Where is my stray mojo?

Where is my stray mojo?
FridayAugust 19, 2011
By: Gina Yoryet Roman

It is now Friday night, the first chance for me to transform my weekly thoughts into words…
The truth is that I really did have a little more time than usual to do last week’s reflections (Sunday August 14) but I just couldn’t get my mojo going (mojo = the sense of being alive, joyful, and fully present in the moment. The path to finding your mojo differs for everyone. For some, mojo is a sense of purpose and meaning in your life. For others, it’s reclaiming optimal health or sparking their creativity. Some seekers find mojo by getting in touch with the divine) because of many unexpected and nerve-wracking events, I just couldn’t get myself to jot down a single word.

It all started well last week’s Monday (August 15th), sprinted to they gym at the crack of dawn. Usually instead of thinking about the darkness, I focus on beating my sprint time from the previous day. The day went quite well, I spent time with my babies (my two maltese puppies I got over the summer; Brunito and Pelusita).

Later that night I watched the news about this case of a dead little girl in Estado de Mexico. According to the Journalist, the little girl was ran over by a car a few months back when she had just gotten out of school to run to the park right across the street. The neighbors started noticing bizarre things like the swings moving, strong winds and the whole freaky enchilada, YIKES!

The Journalist went to the park at midnight to see if he could catch something creepy on camera and so he did! I am usally very skeptical about those things but I could clearly see the little girl’s silhouette right when he focused the camera so I FREAKED OUT! The next morning I was in such panic that I called the gym trainer (who works out at the same time time)to pick me up.

Thank God he came and got me, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to drag myself out of the house. LOL! Just as my fear started dissipating slowly, I saw some tragic news about women and murders and I felt so much anxiety that I had to get my mind distracted with something else.

On Wednesday I thought I was more at ease until I came back from the gym. Right when I walked in the door at 6:30am my landline started ringing, My first thought was, “Perhaps it’s one of my sisters but they are two hours earlier.” It was a bit odd even more so when the caller ID read “Private number.” I had just turned the computer on to start writing because I was very eager so when I picked up it was a man panting and screaming in panic. He kept saying something like, “help me, I’m being kidnapped, they are throwing me into a pickup, help, help!”

My heart dropped to the floor and my body went cold, I literally started shivering. Two or three seconds later I told myself, “Ok, snap out of it, this is not real.” And so it wasn’t because as I listened to that wicked voice again, I couldn’t hear the least tinge of panic. If that man had to make a living out of acting, he would’ve been homeless by now.

Throughout the day the phone rang a few more times and I was too hesitant to pick it up when the caller id, read “Private number.”
On Thursday in the midst of my weekly chaos I was trying to beat into my head that fear is nothing but an abstract idea but I still felt YUCK! I sprinted back home from the gym as I was expecting my sister to call me at 8am after I emailed her telling her of my happenings. Thank God for sisters! I got home, fed my babies, cleaned their poop, took them out for a walk but Oh Lord, they are more than a handful! They run like crazy all over the place so I rushed out the house leaving my keys on the table! I locked myself out at 6:45am!! So I had to wait until work hours to call a locksmith to make sure I talked to my sister before I left to go to work.

And so we did have a brief chat which I was very glad for because she beholds this kind of divine power to soothe one’ soul. At that moment I wished she were here so she could sit right beside me to tell me a joke, to talk to me about our childhood, to nag at me or to just be there keeping me company.

Unlike many people who are terrified of being alone, I’ve always been one to cherish the quiet moments of my solitude because that is exactly where I find peace. My alone moments give me the opportunity to strategize, plan and act. That is my time to reflect and empower my mind and soul and to reach down to the spiritual me. To look at the woman in the mirror and ask her how I can be more in control of my actions and thoughts, how I can be more disciplined, thorough, more agressive and how I can hold on to life with one grip to reach all my lifetime goals, how I can have more expectations of me and ONLY me and how to be more aware of other people’s needs, like the people at Acortar Distancias.

