Every human being is created noble, endowed by God with spiritual qualities and attributes that are endowed with potentialities to shine like gems, reflecting the light and beauty of God. Our souls emanate this light through pure and goodly deeds, and boundless love for the human race.
spending time with friends is a source of pure delight for the soul when the relationships have a spiritual foundation and the ways in which time is spent are noble and free of things that are unworthy of our station as a soul.
this sums up how our time in South Africa was recently spent. we returned after a 3 year absence to see friends with whom we developed familial and spiritual bonds. it was pure joy to be reunited.
after mingling with everyone in the two townships where they now live, we took a few of them with us each day so that we could be together in a different environment from which they live. six days later when we relocated to a rented, unoccupied house, we had decided to ask their parents if 5 of them could stay with us for the rest of our holiday. with their parents' approval, we spent the last 9 days of our holiday with this group of young souls who are like our sons.
we lived together, cooked together, ate together, cleaned up together, prayed together, listened to music together, danced together, played games together, went on outings together, and completed a study book together! for our family, and for them, it was a long-awaited dream come true.
a photo display of our holiday this past December/January:
we always love to do the water balloon toss with the kids
their first time up in a ferris wheel
running for a pass playing American football with 'Coach'
pyramid on the very windy beach at Camps Bay
brothers
cooking together
mac cheese, fried fish & salad
playground in Greenpoint
roasting marshmallows
brotherly love
Mphati and 'Coach' at Boulder Beach
hangin' out after playing ball..someone always on a cell phone!
Sami & Bintyi on the field in Century City
best of friends..
hanging out at the ice skating rink
Linda singing 'I'm Building Me a Home' in Malmesbury
everyone loves Coach
Dyami showing his card trick at the V&A Waterfront food court
such a beautiful day at Boulder Beach by the penguins
working on a rap together in English and Xhosa
in front of the Christmas tree at the V&A Waterfront
unity in diversity :)
playing Pictionary
rotating sleeping together..on the floor
intensive studying book 1
exhausted and smushed in our small rental car together (all 7 of them)
recreating the pose that most of us did together 3 years ago
true brotherhood
very happy to be together at the Abedian home
carrying the washing machine to the outside basin to rinse out the water
at a movie theater to watch Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom together
playing American football on the Sea Point promenade
last day together
moments like these are eternal imprints on our souls. we will discover the patterns we've woven in our hearts with each other in the worlds beyond. there is nothing that matters more to me in this life than establishing spiritual bonds of friendship. praise be to God for these moments..
"It is clear and evident that the body of mankind in this day stands in dire need of such members and organs as are capable, useful and active, so that their movements and activities, their bearing and behavior, their tender feelings, lofty sentiments and noble intentions may at all times reflect heavenly virtues and perfections and become the expressions of divine attributes and saintly characteristics, thus breathing a new life and spirit into all the dwellers of the world and causing the inner ties and spiritual relationships to be fostered and fortified in all fields of human endeavor."
while the Zimmerman trial was in its final days, our family was enjoying a vacation at a Sandals resort in Negril, Jamaica, making friends with the workers and spreading that Baha'i spirit of genuine love to all of them.
we were there with my husband's father who had arranged the trip. he is a Jamaican who left when he was a youth to make a better life for himself. his entire life has been dedicated to working long and hard to ensure that his children were able to grow up with opportunities he never had. at the age of 87 he wanted to make one last trip to see his aunt of 92 years and bring her along with us to a resort for a week of holiday together. when it was too hot for him to be outside he was lounging in his room watching the trial. we heard the latest updates from him each day, discussing the intricacies and history of race and justice in America. our children were soon drawn into the discussion with many questions whether we were by the poolside or wading in the ocean. on the final day, we all laid on our bed together anxiously waiting for the verdict. when we returned from dinner that night we had missed the live coverage of Zimmerman's acquittal, but we watched CNN's coverage for the next hour with shock and disappointment. we felt the legal system failed to protect yet another African American from a crime that happened because of racial profiling..
