Author: Bambi

Maya’s mom (and aunt) are the childhood friends of Robine, Bambi’s late mom. Of note, the now middle-aged adult children of these friends, and their own children, are friends. Yes, this loyal companionship continues from one generation to the other. It survived civil wars, migration, Beirut explosions and injuries, etc. It has celebrated joys and lives of loved ones in times of sorrow. It has shared laughter and tears as well as dreams and, at times, bitter realities. It will always be filled with both much love and continuous hope.

Bearing the above in mind, in less than two hours in Beirut, it will be Maya’s birthday. Like a little child, Bambi cannot wait until midnight to dedicate the September 20th (2023)’s post to her friend. May her new year be as beautiful as her, inside and out. Yes, this means HIGHLY beautiful :)!

To highlight Maya’s big day, with much love, Bambi will offer her a few songs. The first French one is entitled “Un ami” [“A friend“]. Its English translated lyrics will follow the music. Thanks to Mr. Google Translate for his assistance and very silent yet sweet birthday best wishes [OK that was a silly joke, just for you Maya : )]. The other two songs, in both English and Lebanese-Arabic respectively, do not need any further description. They speak for themselves. Happy Birthday Maya ❤️!!!

A FRIEND

“A friend, it’s a morning that is about to start

A gift when you wake up from your dreams

It’s a bird that comes to sing in our ear

It lights up like a ray of sunshine

A friend is a rainbow of a thousand colours

A four-leaf clover, bringing good luck

It’s a scarf around our neck that keeps us warm

A tattoo forever on the skin

Chorus:

You and me, me and you

Me for you, you for me

You and me, me and you

United like ten fingers

A friend is so much more precious than a diamond

On our sorrows, our sorrows, a bandage

It is a large tree, the most beautiful oak in the forest

To whom we entrust our little secrets

A friend is sometimes fragile like crystal

It’s also very strong like metal

In the storms of life, an umbrella

It’s a star that shines in the night

Chorus:

You and me, me and you

Me for you, you for me

You and me, me and you

United like ten fingers

A friend is a heart that beats in unison

When he sings a song with us

Together we are as much double as half

A friend is the whole universe

A friend is the whole universe

A friend is the whole universe.”

She does not know about you, but Bambi loves her daily moments of little pleasures. For instance, the latter may consist of simple examples like feeling the fresh air on her skin when she opens the house door to start her day. It could also be an exchange of smiles when encountering a friendly face on the street. Other examples of pleasurable moments may be anything like the little sound of two pieces of puzzles that accurately fit together. Regardless of the days, there is something beautiful in all of them. Perhaps in a journey of grief, we appreciate such rewarding simple moments of life even more.

Today, bearing the above in mind, Bambi was running from one location to the other at her workplace when she bumped into a man who was walking a VERY cute dog. First, she did not expect to see a pet then. Second, what an adorable one!

Indeed, with a smile of joy, Bambi told this man that his dog is so cute. Although the charming encounter lasted only a few seconds, it was enough to make her cherish this moment. Indeed, she was blessed to have other beautiful moments over the day (and now evening or rather night). Yet, this dog remains “the cutest moment” of her day. Not surprisingly, she is smiling now in front of her computer screen while recalling this lovely moment. Thanks to this dog for making her day. All in all, she cannot help not to be grateful for a rather beautiful day, despite any hidden tears in her heart.

Last but not least , like Bambi, your own little daily moments of pleasure may be related to different matters. Examples could be anything from your first sip of coffee when you wake up to a spontaneous dance movement while listening to your favourite music, and/or to a fulfilling evening where you sit on your patio to enjoy nature or dive into a book. In the end, very little is needed to contribute to your fulfilling daily life.

To conclude this post, may we all make ourselves comfortable and happy in one way or another. May we enjoy our simple moments of joy, regardless of any mixed feeling of sorrow, which may be buried deep in our hearts or hidden under our smiles.

Thankfully, there is laughter in our world and there are still funny people in Canada like Mr. Mark Hachem. Below is a very brief sketch about “Arab dads”. Bambi hopes you will enjoy it as much as Louis who saw a resemblance to her behaviour, especially when he can’t find her in the house :).

Despite its beauty, life is tough at times. It is even cruel for some of us.