As it is in my nature to NEVER sit down and be in control of every aspect of my life (for better), sometimes it feels as though I am so out of sequence but despite all those setbacks I keep trying in my day to day battle. Sometimes it is very easy to give up and I can see why many do…

What is one to do in this constant roller coaster when emotions, fear, lack of motivation, temptation and “bad influence” seem to take over?
I pray and give it all to a much more powerful force in the universe that will take it all away and help me find true inner peace.

There is no room for failure

There is no room for failure
By: Gina Roman
Monday August 8, 2011


The economy is going down once again, with that Dow Jones is at one of its 9th lowest in U. S. history and at its lowest since December 1st 2008 according to yahoo news.
That always makes me ponder on the fact of what it’s like for those who invest in the stock market, the feeling they must get when their stocks pump to the highest value.
What about when the stocks hit the bottom though? Was all the risk worth the effort? What about the feeling of having failed financially?
There are millions out there who are going through turmoil at this precise moment because their assets are at high stake due to this shaky economy…

Can stockholders foresee what’s lying ahead? Perhaps they cannot, otherwise they wouldn’t risk so much because of their fear of failure? Failure of losing their finances, failing to their families, failure to not being able to predict the ups and downs of economy.

As much as people may fear failing, it seems as though they always clamor for money, possessions and prestige. Do they realize that all of that is transient? As money can be lost, possessions wear out and go out of style. Position and prestige are fleeting prizes in life’s tug-of-war.
Why not search for spiritual understanding, dreams and goals and incline towards the quiet solitude of one’s soul instead?
These are the things that make a human being truly wealthy, wealthy in wisdom, serenity, hope and joy.
I have not once known of a single stock on the stock market that guarantees that kind of dividend.

My understanding of Life is about being ambitious (Not inclined towards a materialistic aspect), setting goals and expectations, accomplishing them and NOT allowing any gaps for failure to filter in because once it manages to get in, it is like an illness, hard to get rid of, unless one uses all their might to do otherwise. Everyone always sets goals especially as we get older; I personally at this point in life cannot allow myself to fail mentally, emotionally, financially, or spiritually. I do not in ANY way Intend for perfection, what I mean is that my past experiences have definitely helped me get to know myself better, to define the “I” now, to determine what NOT to do in the future and more so, they’ve forged me into a much stronger person.

The other night I was talking to one of my students and we mentioned the fact that we have the same concept of life, to NOT allow failure to sink in. Sometimes it can be frustrating because things seem to happen in a rather slow motion and it is in our nature to want immediate results (sometimes we neglect to accept nothing but the best without even trying).

Many times I look back at the end of 2008 when every single area of my life was shattered, all of 2009 was spent struggling to collect all the tiny pieces and put them together, and part of 2010 when it finally dawned on me that too much time had been wasted feeling lost and empty, I sought for a million ways to get back in tune with life, set goals and expectations of “me” and take the rein of my existence.

Writing has always been one of my passions in life, once I set a goal to write professionally so when I started writing for a magazine and a newspaper, I was thrilled but that joy didn’t last too long as I was bombarded with a million tasks and I was being pulled in different directions (I always have to split myself up between Teaching, Translating, Writing and Health and Fitness).
Sometimes I want to bang my head against the wall for letting the opportunity of writing profesionally slip out of my hands but at the same time there will always be opportunities, plus it didn’t fulfill me completely since I’ve always wanted to do reflective writing so I can pore my heart out and connect with the world.
After cleaning up all the clutter in my mind, I concluded that translating/interpreting needed to be put on my top list as it can bring many great opportunities business wise. But then teaching jumps in and like someone once said to me during my youth years when I was a rebel with MANY causes, “You are a natural born teacher.” And then Health and Fitness comes in. Perhaps I am not ready to drop any of them just yet…

At this moment in life I still haven’t figured out which of my passions will bring me the most joy and fulfillment nor which one would be the most profitable and worth my while. To this day, I still haven’t maximized my potential to the highest. All I know is that as exhausted as I sometimes may be (my days usually start at 4:30 am), there will NEVER be any room for failure because I am a MexiCAN.




