December 12 is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. For Catholics living in North, Central and South America, the legend of the Mexican Virgin Mary who appeared to Juan Diego has been part of everyone´s faith since 1531. I certainly grew up with it, and my parents adopted a special devotion to Nuestra
Author: FrogDiva
Maybe it is because I grew up in colourful countries and and lived most of my life among cultures where colour plays a major role in daily life, but what makes winter in Europe incredibly depressingis the fact that most people choose to wear dark blue, dark grey or black jackets and overcoats. For the
If Santa were allowed to have some fun on Christmas and were let loose around the German Christmas markets for some mulled wine (Glühwein), he would indeed end up doing the pole dance on one of Berlin’s numerous old-fashioned street lamps, especially if he visited all 80 Christmas markets in the city! Christmas in Germany
Every day is ChristmasWhen you have the kind of mind,That stores up all the goodnessAnd the sweetness it can find.When you don’t need an occasion,To spread a bit of cheer,But just keep on a-giving,Of yourself throughout the year. Every day is Christmas,With a gaily wrapped surprise,When you’ve learnedTo see the friendship,In someone else’s eyes.When you
The other day I wrote briefly about rising from the rubble, rebuilding my life, my self, and parts of my soul. One of the most powerful poems of Dr. Maya Angelou has been a guiding light throughout this process, and it is not the first time I share it here. Nevertheless, I sometimes need to
This is a recurring blog entry of mine that I tweak every year. Have you been naughty or nice this year? Did you earn a gold coin or a lump of coal? The German-speaking parts of Europe all celebrate the feast of Saint Nicholas today and instead of coal or gold in the shoes left outside, children
Translation: Rhetorical question: IF I go ahead and transfer the contents of the open tin of cat food into a tupperware and place it it in the fridge, and IF I forget to label it, and IF my husband makes himself a sandwich with it because he believed it to be pate… and IF he
For those of us who have lost a dear one at some point or another, the holidays are the most difficult to get through. I still can´t get over how much I miss my parents each Christmas, and it has already been three years. But this year, there is somebody else I miss terribly: Champagne.
Nothing about life is easy, especially when the going gets tough. There are, however, endless ways of coping. My favourite method is meditation and silence, but failing that I resort to aroma therapy. Whilst some indulge in retail therapy, drugs or alcohol to transport their souls to a better place, I need my comfort scents.
My shoulder is absolutely killing me today after a Sunday of hauling Christmas decorations up from the basement and decorating the apartment. I had to grin in amusement when I ran into my neighbour who was doing the exact same thing, and we agreed that this was our fitness hour. She had it worse than
