If “Peace” were a place, where would it be?

/ Denise / Leave a comment

You know the feeling – it’s the moment when your body physically relaxes, sometimes without warning. Your mind stills, sometimes floats away. You become one with your surroundings and nothing, but nothing, can put you in a bad mood. The moment is surreal, your body warms, your heart smiles, there is a beauty around you that you’ve never noticed before, and you don’t ever want to leave.

Interestingly, for most people, that peaceful place lives in a dream – it’s far away and you’ve never been there before. We tend to look beyond, instead of around. We keep this place in our dreams, instead of bringing it to life.

Personally, I love places that seem untouched by man. Places that lure you in to the depth of their being – a mysterious place filled with wonder. It’s an empty beach with a lone palm tree beckoning you to lay there, relax, watching the waves gently caress the shore. It’s the rugged coast line with danger looming with every explosive sound of the water pounding against the rocks. It’s the flower gently swaying in the breeze, awakened by the early morning sun. It’s the sun dropping from the sky ever so slowly at first, then quickly sinking to rise again on the other side of the world, leaving behind a sky painted with the most amazing hues of orange, pink and blue.

Some people find peace within themselves, and luckily, can take the moment with them wherever they go. We all long for peace. We actively seek it. Not all of us attain it.

If “Peace” were a place, where would it be, and will you be there to enjoy it.

Christmas – The Pastel Story

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Pastels are a Christmas staple borrowed from our Venezuelan neighbours. It’s a process that only a troop of dedicated persons can entertain and endure. Our kids think it’s an important part of the Christmas celebrations which cannot be dismissed. No home made pastels? Are you mad?

They are 3 and 4 years old and making corn balls, the treks to Paramin to get the treasured banana leaves, the ritual ‘quailing’ of said leaves, cutting strips of twine to wrap the pastels, oily hands, eating un-cooked corn balls, stealing the olives, Granny makes her ponche de creme, eyes are crying as the onions are cut, the leaves are being wiped, simply fun in their eyes, but as far as the adults are concerned, it’s cheap labour. Another tradition in the making. “When are we making pastels – ok then we can’t go to the beach”. Another important date on their calendar.

Tradition adds to a journey – it brings stability to life – it encourages learning, it’s the root of bonding. It is part of who you are.

May your journey be filled with tiny traditions – may you forever be close to your roots.

Christmas Lunch

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True Trinis understand the importance of Christmas Lunch. Generally food is our core. Whenever we get together be it for a birthday, anniversary or some small success in life, we eat, we drink and we be merry. Far less for Christmas. We focus on making sure that all of our foodie pleasures are fulfilled.

Christmas lunch therefore is an important element of our celebrations. All family members are invited, are expected to attend no matter what time and no matter how many. We eat, we celebrate, we enjoy each other’s company. It’s truly the most integral part of the Christmas celebrations. It’s the time we get the family together, to bond.

There is laughter, memories, story telling and sometimes, believe it or not, introductions. The family grows, prospers and benefits. Once per year there are no exceptions, no excuses. We get together to celebrate the essence of Christmas – family.

May your family grow together in Christ.

Christmas traditions – the Novena

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Once upon a time, my very good friend shared her Latin childhood tradition of re-enacting the birth of Christ through song. Our kids were just about able to read and she purchased a book entitled “The First Christmas” that they could follow. It was a great way of instilling in our kids the real meaning of Christmas amidst all the noise and clatter of Santa Claus, buying gifts and the general hustle and bustle that has now become synonymous with Christmas celebrations.

As our kids have grown, we still hear the eternal question – “When is the novena Mum” with great anticipation in their voice as this date would determine their Christmas itinerary. What began as a simple get together and reminder to our kids of the true meaning of Christmas, has turned into a landmark tradition for our small group of friends. Over the years we’ve extended the tradition to include friends and family, always with the focus of keeping Christ in Christmas.

The kids still read, the adults still sing, we laugh, we share, we bond. May our friendship and our tradition transcend life’s trials and tribulations. May our kids always keep the real meaning of Christmas at the heart of their celebrations.

God bless you my very good friend, Yvette.

Christmas – My favourite time of year

/ Denise / 1 Comment

I know many many people feel the same way. And we know why. The happiness, the caring, the sharing, the giving and receiving – togetherness of family and friends. It’s a crazy busy time when we try to pull everything together in one fell swoop. We want everything in its rightful place – the perfect setting, the perfect food, the perfect gift for that perfect person. We give so much of ourselves in the preparation and in the execution. Nothing is too much to do. We revel in the company of family and friends we have not seen for a while and even those we see every day. We miss those who are not there to share the moment with us and we call friends we haven’t spoken to for the entire year.

What is it about Christmas that brings everyone together like this regardless of their religious belief. This overflowing of love has no boundaries. And where does it all go immediately after Christmas Day has passed. Rather than bemoan this, maybe we should just be grateful that at least once a year, we make the effort. The effort to be kind, the effort to share, to remember, to empathize, to think of others. Or maybe we should, with each passing year, try to extend the Christmas joy as they call it, to just one more week, one more month.

This Christmas I tried to document through pictures, the moments I look forward to the most, hoping that when I need a little pick me up, I can look back, remember, and with a smile on my face continue to revel and hopefully share the Christmas spirit.

My wish for you is God’s continued blessings in all you do.

 

The other best time of day

/ Denise / 1 Comment

Ever since I can remember, the one thing in life which always gets me to make a double take is a sunset.  Fortunately for me I live on a spot which I can truly say boasts of one of the best sunsets ever. Well, at least it boasts of a sunset every day of life.  Whenever I’d come home on an afternoon after work, I’d call out to my boys – “You’re missing out” and without fail they would run outside to see what they were missing out on.  Always it was simply the sheer beauty of the end of another day.

And each day it was different.  A huge sun ball in the sky, the brightly lit sky in its varying shades of orange.  The white lights behind the dark clouds, the changing colours after the sun has sunk behind the horizon.  And the favourite sight of all – the green flash as the sun disappears into the ocean.  Well that’s a rarity and may just depend on the amount of wine sipped at the end of the day.

As they grew older, the scampering feet would diminish, as they knew what they were missing out on, and no longer thought it a treat.  Still I would saunter down to the end of my property and take in the view.  Marveling at the beauty of nature, the security in knowing that the sunset would always be there and the serenity, peace and calm that it brings.

As they grew older still, my boys now share in the moment with me.  And that is truly the best time of day.  Stationed in a time of silent discussion, surrounded by a beauty that only nature can create, knowing that tomorrow we can do it all over again. Same view, same sense of calm, same sunset.

 

The best time of day

/ Denise / 1 Comment

Most of us would agree that getting up late on a morning is one of life’s greatest pleasures. You feel as if the world is at your beck and call. You own the day, everything and everyone  is just waiting on you to decide what to do.  Well I’m not so sure. I don’t usually suffer with FOMO (fear of missing out) but when one early morning you jump in your car and make a journey that you’ve made for over two years at varying times of the day and you suddenly feel as if you’re making this journey for the first time, you can’t help but feel as if you’ve missed out on so much for so long.

There’s a great sense of peace emanating from the earth almost as if it’s waking up from its own slumber. You are the only person around and you feel as if you own the moment.  The silence is calming and reassuring almost as if preparing you for something great. The rising mist slowly unveils a world you’ve seen so many times before but somehow, the newness of the day gives it a promise that makes you want it to last forever.  You know it won’t but still you beg it to stay.

The silly grin on your face only disappears when another car honks at you to move on.  But it soon returns because you’ve just witnessed what could be the best time of day. The start, the promise, the adventure.

