Dad's oils, watercolours and pastels...
RECOMMENDED READING
LOVED
Utterly absorbing - the story of kung fu nuns in Nepal, young girls seeking refuge in Burma, this is a feminist tale for modern times.
LOVED
Ann Patchett's memoir of her friendship with the poet Lucy Grealy. I was gripped, and for the first time in the longest time, ignored my protesting eyes and read it in one day. Beautiful.
CAMBRIDGE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER CHRIS BOLAND
Cambridge wedding photographer Chris Boland creates worlds of beauty here.
WHEN PIGLET ASKED POOH
Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. 'Pooh?' he whispered. 'Yes, Piglet?' 'Nothing,' said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. 'I just wanted to be sure of you.'
MONK WALKING
Life waits patiently for true heroes - Thich Nhat Hanh.
MALALA
A HANDBOOK FOR LIVING
in pursuit of a room of my own...
There was a star riding through clouds one night, and I said to the star, 'Consume me' - Virginia Woolf
NECESSARY READING
EATING POETRY by Mark Strand
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth. There is no happiness like mine. I have been eating poetry.
KINDNESS by Naomi Shihab Nye
Before you know what kindness really is, you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment, like salt in a weakened broth.What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness.
Breathing with Thich Nhat Hanh
the war of art
The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.
Have you heard of Somaly Mam? She is Cambodian, survived slavery, and transforms the lives of young girls every moment she lives and breathes.
I keep my guru in my heart, and Gandhi in my head.
Tenzin Tsundue is a Tibetan poet and activist, currently residing in exile, in Dharamsala.
Strengthened by Frida Kahlo
“I leave you my portrait so that you will have my presence all the days and nights that I am away from you.”
Une Envie de Sel
The Unbearable Lightness of being Q... and her family by Maia Chavez Larkin
Blog Like No One's Reading
Agnes'_Pages_, one of my favourite places to travel.
it is only with the heart that one can see rightly
What is essential is invisible to the eye
rumi days
Dr Karen Woo, the softly spoken British humanitarian aid worker, who was killed in Afghanistan last year. She was a dancer for years before realising she could not truly help be a changemaker through ballet.
In Shaista's Library
macK's attic
A place I draw inspiration from. My happy place :)
from Catherine at A Thousand Clapping Hands
Sent when I was at my worst in hospital, this was like a balloon filled with hope :)
Feedjit
A Year With Rilke
Daily readings of the maestro, by Ruth and Lorenzo...
16 comments:
The joy is bouncing off the page in beams of light.
It's great to have a family loving each other! With all the things you have been going through physically, Shaista, this is something no one and nothing can take this away:)
Sorry, forgot to ask if you have seen my new art page (different from my main blog)?
OH yes, just dance. So glad to make a friend who dances most when things are worst. Bless you.
The pics of your lovely family made me smile, Shaista! Keep dancing!
Your beautiful family. All beaming.
You are rich dear girl, very rich, and healthy, strong in all the things that last and matter. I do not worry for you one bit, but fret for the ones around you who watch you suffer.I would bend on my knees and lace up your dancing shoes for you.
Beautiful!
I am on vacation but I came to wish you a Happy American Thanksgiving!
Many Blessings and Hugs to You!
xxO
Kelly
what a blessing ! and i am certain you all know how to cherish every moment and smile. happy thanksgiving! kenza.
love it!! nice pics :)
Shaista you are gorgeous.
What a beautiful family you have.
Your Mom and Dad are both beautiful too.
Love Renee xoxo
First time reading your blog.You are a wonderful, inspirational writer. I am sorry for your illness and truly hope for your recovery.
What gorgeous smiles! More and even greater happiness to you, Shaista.
Like I have told Riz before. I cannot believe that is Irfan. I can still recognise you from what I remember of you guys when you were back in Bombay. But Irfan. Damn...he has changed so much. He could have at least hung on to the braces. :)
Aunty doesn't seem to have aged a bit! Uncle's greyed a little (and so have I...) but looking good.
Riz still 'appears' as skinny as me. :))
Thanksgiving is the lobe of your family. In abundance.
So glad you have that :)
xox
Isabel
Your family looks very happy!
Your radiant smile is as full of joy as Rumi's words which you quote (and which I love) so frequently. I am happy you are surrounded by so much love.
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