Seasons Greetings

May all that is beautiful, meaningful, and brings you joy be yours this Holiday Season and throughout the coming year.

 

Helpers and Heroes

"Natural disasters and acts of violence bring us out of our small selves and into the world, ready to lend a hand to those in need. This experience is often life-changing for those who are willing to step into the position of helper. We feel more connected to the people we are helping, as well as more connected to humanity in general." 

Solidarity and kindness have been shown all around the world in spite of the difficult and painful times. Being witnesses of this kind of gestures motivate us to make the world better by coming to the rescue of all those in need- at least, those we can. 

Covid 19 has changed our world and it has made us respond to this more immediately than to ongoing problems like homelssness, poverty or regugees. Unfortunately, there is always someone in need in spite of our efforts and we feel we cannot help them all - which, to be honest- often makes me feel a bit discouraged. 

Yet, from what I read in the article I am adapting in this post, I feel better thinking that there are lots of people out there, everyday heroes, who devote their lives to alleviate suffering and we need to draw our attention to them so as to inspire other people to do this kind of work. 

I believe we, as teachers, should start making these heroes visible to the children and teenagers we teach to motivate them to follow their steps and to become more involved into what is going on in their communities. Reading about their sports figures and favourite actors will be something they will voluntarily do but if we teachers do not show them the acts of these everyday -and sadly unknown heroes- our students will miss the chance to imitate them.

 Adapted from The Daily Om

 

Father Albino, from one of the most Corona-virus affected communities in Lima,Peru collecting donations some of our friends provided... in spite of having suffered from the infection himself and still not fully recovered. 

Creating Connections While Apart

My family is quite large on my Mum's side but very small on my Dad´s; when we were children we visited each other quite often but as we grew up we took different ways and now we live in different countries.

I miss my family a lot but have tried to see them as often as possible, especially when my salary would allow me to buy the plane tickets. Now that I am voluntarily retired, I have been receiving invitations and tickets from my brother and friends and have tried to visit at least once every year...until Coronavirus struck. 

Now, I cannot visit my family abroad nor even the ones who still live here in Peru and I miss all of them. I try to connect through technology but sometimes it does not feel enough. Today I received the text below in my mail and loved it. Hope it helps all those who want to create connections as much as I do.

"Life´s journeys may sometimes take us away from our families and friends, but there are many ways to stay connected. Aside from making use of the technology available, we can create simple ceremonies using nature and our own thoughts to connect our hearts across the miles.

The first step is to look to nature for similarities in the different surroundings. The second is agreeing upon something that is meaningful to all involved. If your mother loves birds, then perhaps each time you hear a bird chirp, you can think of her and mentally send love. You may choose the sight of a butterfly, the feel of a breeze or raindrops, or the scent of flowers to remind you of a special someone. 

If you once shared Sunday brunches in the garden, you can each seek out a garden on Sundays. Or you can choose a specific time and account for the time difference in order to connect by heart and mind at exactly the same moment. In this case, distance may indeed make our connections stronger. 

When we decide upon a reminder together, we create a simple ceremony of connection that defies any distance."

 

Adapted from "The Daily OM"

Memories

 In the year 2015, CTS and the teachers who regularly take part in our workshops and seminars participated in a charity event, it was actually our customary CTS academic event but it was special because instead of the fee for the event, teachers were required to bring clothes and toys to help us offer a special Christmas  for some families from AAHH Saul Cantoral in San Juan de Lurigancho. A teacher of one of the schools there created a shelter for strayed dogs and some of her students helped her keep it. We provided these kids all the donations we collected and the Christmas cake for each family.

This is a video of the preparation and that Christmas event.

Donations for Villa Maria del Triunfo

 Sharing is Caring

Early this month, some friends and I managed to collect clothes, toys and medicine for deprived communities in Villa Maria del Triunfo, a suburb in southern Lima. Father Albino- recently recovered from Covid-19 infection - came to collect the donations. 

Many thanks to all those who donated and please keep giving, our help and support is urgently needed.

Mum´s birthday

Mum would have turned 90 this November 1st, She died this March at Pre-lockdown times. 

