Feel As Free As A Bird!

Red kites swooping down for their daily feed at #Gigrin Farm, Rhayer, photo by Teresa O'Driscoll

Hello there, 
In my last post I mentioned the book of verse, #Escaped As A Bird, from patients at the #Oshima Leprosy Hospital in Japan. I quoted a poem relating to Christmas. Reading my Bible the other day I was surprised to discover the book’s unusual title in a line of a Psalm. Since the content of the book was written by members of the Christian Poetry Club at the hospital I suppose it was not surprising.

The title, in the context of the whole Psalm, is so very revealing. It gives an insight into the whole picture of the experience of the people, who, because of an illness were forced by the State, between 1907 and 1996, to leave family and home and live in isolation on a small island: Oshima. Their choice of title and Psalm clearly shows their faith in God.

Psalm 124

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,

let Israel now say –
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us.
Then over us would have gone the raging waters.

Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
We have escaped as a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken and we have escaped!

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

In 2001 a Japanese court ruled that the policy of segregating suffers of leprosy – otherwise known as Hansen’s disease - was unconstitutional and should have been discontinued after effective multidrug therapies were made widely available by the end of the 1950s.

For more info and lots of photos of Oshima I recommend an article: Oshima, the Forbidden Island, by David Billa. He has documented his visit to the island – where he met some of the people still living there – with lots of photos as well as some powerful observations.

Please follow this link: https://setouchiexplorer.com/oshima-forbidden-island/

Wishing you love and blessings.

Teresa x

PS I hope you like the photo of the red kites which I took when watching feeding time from a hide at #Gigrin Farm in Wales. See: http://www.gigrin.co.uk
  

 PPS Don't forget to take a look at my other blogs:  http://teresaodriscoll.blogspot.co.uk/  and http://teresaodriscolldeardiary.blogspot.com/

Plus my website:  http://www.teresaodriscoll.co.uk   for further inspiration!

And then there is my book: 9 Days to Heaven, How to make everlasting meaning of your life - which is a practical guide to joyful living!   You can see the book trailer by clicking on this link:  http://youtu.be/154luv8KMns

NEWS NEWS NEWS

My debut novel, Angel at the Paradise Hotel is now published internationally!

Take a look inside Angel at the Paradise Hotel or order here.

What's the novel about?

When tourism transforms a fishing village on the green and beautiful Greek island of Corfu, old hatred, envy and greed threaten to tear the community apart. Behind the scenes, personal demons fuel division while guardian angels battle to neutralize their influence.

"Angel at the Paradise Hotel is an inspiring, touching and moving novel for the ages, generating faith, optimism, and, above all, hope. A very enjoyable read, which I highly recommend!" Georges N. Chamchoum, Emmy and multiple award-winning film director and producer

Here's another link to check out the book now: 

PUTTING ON A BRAVE FACE - How to cope when things are tough

Hello dear friend,
Thank you so much for stopping by!

Are you going through a bad time but trying to cover up your distress? Join the club! A few days ago I updated my website Dear Diary. Then I managed to track down an AWOL blog site  http://teresaodriscolldeardiary.blogspot.com – It’s where I archive previous website posts but Blogger changed things and unlinked it from this blog.  

When I glanced at the last couple of entries. My jaw dropped. ‘Oh,’ I muttered. They were upbeat and informative. While my latest post was rather lackluster – though I assure you I had tried.
           
But I admit that I just dashed something off because I realized it was ages since I’d posted. But clearly the grief of losing my Mum only weeks before Christmas is still reverberating.
            
Sometimes I catch an unexpected glimpse of myself in a mirror and am startled by the deadness in my eyes.
            
Don’t get me wrong. I know that I was blessed to have my mum for as long as I did. And I still have my dad. A number of my friends have lost both their parents, and a few of those did so when their parents were young. Also, some friends are coping with other losses, and other trials too…
            
But you know the saying that goes something like: ‘I felt sorry for myself because I didn’t have any shoes until I met a man who didn’t have feet.’ Well, over the years, when in a trying time, I have thought about that to see if it helped. And though it did a little, fact was my pain was my pain for that time. Sometimes we just need to accept that until the worst passes.  
          
I know that some of you are in your pain at this time – that’s life isn’t it? Up and down. Please know that I am sending you blessings. And if you want to share anything just get in touch.

Meantime, please find below some of my coping strategies. I hope they are of help.

Love and light

Teresa

P.S. Please check back again soon as I plan to start posting regularly again.

   5 steps to get you through a testing time

1) Exercise: Get out in the fresh air as much as you can - walk, cycle, jog, or swim. Or do a workout at the gym, take a class in dance, spinning, yoga, Pilates; whatever.

