Sunday, December 30, 2007

End of Year Message

As we reach the end of the year 2007 it is time for me to look back at the year and thank all those who enriched my life in one way or another.

To the faculty of CCC ACE and CJC ACE, my secretary, the Dean and Asst. Dean and faculty of CJC Day Division, the Principal and Faculty of CCC Day Division, the Bursar, Asst. Bursar, cashier,and the secretaries, AND the students of CCC ACE and CJC ACE a special thank you for having been a part of my life.
To the many friends whose path I crossed this pass year, thank you for your friendship.

To my friends across the sea in San Pedro at SPHS and SPJC thank you for your friendship. It was truly a pleasure to be at some of your school functions and helping you from the main land whenever possible.

It was a trying year and a triumphant year. It was a year of sorrow and a year of joy. It was a year of heart break and a year of love. It was a year of learning and a year of teaching. It was a YEAR.

WE HAVE GROWN AND WE HAVE WALKED THE MILE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO BECAUSE IT IS OUR DESTINY.

To my family and friend abroad and the Belizean public and all people of the world who may read my blogspot, thank you for your support and for reading my page.

MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING US HAPPINESS, LOVE AND PEACE. MAY WE ACHIEVE ALL THE GOALS WE SET OUT TO ACCOMPLISH.

GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU ALL IN HIS ARMS AND UNDER HIS GUIDANCE.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

The Value of Friendship

How do we assess true friendship? When we were eight, we would share our sweets and cookies with our buddies and it was natural. As the years passed by, we grew up and our best friends became our confidantes. They shared and were expected to keep our deepest and darkest secrets. Aw, the value of friendship. How do we prove that we are worthy of it?
First of all, friendship should never be measured. It should never be taken for granted and it should never be undermined. We can exercise it in many ways BUT all of these ways must have a positive outcome. IF they should ever have a negative turnover THEN we have ceased to be true friends.
I believe if Belizeans and people the world over are to succeed in this ever changing world we MUST have TRUE FRIENDS. No matter the nationality, color, ethnicity, culturE or language. We choose our friends and for better or worst we are bonded by that thing we call LOYALTY. IT MAY SEEM SUCH A LITTLE WORD, but in actuality it is bigger than life where friendship is concerned.
A true friend must never feel he or she cannot confide in the person with whom they share this special bond. Once we have to hide from our friend what we have in our hearts and minds, then we have lost the meaning of friendship and undoubtedly we have lost a friend.
The value of friendship, therefore, is bigger than the universe. It is captured in songs, poems and stories. It is captured by the heart, the mind, the eyes, the mouth and the arms. It is captured because it is a thing to cherish, to have and to hold forever and ever.
Each day is a new beginning. Each day is a new approach to one's destiny. How do we arm ourselves for it? How do we prepare for the battle to save a friendship? We enter into battle armed with LOVE. We enter into battle armed with the TRUTH. We enter into battle with SINCERITY. We do it because we are TRUE FRIENDS.
SO, HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO?
EASY. We use RESPECT for our friends. We must respect their wishes, we must respect their privacy and we must respect their judgement. We can make our comments and options to our true friends BUT we must be prepared to accept that they will want us to RESPECT their decisions. After all, they MUST HAVE THE FINAL SAY IN THEIR LIVES. True friends MUST KNOW WHEN TO BACK AWAY AND LET THINGS BE. They must be willing to sit back and relax until they are called upon to deal with whatever is asked of them.
The value of friendship is easy to appreciate but hard to deal with. However, if the friendship is to continue we must accept that there are things beyond us which do not require that we partake in them. Especially if they will add pain and suffering to a person we call a friend.
THAT IS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A FRIEND. BUT IF THE FRIENDSHIP IS TO SURVIVE THEN IT MUST BE DONE.
SO, TO THE MANY FRIENDS WHO THINK THEY DO WELL WHEN THEY OVERRULE THE WISHES OF A FRIEND I SAY, HEED THE WISDOM OF TIME. HEED THE WISDOM OF THE BRAIN. HEED THE WISHES OF YOUR FRIEND. Value the friendship. Value the friend. Value the trust and value the after claps of your actions. For once you have crossed the line, you nolonger have the power to take back what you have done and only God knows the effect your actions will have on the future of your friend. It could be as insignificant as an ant hill or has huge as Mount Everest. Beware of your judgements. No all good intentions end up good.
FRIENDSHIP IS SPECIAL. IT JOINS PEOPLE TOGETHER. ONCE IT IS LOST THERE IS NO RETURN.
SO, MY FRIENDS, I HOPE WE CAN UNDERSTAND FROM THESE FEW WORDS THAT FRIENDSHIP IS A TREASURE TO BE GUARDED.
PEACE TO ALL MY FRIENDS.
I LIVE IN THIS WORLD. I LOVE IN THIS WORLD. I FIGHT FOR FRIENDSHIP. I FIGHT FOR SANITY. I FIGHT FOR CLARITY. I AM A FRIEND.

