Bambi's Thoughts
Mr. Joe Raggi, thank you for your wise words: “The state must decide on war and peace”.
May Lebanon succeed in becoming a truly sovereign country. May it be free from any foreign interference. May it be free from occupations while being liberated from illegal activities of all militias.
Good luck to the Land of the Cedars!
With love, Bambi thanks her friend Diana for sharing nature’s beauty in her photos and videos. May she keep being filled with peace, joy, and hope with each sunset in her life.
Dear Salome, this post is meant for you because it is your big day.
Although it is hard to find words to express all the love and gratitude, Bambi will say the following: “Dank u well” for who you are. Thank you also for what you mean to both Louis 💙 and Bambi 💙. A pure joy and a blessing to have you in their lives as well as in Bambi’s blog.
Over the years, you have contributed beautiful pictures of nature that have inspired several posts. You also wrote heart-warming words, on this blog and in real letters, that Bambi will forever cherish.
You, Bente, and your entire family, are a gift in our life and a treasure of friendship. You are our Dutch family who lives in our hearts, here in Canada.
Bravo for all that you have accomplished throughout your life and especially lately. May you have a rewarding year in so many ways!
To conclude this post, Bambi did not manage to take good pictures of two deer she just saw in their backyard. She tried to capture the beauty to share it with you. Nevertheless, she will end with three pictures she took from a nearby place that you will most likely recognize.
Happy birthday, Salome! Have fun :)!
Bambi just learned while reading the Montreal Gazette as well as the Canadian Jewish News (https://tinyurl.com/ypd6xbnc; ; https://tinyurl.com/mrxff9pe) the following: “Daniel Bercovici filed the lawsuit in Quebec Superior Court over his Sept.14, 2025, arrest at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal event, where he displayed an Israeli flag in support of the Israel Premier Tech cycling team. The team had attracted anti-Israel demonstrators protesting the participation of Israeli athletes, part of a coordinated series of demonstrations worldwide”. It seems that, Mr. Bercovici was arrested, with an unmeasured force, while expressing his citizen right, waving the flag of a country he likes (i.e. Israel).
Whether one is fan of Israel or not, why was this citizen arrested with an unmeasured force? Why was he arrested at all? Is it because the police is afraid of the larger demonstrating, hostile crowd? Instead of calming everyone fairly, they target individuals who are deemed less dangerous?
Why can some citizens wave a Palestinian flag and others cannot wave an Israeli flag? We are in Québec/Canada, for God’s sake. We are not in the Middle East when countries are occupying each other, when they do not use each other as proxies, and people from different tribes or nations, on each side of eternal conflicts, are expected to keep hating each other endlessly.
Bambi is too excited to wait until midnight. How could she remain patient when it is almost Bente’s birthday?! And soon after it will be Salome’s. How cool.
Bente, Louis and Bambi love you from the bottom of their hearts 💚💚. They love your family beyond words.They wish you a wonderful day, week, month, and year ahead. They remain grateful for all the blessings you have brought into their lives while thanking you for being who you are and who you have become.
Enjoy each present moment of every day. Keep enjoying life while making things happen.
Recently, Mr Trump lifted “decades-old restrictions on flights between Lebanon and the US” (https://tinyurl.com/ykcpu4ea). However two days ago, the U.S. Department of State maintained a “Level 4 warning: “Do not travel to Lebanon for any reason. U.S. citizens are at risk due to civil unrest, crime, terrorism, risk of wrongful detention, kidnapping, and limited health facilities” (https://tinyurl.com/3jkd397y). From the Ocober 23, 2026 updated travel warning to the Land of Cedars, we can learn that the USA has reduced its staff at the American embassy in Beirut due to safety concerns.
Now, please take a look a the at the first piece of contradiction with the lifted ban mentioned above, dear readers. Do you also see the contradiction like Bambi? So, which official information should we trust as “Americans and other travelers”, including all those mentioned below?
Both Americans and Canadians of Lebanese heritage have dreamed of direct flights to Beirut, for over four decades now, for both convenience and economic reasons.
Indeed, there seems to be a current petition circulating from out of Halifax, lobbying hard with the Canadian Parliament to follow the USA in lifting its ban to Lebanon, just like the USA did (https://tinyurl.com/4m2hyhej).
Without wanting to devalue the enthusiasm of the Lebanese-Canadian community requesting the ban removal (1000+ citizens have signed the petition), Bambi thanks the Canadian authorities for being more careful than our American neighbours with this matter.
Had this petition circulated 2-3 years earlier, and surely before, Bambi would have most likely happily signed it. Today, she looks at the Middle East, and especially her birth country, with even more caution. She does not trust it… yet. Nor does she trust the judgment of Mr. Trump’s administration on this matter, especially given all the apparent contradictions… at least for now.
This being said, of course, she would be happy to be wrong because all what matters is the safety of all passengers, the prosperity of Lebanon, and the good economic interests of Canada. However, in case of approved direct flights from Canada to Beirut, Bambi may perhaps wait for a longer time before trying any flight. In other terms, she may still decide to stop in a European capital on her way, despite the hassle of extra security time at airports or likely higher costs.
To conclude this post, may all armed conflicts stop. May peace and prosperity prevail everywhere, and especially in Lebanon ❤️.
