This post is dedicated to the memory of the dad of Bambi’s childhood friend.
His funeral took place today and it is hard to say good-bye across the miles.
Mr. Sabbagha raised a beautiful family! Bambi is blessed to have a friend (or rather a brother) like his son since age 13. So many great memories together, from the Lebanese Red Cross, to immigration to our beautiful Canada, one to Ontario and the other to Québec. Then vice versa. Bambi had the chance to spend some time with Mr. Sabbagha in all places. He was a man of dignity, integrity, and devoted love to his family. May his memory be eternal…
Upon his return to his birth country more recently, he experienced Lebanon’s sagas one crisis to the other. The financial crash. the pandemic. The Beirut explosion that destroyed his neighbourhood. The political deadlock, etc. He faced all this with the same dignity he always had. When it was his time to leave our world, he went with serenity. May he rest in peace and may his children (and grand-children) find increased peace in their hearts with every passing day.
To conclude this post with a musical note honouring Mr. Sabbagha, here is a song by Ms. Céline Dion to her dad… Bambi dedicates it to her friend and to his siblings.
One of Bambi’s friends called to check on her as she kindly often does since February 22, 2021 at the abrupt start of the cancel culture saga that has targeted not just academic freedom, through Bambi, but spread beyond to attack freedom of expression in our universities and society in general.
Bambi’s ongoing saga took exponential levels, as she
is now suspended from her job without pay, based on false accusations and
clichés about her blog. Make no mistake. Today, it is Bambi’s turn. Tomorrow, it
may be yours. No one is immune, not even those resorting to this dangerous game
as it can backfire one day on them too. Is this where we want our workplaces, province
and country to be today, tomorrow… and in 5, 10, and 20 years from now?
When chatting about the start of this sad story, Bambi’s friend asked her if she recalls that old Lebanese saying that goes like that: “When the cow falls, many butchers run at her at once” (each one wanting a piece, so to speak). She almost forgot about it with time, but what does it mean? It means that some may just watch the cow that fell down in silence (perhaps indifferent, perhaps paralyzed by fear). Yet others will kindly offer their kind support or advice. Yet others (these are the “butchers” in the saying) will come forward to add fuel to the fire of agony or resort to threats of violence. Others can shamelessly resort to, and/or use, false accusations about the cow to justify the killing of the cow. To expand this image to human behaviour during a situation of mobbing or attempt to cancel, some can enjoy their senseless aggressive move.
Luckily for the cow, she remains zen and even happy, despite
any ordeal, thanks to a good life lesson from Socrates. Indeed, the cow has
learned from Socrates, or rather from her philosophy high school teacher’s lessons
about the famous “Know thyself” expression. When we know ourselves, we
know whom we are as human beings (i.e., our respect of others, compassion, and care).
In other terms, we know our values and we stand by them. We know how we always
treat everyone. We also know well how others should treat us in return (with
respect!). No butcher in life will tell the cow that she is this or that… to silence
her voice. Even if the whole world is filled with butchers repeating clichés and/or
fabricating stories that never took place, the cow remains dignified in the face
of unjust adversity in life. Easy for her because she knows the truth about whom
she is and she remains forever committed to freedom of expression. The cow rises
above butchers in life, including those that operated during civil wars as well
as those who resort to or hide behind lies.
Of course, knowing thyself helps in taking critical decisions in life. However, perhaps most importantly to the cow, knowing herself helps her in double refusal in life: To be butchered and to become a butcher to another fellow cow!
Bambi just learned from Naharnet and l’Orient Le Jour, citing Al-Arabiya Network that our Canadian federal government “has tasked a committee with investigating money laundering, gambling and drug smuggling operations through casinos in Vancouver, in which a network reportedly affiliated with the Iranian regime and Hizbullah are involved...”.
As stated by a former Canadian Royal Mounted Police officer cited in Naharnet: ”We have seen their continuing affinity (Iranian regime network and Hizbullah) with Chinese network active in illegal activities in Canada”.
As explained by a former Canadian Immigration Minister, namely Mr. Chris Alexander and as reported by Naharnet: “Investigations into these matters are dangerous and complex, but the [Canadian] authorities are trying to address them. This is a complicated matter in dealing with Iran and its networks.”