YouTube - Shania Twain - Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under

YouTube - Shania Twain - Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under

YouTube - Shania Twain - Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You): Dance LP Edit

YouTube - Shania Twain - Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You): Dance LP Edit

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!!!

To all my family and friends and all my students at the Corozal Community College ACE today we set aside to be happy, to eat, drink and have a lot of fun but don't go forgetting the reason for the season and thank God for sending his son to be here so we could be saved.

Ciarra has just finished opening her presents and we are all excited and except for Carolyn, we all have the fu. That's Christmas for you!!! Brrrrr. A whopping 28 degrees the other day started me on that. Anyway, it's the season so we will have a reason FOR THE FLU!!!! Hahahahaha

May your family and you experience a close bond that only Christmas can bring. May you be blessed with a sense of PEACE, JOY AND HAPPINESS to last you the whole year through and may the year 2008 bring you all your heart desires.

To my Third Year girls who had babies this year, a special Merry Christmas to you all: Anelie, Neidi and Yazmin. How you have a better reason to celebrate the season. Give each of your little daughter's a big hug and kiss for me. You are on the road to many wonderful Christmases. ENJOY!!

God Bless you and keep all my readers healthy, save and happy.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Greetings at Christmastime

As I sit in my daughter's home in Georgia this year I can't help but think that the world is going crazy. So much has happened this year and so much still continues to happen that is is amazing that we can celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. However,we must be thankful that in our hearts there is still a ray of hope and a feeling of peace for without these we would really be lost.

I believe that we must look deep within us and find the good that is there. Christmas is a time to be happy. It is a time to share joy. It is a time of Peace and family and friends. So then let us sing 'Alleluia' for all we have accomplished that was good. Let us also sing "Alleluia" for all that we have yet to accomplish in the future.

It is a time for me to say thank you to the many friends and family that have been there for me. It is a time for me to say thank you to those who were kind to someone - even if I don't know you. It does not matter. If you did something out of the kindness of your heart for another human being, I thank you. You helped to make someone happy or safe. You gave a ray of hope and you received warmth at the knowledge that you did something for someone.

Some of you may say you did not do anything this year like that. Well, it is never too late. Go out and smile at the world. Be kind to others, share what you have, say only that which will be postive. Trust me, it will make you feel better. You will grow and you will have joy all year long.

It is Christmastime. Let just feel the joy of the season. HE came for a reason. What is your reason for being here? Think about it. Think before you do anything. Remember, once you have done an action you can't take it back. Whatever you say out loud to others will remain forever as your spoken words. BE KIND. Remember the movie, Bambi. IF YOU CAN'T SAY NOTHING NICE, DON'T SAY NOTHING AT ALL!

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone. May God be in your homes and in your lives now and always.
PEACE ON EARTH, AND GOODWILL TO MAN.

LOVE ALWAYS,
B

It's Up To Us

As another year comes to an end,
Only God knows what comes around the bend.
But as we share with those near at heart,
Let us stop the horrors that tears us apart.

May we come to appreciate and love each other
As many a mother, father, sister or brother.
Because life was meant to be of joy and peace
So let freedom be and hatred cease.

We owe safety and life to the new generation,
Not death and sorrow amid any celebration.
Not a world of fear as one sees tomorrow,
But one filled with happiness, not with sorrow.

So let's join hands around the world,
And send love and friendship on a swirl.
For no one should sit back and nothing do,
The peace of this world is up to me and you!

Brenda Aurora Ysaguirre
Copyright ©2007 Brenda Aurora Ysaguirre

Friday, December 21, 2007

Can a Belizean Woman have Power???

