Antigua Bendición Celta

“Que el camino salga a tu encuentro.
Que el viento siempre esté detrás de ti y la lluvia caiga suave sobre tus campos y hasta que nos volvamos a encontrar, que Dios te sostenga suavemente en la palma de su mano. 
Olvida las cosas que te entristecieron, pero nunca olvides aquellas que te alegraron. Olvida los problemas que ya pasaron, pero nunca olvides las bendiciones de cada día.
Que siempre tengas palabras cálidas en un anochecer frío, una luna llena en una noche oscura y que el camino siempre se abra a tu puerta.
Que cada día y cada noche tengas muros contra el viento, un techo para la lluvia, bebidas junto al fuego, risas para que te consuelen aquellos a quienes amas, y que se colme tu corazón con todo lo que desees.
Que así sea el año que viene, cada año, siempre”

Happy 2022

 

Bodas de Plata Promoción 71

 Bodas de Plata Promoción 71, Colegio Notre Dame

Celebrating 50 years of leaving school

 We left school in the year 1971 so this year we commemorated our 50th Anniversary. Due to the situation we experience in Peru we decided to do something special to celebrate so we collected money and made bags to give out to people in need. I am really proud of my school friends!!!💖

Merry Christmas

 Happy Christmas !!!

May the spirit of Christmas bring you and your family Hope, Happiness and Love. 🎄

 

Memories

These days I have been listening to old songs that were popular when I was a teenager and in my early 20s. I vividly remember what I was doing when those songs were played on the radio and that has made me feel nostalgic. 

I think I have lived a long life full of different experiences and I like it but these pandemic days make me feel that time is being elusive since I have to stay home most of the time because of the holidays and the need to avoid crowds to keep safe. I think I need to do something different to satisfy my need for change.

Just when I was thinking of this, I received my daily OM and today´s is the most appropriate for how I feel:

 "There are many ways to discover what the next step on your life path should be. If you are someone who seeks to satisfy your soul, it is vital that you make this inquiry. Often, your inner voice will counsel you that it's time for a change, and it is very important to trust yourself because only you know what is best for you. Personal growth always results when you let yourself expand beyond the farthest borders of what your life has been so far. When figuring out what your next step will be, you may want to review your life experiences. The choices you've made and the dreams you've held onto can give you an idea of what you don't want to do anymore and what you might like to do next. It is also a good idea to think about creative ways you can use your skills and satisfy your passions. Visualizing your perfect future and making a list of ways to manifest that future can help you choose a logical next step that's in harmony with your desires. Meditation, journal writing, taking a class, and other creative activities may inspire you and provide insight regarding the next step in life that will bring you the most satisfaction."

Evaluating our relationships

 "There comes a time in all our lives when we may need to evaluate our relationships, making sure that they are having a positive effect on us, rather than dragging us down. Without realizing it, we may be spending precious time and energy engaging in friendships that let us down, rather than cultivating ones that support and nourish us along our path. Life, with its many twists, turns, and challenges, is difficult enough without us entertaining people in our inner circle who drain our energy. We can do so much more in this world when we are surrounded by people who understand what we're trying to do and who positively support our efforts to walk our path". (The Daily Om)

I read this and understood how true this is regarding the relationship we keep with our friends and acquaintances. Normally, when we think about our friends, we start by seeing if an old friend keeps on carrying negative ideas that do not let him/ her move forward and drag us along. It could also happen that we have a friend who has a habit of letting us down any time we need his/her support. I am not sure if we should just let them go or should we try to talk to them in an open conversation telling them how we feel about the state of our friendship. Perhaps it may be better if we evaluate the kind of friend we are to them and this will help all of us to become the type of friend we need and expect to have. 

Five minutes of happiness

Cultivating a happy heart takes no more than five minutes. Alone, we can enjoy an aromatic cup of our favourite tea, take a stroll through the garden we have created, write about the day's events in a journal, doodle while daydreaming, or breathe deeply while we listen to the silence around us or you can sing at the top of your voice as my friends and I used to do at Karaoke.

