Category: All That You Need To Thrive

Fragile strengths

I regularly write in response to something; be it a song, a paragraph in a book or any other text.

Last Sunday, a priest from Ukraine sent me his sermon to listen to via WhatsApp. I had an immediate response to his work and I wrote this almost immediately after listening to his words.

I thought it is worth sharing it with you and I would be thrilled if you could write your feedback on this piece both in terms of your emotional response as well as my writing craft.

Were you also inspired by sermons in your childhood? It is a huge step into psychological integration when we absorb the wisdoms of our religions, I think.

Here’s the text:

I assume today that you need to hear that you are capable of mature reflection, that it’s good to long for reason and normality, that it’s good to give yourself a little oxygen.

I assume today that you haven’t sinned.

That you came here today to free yourself for a moment from the burdens of the day.

Welcome then. I’m glad you came, I’m glad to see you.

Don’t lose yourself in guilt. Understand the weight of your decisions, but don’t lose yourself in guilt.

I assume today that you have not sinned.

Let the pain in your limbs fade. You are here. I appreciate you.

Do not lose yourself in guilt.

That’s it. I hope this helps. x

Text and photography: Alicja Pyszka-Franceschini, 2026. All rights reserved.

They

When angels sing, they love better.

Photo and Thought: Alicja Pyszka-Franceschini

Light and Day

To forgive is to be sharp.

Alicja Pyszka-Franceschini

Breaking something might reveal what’s behind it. Light unobstructed by matter.

-Alicja Pyszka-Franceschini

Photographs and thoughts: Alicja Pyszka-Franceschini, 2025

Gratitude for rest against all odds

Our car of 15 years showed three flashing lights on the dashboard while we travelled to Whitby last Sunday. It displayed them during Summer too when we were driving to Poland from the UK. We got it repaired but the same problem showed. ‘We’ll give it a rest when we get to Whitby. It will cool down and we’ll be able to drive back.’ my husband said. His prediction was right. We returned home safely. One thing to be rather grateful for today.

We travelled to Whitby for air. To feel the sand between our fingers and water on our feet. And to eat fish, of course, an irreplaceable custom of every food lover. We headed towards the beach when we saw a crowd of people returning towards the car park. We seemed to be the only family that walked in the opposite direction. ‘Was everything fine?’ I wondered examining the opened restaurants, stalls, coffee shops and calmly floating boats and yachts. The surrounding was reassuring and the lobsters and crabs painted on restaurant walls seemed to nudge us towards the beach. Who wouldn’t like to see where the crabs live after all?

We rushed to get at least an hour of the golden light at the beach. We passed the crab-fishing family, a man inviting us for a sea trip, new marine centre and just before we reached the beach we had to pause to urgently drop 50p coins into a designated place for overstretched bladders. A relief worth paying for. :)

We collected ourselves and all the 6 bags that we had with us for all the eventualities of the beach life. Just before the stairs we stopped at the viewing platform to see the sea and the beach but the beach was not there to be seen. The frothy waves were licking the sea walls and all the way to the cliff. A spring high tide took over the whole beach. Disappointment was hard to swallow and yet there we were exposed to the sea air, energised by the colours of the sky, caressed by the breeze. Enough to be grateful for. Not to mention the ice-cream and the dinner and a chat with a fisherman… but more on this at a different time.

Take cake. x

Alicja

Take me beyond forgiveness / Zabierz mnie poza przebaczenie (bilingual English-Polish post)

Take me beyond forgiveness
.

POEM

Take me beyond forgiveness
Where love ends all quarrels
And gratitude replenishes hands
Tired of work
For nothing
So it seems…

Take me beyond forgiveness
Where I understand the concept
of a nutrient
without doubting its worth or value
and I clean
and I eat
wisdom for breakfast
and love for dinner.
With you.

QUESTION TO PONDER

If you were to take yourself beyond forgiveness, where would you take yourself?

Who is ‘you’ for you?

What would be on your wisdom plate?

Acknowledgment: I first saw poetry combined with questions in the book 21 Spotkań. These questions lead to individual insight. Click here to see. It was written by Maciej Bennewicz and Katarzyna Zaremba. Both psychologists create poetic dialogues and work with metaphors that aid individual growth and self-understanding. The more humble I become, the more I grow in the appreciation of this approach.

May is a mental health awareness month and I would like to strengthen us all using my talents today in a similar manner. I learnt yesterday that a friend of mine died being only 48. She loved travelling and this blog too. I wish I had still a chance to eat a dinner with her. Travel. Keep on living. x

By engaging in this exercise you are practising these mental skills:

  • self-compassion
  • self-awareness
  • inner peace.

So if you were to take yourself beyond forgiveness, where would you take yourself?

Enjoy it.

POLISH TRANSLATION

WIERSZ

Zabierz mnie poza przebaczenie
Gdzie miłość kończy wszelkie kłótnie
A wdzięczność wypełnia dłonie
Zmęczone pracą
Za darmo
Na to wygląda…

Zabierz mnie poza przebaczenie
Gdzie rozumiem pojęcie
składnika odżywczego
nie wątpiąc w jego znaczenie i wartość
I już teraz sprzątam
i jem
Mądrość na śniadanie
i miłość do obiadu.
Z Tobą.

PYTANIE DO ROZWAŻENIA

Gdybyś miał/miała zabrać siebie poza przebaczenie, dokąd zabrałabyś siebie?

Co by było dla Ciebie mądrością na śniadanie?

Z kim jadłabyś obiad?

Podziękowanie: Po raz pierwszy zetknęłam się z poezją połączoną z pytaniami w książce “21 spotkań”. Te pytania prowadzą do wglądu we właną sprawczość. Kliknij tutaj, aby zopoznać się z książką. Autorami tekstu są Maciej Bennewicz i Katarzyna Zaremba. Obaj psychologowie tworzą poetyckie dialogi i pracują z metaforami, które pomagają w indywidualnym rozwoju i zrozumieniu siebie. Bardzo doceniam to podejście.

Maj jest miesiącem zwiększania świadomości na temat zdrowia psychicznego i chciałbym nas wszystkich wzmocnić, używając moich talentów w podobny sposób. Wczoraj dowiedziałem się, że moja przyjaciółka zmarła mając zaledwie 48 lat. Uwielbiała podróże i ten blog. Chciałbym mieć jeszcze szansę zjeść z nią obiad lub kolację. ”Podróżujcie. Żyjcie dalej.” powiedziałaby dziś. x

Angażując się w to ćwiczenie, ćwiczysz poniższe umiejętności:

  • współczucie dla siebie
  • samoświadomość
  • wewnętrzny spokój.

Warto?

Więc: Gdybyś miał/miała zabrać siebie poza przebaczenie, dokąd zabrałabyś siebie?