Madam, Sir,
Friends of yesterday, today and tomorrow,
On this December 6th, Saint Nicholas’s day, I wish you all the best for the upcoming holidays and the dawn of a new year that I hope will be filled with the small and great joys that make life beautiful!
I would like to share with you some excerpts from “The Prophet”, a marvelous book of wisdom written by Khalil Gibran, an enlightened intellectual, a great mystic, one of the pioneers of the revival of Arabic literature at the end of the 19th century
The following lines are simply about GIVING, in this “season of giving” in which we are…
“You give little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourselves that you really give.
For what are your possessions but things that you jealously guard for fear of needing them tomorrow?
…
And what is the fear of misery but misery itself?
And the fear of thirst before your full well, is it not already the unquenchable thirst?
…
There are those who have little and give it all away.
These believe in life and in the goodness of life, and their chest is never empty.
There are those who give with joy, and this joy is their reward.
There are those who give with pain, and this pain is their baptism.
There are those who give and feel neither pain nor joy and are not aware of their virtue;
They give as in the valley there the myrtle exhales its perfume in the space.
Through the hands of such beings, God speaks, and through their eyes He smiles on the earth.
…
Give now, then, that the season of giving may be yours and not your heirs’.
…
And you who receive – and you all receive – assume no burden of gratitude, lest you yoke yourselves and the giver.
Rather, rise with the giver, taking his gifts as if they were wings…”
Through the altruistic process of Giving, we are enriched with that “extra Soul” that gives wings and allows Life to give to Life… Matthieu Ricard is the inspired and inspiring embodiment of this!
There is only this movement of the Spirit, and of the Soul towards the other, which allows us to surpass ourselves and to often give meaning to what does not have any… So many beautiful projects and good causes, carried by beautiful people!
I will simply suggest three, close to my heart, in this “season of giving”.
THANK YOU for Syria!
Syria is today torn by two wars: on one side, the war of weapons, and on the other, the war of the media. The first one kills bodies, while the second one distorts or kills consciences.
Life goes on in a large part of Syria, where the situation remains rather calm and normal.
The “hot” areas are Aleppo and the north of the country.
However, the war has had a large economic impact on everyone. This has caused many Syrians to flee the country to be safe and ensure their children’s education, as well as to find work elsewhere. This is the refugee drama that our old Europe is confronted with and that divides our consciences because we feel threatened for reasons that may be understandable!
Moreover, this conflict has provoked a form of closure within the various communities and has thus contributed to dividing the Syrian people.
The Al Sakhra association was created for the Syrian people, who remain alive and persist in living, often surviving, despite all the difficulties.
Al Sakhra – the Rock – is there to support these people who have decided not to abandon their country.
So many children and young people who have lost their bearings are waiting for your help in the form of scholarships so that their future can be meaningful again! You will find all the useful information by going to www.alsakhrasyria.wordpress.com.
THANK YOU to the women and children of the slums of India!
The IFPD Foundation – www.ifpd.org – whose motto is “Strong Women, Strong Communities” has been active for more than 15 years in educational projects in the broadest sense of the term, aiming at a global care within precarious communities, as much in the medical, hygiene, nutrition, birth planning, as in the access to education for children and access for women to income generating activities.
It is active in India – Mumbai, New Delhi and Bodgaya, the holy city of Buddhism – and is currently developing new collaborations with NGOs in Nepal and Brazil.
IFPD is now appealing to your generosity to help finance its Children Activity Centers, a magnificent and indispensable project that you will discover by clicking on the link https://ifpd.org/donate/.
THANK YOU for the battered dogs in Thailand cared for by the BanObOun Shelter!
You are invited to come and listen to the Conference given by Sarah Marquis, Godmother of the Refuge – just like Matthieu Ricard is the Godfather! – on Thursday, December 8 at 7:30 pm at the Grande Salle in Epalinges!
In turn, our 150 dogs are waiting to be sponsored, thanks to your generosity – – www.banoboun.org -.
We are grateful to Sarah for offering the benefit of her conference to the Refuge!
A bouquet of THANKS to you, so many, who follow me and encourage me through the news I share with you!
For you, all my wishes of Serenity, so that these 365 days to live in 2017 allow you to realize your aspirations and keep your dreams!
Good wind to all!
Dominique Brustlein