In the company of a good friend or treasured relative, we can share a few silly jokes, enjoy a dance around the room (as I did this morning dancing a “bolero moruno” or whatever it was that I danced) , play a fast-paced hand of cards, or reconnect through lighthearted conversation via phone or whatsApp.

 The key is to first identify what makes us dizzyingly happy. Let´s allow ourselves the freedom to do whatever brings us pleasure, five minutes out of  24 hours can brighten our lives, give us a good reason to smile about and put us in the right mood to face the challenges of everyday life.

Cultivar un corazón feliz no debe tomar mas de cinco minutos. Solos, podemos disfrutar un cafecito caliente o una taza de un aromático té, caminar por el jardín o el parque, escribir algo en nuestro diario (blog, celu, etc.), respirar hondo disfrutando el silencio a nuestro alrededor o cantar a voz en cuello... aunque desafines (como hacíamos en la foto en el karaoke con dos grandes amigas hace muuuuuuchos años).

En compañía, podemos intercambiar chistes, disfrutar un baile en la sala (hoy disfruté mucho bailando un “bolero moruno”, si es que hay algo que se llame así y que coincida con mis pasos de baile), escuchar canciones de la “nueva ola” (vieja en verdad) o reconectar por teléfono o WhatsApp con algún amigo (Eric, you made my day!!).

Lo que importa es identificar qué nos hace feliz y tomarnos la libertad de hacerlo, de este modo, estos cinco minutos diarios de las 24 horas que tiene cada día nos darán siempre un buen motivo para sonreír y nos pondrán de buen humor para enfrentar las tensiones que se presenten.

Teacher´s Day

"Doors open when the time is right for us to enter a new space, metaphorically speaking, and we can have faith that walking through is the right thing to do. Sometimes we linger in the threshold because we are afraid of leaving our old life for a life we know nothing about. We may have voices inside of our heads that try to hold us back or people in our lives saying discouraging things. These voices, internal and external, are known as threshold spirits, and they express all the fears and doubts that arise at the beginning of a new life. Nevertheless, none of these voices can hold us back, and they will fall silent as soon as we cross the threshold."

(Extracted from The Daily Om)

 "Our relationship with our father will often affect our relationships with the other men who will come into our lives. You may have learned to behave and think in certain ways because those were the ways that your father acted and thought. Certain talents that you possess may have been passed down to you by your father. There also may be personal issues that you inherited by virtue of who your father is. Understanding how your relationship with your father has influenced you can help you better understand yourself and the life that you have created.
In a time when mothers, the sacred feminine, and female energy are being honoured, it is important not to forget the importance of fathers. Father energy and mother energy are the two complementary energies necessary to bring a healthy human being to fruition in the world. Many of the ideas surrounding fathers are changing in the wake of more modern parenting styles and the more egalitarian roles that are evolving between the sexes. More men are embodying the mother energy these days, and a woman can provide father energy for her children. Either way, we can all benefit from thinking about our fathers and how they have influenced who we've become and the ways that we walk through this world.

 Let us remember to honour our fathers".

(Taken from The Daily Om)

Oración por el Perú

 

Do you enjoy your job?

Enjoying your job

"A job that you enjoy that lets you meet your needs and allows you to live in accordance with your values will always be more gratifying than a high-status job that you dislike. But while experiencing professional satisfaction can be a vital part of being fulfilled by your work, it is important to remember that it is possible to find happiness in any job. This is because what you do is often less important than how you do it. Your attitude and intention can turn a mediocre job into work that fulfills you because of the way you approach it. If you do your job well and what you do benefits others, then you are doing work that is making this world a better place.

If you are happy in your current line of work and feel that it allows you to be yourself and live authentically while meeting your emotional and physical needs, allowing time for you to enjoy the fruits of your labor, then you have found a job that adds value to your life. If you are a waitress, then be the best waitress you can. Take pride in your work and others will notice your passion. You can contribute your talents and skills to this world while doing any job. It is not the kind of work you do that allows you to be of service. It is you who must choose to be of service through the work that you do."

