Christmas time, memories, and me

Christmas time can be a very difficult time of the year for some people. They can get nostalgic; some others miss loved ones and others remember past experiences that could make them sad. I am one of those that get sad. 

Growing up, my holidays were full of joy, sharing, love, family, friends. I had an amazing time. Then those feelings change abruptly during my years of marriage.

Every year when the holidays where approaching, the struggle begins: insults because he didn't want to spend time with the family, not receiving any gift from him, when I was having a good time at a family's gathering, he just wanted to leave, yelling, trying to protect the kids while he decided to ruin our holidays. 

These are some of the things I remember from these holidays and somehow, they are like foggy, blurry. But what I sure don't remember is the good memories. Those are gone. I don't have them anymore. This is what makes me sad because my mind has erased all those memories not letting me hang on, not even to one of them. 

Since I decided to start a new life, seven years ago, I've been trying to create new Christmas time memories. I have had created these with friends and family here in Florida. But those bad memories of the past haven't let me create new memories with my family back home. I cannot go and spend it with them... not yet. Although is difficult for them, they understand and respect my decision.

As I grow older, I have learned to appreciate the simplest things, little things that matter. With these little things come the building of special memories with loved ones; that even though they are not family, they have opened their hearts to me and let me in. With these simplest things. I have also learned that it doesn't matter that you don't receive a gift on Christmas morning or day, but what counts is the loved ones that take time to greet you in their one special way. The little things have also taught me to be grateful and that I am capable to create new memories that I would remember and cherish.

This Christmas time, even though I feel with a little sadness in my heart, there is also hope, gratefulness, and a fresh look towards spending time with loved ones and creating amazing stories together.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas full of love and beautiful memories!

Take care, Tere

Are you a believer?

Do you believe tomorrow might be a better day

Do you believe in humanity

Do you believe there’re more good people than bad ones

Do you believe a smile 

from a stranger can make your day better

Do you believe in love even when you had a bad experience 

Do you believe in the human spirit 

Do you believe in the kid that struggles today academically 

Do you believe that spending time in nature is a wonderful thing

Do you believe in lazy Sundays at home with your loved one
Do you believe that laughter can be contagious

Do you believe in the awesomeness of a sunset 

Do you believe in the immensity of the black sky full of stars

Do you believe in love at first sight 

       Do you believe that life struggles won't last forever

Do you believe in hope 

         Do you believe hugs are powerful 

      Do you believe a kiss can turn your life upside down             

    Do you believe you are unique

     Do you believe in yourself 

Do you BELIEVE 

                                             Tere Rodriguez-Nora

                     

Quotes about life and...

Sharing some of the quotes I have written lately.
I'm sure you can relate to some of them.
Hope you'll enjoy them
Take care, Tere

Life gave me a second chance...

Almost a year ago, I lived a near-death experience. It was the morning of May and I decided to get hash browns for breakfast before I went to work. I stopped at a convenience store of a gas station. I was there along with other customers. We all were minding our own businesses when a man made an entrance to the store. He was holding a woman, who was his wife, by her arm while he was screaming at her. She looked horrified. She looked like she was trying to get out of his side. She was crying. Then, he grabbed a gun he had in his pants and was pointing it at her...
Long story short, all the customers, employees, and I were kept there for about 3 hours. We couldn't get out because the man will point at us with the gun and he was standing by the doors. One of the customers tried doing so and he was shot. He shot this man and his wife. Both of them ended dead.
Police came by the side door and shot the guy...

Me, while everything was happening... couldn't believe I was going through that experience, I only wanted hash browns. You know what people say about you having a mental movie in your head of all your life when you are experiencing something like this, yes, that happened to me. All my life went through my mind. My present life too. My future... I remember thinking that I wanted to do and experience a lot of things, I didn't want to die.
 I was there with children, young and older women, young and older men, people from different backgrounds and social status, with different ethnics and we all were feeling the same: terror. You could see the terror in their eyes, as I am sure they could see it in mine.
But life is generous and gave me a second chance to live. I came out of there alive. Alive and without a scratch. My heart was all shattered, but still alive. Every morning when I wake up, I give thanks for a new day and for my second chance to live. It hasn't been easy dealing with the aftermath of the experience but I'm a strong person and I have had good people beside me. There are days that I remember what happen and nightmares come at night, the day seems to be very heavy, and tears might come down but then I remember that I'm here alive, that life has given me a second chance... and intend to make the best of it.

Quotes about her...

Hi!

Here are some of the quotes I have written about her... that woman... that could be you, your sister, your friend, a co-worker, a stranger...

