Audrey’s Blog on living well with disability and breast cancer

A poem by Wendy a Caring Connections Coach What is it like to be a caring connections coach? It’s about caring and sharing a new approach Learning from others in a creative way Drawing and poetry brightened my day ♥ Skills and techniques To enable us to care About ourselves and others Laying our  souls bare ♥ We connect in a  human way ♥ What matters to me? What keeps me well? Family nature and love , Having purpose and goals Flying free like a dove ♥ We check in ,  we laugh Sometimes we cry . We show compassion We’re human  and authentic  that’s why ♥ We listen, we practice We listen louder We notice, we feel Audrey's getting prouder ♥ We're mindful, we’re compassionate It’s nothing new But its powerful, it’s transforming Both me and you ♥ It's only the beginning As  we start to grow Where will this jour ney take us? What seeds will we  sow? ♥ Compassion and kindness  are  in our DNA Li

My first quiet Sunday for sometime I found myself heading off to a Contact tea organised by Contact the Elderly. I wasn't sure what to expect as the invite came following a blog I had written on loneliness. Why not come along to one of our teas and see what we do, they asked and so I did. The venue was at Aegon who were hosting this event and several staff members were there to act as hosts, as well as two children who greeted us all very cheerfully. There was a quiet hum of conversation as people arrived which got steadily louder as people took their seats. The room of round tables and beautiful white table cloths ( mm very posh was the comment) was bright with sun and looked over to trees in bloom; a lovely setting for a blustery Sunday in May. The tables were loaded with neatly cut sandwiches and beautiful cakes to enjoy. I can't eat wheat and hadn't made that known so it was my lot to admire and envy. But really it wasn't about the food at all.