Perhaps stories of money laundering in casinos are not that surprising as it happens from time to time. Sadly, it is not just the coronavirus that is spreading from one continent to another— illegal behaviours too.
We learn from the CTV article above (a report without any open comment section by readers :)) that the Honourable Minister Guilbeault “won’t reverse change to Bill C-10“, which is the removal of “a section of the proposed legislation that excluded user-generated content from CRTC oversight”.
We then read at the very end of this brief report the following: “Guilbeault disputed that argument later [of MP Rachael Harder] Friday, saying Bill C-10 poses no threat to individual rights that the Conservatives are using public fear to stall or kill the legislation“.
Why doesn’t Minister Guilbeault explain to us with calm and logic how Bill C-10, with this change, is not a slippery slope that can limit our individual rights, as citizens (users of the internet)? Perhaps this can convince Bambi further? For now, she remains concerned about where our country is heading in the longer term.
This being said, she is curious to read about the position of Mr. Blanchet (Bloc Québécois) on this matter, even if Mr. Trudeau is likely counting only on Mr. Singh (NDP) to support Bill C-10. Mr. Blanchet may be too focused on all the other parts of Bill C-10 , which could be a gain for Canada, Québec, and the francophones in the rest of Canada (bravo to this protection of Canadian culture, including its French-speaking part). However, we all lose when one citizen’s freedom is diminished, whether we are English-, French-speaking, or allophones.
About a month ago, you and Bambi’s dad lost your good friend Khalil (Professor Smeira was the focus of an earlier post by Bambi, as shown at the very end of this post). God knows how many other friends and neighbours you may have all lost to this tiny yet mean coronavirus… Like him, and perhaps in a more dramatic way, you survived all the destruction of the Beirut surrealistic port explosion. Bambi asked her dad about you several times since the start of the pandemic. She sadly did not have the chance to call to hear your voice (or the one of your dear spouse, Karmen). However, she does not need a reminder of it. It is currently like a clear and beautiful music to her ears. Yes, she is smiling now to all those beautiful memories from the war era, to her earlier trips to Beirut, and beyond.
Bambi does not know from where to start to describe the inspiring Mr. Raymond Tabet. With his spouse, he raised such a beautiful family with values like deep spiritual faith that we rarely see nowadays, love, forgiveness, friendship, respect, and care for humanity. Perhaps the most striking asset for Bambi has been his capacity to love, not just Jesus in whom he believed all his life, but also to love his adorable wife, children/grand-children and their families. Not just to love and care for all his friends, but also their children (and their grand-children!). He also loved his country, Lebanon, beyond words… and his love was surely contagious, including to Bambi.
If there is one single word that can describe Mr. Raymond Tabet, it would be: A prayer or… should it be love? Or is there a difference between these two terms when they both are so pure? Why is Bambi saying all this? Simply because when we love, we pray for those we care about… and this is what everyone did for you Raymond, it seems (not just in Beirut, but literally across the planet!). A prayer is not just an act of faith, love, and humility, it is an act of hope (the beautiful word “Espérance” in French). Mr. Tabet’s life, and now death, was a living prayer that has inspired us all in so many ways. Bambi finds comfort in knowing that he left his loved ones in peace and without any pain. Despite their own painful sadness, his caring children and spouse found ways to comfort the broken heart of Bambi’s dad. Love does breed love and the Tabets are all about love…. They are love rather.
To come back to Mr. Tabet’s life, his successful career as an entrepreneur in the field of insurance was another source of inspiration: A clever businessman with authentic leadership! As for his way of living during civil war times, it was an inspiration: An educated man, open to the world, with deep roots in Beyrouth/Lebanon, and whose faith has always been a source of inspiration… Under the heavy shelling, when places of worship were destroyed or closed, Raymond found his own way to celebrate God and life. He celebrated masses in their own apartment and he comforted us. When theatres and schools got bombarded and destroyed, Raymond found ways to celebrate culture by encouraging his children and their friends, including Bambi, to become “Les amis (= friends) du théâtre” .
The picture to the right is taken from the internet (Facebook page?) of this theatre following the surrealistic Beirut port explosion of August 4, 2020
As mentioned above, his love of Lebanon and its culture was a true inspiration. Bambi returned from her trips back home carrying several gifts from him. Below, you can see a book by Mr. Henri Eddé called “the Lebanon where I come from“. On its first page, Bambi had tears in her eyes reading Raymond’s beautiful words about her family. The second book is a spiritual one, with stories for each day of the year.