2) Look around: When you are out and about take an active interest in your surroundings. Glance up at the sky, the top of a building, a tree, a bird in flight, people passing by… You get my drift I’m sure.

3) Try going Low-GI: The less a food is processed, the harder the body needs to work to digest it, which means you get natural slow-released energy. So opt for lots of wholegrains, fruits and veggies.

4) Make goals: At the start of the day write down 5 things you want to accomplish. Small or great a goal achieved is satisfying.

5) Count blessing: At the end of the day write down 5 things you are thankful for. Close your eyes and really feel how lucky you are. []

 PPS Don't forget to take a look at my other blogs:  http://teresaodriscoll.blogspot.co.uk/  and http://teresaodriscolldeardiary.blogspot.com/

Plus my website:  http://www.teresaodriscoll.co.uk   for further inspiration!

Then there is my book: 9 Days to Heaven, How to make everlasting meaning of your life - which is a practical guide to joyful living!   You can see the book trailer by clicking on this link:  http://youtu.be/154luv8KMns

NEWS NEWS NEWS

My debut novel, Angel at the Paradise Hotel is now published internationally!

Take a look inside Angel at the Paradise Hotel or order here.

What's the novel about?

When tourism transforms a fishing village on the green and beautiful Greek island of Corfu, old hatred, envy and greed threaten to tear the community apart. Behind the scenes, personal demons fuel division while guardian angels battle to neutralize their influence.

"Angel at the Paradise Hotel is an inspiring, touching and moving novel for the ages, generating faith, optimism, and, above all, hope. A very enjoyable read, which I highly recommend!" Georges N. Chamchoum, Emmy and multiple award-winning film director and producer

Here's another link to check out the book now: 

Inspiring you to: © Be the Best You Can Be! MBS

Hello dear friend,
Thank you for stopping by. I hope you are well!

Ah, March - the perfect month to make a fresh start to your life! When Spring is adding zest to the very air we breathe you can choose to go that extra mile. But how? What? Here is a suggestion: You could simply opt for a change of attitude to a more positive one that serves you better. This switch is a great way to grow - to develop your whole being.

"Developing the self is the most fun thing you can do in life. It's a spontaneous experience of joy."
      #Dr Deepak Chopra

Personal growth is a choice. Actually, if you think about it, our life is made up of the sum of all our choices up to this moment. Hmm. That may set your mind on the path of: Well, when I made one choice such and such happened and it's working well   /  but when I made another choice I didn't like what happened and it seems like I'm stuck with it now. The great thing is that if we are not happy with some of our choices... we may well be able to choose again!

"You've got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice."
      #Steven D Woodhull


Admittedly, change is not always an easy thing. However, choosing to change, to grow, is the first and most crucial step towards making it happen.

"That definite decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."
      #Ralph Waldo Emerson


A lesson in avoiding criticism
Okay, let's get specific by looking at one very common problem: Criticism. Being on the receiving end of criticism can be a very painful experience.

Do you attract a lot of criticism? If you do, using the following Blossom Tool could change that.

Blossom Tool
Stop criticising... yourself!

When you stop criticising yourself and start choosing more supportive thoughts you will stop attracting criticism from others. (Wow! What a lot of heartache and aggravation that will save.) This is because people's behaviour towards us tends to mirror our own.

Choosing to put aside criticism will take you a giant step towards your best self. Choose to: Be the Best You Can Be!

PS Don't forget to take a look at my other blogs:  http://teresaodriscoll.blogspot.co.uk/  and http://teresaodriscolldeardiary.blogspot.com/

Plus my website:  http://www.teresaodriscoll.co.uk   for further inspiration!

Then there is my book: 9 Days to Heaven, How to make everlasting meaning of your life - which is a practical guide to joyful living!   You can see the book trailer by clicking on this link:  http://youtu.be/154luv8KMns

NEWS NEWS NEWS

My debut novel, Angel at the Paradise Hotel is now published internationally!

Take a look inside Angel at the Paradise Hotel or order here.

What's the novel about?

When tourism transforms a fishing village on the green and beautiful Greek island of Corfu, old hatred, envy and greed threaten to tear the community apart. Behind the scenes, personal demons fuel division while guardian angels battle to neutralize their influence.

"Angel at the Paradise Hotel is an inspiring, touching and moving novel for the ages, generating faith, optimism, and, above all, hope. A very enjoyable read, which I highly recommend!" Georges N. Chamchoum, Emmy and multiple award-winning film director and producer

Here's another link to check out the book now: