Month: June 2025

It is never too early to wish beloved Québec a “Bonne Fête Nationale”! Same for French-Canadians across our wide and beautiful country, including Acadians in the Maritime provinces, a “Bonne Saint-Jean-Baptiste“.

This being said, had singer-songwriter Jean-Pierre Ferland been alive, he would have turned 91 tomorrow. Last year, he was honoured by his colleagues at Montreal’s main “Fête nationale” concert, entitled “Le Grand Spectacle” (https://tinyurl.com/4exrvptc). This year onward, he will be missed greatly at these annual concerts. May his memory be eternal. May inner peace fill the hearts of his spouse, children, and loved ones (including his dog Wallis, https://tinyurl.com/3nc68jpw).

As usual, Bambi’s post ends with music. The chosen piece is “Un peu plus haut“, one of Mr. Ferland’s superb songs, recorded in Paris in 1969 and inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007 (https://tinyurl.com/5ek4un3z). Of note, Ms. Ginette Reno majestically performed “Un peu plus haut” on June 24, 1975 “in front of 250,000 people on Montreal’s Mount Royal” (https://tinyurl.com/5ek4un3z). This concert “was part of the festivities for St-Jean-Baptiste Day and International Women’s Year” (https://tinyurl.com/5ek4un3z).

Long live Québec and Canada’s Francophonie :)!

If you happen to be in Montreal (Québec) on Canada Day, and you are not busy moving out from one apartment into another one (since most residential leases end on June 30th), you might wish to consider joining the “Anti-Canada Day BBQ“. This would be an opportunity for you to celebrate our country’s National Day in a sad and odd way.

This way would be a contrast with Lebanon, Bambi’s birth country. The latter is still struggling to exist in the most basic sovereign way. Yet, when she visited it lately, she attended a university-based public event. The latter started with the Lebanese national anthem to which everyone stood up, from young students to more senior academics, journalists, and the general public. They did it for a few seconds with the utmost respect.

Of note, Lebanon’s past history and present, and most likely its near future, are filled with injustice. Yet its people, especially youth, seem to be keen to preserve their critical thinking, along with a healthy sense of patriotism. They seem to love their country despite all its critical problems.

In contrast to the above, why can’t McGill University’s “Quebec Public Interest Research Group” aspire to maintain the ability to think clearly and to analyze Canada’s shorter history, more objectively? Why should they give their BBQ event an insulting name, namely a so-called “decolonial anti-Canada day” (whatever “decolonial” means and whatever “Palestinian Feminist Collective“means)?

In other terms, how about wisely and radically accepting the following reality: like many other countries grappling with flaws or injustices in their pasts, what can Canada do better in moving forward into the future? What might be some ideas to address the country’s issues and key areas of development?

Mr. Mike Massy is a Lebanon-born singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, film score composer, a celebrity vocal coach, and an actor (https://tinyurl.com/mrxt3nsu). Of note, he played the role of Jesus in a famous French movie, “Jesus de Nazareth à Jerusalem” (2017). Indeed, Mr. Massy is multi-talented and Bambi is a loyal fan.

One of this singer’s recent songs is a classical Arabic poetry written by Mr. Ibn Al-Farid. The music is composed by Mr. Malek el Yaman. The piano and arrangement are by Mr. Tomàs Nine. Violin is by Ms. Lucia Kohan. Bandneon by Mr. Nicolás Velázquez. Double Bass by Mr. Axel Gómez. The song was recorded at Mtt Estudio, thanks to Mr. Manuel Mendez. It was mixed and mastered by Mr. Nestor Basurto in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The cover was designed by Mr. Sayed Karam. The production is by Mr. Malek El Yaman.

Before leaving you with this beautiful song, Bambi will share its original Arabic lyrics, followed by an English translation (taken from YouTube). She hopes you will enjoy it as much as she did. Long live music and love in all its forms ❤️!

زِدْني بفَرْطِ الحُبّ فيك تَحَيُّرا“

وارْحَمْ حشىً بلَظَى هواكَ تسعّرا

وإذا سألتُك أن أراكَ حقيقةً

فاسمَحْ ولا تجعلْ جوابي لن تَرى

يا قلبُ أنتَ وعدْتَني في حُبّهم

صَبراً فحاذرْ أن تَضِيقَ وتَضجرا

إنَّ الغرامَ هوَ الحياةُ فمُتْ بِهِ

صَبّاً فحقّك أن تَموتَ وتُعذرا

قُل لِلّذِينَ تقدَّموا قَبلي ومَن

بَعدي ومَن أضحى لأشجاني يَرَى

عنّي خذوا وبي اقْتدوا

وتحدّثوا بصَبابتي بَينَ الوَرى

ولقد خَلَوْتُ مع الحَبيب وبَيْنَنَا

سِرٌّ أرَقّ منَ النّسيمِ إذا سرى

فَدُهِشْتُ بينَ جمالِهِ وجَلالِهِ

ورأيت كلّ الحُسْنِ فيه مُصَوَّرا

Overwhelm me with Your love, so I’m lost in its flame,

Have mercy on a heart that burns with passion’s name.

And if I dare to ask: “May I behold You, true?”

Then grant me that, and not a “You shall never view.”

O heart, you swore you’d bear their love with grace—

So falter not, nor sigh, nor leave your place.

For love alone is life—so let it take your breath,

Die in its arms, and earn a noble death.

Say to those who came before, and those yet near,

And all who see the sorrows I hold dear:

Take me as your guide, and learn from what I bear,

Speak of my longing—spread it everywhere.

I was alone with the Beloved one still night,

And shared a secret softer than the breeze in flight.

I stood in awe of beauty wrapped in might,

And saw all loveliness in Him unite“.

Bambi’s last day in Lebanon was June 16, 2025.

She made it home safely on June 17, 2025.

Two symbolic dates for her:

June 16th of 1990 was her last day residing in the Middle East. On that day, her family returned in a rush, from Cyprus to Beirut, to pack a few items during one of the civil war’s most intense rounds of violence.

While saying good-bye to her loved ones hiding in the shelters, she imagined the following in her mind: had her life been a book, it would be made of two volumes, one in Lebanon and the other in the far-away peaceful Canada. She was 17 years old at the time.

On the 17th of June 1990, two flights took her family, from Larnaka airport in Cyprus to Mirabel airport in Québec. From there, they drove to Montreal where she spent the first 15 years in what is called “La belle province” of Canada. That was 35 years ago.

In the end her life was not made of two volumes, but rather of four. Indeed, she lived in Beirut in addition to three Canadian provinces: Québec, Ontario, and New Brunswick (in addition to some time spent escaping civil war in Germany, Egypt, and Cyprus, etc.).

Of note, she lived the first 17 years of her life in her birth country, Lebanon, and the last 17 years (starting year18 now) in her most recent adoptive and charming maritime province of New Brunswick.

One thing is sure, Canada has changed a lot over the past 35 years. Same for her birth country. Tragically, what remained constant is the unsafety in the Middle East.

However, today, the level of absurdity of violence has reached exponential levels in the entire region. Countries hating each other. Tribes fearing each other. Kidnapping, ethnic cleansing, massacres, shelling, drones in the skies, missiles between rival countries, and other nations struggling to remain neutral while being in the middle of the fire. Some people fear a third world war. Others estimate that the insanity will not last long.

When it comes to Lebanon, this tiny yet resilient country keeps going from one crisis to the next and from one war to the other. In as much as Bambi is relieved to know that her loved ones there are safe and sound, she worries about them. Today more than ever. Yet, selfishly, she is grateful for Canada for the safe heaven, for all the opportunities, both in her personal and professional lives.

For all the reasons mentioned above, she will end this post by saying: may God/G-d/Allah/No Gods watch over the Middle East, and especially over Lebanon. As for you Canada, thank you… Bambi is proud of calling you home for 35 years now!

“Being a dad is my most important job because it not only affects my children, but their children and many generations to come” (Mr. Mark Dominik, General Manager, Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

Dads come in all shapes and sizes. Same for father figures. They all deserve to be acknowledged, honoured, and loved back.

For whatever reasons, some dads are literally absent (not in their kids’ spirits or dreams). Tragically, others may be dismissive even when physically present in their children’s lives. Yet, sadly, other fathers may be trapped in cycles of domestic violence or exponential levels of narcissistic traits.

Of course, life is a rich journey and death is part of it. So dear readers, maybe your own dad (or father figure?) is in heaven. If so, may his memory be eternal. If not, may you cherish each moment together.

As for your own fatherhood journey (if it applies), some of you may be new dads (hello to the most caring Michael “habibi”!). Some are more senior. Others may be grandfathers too (hola Doudou, “Abouna Elias”, etc.!). Yet others may have played fatherhood roles, including foster and host parenthood, in the most rewarding ways (coucou Luigi!).

This being said, Bambi sends her heart to readers who may have lost a child and to those who experienced a heart-aching grief at any time point of the continuum losses of pregnancy. Same for those who are facing biological or adoptive delays as well as those who do not want to become fathers. To all you, best wishes. Some of you may be uncles (i.e., kinship or not) to beloved kids, without being official dads. Others are uplifting guys to whom younger ones look up to. Some of you may be good spiritual figures. Others may have a big heart and a persistent will to love. Please keep being who you are, our world needs much love.

To all the world’s dads, ESPECIALLY to her most inspiring adorable dad, Antoine [or Antonio :)]: Happy forthcoming Fathers’ Day! Sunday is Canada’s Father’s Day. In Lebanon, this day falls on June 21st, 2025 (thanks again, dear Jessy, for your kind wishes).

Of note, Bambi is blessed to still be in Beirut on Canadian Fathers’ Day. Yes, there is Middle Eastern drama now: yesterday night, it felt surreal to be watching, with her own eyes, missiles flying over Lebanon, on their way from Iran to Israel. All this while sitting next to her dad, in such a nice place, both being surrounded by love. We shared laughter and bites with cherished ones, along with concerns about the escalation and about loved ones trapped abroad (of course, there is also her own planned departure in a couple of days. She just want to peacefully fly out back home on time. Time will tell, if this would be possible then. From the bottom of her heart, she wishes the innocent victims of this Middle Eastern’s current/continuous madness to heal well or… to rest in peace (wherever they are and whomever they are).

The irony of yesterday night’s precious moments of immense joy mixed with war concerns (and sorrow for a recently deceased great dad-friend) reminded Bambi of the the mixed joy and deep grief, along with jet-lag, at her nephew’s most beautiful wedding. At that time her mom’s soul departed to heaven. Antoine, her/their hero of dad/grandfather protected his grandson Michael, daughter, et al. with his legendary stoic attitude, which allowed the celebrations to go on.

At the end of the day, this is is life. It is simple and at times complex, along with its reassuring process of always moving forward, no matter what. It is thus up to us to create the present moment or to capture daily opportunities to love and be mutually loved. Yes, life is truly short, especially in the Middle East. As Bambi’s mom used to say, “what can we do? We do not choose our birth country. It chooses us” (in line with the concept of “radical acceptance” of reality). This is Lebanon in the here and now. This is its neighbourhood in the here and now. If things escalate further or longer, let’s patiently wait for the storm to pass, just like Atlantic Canadians deal with their natural winter storms. May the future be brighter than the current darkness. May the children of the children of all the dads, especially those residing in Lebanon/the Middle East, live a dignified, peaceful life filled with LOVE, the most precious ingredient.

Saint Anthony of Padua was born in Lisbon, Portugal, on June 13, 1231 (https://shorturl.at/Jy3N0). When he was 15 years old, he entered the order of St. Augustine where he studied Augustinian theology for 11 years. Later, he got immersed in Franciscan teaching (https://shorturl.at/McExL).

Notoriously known as “the patron saint of lost objects” (https://shorturl.at/McExL), Saint Anthony helps people find lost objects. You just have to connect with him, and ask him for help, just like you do with a trustworthy friend. At least that was the advice of Bambi’s mother to her children since their childhood.

Maybe, like Bambi, you have wondered why a religious man is specialized in finding lost objects? Well, Saint Anthony of Padua had a valuable book of psalms where he made annotations in the margins. He used this book to teach theology (https://shorturl.at/McExL). A new trainee was suspected of stealing his book on his way out of the Franciscan monastery. Saint Anthony prayed for the return of his highly cherished item. He was relieved when, shortly after, this individual returned the book and even sought his forgiveness (https://shorturl.at/McExL). What a lovely end of the story, isn’t it?

This being said, why is Saint Anthony keen to support us when he does not know us or even know what our lost object means to us? Maybe this cherished item is a gift from a loved one? Maybe it has an emotional value, worth billions of dollars to us? Who knows? maybe it is made of gold, the mot precious of metals? Mind you, a lost object can be a toy or any little thing we play with, even if it not practically needed or cherished. When we are upset or sad because of a lost object,

Regardless, when we are frustrated after loosing an item, Saint Anthony is “our” guy or the man of the situation. We do not have to be Christian, not even Catholic, to benefit from his sweet services :). Of course, in addition to reaching out to him, we must keep physically looking for our lost object (yes an action is required, even with prayer). Ideally, the latter would be done while trying to use our memory to reconstruct the last steps prior to where we suspect we had this object last.

When it comes to the Middle East, since the past decades and especially now, the residents of this beautiful yet highly volatile region have lost their basic needs, namely their sense of dignity, safety, and hope for brighter days. Why don’t their leaders dare to envision peace? For a change, how about wisely working for conflict resolution (not just an application of temporary patches)? Wouldn’t this be more productive than the endless and senseless violence? Like people residing in other parts of the world, don’t Middle-Eastern people deserve to benefit from peaceful co-existence among nations and from enriching exchanges (i.e., economically, scientifically, medically, culturally, and humanly)?

Thus, to conclude this post and if she may, Bambi urges Saint Anthony of Padua to inspire the Middle East to find or create HOPE for a path of dignity, safety, humanity, peace, and of love among individuals from its various nations and tribes.

“Life is beautiful
when love flows through us like a silent river,
softly shaping the shores of our days.
It is beautiful when hearts open,
when we dare to embrace another’s soul,
when we become both the giver and the gift.

Life is beautiful
when we grow—
not in haste, nor in fear—
but like trees reaching patiently toward the sun,
accepting each season,
each fall, each bloom,
as a sacred step in the unfolding.

Life is beautiful
when we find meaning,
not as something waiting at the end of the road,
but as seeds hidden in the cracks of today,
in the smallest acts,
in silent courage,
in quiet kindness.

Life is beautiful
when we are present—
when we touch the fabric of this moment
with our bare hands,
when we drink from the cup of now
as if it were the first sip of life.

And life is most beautiful
when we tremble in awe,
when words dissolve before the vastness,
when we kneel before the mystery that holds us—
in the stars,
in the birth of a child,
in the silence between heartbeats.

It is not answers we seek,
but the sacred wonder that keeps us alive,
the breathless recognition:
To be here.
To love.
To grow.
To mean.
To behold.

This—this is the beauty”.

—

Creating beauty and meaning: The inspiring world of Chawki Hitti [Créer de la beauté et du sens: L’univers inspirant de Chawki Hitti]

What makes life beautiful?

Today has been declared by God knows whom “Making Life Beautiful Day” (https://shorturl.at/ZhgSe). Regardless of the stated meaning of this day, Bambi hopes that life has been good to you lately.

Who knows? Maybe you are happier now because someone made you smile, feel supported, or valued. Maybe you had a lovely day with your loved ones? Or maybe you took the time to appreciate nature’s beauty?

She does know about your own “Making Life Beautiful Day“, but today Bambi met a certain Rana randomly. The latter is a very sweet, competent, and generous Lebanese lady. Indeed, just because Rana appreciates Bambi’s sister, she insisted on offering her a free-of-charge session of professional nail polish application. As Bambi likes it, she used two colours (i.e., blue and yellow), but with a novel creative combination. Many thanks and bless her.

Beyond this specific story of sweetness, if Lebanon is beautiful, it is precisely because of the KIND faces, voices, and behaviours of its many Ranas as well as Ahmeds, Tonys, Farids, Carlas, etc. Indeed, the people of Lebanon remind Bambi of the kindness of Canadians from the Maritime provinces in addition to their legendary hospitality.

Of course, Lebanon is also beautiful with its high mountains, valleys, villages, beaches, sunrises, and sunsets. In addition to its natural beauty, Lebanon is sadly a place of corruption, illegal weapons, crimes, impunity, and much uncertainty. Yet, its people keep smiling and creating ways to be generous, despite the financial adversity or war cruelty.

Bambi thanks the reader who kindly shared a brief, beautiful interview chat with Mr. Leon Saad. The latter is an American citizen of Lebanese origins. Mr. Saad happens to be of Jewish heritage and, like Bambi, he was born in Beirut. They both share the same love for Lebanon and for humanity.

What does friendship mean to you in this season of your life?

Whom do you (still) call “best friend” and why?

Regardless of this person or the relationship between the two of you, a best friend is simply someone you—or your heart—have selected to be part of your life. In other terms, it is your chosen family.

For a friendship to blossom, there must be key basic ingredients, which could be mixed In infinitely unique ways: affection (or love), respect, honesty, faithfulness, transparency, empathy/support, and trust. A genuine, healthy friendship requires mutuality. As needed, it might also require a will to forgive and/or seek forgiveness.

However, forgiveness requires the ability to acknowledge when we make mistakes or hurt our friend. Like any other relationship, friendships require work; neither emotional laziness, nor toxic pride (arrogance). This means the following: direct communication, compromises as needed, and a mutual will to nurture the friendship in order to keep growing together.

Bearing the above thoughts in mind, and adding your own insights, are you being a good best friend to your so-called “best friend”? How can you celebrate this friendship; not only today (https://shorturl.at/YQnQx), but in persistent and truly mutual ways?