Monday, July 31, 2006

War poem

We build up barricades
who knows when this war ends

we keep on hurting ourselves
does anybody recall why we're fighting for?

Can anybody ever win a war?
It changes lives
it breaks hearts
it tears families apart

Look at a wounded soldier
his scars may heal
but can his broken soul heal, too?

we keep on hurting each other
does anybody recall what this war was for?

Another day
another soldier passed away
another day
another civilian died
another mother has tears in her eyes

Does any leader ever ask:
does this ever end?
does this ever end?
does this ever end?
Maybe
maybe not
it's not their hands which get covered with blood

Does anybody want peace on Earth?
Is it too late...
God, I hope not
I put my hands together and pray
"Let there be a day when all this madness ends
let there be a day when we all can live in peace
and be friends"

Maybe there'll come a day when all the hatred ends

When the smoke from all the killing clears
Hope remains

This is a poem I just wrote. I dedicate this poem to the Finnish United Nations Military Observer who passed away in Lebanon last week. May he rest in peace.

My uncle used to work as a UN Military Observer, so this is a matter close to home. It could have been him...

Quote of the Day

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
(Herm Albright)

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Attitude

Isn't it funny how we put others into categories within seconds after meething them?

You know, 'that's a bad boy, she's a good girl...' and so on and never really let these people define themselves to us. Naturally, every now and then life brings together two different people and makes them look at each other and face these boundaries and break them.

Now, it doesn't take long to guess that others place me into 'good girl' category. I suppose they're right. I haven't done anything that bad in my life and I sailed through my teenage years without shouting 'I HATE YOU!' to my parents.

But, perhaps, it would have been better, if I had rebelled... Instead, I kept the anger inside, hated the world inside my head and heart, wallowed in sarcasm and irony and wished that somehow I'd be loved. Well, that didn't happen. I hated confrontations and I was scared every time my mother raised her voice. I dreamed about suicide and wished that one day I could show to those kids who bullied me in scholl that I'm stronger, I'm a survivor.

Now, when I look back at those days, I can talk and write about them without crying. Actually, I can look back like I was recalling somebody else's life. In a way I am, I have changed so much. I am stronger these days.

I know now that it's all about the attitude. I was a tender, emotionally fragile child and those with problems saw that and picked me as their target. If I had had the emotional stregth some others born with, I would have simply said "Fuck off!" and that would have been the end of it. But, naturally, I didn't.

Similarly, when my strong mother critisized me, I closed down and wanted to die instead of telling her exactly what I thought about her "good" advices and tone of voice. If I had been stronger, I would have simply ignored what she said. But no, I was not like that growing up!

I have tried to understand that when did I quit trusting in my own opinions when I was a kid? Was it in third grade? Whas it when I was 5? Earlier? I don't know. I do know that in some point I closed down, suffered alone, and wished that somebody would notice and help me out. Instead, I was bullied in school and at home, and I wanted to vanish.

Perhaps it is weird that I walk down the memory lane and try to figure all these things out. I'm in the stage in which I'm supposed to go through all these things, so that I can look at the future with an open, positive mind. I love myself now, I accept myself now and I've forgiven myself for all the wrongs I've done to myself over the years.

I've decided to embrace the woman I am and be the one I am, at all times. I know it won't be simple and easy always, but I can't ignore myself and my own wishes anymore. I believe that one purpose of CH is to make sure that I take good care of myself. I've spent too many years poisoning my mind and body and it's time to put that into past for good, stand on my own two feet, and welcome the world to see who I really am.

The truth is that I can love others, but I have to be true to just myself (if you know what I mean). Nobody else will be on my side 24/7, just me. I know myself, my ideals, my dreams, my heart's wishes. I have to follow my own road and see where it takes me. I respect others' opinions, but I cannot follow their advices unless my own heart and mind tell me that I should indeed to that. In the end, I'm my own best friend.

Thought of the Day

It's good to have dreams
but is it bad if they change?

Sunday, July 23, 2006

What love is

Most of my life I've been trying to figure out one huge mystery.

Love.

Most of us what one thing: love. To love and to be loved in return.

There was a time when I yearned to love and to be loved. When I thought that I knew what the thing called love is.

But now, seven months within the most serious relationship I've ever had, I realised that back then when I "knew" I really had no idea. Well, perhaps that's too harsh... I was looking at love, but I saw only the surface. Now, little by little, I'm getting to see more and more of what it truly is, the inside.