Do yourself a favour. Wake up early, go outside, open your eyes, your mind, your heart. Embrace the moment and let the beauty in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morning Morning…

/ Denise / 2 Comments

For the past how many years, I’ve been jogging the savannah and environs, with my head down checking my step so that I don’t trip and fall (which by the way, has happened on occasion). My mind is always focussed on something else, somewhere else, solving some issue in my life, or that of others, to the extent that I miss almost everything around me.

Recently I’ve had to change my daily schedule because of work commitments and began jogging early in the morning before sunrise. Jogging in the morning presents a totally different perspective. It’s dark when I start which makes me super aware of my surroundings and the people around me. You begin to raise your head in the first instance for safety, and then when you realise the charm, the beauty and the excitement around you, you keep your head up not wanting to miss out on anything.

The first thing that struck me was the simple fact that you wanted to greet everyone you passed. At first “Good Morning” received severally different responses. Sometimes a grunt, sometimes a suspicious stare, but most times, especially from the more senior gentlemen, a sincere “Morning, Morning” and even a “Morning my Lady”. After just a few days, the return greetings increased considerably and I had made some “morning” friends. One guy almost always seeming to extend his arms with the hope of receiving a “morning” hug as well.

Needless to say, with my head up, I began to smile more, participate more and generally enjoy my run from a more holisitc point of view.

You “meet” so many people. The older gentleman holding his hand’s wife on one side and the leash of his dog on the other (not sure what that symbolises). The animated faces of the three ladies catching up on the gossip while working off those unwanted pounds. The young boy panting and gasping as if he’s about to have his last breath (makes me laugh actually). The father and son making their way up Lady Chancellor hill – son on bike, father in tow.

You also begin to appreciate the beauty around you. The gentle breeze that cools you as you wake up your muscles from their slumber and the views that greet you, every time, without fail, at every turn, each one deserving of a mental picture.

I’ve promised myself to raise my head just a little bit more. It’s amazing how much better the day turns out.

In my own backyard

/ Denise / 2 Comments

One of the many travellers we met while in Aussie remarked very casually that he’d travelled through Europe visiting what was deemed some of the most beautiful places in the world. Only now to realize that, while touring his own Northern Territory, some of the most beautiful places in the world exist “in my own backyard”, he boasted. That remark made me smile and think of my own backyard.

We have Blanchisseuse, a small coastal village just one hour’s drive from the capital. Blanchisseuse boasts of a rugged coast with simple serene beaches, a rainforest whose varied flora and fauna comforts and shades you as you amble along its winding and hilly path luring you further and further along the north coast. A fishing village whose boat launching and docking system will bamboozle the most learned, and a people who will warm your heart with their down-to-earth and simple approach to life.

The cool breeze is always there to caress you and the sunsets never disappoint.

Enjoy the pics

Macaws in the wild
View from Turtle Rock
Single island on a beach
Mossed rocks on the beach
The end of a great journey
Pelican Show

Sydney, Beautiful Sydney

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If I have to live in winter, I’ll choose Sydney – beautiful sunny days with cool air-condition weather. Actually, if I have to live in Spring, Summer or Fall, I’d still choose Sydney. It’s a no brainer actually.

Sydney is the best of all worlds. On the ocean where beautiful beaches abound, the big city life playing with the pleasures of beautifully landscaped national parks lining the coast. You can be in complete serenity gazing at the horizon or in the hustle and bustle of things shopping to your heart’s content. You can travel by train, car, bicycle or ferry with the assurance of everything working as it should and the confidence that you will be safe anywhere and everywhere. At all times surrounded by a people who enjoy life, respect others and cherish their environment.

Your entertainment can range from a relaxing day at the beach – a choice of a multitude of beaches all with white sand and ocean blue waters – a delightful glass of wine or coffee at a side walk cafe – a delectable choice of meals at well appointed or very rustic restaurants – bar hopping at its best – or simply a stay at home meal enjoying the company of your boys and girls.

I’ve fallen in love with this city – quite unexpectedly.

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We will see each other again.