joy

Friends: 3 characteristics of a good friend

A friendship can strike up quickly between you and another person or it may grow over time.  Both are valid approaches to establishing a friendship.  At some point you will realise they are important to you.  Your relationship may display many of these characteristics;

  • challenge you making the relationship exciting and fun.
  • stay with you through the good times and the sad times.
  • supportive of each other – your hopes, desires and fears.

Often conversation bounces backwards and forwards between you with each of you listening and giving a considered reply.  Good friends love you and can feel as comfortable as an old pair of slippers!

You feel able to ask them for their help and they are there for you if your world comes tumbling down. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Feeling sad when everyone else is happy?

Sadness often goes hand-in-hand with loneliness. You can feel lonely in an unhappy relationship, family or city. Humans are tribal by nature so loneliness is the hardest of conditions. I experienced loneliness as a widow in my 40s. With two children life was very busy but inside I had an aching loneliness. I count my blessings that I fell in love again and my husband came with a large, boisterous and loving family.

Over Christmas and the New Year festivities many of us have enjoyed time with friends and family – even if there were some irritations along the way. Sadly many have spent this time alone. Or a person who normally lives alone, who has spent time with people, is now faced with going home to a lonely life. How daunting is that? read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Christmas is nearly here: feeling panicky?

Sadly preparation for Christmas can send many people into a panic. All those presents to find for the people most important to you in your life. How will you find something that brings joy, sends your love and shares some truths on life and living.

Don’t make it hard for yourself. Help is at hand. 

Here are a few inexpensive books that make great presents for those who are curious about life. Be the person to ignite your loved ones curiosity and help them to achieve a greater awareness of who they really are. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Rumi’s Reflections: Alison Wem’s Journal – Day 12

Everyone is overridden by

thoughts; that’s why

they have so much

heartache and sorrow.

Jalal al-Din Rumi

Having a strong intellect and the ability to reason things through is valued in society. Yet I observe the pressure the school system puts on our young people to ever obtain higher grades. I do wonder if we are robbing them of their childhood. It should be full of natural curiosity and discovery. Yet there is little time at school or perhaps at home to allow this to happen.

As a child, I enjoyed lovely days of ‘messing around in the garden or park’ looking at flowers, plants and insects, building camps and playing with water. Are children still able to regularly do this and come into bed tired and dirty? read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Needing some extra love?

Feeling in the need of an extra hug and some love?

The perceived wisdom is that you should be able to love yourself and not have to rely on someone else to provide the love in our life. I find this hard or perhaps I lack the imagination to know how to love myself. So I will let you into my secret on how to boost the love in your life.

When I was training as a medium, our teacher asked her students to feel the love attached to some cards she had received from friends and family and to read the messages, When someone sends you a card their love attaches to it and arrives with card on your door mat. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Secrets of understanding yourself

From my earliest years I happily chatted to someone inside of me not knowing who they were. Knowing no difference, I assumed everybody else did too. Many children do the same until they are seven when the practice seems to fade. I was a sickly child and spent much of my time in bed. A simple cold would send me to bed for a week to wait for my immune system to kick in. Bored and a little lonely, I kept my practice of chatting to my internal friend going throughout my growing up and into my adult years. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Women: Do Christmas with the minimum fuss

The approach to Christmas can be a challenging time. Women are often the main organiser of school costumes for nativities, other social events, presents, and the food preparation for the day. Of course this is on top of normal daily activities. It is not a wonder many women are tense over the pre-Christmas period. Do you recognise the scenario?

However there are things women can do to help themselves. Lets look at some tips for the woman of the house…..

Tip #1  Stay calm – remember that the people coming on Christmas Day are friends and family. The day is not a test, they love you. Everything does not have to be perfect, only you want that.  Do not be afraid to delegate tasks. read more

By Alison Wem, ago