Many relatives called me to let me know they remembered her and loved her very much. I know she is in a better place now but can´t help missing her badly. 

"Thanks Mum for preventing us from suffering all the inconvenience that the Pandemic lockdown brought about. I am glad you died in my arms and that your beloved family could say good-bye to you". 

Bad Days by Madisyn Taylor

 

Today has been hectic, not only because being unable to leave home due to the health lockdown issues gets on my nerves from time to time but also because I am worried about a friend who had to be taken to the hospital because of a possible miscarriage. 

Fortunately and as it happens when it is most needed, I came across this page and little by little my spirit is calming down. In the end, I have to be grateful for the bad days that make me bless the good days that are ahead. 

"We all have days from time to time when it feels like the world is against us or that the chaos we are experiencing will never end. One negative circumstance seems to lead to another. You may wonder, on a bad day, whether anything in your life will ever go right again. But a bad day, like any other day, can be a gift. Having a bad day can show you that it is time to slow down, change course, or lighten up. A bad day can help you glean wisdom you might otherwise have overlooked or discounted. Bad days can certainly cause you to experience uncomfortable feelings you would prefer to avoid, yet a bad day may also give you a potent means to learn about yourself.

Bad days contribute to the people we become. Though we may feel discouraged and distressed on our bad days, a bad day can teach us patience and perseverance. It is important to remember that your attitude drives your destiny and that one negative experience does not have to be the beginning of an ongoing stroke of bad luck. A bad day is memorable because it is one day among many good days -- otherwise, we wouldn't even bother to acknowledge it as a bad day. Know too, that everybody has bad days, you are not alone, the world is not against you. Tomorrow is guaranteed to be a brighter day".

Beings of light

"We are all beings of light. Put another way, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. As children, most of us know this, but other human beings who have forgotten what they really are and who cannot help us to know ourselves train us to forget. As a result, we are led to believe that magic is not real, that our invisible playmates do not really exist, and that we are limited beings with only one earthly life to live. There is enormous pressure to conform to this concept of ourselves and so we lose touch with our full potential, forgetting that we are beings of light.

At this time, many of us are reawakening to the truth of who we are, because we are living amidst such large-scale changes in the world. We need to access this light in order to not only survive but thrive as we shift into a new order of consciousness. As the changes around us proceed in rapid progression, we will want to be able to trust our own ability to sense what is happening and how we can best respond. We are no longer living in a predictable world in which we can trust external authority figures and prior ideas about reality to guide us. We need to be able to access the information that will help us navigate these uncertain waters, and the ultimate authority resides in our awareness of ourselves as beings of light.

It is through our connection to this light that we know things beyond what the visible world can tell us, and we see things beyond what the physical world reveals. In order to access this wisdom, we can simply allow ourselves to remember that we are not limited, as we have been taught. In fact, we are filled with divine grace and power that is ours for the asking. A daily practice of tuning into this vast potential, conversing with it, and offering ourselves up to it opens the door through which we can reclaim our true identity, taking ownership of the calling that the time has come to create bliss on earth."

Taken from The Daily Om

Cumpleaños de papá

El 15 de julio mi papá hubiera cumplido 100 años. Muchas gracias a los que recuerdan sus consejos, sus buenas acciones y sus bromas tan "serias". Fué un buen hombre, un gran hijo y hermano, un amigo leal y el mejor papá que hubiéramos podido tener. Ahora pasea con mamá cogidos de la mano como lo hacían aquí.

Dad was born on July 15, a hundred years ago. Thanks so much to all those who remember him, his advice, his good actions and his peculiar and "serious" jokes. He was a good man, a terrific son and brother, a loyal friend and the best Dad we could have had. He is now in a better place walking hand in hand with my Mum as they used to do here.

I wrote this on April 20, 2020. My heart was broken and did not have the courage to upload the post, I just wrote it while tears fell down my face as a catharsis. 

I miss my Mum and I miss Blanca as much as I miss her. Both were so much loved and I devoted so much time and effort to keep them well that when they passed I felt useless for some weeks. But I needed to pay tribute to this wonderful animal that was more than a family member. She was a kind spirit that God put on earth to make our lives be surrounded by softness and tenderness. I cannot believe how much she loved us until she softly went to sleep surrounded by all the love we could give her. 

