Slowly But Steady

Bit by bit it seems like things are in progress now. Well.... I could not expect a booming start and frankly I think that would not even be good. Since I just recently started I have to 'grow into it".
Today I got a very nice and supportive email that I would like to share with you. It was written in Dutch so I translated it into English. And yes, I kept hte personal thing to myself to 'protect' the sender.
By the way, you know I do have another blogsite? if not: Here's the link: I Have A Voice

Hello Frans,

I've read book titled Kalapati and would like to respond. I think it's a great book and I want sincerely compliment you with it. You deserve a big compliment, especially for your openness and honesty.

I must tell you that your book me a lot done. Firstly, because I have some things myself I recognize in you. We both needed a lot of time and effort to be in harmony with ourselves.

I see similarities between us, but also differences. And very important to me is the contact with your family. I understand that you had good contact with your parents, but not with your sisters and your brother. I suspect that this will largely have entered your decision to live in the Philippines (and continue to). Now I want to expand on your book. A couple of points:

I felt very touched by what you said about your .... and I can easily imagine that you are so desperate that you see no other way out. The fact that you did not "succeed" is of course nice since after that you managed to build a good life. You write on p. 61 (at least as I read it), that making notes about what you are doing and experiencing was a "survival strategy". It is about dealing with emotions, including mood swings. I also experienced this myself.

Another point is the beautiful imagery you apply. Very striking and appealing.

Something that hit me too is that although you live primarily to and for yourself, you also have a need for respect, appreciation and recognition from others.

Nice, as you write about Willie. I noticed that just like me, becoming older and the "something" to do with / learn from your experiences made you more “mature" for a real relationship.

I hope that you and Willie go well. I wish you all the best and who knows we have contact, be it by email.

Best regards,

Peter.