Indeed, as Bambi is writing these words, her own grieving heart goes to dear friends in her small community who suddenly found themselves mourning a spouse, a father, a friend, a colleague, and a caring health professional.

At the same time, both her mind and heart are filled with good wishes for close ones, including many readers, who may be celebrating the Jewish New Year. May the latter be a sweet one to each one of them.

New Years, new starts of journeys, or new dreams to envision are wonderful opportunities for hope of self-renewal or of exciting little or bigger life projects. Thankfully for us, we are the own managers of our lives. At times we create the life we want. At others, we change our mindset to adjust to life abrupt changes, including its cruel ones. We learn to face, accept, embrace even, and ideally integrate our losses in our lives. With time and perspective, we turn their end to a new beginning.

Of course, we can rely on our social network for support, as needed. We can also embark on inner journeys of self-discovery and re-commitments to self-kindness and to a sweet friendship with the little child within us.

How do we do that? Each one of us has his or her own agency and creativity. There is no single recipe for all. We listen to and respect our own needs. We can be open to suggestions from loved ones. We try and change coping strategies, as needed. We learn from others and from our own experiences. The underlying idea here is that our personal sense of responsibility can empower us to choose and to create the life that we want.

Without much philosophy, Bambi will stop her reflection here. She prefers to leave you with a couple of uplifting songs in English and Arabic. She wishes you a wonderful day, with or without tropical storms or hurricanes. May you be safe. May you be happy. May you remember that, regardless of the seasons, you are the creative manager of your life. Long live both the artist and the child in you.

With an apparent drama of social distancing and masks on, Dr. Tam and her health professional colleagues (who work for our federal government) seem to want to induce fear in our minds. Indeed, Dr. Tam “recommends masks and updated COVID vaccines this fall” (https://shorturl.at/cjpOP).

Of course, people are free to still (or to always) use a mask or not. They are free to still get vaccinated or not. Those of us who are more physically vulnerable may still chose to do both; luckily the access to vaccination is free of charge for all.

Bambi’s problem is not with the above. It is rather with what looks like a fear-inducing drama, by our government officials, without presenting the full scientific story, or epidemiological data, to justify their recommendation. Instead of presenting us with the facts, as they are, they prefer to play on our feelings of fear. Is this a wise approach to communication with the population? Does it work on you?

She does not know about you, but Bambi finds such indirect and incomplete communication rather insulting to her intelligence as a deer citizen, despite any noble intention of governments. This is why, in her mind, she prefers to ignore this press conference. She will replace it with more amusing musical thoughts.

Indeed, if she may, she will now offer Dr. Tam et al. a lovely French song. The latter, which is performed by Dalida with Mr. Alain Delon, is entitled “Paroles, paroles, paroles” [“Words, words, words”]. Bambi has offered the latter to Mr. Justin Trudeau in the past in relation to different topics. For your convenience, the song is sub-titled in English.

Tomorow is the Holy Cross Day. If Bambi is not mistaken, this feast is observed in both Eastern and Western churches, that is across Orthodox, Catholic, and in several Protestant traditions.

The brief spiritual music featured in this post comes to us from out of Saint-Mary’s Greek Orthodox church in Beirut, Lebanon. The pure voice you hear in the video is Ms. Zeina Farah’s voice praying for Jesus Christ. You can see the latter on a wood cross, which symbolizes his victory over death through resurrection (the essence of the Christian faith).

If Bambi may, she would like to dedicate Zeina’s beautiful prayer to: (1) Nicole from Montreal and her parents in heaven; (2) her mom, now in heaven, and her dad who is grieving her loss. Peace, and much love, to his aching heart and to the hearts of Bambi’s sisters as well as all those who love Robine 💜. This same prayer is also offered to two readers of this blog: (1) Robert, Louis’ dad, because he knows how to appreciate Byzantine chants and (2) Achim because he is into both music and deep faith.

To conclude this post, Bambi is SO proud of Zeina who happens to be her first cousin once removed. She is a fan of her voice while being blessed to be related to this most beautiful woman (inside and out!) 💚. Please keep singing prayers Zeina. Keep soothing our hearts and souls while inspiring our minds.