"Today I had to put my beautiful pet, my companion for 11 years to sleep. Her fragile body would not keep so much love and sweetness. As with many rescued dogs, the years of living in the streets and sleeping in the cold took their toll and she suffered from arthritis for the last 5 years. Her back bone and legs could not support her any more in spite of all the vitamins and acupuncture and all the treatment we gave her.

Last Saturday she had so much pain that she almost fainted and that was when I made the decision of letting her go. I miss her soft fur and her expressive eyes. I have never seen so much unconditional love in the eyes of a dog!!

Since I retired from my administrative position at the university and started spending more time working at home, she would always lie by my side while I was working at the computer and would only stand up if I did to go to the kitchen for a snack for both of us.

I could talk to her,scold her if she didn´t want to take her medicine, hug her, kiss her and would always receive her love back. I have had several pets along my life but Blanca will always be a special one. Nobody could love me the way she did and I will never forget her.

My Mum passed away last month, she was the one who rescued her and I think now they are both together, in a better place, enjoying each other´s company, they could not be parted when they were alive and now they will never be".

Happy Teacher´s Day

People in need

Due to the Coronavirus pandemia, we have found ourselves wanting to help in different ways. I, myself, have collected money to buy pillows for police patients who need them and have hosted 4 people in my house during the quarantaine because they had nowhere to go as immobilization got them when they were here. I know that a lot more is needed but then when I read some comments in FB, I sometimes wonder if some of the people who help do it for getting some recognition or for really wanting to help.Then, as it usually happens whenever I ruminate on some ideas for a while, I came across this article which threw some light into the issue. It is from The Daily Om. 

"When we see a person in need, we may want to give them something as a way of helping them, but if we give without taking the time to see who they really are, honoring that most of all, our gift is nowhere near as powerful as it could be. We may want to give a homeless person a sandwich, for example, but if we give it without also taking a moment to look the person in the eye, making authentic contact, we rob them of the experience of being human.

Being in a position of need leaves a lot of people feeling vulnerable and full of self-doubt. The greatest gift we can give is to meet people in need without judgment and with the awareness that we are not superior to them simply because we are not currently in their position. If we take the long view, we can see that we all began life in need of a lot of care and attention, and many of us end life in the same way. Giving and receiving are companion energies that take turns throughout our lives, and we all get a chance to be on both sides of the exchange from time to time.

It's important to be aware of our own tendency to give from a desire to feel good about ourselves, rather than from an acknowledgement of our connection to all people. Letting go of our self-importance allows us to see that, regardless of appearances, we are all givers and receivers. When we are in the position of the giver, we honor those we are helping when we remember the many people who have helped us. Then we can look the person we are helping in the eye, aware that we are making contact with a human being who is our equal".

Mother´s Day

Mamá fué siempre mamá, nunca olvidaré su tremenda capacidad de amar. A dos meses de su partida y hoy que se celebra el Día de la Madre, me siento bendecida por haber podido compartir estos últimos años juntas. Aunque nuestros roles se cambiaron y terminé siendo la mamá, ella nunca dejó de ser mamá.

Mom was always a Mother, with a tremendous capacity for loving. Today is Mother´s Day and two months since she left us and I feel blessed for having her these past years. Our roles changed and due to her Alzheimer I became the Mom in her last years, but she never stopped being a Mother. 

Changing the World

These days when we are all experiencing the effects of the Covid 19 Pandemic, I have heard people claiming that they would like to do something to help but wondering what to do since- they say- it is impossible that one person can have any effect in the current flow of events. Just when I was thinking about it, I bumped into this text from The Daily Om which I believe provide some help.

"Each of us is more than capable of helping the world, despite our fears and limitations and the uncertainty that holds us back.  . If we vow to make the world a better place one day at a time, the true significance of small good deeds reveals itself to us.  

We make our homes, workplaces, communities, and countries better and brighter when we think positive thoughts that echo outward, give donations of time or money, smile at everyone we meet, and lend those in need of aid our assistance.  