the trial served as a constant reminder of reality while we were served and catered to in a beautiful environment of harmony, safety, luxury and abundance..where people from all racial backgrounds were enjoying the trimmings of an upper middle-class vacation. what made it special for me was being able to have my love received by so many of the hard-working people at the resort. i felt that warm African heart in every face, with smiles beaming even when tired and over-worked. there was never a problem for them -- 'evryting was alright' and 'no worries' for any request we made or trouble we created (like spilling a drink or breaking a dish). i often felt myself on vacation to make other people's lives better or happier. my consciousness of other people's lives is what fills my heart -- it is very hard for me to think of only myself. i truly am striving to live only to serve others, even if it is just treating them with dignity, respect and conveying the love of God to their souls. in this way, my time at the resort became very meaningful and significant beyond the joyful memories we were sharing together as a family.
the one aspect of the resort that we really didn't like was the inappropriate way in which many Americans dressed, danced and spoke. it was a family resort geared for children yet many adults acted in such degrading ways that we all felt invaded with too much immorality at times. it served as an opportunity to discuss what is respectful for us as human beings who want to grow nearer to God in this life..
these pictures tell the rest of the story:
enjoying time on the flight, Ayana and Gichan
Miss C, our great aunt, who touched everyone's heart with her bright smile & loving kindness
ackee on the side of the road while we were driving from Kingston after picking up Miss C
Dashiel, Ayana & Dyami para sailing for the first time in their lives..and lovin' it!
relaxing after eating at one of the restaurants, our favorite being the buffet where we ate exactly what we liked best
Gichan full of joy to be with his grandchildren
Domani and Dyami building sand castles in the rain :)
Dashiel and the kids having the best time laughing and playing in the rain while i sat with Gichan under a thatched roof area
Dyami waving to me when he saw i was taking photos
life vests for the water sports -- we used them for snorkeling, jet skiing, kayaking & paddle boarding
my beautiful family -- playful and joyful
they swam to the edge of the water for me to capture a close up shot of them
Dashiel and the boys shootin' hoops while we had some down time from the pool and ocean
the water slides were a lot of fun!
Ayana coming out of the tube slide which goes very fast
Mr. Douglas and Dashiel enjoying the pool while sharing some good talks together
Gichan and Dyami waiting for a performance to begin
Vennesia, the most vivacious server at the Cafe de Paris - she was full of that radiant spirit from joy within
Asha and Vennesia at the cafe where we hung out every day for ice cream, crepes, pastries and good coffee
Domani Biko with his snorkeling gear on :)
Ayana paddle boarding
Domani waiting for his turn to ride the jet ski
Dashiel taking Dyami for a ride
the boys played basketball in the pool everyday
being by the beach in the late afternoon before sunset was full of beauty and calm for our family
building castles and wading in the water while we sit together with gratitude for our family and the blessings of life
we had a lot of fun laughing with Gichan whenever we were together -- it was the best of times!
Ayana relaxing - happy to be hangin' with her parents :)
hangin' out in the room - this is where a LOT of silliness occurred, thanks to Dashiel :)
Dyami and Domani enjoying a game of basketball in the pool
one of the kids' favorite things to do was order sweet drinks for themselves..whenever they wanted!
the boys met a very nice boy, Brendan, and played with him most of the week. this evening was karaoke; Ayana sang Breakaway & gave another stunning performance :)
Dashiel and the kids before para sailing
Miss C - Gichan's aunt who can no longer walk, enjoying the ocean on a portable wheelchair for water and sand
Vennesia, Stacy & Asha bringing us much delight one evening
Domani eating a pastry while Vennesia poses :)
eating dinner with Vennesia one evening
Stacy and Dashiel - she left the cafe to come visit us at the restaurant
we were so happy to share moments like this with some of the lovely people who work there
our family's footprints in the sand -- we've done this wherever we've visited a beach :)
saying goodbye to Simone, the children's crafts person -- she embodied the Jamaican spirit fully!
last family photo by the ocean before leaving
Sanjay - one of the restaurant servers; he started calling Dash's special drink order 'the Dash'
on our drive back to Kingston there was a long avenue of bamboo trees along both sides of the road
meeting with Gichan's nephew and niece in Kingston back at the hotel
Gichan and Dyami were buddies by the end of the trip, sharing a lot of laughter together :)
saying goodbye to Jamaica
waiting to be picked up at the airport in the US, Gichan and Dyami kept patting each other's shoulders
spending time with friends is a source of pure delight for the soul when the relationships have a spiritual foundation and the ways in which time is spent are noble and free of things that are unworthy of our station as a soul.