What love is, then?
Now, where do I begin...? Love is so many things; that's nothing new. During the last 5 days I've been looking at love and it has nothing to do with taking, but giving and getting in return while giving. I suppose I could say that I simply opened my heart and love walked in.

Love is... a butterly on your hand.
Love is... when a bunch of strangers welcome you into their family.
Love is... to walk on the sand on a sunny day with the man you love
Love is... hold your lovedone's hand when he has tears in his eyes
Love is... to sit next to a baby and his mother on a car journey
Love is... to walk on a small island and listen how someone you love shares his dreams
Love is... to look a baby owl and wish you could hold it
Love is... to eat a muse soup after many years and feel many memories feel alive
Love is... to feel your father alive, wathing you although you know that he has been gone nearly a decade
Love is... to meet the new people with an open heart
Love is... to look at pictures of people you haven't met yet and think of them as Family

That's what love is. And many other wonderful things I can't think of right now. There are too many to add...

Helsinki City Girl

We just love to put the people we meet into these cute little boxes, don't we?

Oh, you know what I mean. 'This one has red hair, this one has blue eyes, this one is from Helsinki...' And nothing makes me happier than break down these boundaries most of us make.

You see, I got spend 5 days at a beautiful island with 3 other people, 2 horses, 4 dogs, one owl, million insects and hundrets of trees and plants. Apparently, my host & hostis, my boyfriend's aunt and uncle, who are close to him indeed, had little predjudice towards me. And why? Because I'm a Helsinki City Girl.

Well, they're right. I was born and raised in Helsinki, Finland's beautiful capital. But, unlike some Finns living in the capital, I have spent loads of time in the rural countryside. Yes, I have been feeding cows, helping making hay and weed the vegetable patch at my uncle's farm. Yes, I have been fishing with my father for hours. So fish bone don't scare me.

Naturally, not every 26-year-old woman from the capital knows as much things about the countryside as I do. There's a heart of a country woman inside this city woman. My dad is from Viitasaari, a city locaded in Middle-Finland and my mother is from Tervo. Both of them have grown far away from Helsinki, so they brought me up with old country values they had been brought up with.

I must admit... when summertime comes, I sometimes walk down on the memory lane to those days when my uncle still had cows at his farm and that when they were still making hay... It was fun to run to feed the calves with my cousins at 6am, sit on the top of the high hay truck and wish that I will not fall down... Those were the colden days. =)

Well, my ability to find happiness in tiny things has not vanished anywere. One of the best moments from the 5 days at the island comes from the 30 minutes, when a tiny butterfly with blue wings sat down on my finger, palm and hand. Just thinking about it makes me smile. What a blessing from God! And, what makes the moment even better is, that I had said to my boyfriend just moments earlier that how wonderful it would be if a butterfly would sit on my shoulder! It didn't take a long time for one to fulfill the wish; first one sat on my boyfriend's hand, then at mine.

Life is full of wonderful, little miracles. We just have to open our eyes, look around and we'll see them. =)

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Quote of the Day

"What ever traces you leave in my life
they're all very welcome"
(Timo Suutarinen)

On the road soon

Summer is crazy time.

Especially this summer! It seems that I'm at home for just a day or two and then off to somewhere again... But it's fine. I can rest, relax and sleep when the fall comes. Just kidding!

I'm packing my backbag once again. Tomorrow morning (well 11.45am...) I'm taking off to visit the place my boyfriend treasures the most: his aunt's summer cottage. I've seen some pictures from the place and heard even more stories about it. It will be exciting to see that place with my very own eyes. After all, he has already seen the place I treasure the most, my family's summer cottage.

So for the next 5 days I'm out of here. I know that many people build these days these modern summer cottages with internet access, but this one isn't one of them. And to be honest, I prefer it that way. It will be relaxing to spend few days away from everything...

Getting from place A to B can be bit of an adventure when you don't have a car. This time the journey will be on a bus; we have to switch bus at Viitasaari (which is, interestingly, the same city where my summer cottage is!). Still we're already at Pielavesi around 3pm, so it's not too bad. And I'm the one who loves to travel! (Yes, you can hear from my mouth: can we drive some more? After one has already spent 4 hours in a car that day...)

On Sunday we're off to another city, Kiuruvesi. We'll meet there a lot of new people, all of them related to my boyfriend. Exciting or nerve-breaking? I'm going for exciting. I think it's wonderful that they will meet up to remember special lady, my boyfriend's grandmother, who would have turned 100 this year if she were still with us.