Even enthusiastically sharing ideas with others generates positive energy that then serves as the motivation for more tangible change. 

 

Helping the world often takes no more than a moment, just a wish for the world is a beautiful gesture and can be done by even the busiest of people effortlessly. The gift you give each day need not be grand or attention-worthy because the broader benefits are the same no matter the literal repercussions. Once a day, you can affect reality, and you can reap the rewards of knowing that you are making the world a better place, day by day."

The need for change

We have all had the experience of realizing that something in our lives is not working. This knowledge can come as a sudden realization or a nagging feeling of doubt that grows stronger, waking us up to the fact that something needs to change.

The first step is remembering that your life is made up of parts that belong to an interconnected whole. Changing one thing can change everything. Because of this, small changes often have a big effect. Sometimes much bigger changes are necessary, but the only way to know for sure is to take the time to really understand the problem. 

Examine your life as an entirety--your work- especially at these times of health crisis, your relationships, where you live--and determine what specifically is not functioning the way you would like.

The key to making changes that work is to accept the necessity of change as part of life. As we change, we may find it necessary to fine-tune our relationships, work, and living situations. Our lives are living, breathing entities that reflect our dynamic selves.

(Extracted from The Daily Om)

Un mes de la partida de mamá

Hoy hace un mes que mamá partió. Extraño abrazar diariamente su frágil cuerpecito y besarla y decirle cuánto la quiero. Ella ya no podía hablar ni me reconocía como su hija pero creo que sentía mi cariño y lo aceptaba. Y también prodigaba cariño y mucho, eso es algo que nunca perdió, era su esencia. Abrazaba y besaba a sus muñecas y peluches como si fueran bebés. Les hablaba, les daba de comer y los acunaba con ternura. Tenía un instinto maternal inmenso, mi casa siempre estuvo visitada por niños en las diferentes etapas de nuestra vida y siempre trataba de tenerlos contentos y bien cuidados.

Yo antes creía que era papá el jefe de la familia y que mamá hacía lo que él decía como se acostumbraba en esa época, pero el haber pasado tanto tiempo acompañándolos en su vejez me hizo dar cuenta que si bien liderar era trabajo de papá, la guerrera era mamá. Fue la mejor compañera para papá quién generalmente veía las cosas con un tinte pesimista y tomaba su tiempo para tomar decisiones.

Mamá apoyaba la economía familiar haciendo ropa de los retazos de tela que le daban a papá en la fábrica textil dónde trabajó hasta jubilarse y no solamente cosía para nosotros sus hijos sino también dejaba algunas prendas en concesión donde sus caseras del mercado. Cuando ya no había telas, preparaba mermeladas para nuestro consumo y también para vender entre las vecinas.

Siempre ayudaba economizando los gastos, enseñándonos a ser útiles y considerados con los demás, sin importar las condiciones en las que vivíamos cuando niños, no siempre de bonanza económica. No recuerdo que hayamos tenido celebración de cumpleaños cuando niños, pero siempre tuvimos libros que teníamos que pasarnos por turno porque no nos compraban un libro a cada uno sino uno para los tres hermanos, así que teníamos que leerlos rápido para pasarlo al siguiente apenas hubiéramos terminado. Y nunca pasamos hambre, siempre hubo comida para todos y para el que llegara a la casa gracias a su capacidad para distribuir el dinero que papá le daba… y eso que ella consideraba que no era buena con las cuentas por no haber terminado la primaria.

Sé que está en un mejor lugar, de la mano de papá, disfrutando del amor que siempre los unió. Él le dedicó la canción “You light up my life”= Tú iluminas mi vida, como muestra de su cariño hacia ella, ambos iluminan la mía.

Thank you all !!!

Muchas gracias querida familia y amigos por sus consoladoras palabras. Aún no tengo el coraje para organizar mi vida sin mamá después de todos estos años así que estoy parapetada entre mi oficina y mi habitación y trato de no pasar por la de ella hasta mañana en que tendré compañía y podré hacerlo sin flaquear.