LOSE/WIN

I have known the pain of failure, frustration, disappointment, defeat,
BECAUSE
I have taken a chance on winning, succeding, achieving…
It takes a lot of the first to get some of the second.

Natasha Josefowitz

Occupational Hazard

Occupational Hazard
July 31st, 2011
By: Gina Yoryet Roman



Whether it is teaching, translating, editing, interpreting, writing or investigating, my occupation is words. Anything that encompasses my job requires me to convey ideas so that readers students or an audience can understand the message clearly.

So for the most part I can usually see what’s wrong with someone else’s writing (and with my own as well, although I don’t like to admit that perhaps I am not one of the best writers) and figure out how to fix it.

As as an editor, I am paid for being critical. My job is to see what’s wrong with the way words are used. When I was first initiated in this game of words, there was always this tinge of fear and stress to point out other people’s flaws in writing. Unlike a few weeks ago when I met a client who I translate, edit for and give a “touch” of tourism to their magazines.

Now that I am so used to it there are times (99.9% of the times) while I read a book my default antenna pops up and I am automatically on the look for spelling, punctuation, sentence structure mistakes, or sometimes even the right font size and style.

Sometimes it gets to the point where I don’t even enjoy a good story because I always have a highlighter in hand, ready to point out even the slightest flaw.
When I can get myself to stay still and watch a movie, if it happens to be subtitled, I am always looking for “a better way” to rephrase the sentence.

As far back as I can recall, it’s been in my nature to question myself about the littlest things, to be observative and curious and to always be alert of my surroundings but this “ability” of being critical becomes a disability when I carry it into my personal life and always look for what is wrong, as focusing on what’s wrong can cause us to miss all the good things in life. It is okay to know good from bad but for an individual’s sake, it is not good to only focus on the bad aspects.

This reminded me of when my sister came to visit. I spent more time in the kitchen than ever, despite the fact that I am not too fond of domestic chores. I did it and I actually didn’t mind it because we were spending quality time and we very seldom get to sit down and have nice meals as a family since we live so far apart.
One day, (I don’t remember whether we were preparing a meal or picking up after a meal) I did something that annoyed her and she told me very politely that it was a very bad habit. We then chatted about how every single human being on earth has bad habits but it is not a major sin. It is completely ok to point them out to the ones we care about without hurting their feelings.

As much as I find it harmless or uninportant, I try to put myself in someone else’s shoes and that would annoy me, so, I being a woman of word told her I’d work on that.

Each chapter of my life is just like each piece of writing in the magazines that I translate and edit or an article that I write.The work is not done only once and bahm, it’s ready! Before I flip to the next page there’s a lot more work involved than that, it has to be shined and polished until it’s got the best touch. It is the same case with every single human being in this existence...
Every day is a new promise and a new opportunity to focus on the best things and to try to work on our flaws.

In the Time of the Butterflies

In the time of the butterflies
July 23, 2011
By: Gina Roman



“In The Time of the Butterflies,” is a novel published in 1994 by Julia Alvarez based on a real story that took place in the Dominican Republic in the early 1960’s under the regime of Rafael Trujillo. Alvarez tells about the happenings of the four Mirabal sisters “Las Mariposas;” Patria, Minerva, María Teresa and Dedé, symbols of courage, struggle and hope for freedom in a country subdued and overshadowed by Dictatorship and despair.

In spite of the day to day horrors of life under a brutal regime, “Las Mariposas,” “The Butterflies,” came together to overthrow Rafael Trujillo and sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom. They had to pay the human cost of political opression but to this day they still remain in the heart of many people throughout the world.