Merci Raymond… your books travelled with Bambi from Beirut to Montreal, to Toronto… and to Sackville.
Mr. Raymond Tabet once invited Bambi and her dad for lunch at a delicious Italian restaurant. Bambi has fond memories of that particular trip. She was 20 years old then and it was her first trip back from Montreal. Funny how our brain works, associating loved products to loved ones. She is particularly thinking of a lemon sorbet, which was part of the meal service (for digestion). Of course, there was desert too and most likely it was a Tiramisu (her favoured desert…. after ice cream :). Every time she eats a lemon ice cream, she thinks of Raymond!
This picture was taken from the internet (anonymous source). Bambi’s dad also remembers our good times at this Italian Restaurant in Beirut. Thank you Raymond!
How could Bambi pay tribute to Raymond Tabet without thinking of Firas (or Serge), her late childhood friend who inspired her blog? We were all friends. Friends during war times are like brothers in arms, so to speak. They are united by a strong attachment. Like Firas and Bambi, Raymond loved freedom. In your case, it is the freedom to live by your values (not just the blahblahblah of empty words we hear or read about in our more superficial times…). Like Firas (+Bambi and 99.97% of people of Lebanese ancestry :)), you love this country. However, contrary to us, you also lived by your values: you stayed and remained genuinely faithful to your beautiful yet devastated Beirut. Once again, your love and hope for better days are inspiring to older and younger generations.
Mr. Firas (or Serge) Merhi, a picture taken from his blog postmortem.
Who knows? Perhaps you are hanging out with Khalil now? or with our Dear Firas? You are surely watching over your family in Lebanon and the United States from heaven whilst being happy to be with Jesus. Symbolically, even if you are Catholic, your funeral took place on the Holy Friday (the Greek Orthodox one yesterday). Is there a more beautiful day for you to leave our world and “enter life”, as per the first words of your obituary?
Mr. Khalil Smeira (a picture taken from his own obituary and earlier post).
So, to you Dear Mr. Raymond Tabet, Bambi will say: 1. She loves you and will miss you; and 2. Christ is risen! To your family, she sends her love across the miles…. May they continue to find comfort in knowing that you are in a happier place where you have always dreamed to be, despite your full and happily contagious life. Bambi is honoured to have met you. Thank you!
Phone numbers have been deleted from this obituary by Bambi for privacy. If you wish to contact the family, please feel free to touch base with Bambi.
Bambi thanks you for the “taste” of her childhood :)!
It is Bambi who is supposed to be the Lebanese one here and it is supposedly “her” Easter (# 2). Yet, it is her spouse who is the talented one!
Well, seriously, for the number of times she had watched her aunts doing maamoul over the first 17 years of her life before immigrating to Canada, she should have learned the tricks. As she is not the greatest cook on earth, she has an excuse for not knowing how to bake all this :).
Anyhow, here is the maamoul of her spouse (the king of their kitchen!). Maamoul literally means “done” and it is a Middle Eastern pastry for Easter and also for the Eid (= celebration at the end of Ramadan)!
Filled with walnuts and dates. Some also do it with pistachios
Here is a video featuring Mr. Hanna Mitri and his family preparing their famous maamoul. Bambi was moved to watch this historic store of Beirut where her sister Rania takes her for ice cream during each trip (the latest being in December 2019, just before the pandemic). Bambi misses her two sisters. She prays that Mr. Mitri and his family have survived the Beirut port surrealistic explosion. Is their old building still hanging on? Are they able to produce all this in the financial crisis? Can people afford to purchase it with the hyperinflation?
Now, Bambi will jump in her spirit from Beirut to LA to send her warm regards and love to Marina who also just baked her impressive maamoul. Bravo! Well, when Marina asked Bambi if she helped out her spouse, the latter replied: Mmm… by tasting his production :)!
OK, seriously, it is past midnight now and it is supposed to be the Holy Friday. So, it is too early to be eating the maamoul (meant for Sunday :)!)… but it is OK since Bambi celebrated many festivities with family and friends, from Easter # 1 to Passover to the start of Ramadan. Yes, because of all that, she is allowed to cheat and eat ahead of time :).