Mientras trabajo en mi oficina siento que en cualquier momento puedo pararme e ir a su habitación y darle un beso, jugar con su muñeca, verla sonreír, sentir su cariño, saberla bien para luego regresar a mi oficina a seguir trabajando. Imagino que esto nos pasa a todos los que experimentamos la pérdida de un ser amado: creamos vínculos y hábitos alrededor de los que amamos y cuando ya no los tenemos con nosotros, nos cuesta dejarlos.

Si bien yo fuí la engreída de papá y él era mi héroe, el haber tenido a mamá conmigo todos estos años, verla deteriorarse (lentamente por fortuna) y volverse tan vulnerable y frágil hizo que todas mis decisiones de vida giraran en torno a ella por lo que ahora me cuesta no tener esta responsabilidad ni la recompensa de saberla bien... aunque sé que está bien.

Tiempo al tiempo, ayuda mucho sentir el afecto de la familia y los amigos, gracias por eso.

mamá

Gracias familia y amigos por sus palabras, recuerdos y testimonios de la vida de mamá. Me alegra saber que disfrutaron de sus consejos y su cariño en tantas diferentes formas. 

Gracias a mis hermanos y cuñadas por hacer posible rodearla de amor y cuidados hasta sus últimos momento. Gracias Li por ser otra hija más, Javier, Evitsa, Alexis, Oscar por su constante apoyo. 

Gracias a mis tíos, primos, amigos del colegio, de la universidad, del trabajo, de vida porque de una u otra forma crearon una red de apoyo para permitirme estar con ella la mayor parte del tiempo sin descuidar mis otras responsabilidades. 

Yo creí que después que murió papá yo acomodé mi vida alrededor de la de ella pero en verdad, fue ella quien acomodó la mía. El Alzheimer se llevó a mi mamá fuerte, activa, a la que le gustaban las muñecas, los peluches,coser y las plantas; a la que no le gustaba ver televisión pero sí leer y copiar poemas, pero no se llevó su esencia. Su amor maternal, su sonrisa, siempre estuvo ahí, hasta el último día. 

Ella y papá nos enseñaron a tener siempre un lugar en la casa para el que llegara cansado y una palabra amable para el abatido. 

No siento dolor porque murió en mis brazos así como papá murió en los suyos, quién no querría descansar rodeado de aquellos que lo aman. A pesar que su fragilidad y condición hacían presagiar un final inminente, siento que se fue muy pronto y me quedó todavía mucho amor para darle porque fue mucho lo que me amó. Ahora está con papá, su "vida" como se llamaban entre ellos y la sé feliz. Gracias a todos, los quiero.

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Chinese New Year - Year Of The Rat

BY MADISYN TAYLOR The Year of the Rat is sure to offer the type of enjoyable challenges that will enable us to become all we can possibly be. Chinese New Year this time around is the Year of the Rat, which brings with it the promise of prosperity. The Chinese admire the rat for its quick mind and ability to gather valuables and save them for the future. Since 2020 is the Year of the Rat, the year ahead should offer many opportunities to acquire wealth, as well as the ability to make choices that enable us to provide comfort for a long time to come. This is especially true for those born in the year of the rat. Since the rat sign is the first in the Chinese zodiac calendar, we may feel the energy of a cycle beginning. We may also feel a pioneering spirit that helps us to forge ahead with a completely new endeavor. Looking beyond Western culture's distaste for rats, we may be able to appreciate their intelligence, resourcefulness and adaptability. This quality might offer us hope that whatever challenges we may face will only serve to make us stronger and more able. The rat's ability to solve problems is well-known, so we can choose to enjoy any challenge that helps us keep our minds sharp while also making life more of a game. A competitive nature may develop within us, leading us to use the rat's ability to focus on priorities. The rat can also remind us to be less worried about pleasing everyone we meet and more focused on our goals. We should be aware of the rat's habit for collecting and not allow ourselves to become so focused that we neglect those around us. Being constantly on the alert for opportunity can be stressful, so we can make the decision to balance our pursuit of prosperity with the enjoyment of good food and atmosphere and the people we trust to offer us both support and space. With the energy of challenge and possibility, the year is likely to be exciting without being explosive. The Year of the Rat is sure to offer the type of enjoyable challenges that will enable us to become all we can possibly be.