This story was also adapted into a film in 2001 starring Marc Anthony and Salma Hayek.
I’ve always had this great admiration for Salma Hayek not only because of her captivating beauty but because of her talent and her “ganas,” will for success.
In the film she gives life to Minerva Mirabal who had a dream of going to school which was not common or allowed to farmer’s daughters at that time. After begging her father, he finally gave in. Once in school Minerva started meeting people and it was then that she realized the truth about Rafael Trujillo as many secrets were revealed. As days went by, Minerva also found out that one her friends was taken by Trujillo to bear him a child and then afterwards she was exiled from the Dominican Republic to escape Trujillo's fury and venom.

Rafael Trujillo quickly became attracted to Minerva and years later he hosted a party in Santo Domingo to which Minerva was invited. Since she foresaw his intentions, she declined the invitation but her parents were afraid of the consequences to come so they convinced Minerva to go. At the party, Rafael asked her to dance with him, as they danced Trujillo kept pulling Minerva very close to him and resting his hand on her lower back. Minerva finally pulled away and slapped him leaving her family at stake.

Minerva was allowed to continue school and graduate from university and she was even handed her diploma at her graduation ceremony but her license to practice law was withheld as revenge from Trujillo

The retaliation they suffered after they protested was brutal;“Las Mariposas” and their husbands were arrested because of endless crimes they “had committed,” papá (their father) was also arrested and tortured to death.

Finally Trujillo ordered three of the sisters to be killed on Puerto Plata Road with their driver Rufino, coming back from paying a visit to their imprisoned husbands. “Las Mariposas” and the driver were lynched to death. Their Vehicle and bodies were later dumped off a cliff to make it appear as an accident.

“Las Mariposas will always remain in the heart of the Dominicans and
Museo Hermanas Mirabal is proof of that. The museum is showered with butterflies as a symbol of freedom to them and millions of Dominicans.

When I first saw the movie I was flipping through the channels and only got the end of the story so I rented it the following day and a few weeks later I went to a bookstore and came across the book. I was not only impacted by this story but I loved their symbol of freedom because I felt connected while growing up under my father’s regime….

Although my father’s regime doesn’t even come close to that of Rafael Trujillo, my sisters and I were very restricted when growing up, it seemed as if my father took things to the extreme sometimes. When I think of Minerva Mirabal I reflect myself in her because I always fought against my father’s authority. My oldest sisters were too scared to contradict him or to stand out for themselves. Unlike me, as scared as I was, I always confronted him. When I had just turned fourteen we had a very intense confrontation that we didn’t cross a single word in over a year.
My lack of maturity and understanding encircled me in my own selfish bubble and I neglected to give him a chance to explain why he was so strict.

Now that I look back, it wasn’t so bad. He was just trying to do his job as any parent can go crazy with five girls in the family.
Regardless of what the Mirabal sisters went through in the Dominican Republic, their nickname, the book or the film, butterflies have always been my own symbol of freedom.

Just last weekend, my niece, my nephew and I were trying to figure out how many butterflies I have. Among that Collection is a beautiful red blanket with a huge butterfly in the middle, once I was walking along Carretera de Chapala and I found an intact dead butterfly so I picked it up, brought it home and put it in a box. I have necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, clothes with butterflies, shoes and many other things. When I’m teaching or when I meet someone it doesn't take them long to decipher my love of butterflies and they sometimes ask why.

I may have told a few people that I just simply love them but in reality, long ago I adopted“Las Mariposas” to define “me” and my sense of pursuing my ideals in life, to cherish the freedom I once fought for and prevailed.

“Long Live the Butterflies”

Is reproducing a woman’s real purpose in life?