In today's world where Man has been in power for centuries, the question of whether a woman can get power or have power is ever present. In Belize it is no different. There are many types of women. The stay at home mothers, the single mothers, the working mothers and those that follow what their husbands or partners tell them to do.
Which are you? How do you identify the category you fit in? Most women fall under two of these labels as they listen and follow what they are told and they are either of the three types of mothers.
Where do we draw the line? How can we have our own identity? Should we fight for it? Is it good to have? To all these questions the answer lies deep within our souls. Man is a part of woman so why can't we have that which is ours? Do we really know what we want? Do we really know who we are? Look deep inside yourselves. Who are you? Who do you want to be? Why do you want to be like that?
A friend told me just lately that she did not recognize me. I had evolved and she was not sure if it was for the best. I laugh when people I have known for some time talk to me and voice their opinions this way. Should we forever be the same old person we were in high school or in our 20's or 30's? Should we not wish to improve ourselves? Should we not try to be all that we can be. Change is a stigma. I have lived it and I will continue to live it. Change makes enemies of the greatest of friends.It separates families and it brings pain and sorrow to the millions who are affected by it. So what good is it? Well, my dear friends, it brings POWER if we use it properly.
Is there anyone who does not want to have POWER? I think not! Power is much more that giving commands. It is much more than leading. It is guiding, challenging and motiviating ones self to a higher, much more meaningful, life.
So, can the Belizean woman have POWER? Of course she can! It is within her reach if she wants it. She can have it and she can use it to make her life better. Any Belizean woman who believes she can't be as good as the next person is not worthy of her country. We are a new country. We are a young country. We are small. Yes, all this is against us but only in our minds.
The first thing we need to arm ourselves with is a sound education. Many areas in Belize offer programmes that meet our needs. Education is within our reach. We have only to want it and to seek it and it is there for us.
Once we have an education we can move to the next level. A job we can do well at. Once you are employed, show interest in your job, always be on time and do your job to the best of your ability. In this way you will become an asset to the organization where you are employed.
Be polite. Be patient and be open to new ideas. While it is good to be a leader most of the time, remember it is also good to be a follower, too. Not everyone can be a Chief. We need Indians, too. Eventually, trust me, the Indian becomes Chief. However, whichever you are remember that you have power. Power to do your job to the best of your ability. At the end of the day, if you can go to bed and feel that you have a purpose to get up in the morning and go to work again and do your job well, then and only then will you be able to smile and say, "I AM RULER OF MY DESTINY. I HAVE POWER TO DO WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY. I HAVE POWER TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN!"
Then and only then can the Belizean woman have full control of her life. She will then feel and know what POWER is!

Friday, December 14, 2007

Why Love is Important in My Life and Yours

As the Christmas season comes along it is time to look back and reflect on the past year and try to see where we went wrong, where we did right and to make better the decisions we will make in the new year. Everyone has the right to do well and to be happy and to love and to live. I will look back at it in wonder. So much has happened in 2007 that a few years ago would have seem impossible. I have much to be thankful for. Life, Love and Famiy and Friends.

I guess the topic of love is one that we look at when we are teenagers with amazement and a little questionably, too. What is love, and how do we attain that high level emotion that has rocked the world and its people over the millions of years? Yes, how do we get it and most importantly, how do we keep it?

It is important that each and every person realize that LOVE begins with the individual and ends with you also. To be loved one must first give love. Sometimes we do things that we are unaware of. Love can be like that. It can be given without expectations of merit, reward and commendations. To give love freely is the greatest joy a human being can experience.

Love is nurtured by our actions. It is nurtured by our silence and our smiles. It is nurtured by our very existence on this earth. If we can learn to give freely we will be able to feel self worth and that fulfilment of having done something special.

Why do I love you? How do I love you? I love you because in the silence of a day, or the quiet of a night you are there giving moral support and smiling, singing and living life. I love you with every fiber of my being. I am whole because you have shown me that life is a passage of time. It is a state of being and like a rose that comes to full bloom. Its fragance fills the air and everyone looks at it in awe. Its scent cannot be stopped nor can its coming to full bloom.

Knowing love, how to love and BE love has been the greatest experience of my life. The world is a better place because I have found peace of mind and body. Songs have new meanings, the sun shining or the rain falling - all represent new life and joy and peace and fulfillment of life. I love my life, my job, and myself before anything else in this world and it is because of this that I can share with others that love and tomorrow will be filled with Love, happiness and that feeling of having accomplished something.

Love is important in my life and should be important in every person's life not because it will make you laugh and dance but because with it in your hearts you can go out and share that love with others. THAT IS OUR PURPOSE IN THIS WORLD. To share love with others. By so doing we rid this world of pain and sorrow. We rid this world of slavery and oppression.

A Man who has loved and given love is truly blessed with a special gift. His heart is filled with satisfaction of having done something that is worthwhile.
Love should be important in your life because in that way it will fill your existence, no one will be able to hurt you and all will flourish in your presence.