The Daily Om

Mother´s Day

Last Sunday, May 9th, we celebrated Mother´s Day in Peru, the second one after the pandemic stroke. to say we celebrated is an euphemism since it is difficult to celebrate when the person who is the reason for the celebration is not present. However, we managed to do something special that day: Zoom meeting, a phone call, a visit the day before (we are prohibited to leave home on Sundays) ignoring all recommendations, you name it.

Sadly, there are mothers who have nothing to celebrate because they lost their children in the pandemic or in an incident brought up by the insecurity and delinquency that reigns in several districts of the city.. and in the whole country. And there are sons, daughters and grandchildren who have lost their mothers and grannies... sometimes because they couldn´t help visiting them, hugging them ... and passing on the virus. 

Will the vaccine end with this new way of living? I am not sure, sometimes it is as if people do not care anymore and do not feel any more. It is as if we are all dumb and unable to react. Still, I want to feel that we cannot lose hope. I hope we will thrive in this new world if we learn how to care for ourselves and each other, our next door neighbour, our friend who ended up alone because all his nuclear family died. Perhaps now that we have lockdowns and curfews it is the time for caring for others and helping others. 

I sent WhatsApp messages to the mothers of my family and sent a prayer to my Mum who died last year and I did celebrate with a nice meal and thanked God because I was blessed with a wonderful Mum and now I am still enjoying the best gift she could give me: Life!

 

EARTH DAY 2021

 

Earth Day 2021

 

Generosity

"The most difficult time to be generous is when we ourselves are feeling poor. While some of us have experienced actually being in the red financially, there are those of us who would feel broke even if we had a million dollars in the bank. 

Either way, as the old adage goes, it is always in giving that we receive. Meaning that when we are living in a state of lack, the very gesture we may least want to give is the very act that could help us create the abundance that we seek. 

One way to practice generosity is to give energy where it is needed. Giving money to a cause or person in need is one way to give energy. Giving attention, love, or a smile to another person are other acts of giving that we can offer. After all, there are people all over the world that are hungry for love. 

Remember that what you send out will always come back to you. Selflessly help a friend in need without expecting them to return the same favour in the same way, and know that you, too, will receive that support from the universe when you need it."

I read my Daily Om and took this extract on Generosity, I believe it is true that sometimes being generous is not only a matter of giving money but attention, love or smile. We can be generous any time!!

Happy Easter

In these days when almost every family has lost people or jobs, I still believe we will go through. No matter how religious you are, I wish you a Happy Easter, a time to celebrate new dawn, new opportunities and a new life. It is time to renew our Faith in God, in ourselves and in a promising future for everybody. 

En estos tiempos en que casi todas las familias hemos experimentado pérdidas laborales y personales, yo confío en que a pesar de eso saldremos adelante.
Independientemente de si son religiosos o no, les deseo una Feliz Pascua de Resurrección, de Renovación de nuestra Fé en Dios, en nosotros mismos y en un futuro promisor para nosotros y las personas que amamos.

Celebrating my parents´life

March 10th is the First Anniversary of my Mom´s passing away, I wanted to pay homage to her life and my Dad´s with a memorial service and this video as a reminder of how blessed I am for having lived surrounded for so much love. 

Happy Anniversary!!

 

FElIZ ANIVERSARIO MIS VIEJITOS QUERIDOS!!!!

Un día como hoy hace 68 años mamá y papá unieron sus vidas y formaron una pareja que no solamente para mí sino para los que la conocieron fueron un ejemplo de amor, compasión y trabajo.   