Hope you like them!

Take care, Tere

Review of the beautiful book: Teach Us Your Name

The book, Teach Us Your Name is a lovely, illustrated book who teaches, in a meaningful way, how kids can teach others how to say their names correctly. The main character of the story is a girl named Kareemalayaseenadeen. Kareemalayaseenadeen does not like her name. She does not like that others can't pronounce it correctly, thinks is too long. On a trip to see her grandma, the girl talked, with her grandma, about how she felt regarding her name. Her grandma told her that her name had a beautiful meaning and that she should be proud to have it, The grandma also told Kareemalayaseenadeen that most likely other persons couldn't say her name correctly because they didn't know how to pronounce it and encouraged her to teach others how to pronounce her name correctly. The girl loved the idea that her grandma told her and when she got back home, she did just that... teach others how to pronounce her name the right way. The girl grew up and became a teacher, and every year at the beginning of the school year, Kareemalayaseenadeen takes time and encourage her students to teach others how to pronounce their name correctly.
This book touched me personally. As a Latina, I have had trouble with people trying to pronounce my name in the correct way. Is sometimes frustrated to see how people mispronounce it. I like Kareemalayaseenadeen, also take the time to teach others how to pronounce Tere, my name, correctly.
This is a great book to help children understand that every name is beautiful and that is perfectly fine to teach others how to pronounce it right and that others will appreciate learning the correct way of saying it.

Huda Essa is the author of this book. She is a TED Speaker and Consultant. She focuses her work on building empathy and engaging in equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.
Diana Cojocaru is the illustrator of this beautiful book. She is a freelance illustrator.

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 Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 (1/25/19) is in its 6th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents, and educators.

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board

Medallion Level Sponsors

• Honorary: Children’s Book Council, The Junior Library Guild, TheConsciousKid.org
• Super Platinum: Make A Way Media
• GOLD: Bharat Babies, Candlewick Press, Chickasaw Press, Juan Guerra and The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, KidLitTV, Lerner Publishing Group, Plum Street Press
• SILVER: Capstone Publishing, Carole P. Roman, Author Charlotte Riggle, Huda Essa, The Pack-n-Go Girls,
• BRONZE: Charlesbridge Publishing, Judy Dodge Cummings, Author Gwen Jackson, Kitaab World, Language Lizard – Bilingual & Multicultural Resources in 50+ Languages, Lee & Low Books, Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, Redfin, Author Gayle H. Swift, T.A. Debonis-Monkey King’s Daughter, TimTimTom Books, Lin Thomas, Sleeping Bear Press/Dow Phumiruk, Vivian Kirkfield

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Author Sponsors on board

Honorary: Julie Flett, Mehrdokht Amini,

Author Janet Balletta, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Josh Funk, Chitra Soundar, One Globe Kids – Friendship Stories, Sociosights Press and Almost a Minyan, Karen Leggett, Author Eugenia Chu, CultureGroove Books, Phelicia Lang and Me On The Page, L.L. Walters, Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Hayley Barrett, Sonia Panigrah, Author Carolyn Wilhelm, Alva Sachs and Dancing Dreidels, Author Susan Bernardo, Milind Makwana and A Day in the Life of a Hindu Kid, Tara Williams, Veronica Appleton, Author Crystal Bowe, Dr. Claudia May, Author/Illustrator Aram Kim, Author Sandra L. Richards, Erin Dealey, Author Sanya Whittaker Gragg, Author Elsa Takaoka, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo, Anita Badhwar, Author Sylvia Liu, Feyi Fay Adventures, Author Ann Morris, Author Jacqueline Jules, CeCe & Roxy Books, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, LEUYEN PHAM, Padma Venkatraman, Patricia Newman and Lightswitch Learning, Shoumi Sen, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Traci Sorell, Shereen Rahming, Blythe Stanfel, Christina Matula, Julie Rubini, Paula Chase, Erin Twamley, Afsaneh Moradian, Claudia Schwam, Lori DeMonia, Terri Birnbaum/ RealGirls Revolution, Soulful Sydney, Queen Girls Publications, LLC

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts

A Crafty Arab, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Biracial Bookworms, Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Descendant of Poseidon Reads, Educators Spin on it, Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joy Sun Bear/ Shearin Lee, Jump Into a Book, Imagination Soup, Jenny Ward’s Class, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Raising Race Conscious Children, Shoumi Sen, Spanish Playground

TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Make A Way Media!

MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/25/19 at 9:00pm.E.S.T. TONS of prizes and book bundles will be given away during the party. GO HERE for more details.