Regardless of the precise start of Ramadan, depending on the sight of the crescent moon, one thing is sure: this month, which is holiest for Muslims around the world, is coming VERY soon.
Thus, Bambi wants to be faster than the forthcoming baby moon by wishing those of you who are planning to highlight this month the following: may you have a smooth start of day fasting (if you can medically practice it). May your prayers be heard, may your self-reflection be meaningful, and may God bless the hand that you will generously extend to support the less fortunate.
This post will end with a brief English video featuring the Lebanese recipe of Tabbouleh salad, thanks to Feel Good Foodie. May Ramadan bring you inner peace as well as socially enriching evenings of delicious “Iftar“moments. Ramadan Kareem!
Bambi is winking now at the memory of beloved deceased women while smiling at all those whose lives are full of vitality and at women who are alive yet, regardless of the reason(s), currently feeling dead from the inside. May they all know their worth and be happy, along with their loved ones. Same best wishes for women yet to be born!
It was quite shocking to learn that Ramez (or Abou Mark) is in heaven now. Just like his family, Ramez was the sweetness in itself, regardless of the hat or role (e.g., husband, dad, son, brother, uncle, relative, friend, citizen, etc.).
This morning, Bambi thought that she was calling Ramez’ family to offer support across the frustrating miles. It was rather them, including his adorable and heartbroken mom Najla with his sisters Zeina and Rima, who had delicate words for her despite their shock. Same for his beloved nephew Karim.Through this post, Bambi sends her continuous solidarity, heart, and prayers to all, especially to Ramez’ immediate family (spouse and kids). She had wished she could quickly jump out of Sackville to give everyone a hug.
Bearing the above in mind, if she may, she will now offer Ramez’ family two songs, one from France and the other from Lebanon. The first melody is by the talented Grégoire and Mr. Google Translate helped her in translating it, at the end of this post (https://shorturl.at/lzCR9). As for the second song, Bambi discovered it about six months ago when her dear friend Greta kindly sent it to her following her mom’s death. It is by Fairouz and it is entitled “Oumenou” [I believe]. It is about believing in the healing potential of one’s aching heart with the following milestones of a grief journey: the soothing impact of the passing time, a sense of spiritual hope that can come from inner faith, the comforting trust in shared humanity, and the tenderness received from caring people.
May Ramez’ soul rest in peace. May his memory be eternal. Last but not least, may God know how to comfort all his loved ones, in Lebanon as well as abroad.
“You know I’m having trouble Still talking about you It seems to be normal There are no rules in these games You know my voice is tight When I see you in the photos You know my heart is lost I think he thinks of you a little too much
It’s like that It’s like that
I wish I could hold your hand a little longer I wish my sorrow only lasted a moment And you know, I hope at least you hear me
It’s hard to break the silence Even in the screams, even in the party It’s hard to fight absence Because this bitch does as she pleases And no one can understand We each have our own story I was told to wait Let the pain become trivial
It’s like that It’s like that
I wish I could hold your hand a little longer I wish I could hold your hand a little longer
I wanted to tell you that I was proud To have been at least one day A little like your friend and your brother Even if life has these detours It’s like that It’s like that
I wish I could hold your hand a little longer I wish I could hold your hand a little longer I wish my sorrow only lasted a moment And you know, I hope at least you’re waiting for me.”
A few days ago, Bambi highly recommended a memoir called “Ballet is Not for Muslim Girls” by Ms. Mariam Pal, as per the post shown below. Of note, this was Ms. Pal’s first book and guess what? It was named “Best Multicultural Memoir of 2023″ by Memoire Magazine (https://shorturl.at/oCDJN). Bravo to Ms. Pal!
Now, if you think that the above was the only happy update that Bambi is sharing with you now, your thought is not completely accurate. Indeed, Ms. Pal completed the manuscript of her second book, which is entitled “Definitely Not One of the Guys“. Bambi is delighted because it is about her inspiring career in international development.
Of note, following the older post shown further below, many of you privately wrote to Bambi, literally from different continents, to share the following exciting statements: Ms. Mariam Pal’s memoir is on your reading list, you are literally about to begin reading the book, or you have enjoyed the information about it.
