♡☆Togetherness ♡☆

Good afternoon ♡

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend! What a time to celebrate Caribbean culture with Caribana, to see the beautiful costumes, dance to the addictive rhythms, enjoy good food, & have fun times with friends & family. Participating as a masquerader is always something worth remembering, adding to the richness of the experience. As my freinds & I chipped down the road, enjoying the music & crowd, it feels good to be a partnof something exclusive yet inclusive. In reflection, I thought abput how important that is to the humam experience,to belong to something positive that you can relate to. It definitely brings a sensenof peace within yourself as you connect with other people that can share in your enjoyment & positivity. Of course with Caribana we know that there are plentynof mixed views of hownit should be organized & run, but once the trucks get moving & the musc starts playing, nome of that matters anymore. All that matters is that you are having a good time & the majority of those around you are doing the same. What does belonging to your culture, being part of a group of like-minded people do for you? What kind of Peace does it give you? From what I have observed is that it bring a strong sense of community, a sense of love &security, that there are others that you can somehow depend on on one way or another to stand up for you in your time of need & support.

As well as participating in the grand occasion of Caribana this weekend, I was also given the opportunity to present my vision to a communtiy of Caribbean women in which we come togetehr to support each other & work towards building stronger unity in the Caribbean community. Two weekends ago, I presented & faciliated an activity as part of Peace (ful) Project for Caribbean Women’s Society (CWS). The group activity involved us coming together & discussing our similarities & differences in Caribbeam culture as well as being unified in a Peaceful environment. It was a success & started much discussion about what we as Caribbean peoples can do to further establish ourselves in the GTA and Canada-wide, all within a welcoming & warm environment, without judgements or ill feelings. Thank you Camille for your courageous venture & for allowing me to be a part of this amazing journey ♡ After meeting others who sre also making waves in the community qiththeir own ventures,as they started with just a thought & eventually a plan, I definitely feel more confident on my journey with Peace(ful) Project & the future endeavors I’m working towards 🙂

Taking a step back & looking at it all, from a Peace(ful) Project perspective, I could see how important this type of healthy discussion & coming together is as helpingnto maintain a sense of inner peace. In general, gathering with others that give you freedom to be yourself without judgement & to be supported on all levels, gives you a fuller sense of humanity. It is important to connect with others that you can relate to & that encourage you to express yourself & vision in a positive way. I encourage you to seek out groups in your community that you can join that you can contribute to & create a greater sense of community & belonging. It can do wonders for your self esteem & let you know that you aren’t alone as we sometimes feel at times. If there happen to not be any groups you can join, maybe you feel courageous enough to start your own! See what the needs are in your community & do your best to meet them. Gather up some like-minded folks & start a play date group! Or Book club! Even something small can turn into something beautiful & powerful. We are the creatorsnof our own destinies if we allow our creative energies to flow ♡ Love yourself & be yourself. Peace & Love ♡ ☆

“Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved. “-Mattie Stepanek