Last year, Bambi paid tribute to Algeria-born and France-based Rachid Taha on his birthday anniversary, which was September 18. Today, she feels like honouring him again, but on his death anniversary, that is on September 12 (https://shorturl.at/lxyU5). Mr. Rachid Taha was a Rai singer and songwriter who died at age 59 from a heart attack. His unique music is a fusion of north African style with punk, rock, and techno.

Bambi does not want this day to end without remembering all the innocent victims who lost their lives on the surreal September 11, 2001 (https://shorturl.at/pBCDK). May their memories be eternal. More healing to their loved ones and to the US population in general as well as to the entire world who observed those terribly shocking and scary images of the attacks.

As human beings, may we all know how to come together to bring more love into our own hearts, daily lives, personal relationships, and… among nations. Yes, enough of wars. Enough of hatred. May peace prevail, in both our hearts and in the world, and may love triumph.

The above was the essence of Bambi’s thoughts and prayers concerning the commemoration of the 911 attacks. You may wonder now why is her Grandmother Asma mentioned in this post?

Well, from Asma who used to baby-sit Bambi and her sisters when their parents were away, many valuable life lessons were learned. One of them was related to the daily ghost of death in times of civil war. Grandmother Asma used to tell her granddaughters before they started their school days: make your bed each day because you do not know when you might die. Her idea was that our bed should be made just in case it is our last day of living and we do not know it yet.

Bambi recently thought about this thought when her mom died. The latter most likely did not know her time was going to arrive on the day she left our world. But what about the nearly 3,000 people who died in Lower Manhattan alone on that doomed September 11? Did some of them make their beds on that tragic morning? Bambi is asking because this day has been more recently declared as being: (1). A Patriotic Day (love of one’s country, especially when it is being attacked) and (2) Make Your Bed National Day (https://shorturl.at/aMUVZ). Of course, whomever decided on the latter had no clue who was Asma who lived in Beirut (Lebanon) and what was her bed-related advice. In other terms, such a day was just a mere coincidence.

Related to this coincidence of bed making or not, one can argue the following: who cares about beds in the face of death? Those of us who like to be organized or who are even obsessed about order might find wisdom in Asma’s words to her young granddaughters. Regardless, Bambi who adored her late grandmother got inspired by her in many ways. No wonder then that she still remembers her advice even at her age of 51 years old. Every morning, she pauses and tries to act on this advice. Did she say every morning? Perhaps not when a man is still sleeping in the bed she is leaving to go to work [hello Louis :)].

Robine is lucky to have had close ties with her wonderful cousins who live between Chicago in the United States of America and Latakieh in Syria. Indeed, Bambi has always been inspired by this family love. In turn, she loves her mom’s cousins with all her heart ❤️. We are truly blessed to be a family united by love and care with friendships across the generations of cousins.

Today, Nuha honoured her cousin Robine by dedicating a mass service at her St. John the Baptist Melkite Catholic Church in Northlake, Illinois. On page 7 of the following bulletin, one can read the following: “For the reposed in Christ our beloved departed, Robine Feani by Nuha Ferraye “. Bambi would like to thank Nuha from the bottom of her heart. She is also grateful to the priest of her church for the prayer.

At her mom’s funeral in Beirut a few days ago, Bambi was deeply moved when she saw Marouma, Amal (Nuha’s sister) and “Sousou” (Nuha’s niece). They came to say good-bye and pay tribute to their beloved Robine all the way from Syria. Indeed, they started their road trip to Beirut at 6 AM in order to make it on time for the funeral service, which was at 2 PM. They spent 2 hours at the border, if Bambi recalls well. Much love to them ❤️, along with a big hug.

To conclude this post, Bambi’s heart goes to Nuha and to all her immediate and extended family. At her mom’s funeral, she heard a lot of “El Massih Kam” [Christ is Risen]. Bambi replied “Hakan Kam” [Truly Risen]. May your/our beloved Robine be in a better place, welcomed by this Jesus she believed in all her life, and may her memory be eternal.

She does not know about you, but Bambi adores Mika. His wonderful song talks about life and death, absurdity, the living or aging process, love, and shared humanity. It raises deep questions, while even mentioning Lebanon, and defying the fear of living. The music is fun and the clip is sub-titled in English. Thank you Mika. Your song made Bambi think of her last week of August (between Athens and Beirut). What a surreal vacation time filled with BOTH joy and sorrow while being mixed with the essence of life… LOVE.