Anyhow, to ask for forgiveness, here are two beautiful Byzantine chant prayers from Bambi to her Jesus :). The latter is a joke obviously. She is simply sharing with you all for the fun, period.
The first prayer is called “the lamentations” interpreted by the famous Fairuz (in standard Arabic with some Greek). Bambi cannot listen to this chant without being moved in her heart. Of course, the music and the deep meaning for her. In addition, it makes her think of her family/rest of her relatives who celebrate Easter this weekend (the rest already celebrated or they highlight other religious rituals in their lives). Finally, this music brings back beautiful memories from her childhood and adolescence.
As for the second prayer, it is a song called “Wa habibi” (also by Fairuz). Habibi means beloved or my love. It is meant to be the words of Mary for her son after his death.
To conclude this post, Bambi will thank her spouse again. She loves him beyond words… and no it is not just because of his delicious maamoul :)!
Today’s post is a a follow-up to the beautiful Italian song, called “Aballati Aballati’ , featured in one of Bambi’s earlier posts (as shown further below).
Indeed, Bambi would like to first tease her childhood friend Selim who reached out to her complaining about how he could not stop singing this joyful song all day after reading (or listening to) her post. Well, Selim, perhaps Ms. Hiba Tawaji’s adaptation of “Smile” will make you forget about Mr. Amine Hachem’s earlier song :). If it doesn’t, at least it would perhaps succeed in putting a smile on your face :). Seriously now, Bambi misses you and your family. Please be safe and merry.
Second, why don’t we stop to reflect on smiles?
Is there anything more moving in the world than the first newborn’s “real” smile (after earlier “reflex” smiles)? This is when the whole cute face lights up, melting mom’s and dad’s hearts (and everyone’s heart)!
Is there anything nicer in a day than a friendly (genuine) smile?
And what about our smiles back?
Smiles communicate with each other. No need for words to quickly interpret them.
Of course, we smile more when we are happy.
We can also make ourselves (and others) happier by smiling more.
The beauty of a smile is that we can still choose to smile even when we are grieving a loved one or our hearts are filled with sorrow.
A smile is free of charge. It is easily accessible to all those who want to remember how to be and remain fully human.
Re-smiling is sometimes all what we have left when everything else seems ephemeral.
In Arabic, there is a beautiful saying that goes like that: “Ibtassem tabtassem laka el Dounya“. It literally means: “Smile and life will smile back at you“.
Yes, a smile is a reflection of a mental state. It is an attitude. It is window to the spirit, not just the mind. It is a way of living.
So, why don’t we just become a lasting smile to both others and ourselves?
Even Lebanon, which survived a 15-year-long sectarian (+ other) civil war from 1975 to 1990, did not resort to what the City of Hamilton is doing now.
Imagine the Covid-19 vaccines there being prioritized by sectarian groups, such as Shia Muslims, Sunnis, Christians, or whatever else in a Lebanese neighbourhood or village, but not provided to other groups (or vice versa)? Citizens would revolt against such form of apparent “racism” (or “sectarianism”), even if it is presented to them as an “anti-sectarian” public health strategy.
Mind you, there is a word for sectarianism in Arabic, “Al Taifia”, which means loyalty to one’s sect. Thankfully, sectarianism is now rejected by the majority, if not all the people of Lebanon, because it is not only unfair but also a slippery slope with potential tragic outcomes for ALL (i.e., tainted with blood).
To come back to our more peaceful Ontario, which is battling a harsh pandemic-related crisis, why is Hamilton asking its citizens to self-identify as BIPOC to receive the Covid-19 vaccine? Again, BIPOC is the trendy acronym that Bambi is supposed to fit in as a deer of colour ?; BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and people of colour)?
Why didn’t Hamilton target socio-demographic or medical factors underlying any observed BIPOC health-related data instead (e.g., age, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, other select comorbid health problems, crowded living conditions, or social factors, etc.)?
To conclude this post, does this apparently Apartheid-style vaccination make any sense to you? Anyhow, it does not to Bambi, even if she had been a Hamilton “BIPOC” deer residing “in postal codes L9C, L8W, L8L, L8N and L9K”?