Is reproducing a woman’s real purpose in life?
July 11, 2011
By: Gina Roman



“Aunt Georgie, can I ask you something,” my ten year old niece asked me in the middle of lunch on Tuesday. “Yes Saranna Jasmine?” I replied. “Why aren’t you more like mom?” She questioned me. “What do you mean,” I said. “Why aren’t you married and have a family?” She inquired.
YIKES! I said as I gulped the mouth full of enchiladas giving myself some time to come up with a good answer or another subject to brush that touchy topic off.
It is not that I am not used to hearing that question, it seems as though every time I visit (very seldom) my mom’s relatives, the only topic to discuss is why I am not married nor have I had kids.
It was just very unexpected from such young and naive little person. It felt very ackward because my mother was sitting right beside me and my sister and nephew were there as well. She kept going on and on asking me about boys and why am I not even in a serious relationship and trying to find candidates for me.

This topic of children and reproducing always gives me an UGH feeling!
To this day I still cannot say whether or not children is one of my biggest desires in life. I still don’t know if I’ll ever want them. For one reason or another it has never happened, not even when I was with the “love” of my life. Perhaps because distance was always an issue and because we didn’t spend much time together physically. Or perhaps because of stronger reasons, that is not something for me to ponder into or try to find answers anymore. Sometimes it is better to let sleeping dogs lie.

At this time and moment in life I feel like I have to step up and make lots of things happen because I’m missing out on so much, I am always driven to learn more. Are there moments when I feel loney? Yes! Are there moments when I wish I came home to someone and say, “love, I’m home,” Instead of hearing the echo of the slightest sound in the apartment? Certainly, but that is not a reason to want to bring a child to this world.
I wonder why people have not one, but two, three kids, maybe to make sure they avoid feeling guilty and lonely later, sometimes because they feel that nature is obligating them to do so, sometimes because of the fact that their partner will linger around “longer,” or to create the one who will inherit their wealth, properties, businesses, etc.

In many countries in Latin America it is almost a sin and it is not well seen by society when a woman in her thirty’s is not married nor has a family but it doesn’t bother me in the least because at the end of the day, nobody else but me will have to face me, narrow down what I want, need and should be doing and find my REAL purpose in life.

One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to ever settle down with someone for the simple reason that I am afraid of being alone; I’ve known many people who get married because they are co-dependent and because they think that real happiness is to be with someone and that they have to have company when in the long run , the gap of solitude ends up getting wider and they end becoming more distant and lonely.

I’ve always believed that one of the best things in life for a woman is to be successful and independent so I don’t want to ever marry anyone just for money because to this day I love my freedom and thank God I’ve been able to provide a sustenance for myself and I guess because I’ve become very selfish somehow (I love my space, I love waking up whenever I want, I love not having to share my bed with a snoring, slobbering or breath-stinking person, I love to NOT have to deal with crying and needy children).

Knowing me, If I were married and had kids, I would always want more. When I was 20 I was able to buy my first house with one of my sisters, at 24 I was able to take my name off that loan and co-sign for another house with another one of my sisters, I ‘ve worked at a million different places that have forced me to increase my knowledge in countless areas, I’ve traveled a share amount – not as much as I’d like to in the last two, three years.
Every single time after I accomplish a goal, I ask myself, “is this it?” I want more and I need to be doing more or this is not enough.

Another reason why I am not necessarily passionate about children is because in this world everything is at stake and whatever happened to morals, values, respect and all the good aspects of humanity? There isn’t much left of what it was once. I can barely drag my own to feet to try to be a better human being in the midst of this chaotic jungle. When the “right” time comes I would love to adopt a baby or two and really focus in them, in making them good beings but before that happens there is a world for me to conquer.

Although (from my perspective) the beauty of a woman is not measured on the size of her cleavage nor the shape of her butt, but measured on what her body is able to accomplish, to create another human being and still manage to look amazingly beautiful. Since I don’t have kids I strongly believe that my brain is my strongest and most attractive asset so all there is for women who don’t even come close to being with “THE ONE” nor want kids, is to unleash their power to the maximum and do something with it.