So, hurry up, everyone. Indeed, it would be timely to read Ms. Pal’s first award-nominated book soon because, as mentioned above, her second one is being ready to be published. As for your Mariam Pal, and if she may, Bambi will conclude by offering you the “Mabrouk” [or Congrats] Lebanese song by Mr. Rami Ayash :). Well-deserved. Keep up your outstanding work, please!
Did you know that today is National I Want You to Be Happy Day (https://shorturl.at/IL368)? The idea underlying such a day is simple: it is about letting others know that we want them to be happy.
How can make people feel that their happiness matter to you? Well, each person’s relationship with happiness is a personalized one. This means that what makes you or makes Bambi happy is different from what makes others happy.
Thus, by understanding and respecting what makes others personally happy, we can genuinely value their happiness. Even if the latter does not come naturally to some of us, simple acts of kindness contribute to make others happy. In return, such acts can be highly self-rewarding (https://shorturl.at/IL368), a little bit like the spirit of the first kids’ song shared below.
Indeed, according to Dr. Shuman, the mere practice of celebrating others’ good/happy news would not only improve our social relationships, but also our own mental health (https://shorturl.at/oxJN1). The good news here is that feeling happy for others does not invalidate our own struggles (https://shorturl.at/oxJN1). In other terms, we can rejoice for others, even when we think life sucks.
Khaldie’s AMAZING pictures of deer allowed Bambi to recognize her lost relatives. The aim of this post is twofold: (1) to share those pictures with you; and (2) to offer Khaldie a song to thank her for reassuring her friend in Sackville.
A picture taken by Khaldie in her backyard in Dieppe, New Brunswick
A picture taken by Khaldie in her backyard in Dieppe, New Brunswick
A picture taken by Khaldie in her backyard in Dieppe, New Brunswick
A picture taken by Khaldie in her backyard in Dieppe, New Brunswick
Smile at life, at the forthcoming spring, at others, and please do not forget to also smile at yourself. You deserve it!
Share a Smile Day is meant to foster the spirit of joy. Yes, it is about encouraging “us to be a little bit more joyful” (https://shorturl.at/beloR). This may come naturally to some of us, and not just on this day. Indeed, we even smile sometimes when we are upset. However, at other times, it may be challenging to smile when we are distressed or when our hearts are aching.
Regardless, the heath- and social benefits of genuine smiles are numerous. For instance, our brains’ neurons may release more chemicals, called neurotransmitters (e.g. dopamine, endorphins and serotonin), which make us feel good. In turn, our smiles can be contagious, spreading joy and positive affect to others. This may contribute to increase a spirit of friendship and a sense of social cohesion. The beauty of a smile is that it is free-of-charge. Yet, it is a rich universal language, which is understood by everyone. More importantly, it is random gesture of kindness, which can make a big difference in people’s lives.
Bearing all the above in mind, may your day be filled with smiles and moments of joy!
May Donald’s memory be eternal… “Bambi t’aime tant, cher Donald. Merci pour tout”!
This post is extremely tough to write as Bambi is still under the shock of the HUGE loss of her friend and former colleague Donald (https://shorturl.at/eijkt). Indeed, tears are now running down her cheeks. She does now know from where to start to try to pay tribute to him and to find comforting words for Anne, Philippe, Mathieu, Andrea, Natalie, Luna, Noah, Edith, and all his beloved friends, especially Daniel. Bambi is also thinking of you Jacinthe. Same for you Louis. She is also thinking of all his former colleagues. She cannot name them all here, but they are crossing her mind now. She wished she had a magical stick for everyone, and especially for you Anne to remove your unbearable pain.
Yes, everyone loves Donald (and Anne), not only in Montreal, Québec but also in New Brunswick and abroad, including but not limited to Lebanon. This is not surprising at all given that Donald was not like any man. He was a gentleman. A true universal man with a big heart and a very broad mind. A wonderful spouse, dad, grand-father, friend, colleague, and fellow citizen.
Donald was a highly educated man who was a much talented developmental psychologist or psychoeducator [“psychoéducateur” in French. A clinical profession that exists only in Québec]. He loved people and especially youth. When Bambi met her colleague Donald, about 27-28 years ago, he was a big data specialist IT researcher responsible for large datasets stored at their research centre. She remains grateful for the organization of her SPSS dataset that she used for her PhD research.
