A Coffee with Friends
Because life is a journey and we all need a friend.
Travel To Heal The Guilt and Joy In Times of Sadness
I’ve gotta say that our trip to Borneo was not on top of the list for coffee but what we did find was a jewel for tea stops. Unique to Malaysia is the cinnamon lemongrass tea. This amazing creation is delicious, refreshing on ice, and easy to repeat.
Lemongrass Cinnamon Tea
- 1 cinnamon stick crushed
- 1 lemongrass root crushed
- 1 Tbls of white sugar
- 1 cup of boiling water
Serve over ice.
On this quick trip we got to see orangutans in protected and wild environments. It broke our hearts to see so much of their natural habitat replaced by palm trees as far as the eye could see. But, the few moments of intimate interaction with this amazing intelligent creature was priceless. (Speaking of priceless, AirAsia has some amazing deals to fly into Borneo for cheap.)
On this wonderful vacation I got to enjoy my husband and kids, my brother and his family, and my mother. Wonderful times of natural beauty and wonderful people in my life. The interesting part is that I had a feeling of sadness in my heart that held me back from enjoying this moment for all of the beauty Borneo and family had for me. I had recently gone through a difficult season in my life and it seemed the blues followed me wherever I went during these months.
Looking back there are some incredible lessons I learned. First of all, is acceptance. I didn’t feel happy but what made that worse was my own judgment of how I felt. Telling myself that I should feel happy, that I was ungrateful for the blessings in my life, hurt worse then my own sadness. The feeling of guilt we often put over ourselves can often be worse than the pain caused by others. I learned to accept the feeling of sadness that I felt and not judge it. I learned that the feeling of sadness would come and go and would actually leave me more quickly if I would just accept it. I learned that anxiety creeps in if I begin to judge myself for the feelings that I was experiencing.
I left this place knowing that there were glimpses of joy as I watched a mother Orangutan prepare a nest for her baby for the night, as the baby swung branch to branch and enjoyed leaping on the back of her weary mother totally uninterested in the sleeping. And, even as I write those memories down, I can smile knowing that this scene is a gift to me in times of sadness and happiness for years to come.
Healing from The Mountains: Pain from Rejection and Hope For Healing.
A Coffee with Friends 
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