Deciphering Humanity and the power of healing

Deciphering Humanity and the power of healing
June 26, 2011
By: Gina Roman


While driving the other day, I was trying to pay attention to this suicidal song being played on the radio. Not quite sure who the singer was but I’m pretty certain it was Alejandro Fernandez – being a huge tapatio icon he’s got thousands of female followers so every other song that plays on the radio is one of his.

If I remember correctly, the song goes like this, “matame, es más fácil que lo hagas a que te perdone porque jamás te perdonaré…” – kill me, it’ll be much easier for you to do that than for me to forgive you…”

That song went very deep down because it reminded me of a few experiences that I’ve always been very hesitant and sensitive to write about, not because I haven’t completely let go or healed but because I consider those moments the most intimate and personal stages in my life and I want them to remain within and share them only with the very few people who are able to read me like the palm of their hand. Those words also reminded me of the many people (friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc.) I’ve lost and the many I’ve gained throughout my journey.

Relationships; friendships family, romantic relationships and so on, can be a challenge and there have been very frequent moments when we neglect to understand, accept and question ourselves why people that we’ve truly cared about have taken a different route and vanish. There could be many reasons involved; because we don’t click, because we’re very competitive, because of the lack of communication, immaturity, anger, frustration, jealousy, the lack of interest from one end or both, insecurity, resentment, impatience, lack of trust, betrayal or simply because that relationship wasn’t mean to be as much as we may have kicked, punched, cried or cursed.

I would’ve agreed with that song in the past as I was always one to hold a grudge on people even for the most minimal thing they’d done. I never accepted apologies and neither did I give people a second chance but yet I expected people to give me another chance.

As the adult I’ve become I’m getting to know myself more and I am working on improving many aspects of “me” for the better. Especially because since the beginning of the year I’ve felt this inner peace unlike many years. I thought of how long it took me to reach this stage and how I want it to remain like that if not for life, at least for a LONG time.

For instance this week one of my closest friends and I had a long conversation through email as she was traveling because of work. We brought up many things that we had never talked about because we were afraid that we’d be too upset and that perhaps our friendship would go down the drain, especially because we had lost a myriad of people in our journey. What we opted for instead of giving each other a chance to talk, we simply disappeared so that left us wondering what had happened.

We chatted over the phone just a little while ago and clarified many things. We agreed that true and genuine relationships are NEVER lost, in fact it is those moments of disagreement that reinforce the bond. It is completely ok to disappoint, disagree, get annoyed and be different than your friends or loved ones but that is an insignificant reason to lose relationships.

I came across another unexpected encounter about two weeks ago when I talked to one of the most important people in my life. The impact of that conversation stirred all these concealed sentiments yet my soul was finally liberated and my heart felt at ease. It is very easy to see how human beings neglect to understand the simplicity of relationships.

That is why sometimes it is better for one’s sake to let life just flow and accept what fate is holding for us as although we were given a body and a life to own, “ownership” doesn’t mean we own life nor is it the purpose of our existence to fully understand life.

Instead of trying to decypher humanity, we should give away the gift of forgiving, the power of healing and give love and affection to others, not war because in the midst of tragedy, pain and hurt, in the midst of joy and disappointment, love is the most poweful force in the universe and it is what keeps humanity going.

The Road Not Taken

Monday June 20, 2011
“The Road Not Taken”
By: Gina Roman


This time I wanted to do things a little different as I am trying to break monotony. This summer my “to do” list is longer than ever and my number one on the list is to change things around a bit. So I took a break from writing every Sunday and so I’m doing it now that I just got back from the gym and my mind is more refreshed. I’m not dozing off in front of the computer and there’s so much to say that I could write a book at this moment as words just keep coming.