Bambi thanks the dear friend/reader who informed her about the tragedy in Jordan. About 150-200 mourners gathering in and outside of a Greek Orthodox church, called Saint George, went through minutes of hell that left seven of them dead and 40 wounded. About 3-4 gunmen opened fire at them and at their church in a rare terrorist attack against this Christian minority in Jordan (https://tinyurl.com/2js4rf79).
Can you imagine, dear readers, the state of vulnerability that these mourners were in at the start of the funeral service of their loved one? A few minutes later, the senseless attack took place. What a trauma.
Regardless of the country, location, and the innocent targets, it is both heartbreaking and unacceptable to become victims of hatred and of extremism, anywhere and especially in a place of worship and at a funeral.
For Bambi, a Jordanian “Saint George” Greek Orthodox church makes her think of the church of her late parents in Beirut, which happens to also be called Saint George. Of note, when she re-visited it with her family, after years in Canada, she was surprised to see a few Lebanese soldiers on guard near its entrance. The current Jordan-based horror story is precisely what was being prevented in Beirut during Sunday services and on bigger feasts.
May the memory of all those who died in Jordan today be eternal. May God know how to comfort the wounded mourners while healing the hearts and souls of those who hopelessly faced this traumatic event. Same for all Jordanians who are loving people and who reject violence and value their unity.
As for the criminals who committed this absurdity, there is nothing that could be said beyond the following: may justice be served for the sake of accountability and to protect people. May God forgive the terrorists for the blindness of their hearts and the darkness of their souls.
Dear readers, did you know that today is the National Colour Day (https://tinyurl.com/24cv3t7j)?
Bambi has no clue who came up with this idea. Regardless, it is beautiful coincidence because she spent part of the afternoon reading about colour perception.
This brief post comes with a question for you: do you have a preferred colour? If you wish, please feel free to share either on this blog or more privately.
If you need a reminder about some of the available options, you may wish to listen to a cute YouTube song, which teaches us the names of colours in both Arabic and English :).
Long live all the colours of our beautiful world!
Bambi is working late now while listening to several radio stations from La Belle Province. This is how she learned about what happened in Québec city yesterday: a politician of Palestinian-Lebanese origins, called Ms. Ruba Ghazal, waved the Palestinian kefieh during her swearing-in ceremony at the National Assembly in Québec city. This moment happened during a so-called spontaneous gesture of affection toward a peer.
How odd it is, for Bambi, to hear about this story from out of her beloved Québec. The online pictures seem to show a moment of clear lack of judgment by a talented Québec Solidaire politician.
Of note, Ms. Ghazal was publicly criticized for her gesture by a large percentage of the internet readers and radio listeners (many Québeckers were shocked to the point of signing a petition asking her to resign over her gesture). To defend herself, Ms. Ghazal described her spontaneous action as being “intuitive”. For her, “intuition comes before politics” (https://tinyurl.com/mzb85yru). Bambi also read that this politician said that she is “100% Palestinian and 100% Québecker”.
Regarding the above maths, had Bambi still been a Québec resident, she would have personally preferred to vote for a politician who seems to put Québec’s and Québeckers’ interests first, that is before any international cause or any birth country. Bambi is saying this despite her compassion for all those suffering abroad, including the Palestinians or people of her own birth country. She is saying this also despite her appreciation of Ms. Ghazal’s hard work and successful/inspiring career of public service.
Stated differently, it is the least to expect Québec politicians to respect the National Assembly’s democratic traditions. Plus, Québec must come first, that is before BOTH Palestine and Israel. Before Lebanon and before any other foreign symbol or flag.
Clearly, Bambi is not an expert in politics. However, she agrees with a Québec-based radio commentator called Mr. Jerôme Laundry. He raised a clever question: How would we have reacted had one of the Québec politicians waved the Israeli flag at the National Assembly? would that be acceptable? For Bambi, the answer is clear: no to any foreign symbol, including the Cedars of Lebanon.
Of note, Québec Solidaire has chosen to endorse the Palestinian cause in a very activist way. It is its right, as a political party. If this endorsement is sincere, bravo for the political convictions and platform. Why not? However, at the National Asssembly and especially during a swearing-in ceremony, there is no place for neither a Palestinian kefieh nor an Israeli flag. Québec’s interests, along with its pressing problems, should be the focus of attention. Period.
To conclude this post, congratulations and best wishes to the new government of Québec. Good luck also to the opposition. Most importantly, long live Québec’s institutions and democracy!
Diplomatic and political solutions to problems require continued efforts, especially when matters are complex on the ground.
Bambi does not know about you, dear readers, but she clearly prefers political agreements, with a longer vision of peace and prosperity, to endless wars and armed conflicts.
One might wonder about the promise of the talks between Lebanon and Israel with all the challenges on the ground (https://tinyurl.com/35hm2fz4).
Regardless, we cannot solve problems without naming them and without talking with each other to try to fix them.
Open channels of communication are necessary to build both trust and hope, one baby step at a time.
The innocent populations of both Lebanon and Israel deserve safety, peace of mind, and hopefully peace one day.
May wars stop. May beloved Lebanon be safe and sovereign. May peace prevail in all the hearts and on the ground. May only love have the final word in the entire Middle East.
