Ek is dankbaar ….

(To my American friends — Happy Thanksgiving – now further in Afrikaans)

Gister by die werk het ek ‘n e-pos gekry wat vertel van ‘n kolega wie se pa in ‘n rooftog dood is.  Die rooftog het by sy huis plaas gevind.  Ek ken die persoon wat dood is van geen kant en die kolega ken ek net van werk. 

Wat my wel tref is die invloed wat dit op my gehad het, en nogsteeds het en dit sluit aan by my vorige inskrywing.  Ek besef opnuut hoe my probleme absoluut niks is teenoor wat ander mense in die lewe mee worstel nie.  Ek kla omdat ek depressief op ‘n Sondagmiddag raak omdat ek vervelig is.  Intussen is daar ander mense wat treur omdat geliefdes en vriende van hulle weggeneem word.

Gisteraand het ek my voorgeneem dat ek die lewe verder gaan ingaan met ‘n nuwe uitkyk.  Ek gaan nie toelaat dat negatiewieteit, swartgalligheid en top oor klein dingetjies my lewe reageer nie.

Ek het opnuut besef hoe kosbaar en waardevol mens se tyd saam met vriende en vriendinne is. Die lewe is kort en as ons nie elke oomblik kosbaar maak nie dan verloor ons dit.  Tyd is iets wat ons nooit weer kan oor he nie.  En die dag as daai spesiale vriend of vriendin nie meer daar is nie dan is mens spyt oor al die dinge wat mens nie saam gedoen het nie.

Die somer is op hande.  Gryp elke oomblik aan om so veel as moontlik tyd te spandeer met die mense en dinge wat kosbaar is vir jou.  Ek gaan dit doen

Vandag is ek opnuut dankbaar vir:

  • 2 wonderlike kinders (Seun het vandag sy laaste matriek eksamen geskryf)
  • spesialle vriende/vriendinne met wie ek dinge kan deel (Dankie R – jy weet wie jy is)
  • goeie werk (kan nie veel se nie maar hou die pers volgende week dop)
  • plek om te bly
  • finansieel goed genoeg om redelik goed te lewe
  • my gesondheid
  • en so baie ander klein dingetjies.

Ek dink ook vandag aan ander wat:

  • nie kos het om te eet nie
  • iewers op straat moet slaap
  • met een of ander sieke worstel – (Alida ek dink aan jou)
  • nie vriende/vriendinne het nie

En om af te sluit is ek dankbaar om in so ‘n wonderlike plek soos Kaapstad te bly.

Click on image to see more at deviantART 

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Hoekom is Sondae so anders en depressief?

Dis hoog tyd dat ek iets in Afrikaans skryf en aangesien dit Sondag is wil ek bietjie filofiseer oor Sondae.  Omdat hierdie in Afrikaans is, verskoon maar die spelfoute aangesien ek nie ‘n Afrikaanse “spellchecker” het nie .. julle is welkom om my te korrigeer.

Om terug te kom na my vraag.  Weet nie van julle nie maar Sondae is nie een van my gunsteling dae nie.  Die oggende is nog ok, met die dat mens kerk toe gaan, by ‘n winkel in hardloop en dan reg maak vir middagete (in my geval meestal alleen).  Dis Sondagmiddae wat my onder kry. Dis amper asof daar ‘n wolk van depressie oor dit hang.  Mens wil nie by ander mense gaan kuier nie want jy is bang jy maak inbreuk op hul rusdag.  Baie keer wil ander mense jou net eenvoudig ook nie sien nie want hulle is in dieselfde bootjie as jy en wil net alleen gelos word.  Ek is ook nie een wat sommer ‘n SMS (Sondag Middag Slapie) vang nie so wat nou gemaak?

As ek so na my vriende en vriendinne om my kyk, kry ek die gevoel ek is nie alleen nie.  Is hierdie iets wat net met ons enkellopendes gebeur?  Wat doen mens om daaruit te kom?

Miskien moet ek die Sondagmiddag Depressie Klub (SMDK) stig! Wat doen so ‘n klub om sy lede te ondersteun?  Miskien is daar alreeds so ‘n klub … hmmm baie vrae maar geen antwoorde.

Ek het hierdie iewers op die web gekry en dit weerspieel nogal hoe ek partykeer voel op Sondae!!

Opmerkings, raad en sommer enigiets is meer as welkom, los kommentaar.

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Budget day in South Africa

Yesterday was budget day here in South Africa.  First surplus budget (this probably mean that the income will be more than what the goverment plan to spend). 

From first glance it seems to be a very balanced budget.  Lot of money going to education which is a good thing and even more needs to be done. Our future in this country depend of good education and we (meaning us and the government) need to do everything to make sure each and every kid in this country gets the best education possible.  What I realy would like to see done is that educational expences become tax deductable.

Glad to see that tax on pension funds is abolished.  We as ordinary citizens will get a bit of tax relieve.  Companies will get some and then obviously some money for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Now lets hope that the money that Trevor gave out get to where they suppose to go and not into the pockets of some corrupt government official.

Some links:

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Out with the old, in with the new

Happy New Year to all and may 2007 be everything you want.

But it is also time to look back at 2006.  What a year I had — if anybody told me at the beginning of 2006 that I would end the year working for IBM, I would have laughed at them.  How wrong would I have been.

2006 was a good and stressful year. For the most part of it we had to keep under wraps the negotiations between Safmarine and IBM .. it was only in the latter part of the year it became public knowledge.  Then all the serious work started to move all the people and work over to IBM .. what a stressful period and this is going to keep us still busy for months to come.

On the personal front .. I am healthy and cannot complain.  My kids are young adults (almost) and makes this father very proud.  I started playing golf again and bought a new car.

Onto 2007 … I am not one for resolutions since we seldom stick to it.  Not because we do not want to but because life is so unpredictable that it usually take us in different directions.  I have one simple resolution .. try to stop working 50 hour weeks and spend more time on seeing our beautiful country and spend time with friends.

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What is our purpose in life?

This question has probably been ask by a lot of people and I would think that each of us would have a different answer to this question depending on our circumstances in life.

I have been pondering about this for a while. I have been battling to find employment for the past 2 years and wonders everyday why did I land in this situation. What have I done do deserve this? Why is everyday such a battle?

Are we put on this earth to just worry about ourselves? To make as much money as possible, to accumulate as much earthly things as possible?

I cannot say that I am an overly religious person. Yes, I do believe in God and I do believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. Over the last couple of weeks after I was invited to a church service by some friends I came to the conclusion that what I though was my purpose in life was totally wrong. We are here for 5 simple things:

  1. Bring God glory by worshiping him
  2. Bring God glory by loving other believers
  3. Bring God glory by becoming like Christ
  4. Bring God glory by serving others with our gifts
  5. Bring God glory by telling others about him

I am doing a 40 day session with a group of friends based on the book by Rick Warren called The Purpose Driven Life. It ask the simple question — What on earth am I here for?

We are now 9 days down the road and I must say that it is truly life-changing. Things that were important before just are not any more. Where a couple of weeks ago I was on the edge of a cliff I now look forward to getting up in the morning. Life is still a struggle but I now have the knowledge that if I do everything to worship God then there will be solutions to all my problems.