Se complementaban mutuamente, papá era  el proveedor y el que distribuía su sueldo de obrero textil y de técnico de radio y televisión ( “por si había huelga”, así no quedaríamos desamparados) y mamá se encargaba de la casa, de sus hijos, de distribuir el dinero para que alcance para todos y usaba las telas que recibía papá de la fábrica como bono para coser ropa para nosotros y cuando crecimos, dejaba shorts, blusitas y camisitas en su casera del mercado para vender y ayudar con la economía familiar. En nuestra casa nunca faltó amor, comida y libros y no solamente para nosotros sino también para el que lo necesitara.  

Entre los dos se llamaban “vida” y eso fueron el uno para el otro, mamá le sobrevivió ocho años en los que el Alzheimer fue magnánimo y no le permitió darse cuenta que había perdido al amor de su vida. Mamá partió unos días antes que declararan la primera cuarentena, para “no incomodar” y poder despedirse de sus hijos, familiares y amigos sin molestar-algo que ella siempre cuidaba. Feliz aniversario mis queridos viejitos ¡!!!!, sé que están juntos, velando por nosotros y aquellos a quienes amaron.

Happy Chinese New Year

 

"Hard work, duty, discipline—that’s the ox,” the theme of 2021's lunar year will be "build, build, build," following through on whatever projects you began in the Rat year. Stick to routines, and shy away from wild new methods and ideas.

 It is said that: 

Good things can happen with twice the intensity, and bad things will happen to you with twice the intensity as well. To attract good fortune, wear red, keep a plant in your room and try to maintain a positive attitude.

If you want to best prepare your home for the Year of the Metal Ox begin by cleaning your home, reduce clutter, and maintain tidiness all year round.  

Happy New Year!!!

(Extract from Oprah magazine)

Christmas lunch at AAHH Saul Cantoral- San Juan de Lurigancho

 United We can = Juntos Podemos

Last December several people wanted to provide empoverished communities in Lima with something special for Christmas. Christmas dinner was out of the question due to the curfew and organizing a show for the children was unthinkable due to the physical distance we need to keep. 

Customized Training Services organized an academic event to raise funds but we could not help so many people alone so we requested help and got it: my friends from school and university helped and other friends and associations did the same. 

As a result, the neighbourhood from Saul Cantoral in San Juan de Lurigancho had a different Christmas lunch and the kids got presents and sweets as we can see in the video. All this thanks to the teacher Silvia Rosa who told us about her students´ situation and her intention to help her students´ family. She organized all the logistics for this day and mobilized her students as well.

 Another example of the power of the saying: United We can.

Congratulate yourself!

 

Ya todos nos felicitamos unos a otros con cariño y agradecimiento, pero...
TÚ, ya te felicitaste???
Ya te felicitaste por los momentos en que quisiste tirar la toalla y sacaste fuerza para salir adelante???
Ya te felicitaste por esas noches de insomnio y al día siguiente levantarte con una sonrisa???
Ya te felicitaste por luchar y lograr hacer realidad tu sueño???
Por esos días que no podías contener el llanto, pero aún así sacaste fuerza para apoyar a quien lo necesitaba???
Ya te felicitaste por guardar silencio ante una ofensa, aunque el alma te dolió profundamente???
Ya te felicitaste por los amaneceres llenos de Sol que tuviste la oportunidad de disfrutar???
Por los grandes amigos que has sabido conservar y aceptar con paz a quien se fue???
Ya te felicitaste por tus éxitos???
Por dar ánimo y amor sin esperar nada a cambio??
Te felicitaste por ser amado y respetado por alguien especial???
Ya te felicitaste por tener la satisfacción de un trabajo bien hecho???
Por el amor de tu familia y el cariño incondicional de tus amigos???
Hoy felicítate también POR SER QUIEN ERES: único e irrepetible!!!
Por tus sueños, por la pasión que pones en lo que haces, por el amor que ahora te tienes a tí mismo...
Por ser fuerte, por aprender día a día y por saber que la divinidad en la que crees (o tú mismo) te tiene deparadas las mejores cosas de este mundo...
Por la música, por el baile, por sonreír, por poder caminar, correr, saltar...
Por la magia de estar vivo!!!
Yo, hoy también  me felicito!!!