Merry Christmas!

2015 proved to be big. Not necessarily in a brilliant way. It was wild, frustrating and trying - I am sure I am not the only one feeling that way.

This year, I didn’t want Christmas to be overdone; nor overshadowed by the commercial, consumerism-orientated way it seems to keep going. I didn’t go wild with the presents. I didn’t even make a wish list for myself.  I didn’t listen to Christmas Carols on repeat since November. I did the shopping well in advance and I didn’t have to face the crowds these last few days.

 

Tonight I took a walk in my beloved grasslands. Facing the grasslands, in the last few hours of this Christmas Eve, I felt Peace.

On my right, the Sun said good-bye to the day. On my left, the Full Moon smiling to the one coming.

And everything went quiet during those last moments of flickering light.

I thought of the way this year spined - fast like a carousel, with ups and down. I lost some friends. I gained some really amazing ones.

I lived and laughed. I cried at times, too. I was amazed and - to a few some - I was amazing too.

I kept calm or I lost my plot. It’s just life.

But I am lucky to have the love of my family and the kindness of some very good friends. Some unexpected presents made their way under my tree, reminding me to never forget that I am loved.

There are but few minutes till midnight. Life is good. Merry Christmas to all of my friends in all 4 cardinal points.  Have a great one and however you choose to celebrate it, make sure that it is meaningful in every single way.

Love, Hope and Strength

Once again the world is unbalanced and we find ourselves gasping for air, as we follow the news in disbelief.

God is the greatest, they shouted. But this is not a war of God.
God is Love, Hope and Strength and he has nothing to do with people killing others in his name.

It’s no secret that Paris holds a very special place in my heart – As a young journalism student, this city offered me lots of “first taste”, for which I will always be grateful: my first outing in the Western world, my first serious journalistic prize, my first time at important cultural points such as Musée D'Orsay and Louvre, Versailles and Jardin Des Tuileries. My first time to see the works of my heroes, Toulouse-Lautrec and Gauguin...And many others.

Reading the news today, my heart skipped a beat. I’m truly speechless - and that doesn’t happen often.

While I mourn for the lives senselessly lost, I find that the hardest part is to keep myself composed and not give in to the despair that keeps building up after so many tragic events unfolded in just a day. Paris, Baghdad, Beirut – there is just too much sadness for one single day.

Today, I found it hard to keep smiling around my children, not wanting them to know yet just how much evil there is around the world.

Attacking unsuspecting, ordinary people as they go about their daily existence, be it on the street, in a restaurant or at a concert, is ultimately an act of cowardice meant to bring fear, despair and hatred. And if we give in and answer their hatred with hate, their attacks with fear and their war cries with despair, then they have won without us even putting on a fight.

As I am watching my 5yo playing and shining her flash light, I am projecting her image over the most peaceful places I haven known here, in my beloved grasslands. I am sending you all our wish for Peace and Love.

 

 

I am also watching the world lighting up for Paris, the City of Lights. Solidarity. What a beautiful word. And what beautiful gifts it brings. It brings the Love, the Hope and the Strength we all need for a better tomorrow. It brings us Unity.

To all my brothers and sisters of La Ville Lumiére, I’m going to say it the only way I can:

Je t’aime, Paris! Je t’aime de tout mon coeur et de tout mon âme et je promets d’ȇtre à tes côtés pour toujours. Je suis desolée pour ton chagrain; ton chagrain est aussi le mien.