Love must take precedence in your life. It must be the focal point of your daily activities. With it your life will be better. Love and let Love. No strings attached. Just the knowledge that you enjoy doing what you do and that the people around you are better people because of the love you share.That is all we need to have in our minds if we want this world to be one of peace and happiness.

LOVE IS AFTER ALL THE KEY TO ALL OF LIVES PAIN AND SORROW. REMEMBER WITH LOVE WE CAN ERASE THE PAIN AND THE SORROW THAT WE CARRY ON OUR SHOULDERS.

Accept my love today. I give it freely and unconditionally. Then, and only then can you do the same.

Monday, December 3, 2007

My life as a Single Mother

Time to write about something that is very near and dear to my heart. Being a Single Mother.

I am the mother of a 27 year old daughter who resides in the USA with her husband and our little princess, my granddaughter. Truth be told, I believe I am one of few single mother's with a happy and successful story. I grew up with my grandmother and an aunt because my mom died when I was seven. It wasn't difficult because I was always at my grandma's house when we would come up to Corozal every month when my mother had work to do for the Ministry of Education.

As life would have it I fell in love and DECIDED to have a child. Yes, people. Some of you get pregnant by mistake. My pregnancy was planned! I stopped taking the pill and after a few months was happy to find out I was pregnant.I had no idea how I was going to tell my grandmother and aunt but as faith would have it they told me!! How do some people know these things?? They must have been psychic! In fact I know they were! I had a good job, was second in position in an organization at age 21 and the world was mine. I was in love and nothing could have stopped me.

The love flourished during the pregnancy. I have never been able to erase one person's pain at learning about my pregnancy. I still carry it in my heart to this day. My father. I was his eyeball. I was his little girl. Destined for great things and to him this was the end of his dreams. This was going to be my reality and he was hurt. More so, I believe because the father of my unborn child was married and had a family of his own. Where did this totally Catholic girl go wrong? I was in church every Sunday almost from birth. I helped clean the church every weekend in Belize City as it was just across from our house there. LOVE! That damn emotion that makes young girls blind. Who can control young hormones young energies and youthful joy? I was no different than the average youth. We believe we have it all. We are so sure we can have it all. We are invincible!

I won't lie and tell you my pregnancy, the birth of my adorable daughter and bringing her up in this world was hard. IT WASN'T. Remember I told you I was one of few single mother's who would have a good story. My family was there for me. Even those in England sent things for my daughter and for a while the father was present, too. All the stars shone on us. Life was great! I had my job and my aunt and grandmother took care of my baby while I was at work. The years pass and my baby went to pre-school, primary school, high school, Sixth Form and University. Oh, those I PAID FOR. Yeah, somewhere along the line my daughter's father got lost in taking care of his other children and did not help in educating mine. I thank God for the strength, the ability and the intelligence He bestowed on me because I was able to do for my child what her father didn't. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate him. I can't. When people ask what I would like to change in my life I say having had that affair but it would mean I wouldn't have my daughter so that wouldn't be acceptable because she means the world to me.

I am not saying everything was all a bed of roses. There were ups and downs. The usual illnesses that children have, my grandmother finally dying after a painful illness, my aunt succumbing to breast cancer, and my dad dying of diabetes. I was there for all of them. The dutiful granddaughter, niece, and daughter took the task of caring for those who had given their support over the years. My grandmother and aunt bore their illnesses with dignity. THEY WERE FORMIDABLE WOMEN. My worst patient was my dad. Men do not take illness well. He was grumpy and made my life miserable but I did it.

Then the time for university came along. Lord help the single mother when it comes to educating their young. Five years of hardship no one can understand if they do not live it. I was not able to spend money on luxuries. Thank goodness I don't drink nor smoke. I was also brought up to be careful how I spent my money so I struggling and made it. I don't want to advertise for the bank but the Belize Bank believed in me and still does. I spent over $250,000 in university and maintenance in the USA for my daughter and today I proudly smile and can say I DID IT. At times I bit my nails as I kept afloat with two pay cheques, selling off land that I had inherited and items that were mine. I must say it was all worth it. I have no regrets. I did it out of love and I would do it again. My daughter and granddaughter mean that much to me.

However, I am aware that not all single mothers will have the opportunities I did so I am pledging today to help all those single mothers who need the support that is not available to them. At this very moment I am working on an organization that will be there for single mothers. I strongly believe that no mother or child should have to be alone or go through hardships caused by society's stigma, economical situations or absentee fathers.