On Sunday June 12, my sisters told me that my ten year old niece and my 14 year old nephew were going camping to Southern California. My sisters were going through all these mixed emotions for letting their kids leave for ten days without them. They were preocupied but at the same time they were happy for them because they want to give them their space and more than anything, freedom and self-confidence which will teach them how to be responsable at such young age.
So the people at the church who put on the trip asked relatives; parents, grandparents aunts, uncles, friends, etc. To write a letter to the kids for each day to be spent there or one long letter in case they felt homesick or lonely as all the kids left without their parents. The people at the church are the ones reponsable for the kids (I don’t know how many adults there are).

They hit right on the target when they asked me to write and as soon as I hung up the phone, I went on and on writing to the kids which maybe they won’t get a full grip on since they are so young but I hope they keep those letters until they are adults and that those words dawn on them someday rather sooner than later and I also hope that they choose the “less traveled road."

The Road Not Taken
By: Robert Frost – 1920

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference....





June 12, 2011



E.R.,

When I was asked to write a letter to you my eyes felt with tears and my heart felt such warmth that I was speechless.

It is such joy and pride to see the young man you’ve grown into. I wish I were there to talk to you, to play a wrestling match or to see all the girls swooning over you and many more things.
I cannot express all the love I have for you as the handsome “muchacho,” young man you’ve become and the oldest cousin, the role model to all the little ones following you; Hayden, Saranna Jasmin, Hasseem, Alexander Brandis, Henry, Alexander William and Edward Maxwell.
It feels as if it were just yesterday when you were a baby and I could hold you in my arms, you were the cutest little thing, the chubbiest little one that brought so much contentment to our family since none of us wanted to take the lead and have a baby.

I could write a book telling you many things but I know that as a fourteen year old boy, you’d much rather spend your time doing a million things other than reading a “tedious and corny letter,” after all, letters are for girls huh?

All I can say, is that anything you set your mind, heart and soul to, it will be yours. Life can be a tough journey sometimes but it is the strongest who are able to accomplish success.
Follow your dreams and fight until the end leading an honest life because at the end of the day, it is “YOU” the ONLY one you’ll face and give account to.

ALWAYS lead a life of respect; treat others they way you would like to be treated, fight for your ideals, you decide whether or not to follow “bad influence.”
Think about you but think about others as well, as helping others is one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences in life.

I love you, we all love you; Lilly, Georgie (me), Tammy and Mandy your aunts and Suzy (your mother) will always be there for you so NEVER forget that.
And if you are ever in need to have “a man to man talk,” your uncles, HR1, HR2 and HR3 will be there to guide you.

Hugs

Aunt Georgie


June 12, 2011


SJJ, beautiful princess,


It is a pleasure to write a few words to you. You are the most beautiful girl in this planet, your mother and you are very fortunate to have one another.
It is the greatest pride to be aunt to the “only” beautiful princess in the family.

I don’t know how much you will be able to understand and most important, what you will be able to retain for the lifetime lying ahead of you.

I want you to know that it doesn’t matter how often we see each other, I will always love you so keep in mind that whenever you’re feeling lost and in despair, I will be just a phone call away.

I can tell you so many things but I know you’d much rather be jumping around with all the kids your age.

As you become a young woman you will encounter many obstacles and many good experiences but life is about NEVER giving up, not letting all those temporary setbacks defeat you; will they slow you down? Most definitely but let that dictate the honest human being you were meant to be.
Always push yourself to compete with your own self (and not with others) and strive for the best.
Lead a life full of knowledge, respect and honesty because nobody will ever take them away from you; they will be your faithful companions in your journey until the end of your existence.
NEVER let fear prevent you from doing a single thing you want to do in life as it is only an abstract idea.
NEVER let anyone (not even yourself) set limits; the world is in your hands, so step up and conquer it.
Be grateful to God and life for every day getting closer to accomplishing the woman you were meant to become.
Always have faith and hold on to God.
Understand that there will always be ups and downs in your journey so be thankful for the good and bad for the black and white; let go of the bad and hold on to the good; and most important, let those not so positive experiences teach you a lesson.