Anna Beatrix's Page

This time of year I love to look back on all the blessings I’ve received throughout the year  - a very enriching and humbling experience. Early this year, I was introduced to the 29-gifts challenge and I am sometimes overawed by the totality of this experience since then.

• I have learned at last that the answer to finding real meaning in life is actually quite simple – focus outward instead of on myself; the more I give, the more joyful and meaningful my existence
• When…

I have a cousin who lives about an hour's drive from me and who is quite ill in bed. She doesn't have much in terms of posessions and her life hasn't been easy. I went to visit her the other day and when I left she lent me a dvd to watch at home at my leisure. Now, this dvd was one of the few she owned and she attached great value to it - in fact, everyone knew not to ask to borrow it. It contained a wonderful local TV series in our home language that had been screened quite a number of…

Tuesday was day 29 of round 3 of daily conscious giving for me. I've automatically moved on to round 4 because this has become a way of life. I remain thankful to my friend Elizabeth who introduced me to this life-altering concept. Looking back on the past few months I am overawed by the gifts I have received in the process - I know I have grown in compassion, I cannot but love so many people I encounter even casually and I sense that they feel it too, I've become much more patient (although…

There is this street child with the crooked matchstick legs. He often shuffles from car to car at this specific intersection,  miming hunger. I keep a few fruit-and-nuts bars handy to have something to give to beggars. Usually when I hand him one, he mumbles something like thanks. His face remains completely expressionless. I've seen him only once with shoes on and now that it is winter time, he does wear a jacket. It is known that these child beggars have "pimps" and supposedly it makes…