H I POD

Home Street Home.

By: Paul Fitz

Being killed with kindness?

Following the deaths of at least 4 people in a short period of time during early 2016, it seems unfathomable that a tragedy such as this could take place in the 21st century, in such a civilized and loving city.

The real tragedy transpired that the street sleepers actually had the option of accommodation/shelter but chose to stay outside – they chose to...

The passing of your mother is your first sorrow wept without her.

A friend recently found herself in this position when her mother slipped away after a long illness, when her mom was dying, her siblings and herself gathered to be with their mother in her final days. None of them knew anything about supporting someone in the transition out of this life into the next.

While they supported their mum, they were, in turn, supported by a gifted palliative care nurse, Gina, who came ever...

Religion means so little when someone means so much:

I was born & reared on Sandy Row, a loyal Orange Prod;

I stood for good King William, that noble man of God!

My motto - No Surrender! My flag - The Union Jack!

And every Twelfth, I proudly march to Finaghy, and back.

A loyal son of Ulster, a true blue, that was me,

Prepared to fight, prepared to die for faith & liberty.

As well as that, a Linfield man as long as I could mind,

And I had...

This Social Experiment what has it highlighted so far?

Social awareness,

Self esteem,

Substance abuse,

Sleeping rough,

Homelessness,

Mental Health,

Arts cuts,

Bureaucratic challenges,

Recycling,

Ex Servicemen homeless,

Suicide awareness & prevention,

Action verses debate,

Disadvantages of secondary gain,

Power of social media,

Alcohol Abuse,

Primary reason for Western World Epi...

Psychosocial stress

Definition: Psychosocial stress is the result of a cognitive appraisal of what is at stake and what can be done about it. More simply put, psychosocial stress results when we look at a perceived threat in our lives (real or even imagined), and discern that it may require resources we don't have. Examples of psychosocial stress include things like a threat to our social status, social esteem, respect, and/or acceptance within a group; threat to our sel...

Please respect the choice the people behind this have made to protect their identity at the moment, you may or may not know who they are but they choose to stay anomyous at present and we ask you respect that. 

this is my new saying for this year so if i greet you with it you will understand: "I wish you enough!"

I WISH YOU ENOUGH

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter's departure had been announced. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said:"I love you and I wish you enough."The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, t...

I hope that in this year to come, if you happen to make a mistake, learn from it, let yourself off the hook and have another go.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New ...

Two Choices: What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everyt...