Of note, about a week ago, Bambi had to search this dataset and provide some basic data, related to one of the publications on conduct disorder and cortisol levels to a colleague in the Netherlands for a meta-analysis (in progress). She could not help not to be impressed, again and again, with the quality of the organization of the dataset. She found herself smiling to funny memories with Donald. She recalled when they sat together for long hours to check the file for the first time. Because she had a lot of interesting variables, at one point, she thanked him by teasing him with Mr. Daniel Boucher’s famous French-Canadian song, of course changing its lyrics from “Ma gang de malades” [My Gang of Insanes] to “Ma gang de variables” [My gang of variables] :).
At work and beyond (pre- and post-retirement), everyone respected and loved Donald. He also has a way of making everyone feel respected and appreciated. When Bambi had her censorship saga because of her blog, she received incredible public support from across the country (and abroad), especially from Québec. Of course, Donald supported her. This warmed her heart beyond words, even if it was not surprising to her because Donald had an open-mind and was a free spirit: he respected the freedom of expression and academic freedom of everyone, including herself.
In addition to this, Donald embraced life. He was a bon vivant who enjoyed great food and wine. He loved to travel around the world with his beloved Anne. They even travelled domestically and they visited Bambi and her spouse in both Toronto (Ontario) and Sackville (NB).
A picture of Donald taken in France by Anne. May God know how to comfort her aching heart and may Donald’s memory be eternal.
Bambi will always remember Donald’s accurate description of “Sweet Little Sackville”, which reminded him of New England: “timeless and spaceless“, to use his own words :). Louis and Bambi had unforgettable times with you Donald and Anne in the three provinces we lived in, including “our” beloved Québec. Indeed, they will both always cherish ALL the incredible memories with you everywhere, and especially in Montreal. Many of them are related to summer parties in your lovely garden. You even kindly honoured Bambi by inviting her parents to a delicious dinner at your place once when they visited her. What an evening filled with laughter and lovely moments!
Other souvenirs are related to Bambi’s PhD Defence and the following party organized by her dear friend Carla. If Bambi recalls well, you may have even attended the sweet good-bye farewell party her sister Roula (+ Doudou) organized for her, when they returned to Canada for a year, at the time she was about to move to Toronto for her post-doctoral position.
To conclude this tribute, Bambi will say the following: Even if death is part of life and we are eventually all heading to the same place, it is sometimes very hard to imagine people filled with life dead. Donald (or Mr. Morrison) is SURELY one of them. Indeed, we was life itself with its beauty, richness, sweetness, intensity, and sadly shortness. Thankfully, love transcends death.
Yes, love is eternal. Donald, we will forever honour your memory. Count on Bambi et al. As for your dear Anne, please forgive any clumsy word in this tribute. It is hard to know what to write in the tragic circumstances. Bambi just wanted to express her full solidarity with you and your entire family. She thanks you for the INSPIRING love that unites you with Donald. Our troubled world needs more and more pure love like yours. It is her hope to be able to eventually join you all at Donald’s memorial. She will do her utmost. However, whether with you physically or not to celebrate Donald’s life and legacy, she will be joining her heart to yours. Please trust that Donald (and you) will be in her prayers…
Bambi is cheating, she knows. Brittany’s birthday will be upon waking up tomorrow, but she is too excited to go to sleep before highlighting this wonderful day.
Brittany is a DEAR friend of Bambi and Louis as well as of this blog. She has even been a contributor of stunning pictures, which have enriched several posts over the past years.
Brittany is brilliant, resilient, and a lot of fun to be with. She is an inspiring mom. She is a beautiful lady, both outside and inside.
She is more than a friend. She is actually like a sister and all Bambi’s family loves her dearly, not just her and Louis.
That was a brief, and surely insufficient, description of Brittany and her multi-talent in life. This being said, may she have a Happy Birthday filled with love and laughter. May her new year be a beautiful one!
Notre-Dame de Paris is a French and French-Canadian musical comedy (1998), which is inspired by Mr. Victor Hugo (1802-1885)’s famous novel of the same name (https://shorturl.at/arEFR). The lyrics of Le temps des cathédrales were written by Mr. Luc Plamondon and its music was composed by Mr. Richard Cocciante (under the direction of Gilles Maheu). Bravo to Mr. Bruno Pelletier for the BEAUTIFUL performance shared below, which took place at the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal in 2020!