Summer 2007 means another convention for my clusterfamily. This time the family will meet up at Richmond, Virginia. And chey, I want to go! More than almost anything. I actually checked last night that getting to Richmond from Helsinki, Finland, would mean taking (according to expedia.co.uk) three flights (Helsinki-London, London-New York, New York-Richmond) and about 18 hours later I'd be there. Now that would be one adventure! =)

I do hope that it happends... Naturally, it's too soon to tell, but a woman can always hope, dream, plan - and start saving some money.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Almost related

Life is full of happy, joyful occasions. This afternoon I got to attend one of them: christening.

My boyfriend's sister and her husband arranged a lovely christening for their first-born, adorable baby boy, who got the name Touko Petteri today. And my boyfriend is happy godfather now. =)

This christening was truly an exclusive one, all the guests were the baby's close family; parents, grandparents, parents's siblings and their families. Baby's father's sister-in-law had brought 3 of her closeones with her, the baby's father's best friend was also there and then there was me, The New Girl, The Girlfriend, The Possible Bride.

To be honest, I wasn't least of bit nervous before this event. I'm not sure why; I mean, it's so like me to be nervous before events like these. But I wasn't. Althought I knew what was waiting for me: meething my boyfriend's father and about 30 others, who are so close to my boyfriend that he considers them to be part of his family (although they are his brother-in-law's family).

Everytime one attends a family event like that, it's pretty sure that one is bound to hear personal questions asked and personal life comments made. Well, this party was nothing different. Few mentioned, that the next baby christened would be me & my boyfriend's, that the next party the bunch would attend must be our engagement party, that we must get married at the very same church we went to at our first date...

There was a time when comments like these would have made me feel uneasy or even embarassed, but not this time, not today. I was totally onboard. Sure, we're not engaged, not planning our wedding or starting a family of our own just yet, but I can still joke about all of those things. When people mention those things, they don't mean any harm. They say those things out loud, because it's what family does. You talk, you laugh, you tease. It's the way it goes, no matter how you're related exactly.

When people invite you into their life and family, it's always an honour. A blessing. And these days there are a lot of people in my life. Loads, in fact. Now, I'm not a superwoman, so I didn't learn everybody's names, but I know most of the names. But more than that, I felt happy and warmly welcomed. That was great.

Now, week from today, I'll be meeting lots of more new people. This time they are my boyfriend's blood relatives, his aunts, uncles and cousins. It will be wonderful to see his relatives and learn more about him via them. Can't wait! And I can't wait to introduce him to my relatives, too...

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Family values

I'm a woman you could call as "family woman".

My family is important to me. I love spending time with them. And no wonder; I have 6 families to be with.

Yes, I have the family from my mother's side. I have the family from my father's side.
Then there's the family made of friends and family made of family friends. Then there are my boyfriends closeones. Last, but certainly not least, is my cluster family.

I feel blessed to have these people in my life. Some of them make me laugh, some made me cry. But they have touched my life in many ways and made it richer.

Cluster connection

The world seems a lot smaller place, when you have friends all over it. And I do. And not only friends, but family members I'm yet to meet.

Naturally I'm talking about my Cluster Family. The wonderful bunch of people who share the pain with me. Today I got meet one of them in person and his wife and daughter.

It was amazing! I have believed in "cluster connection" for a long time, but yup, I'm convinced. It relly, truly exists. And I have lots of nice pictures to remember this fun day by. I'll add few when Photopucket lets me.

It's great that I got to meet Paul, Eveliina and Kaisa on the same week than other clusterheads meet up in Milwaukee, in a convention arranged by OUCH. This is truly a clusterweek!

Quote of the Day

"Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons."
(Ruth Ann Schabacker)

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Staying Up

It's official: I have stayed up for 24 hours.

Why? Because I just couldn't stop thinking. I just had to read one book. I just had to write down lots of new thoughts about my life. So there.

I didn't exactly plan to stay up, oh no. I inteded to go to sleep, but that just didn't happen. I did brush my teeth, wash my face, wore my nightie... but too bad, my head was buzzing with excitement! So sleep didn't stand a chance.

Besides, this was the first time I've stayed up the whole night. I'm 26, about time! (I do have a vague recollection about staying up cleaning my room back in my London days in 2001, but because I'm not 100 per cent sure, I don't count it.) And what a night I had!

I discovered lots of new things about myself. Yup, I did some growing up. Some wounds were healed, some new plans were made. It was amazing.

I do know that I will be paying for it later on. I will probably fall asleep when my boyfriends comes over later on, but I don't worry about it now. I had a great time and that is all which matters right now.