There are some people in life with whom I share a strong bond with, defying time, geography, and sometimes age difference. Not having brothers and sisters to turn to, these soul siblings are the pillars that hold me up and keep me going, and whenever I have the privilege of experiencing the gift of time, I savour every minute of it.
The weather has turned absolutely dreadful in Berlin since Friday evening. The Summer extension that we experienced the past 10 days ended abruptly, and the temperatures dropped rather rudely from 24c to 14c, and this morning it was 4c.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Autumn has arrived.
As I write this, the first traces of daybreak are appearing in the horizon, my cats are confused as to why we are up in the middle of the night, and why they got served breakfast at this ungodly hour, although they instinctively know that it is time to get up. It doesn’t mean they (or even I) have to like it.
When I am alone, I wrap my hands around a hot mug of coffee, but when I have guests who will share a pot of tea with me, I know my soul is in for some pampering. And this is exactly what I was given: a weekend with soul siblings who are back in Berlin for a brief visit. We don’t often get the chance to chill together, but now that our children have grown up and (almost all) moved out, we find ourselves in situations where we are able (or have been forced) to focus on rebuilding our lives and re-charting our life journeys. This was a welcome break from all the turbulence of uprooting and rebuilding, or closing chapters and starting new ones, of farewells and concerns of changing family tides. It was a luxurious personal time that involved nothing more than food and conversation. To me it has been a weekend almost comparable to a retreat, allowing the soul to breathe in the company of those you trust and cherish by sharing stories, catch up, and unravel certain mysteries that have haunted us in one way or another.
Monday mornings are usually a drag, and my cats are always disappointed to see me leave after having been pampered over the weekend. This morning, Cherry in particular is happy to see me leave, considering the long and tedious brushing she was given yesterday, as we worked through several knots in her fur! As for me, I feel as though I have fulfilled my therapy homework of re-charging the soul. Solitude and sadness were not invited.
FrogDiva Thoughts 
Dear Tess, your writing is so beautiful! Thanks especially for your view on “soul-meetings”. To me too, retracing our paths of the past can help with building the future ones. I wish you all the best for that! Sabine
There are moments in life that cannot be explained, but they have a purpose. We may not always understand it then, but the truth always reveals itself further along the journey. Thank you for your thoughts