International Day of Friendship

International Day of Friendship

July 30th

Our world faces many challenges, crises and forces of division — such as poverty, violence, and human rights abuses — among many others — that undermine peace, security, development and social harmony among the world's peoples.

To confront those crises and challenges, their root causes must be addressed by promoting and defending a shared spirit of human solidarity that takes many forms — the simplest of which is friendship.

Through friendship — by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust — we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.   (Taken from www.un.org)

A few weeks ago I messaged a whole bunch of friends, colleagues and students asking them how they would complete the sentence, 
"Friendship is ..."
(I was inundated with responses - here are some of them)

"... when you understand someone and feel that they understand you too."   (Ali)

"... someone who knows who you are, understands where you've been, accepts who you've become, and still gently invites you to grow."   (Kirsten)

"... memories that last even if the contact is lost."  (Souad)

"... like an ice-cream in summer; happy and enjoyable with a soothing effect."  (Pattamanan)

"... like a group of penguins shielding each other from harm and cold and spreading warmth when most needed."  (Pesila)

"... mutual respect and love."  (Amira)

"... when people listen to all the nonsense you talk all day long and still like you."  (Arshad)

"... a beautiful gift."  (Trudy)

"... checking in on one another even though you haven't spoken to them for a zillion years, and when you can still start up the conversations where you left off."  (Sonali)

"... someone who understands you."  (Anna)

"... being honest, always being there and never judging."  (Lynne)

"... to be able to talk without fear of judgement."  (Simon)

"... when someone knows all about you and still loves you."  (Chris)

"... loyalty."  (Jose)

"... priceless."  (Hazem)

"... love, acceptance and emotional support."  (Keegan)

"... JOY - there's nothing like sharing something (an adventure, a movie, a chat) with a friend. Things taste differently when experienced alone I think."  (Manuela)

"... hopeful; see's the real you and accepts who you are; makes memories; gives a sense of worth; is there for you in the highs and the lows; tells you the truth; picks you up; has your back; checks in on you from time to time; wants the best for you and celebrates with you through life's special moments... Friendship is more than things, it is more than words can describe, and sometimes, it just happens!"  (James)

"... accepting people as they are with no judgement."  (Jane)

"... having someone to turn to in a crisis or just go out for a meal and a chitchat. Having someone to laugh and cry with.  Being loved for who you are."  (Angela)

"... doing life together through the ups and the downs, good and bad. Being there for and with each other."  (Roger)

"... love from 'family' that you actually get to choose for yourself."  (Jerminah)

"... when people know all about you and like you anyway!"  (Pauline)

"... knowing you are cared for and valued in return."  (Frank)

"... unconditional sacrifice."  (Michel)

"... looking out for one another."  (John)

"... being there for one another and knowing that you are cared for and valued in return."  (Frank)

"... the one who will fight for you, love you, encourage you and always pray for your happiness."  (Elawarasi) 

"... a valuable gift. It's to share your best days and blue days, a smile and a hug, to listen and to laugh, it is respecting beliefs and thoughts and loving your friend no matter what."  (Lina)

"... a bond of two souls from heaven."  (Basim)

"... loving each other for who you are."  (Ahmed)

"... an expression of love."  (Haris)

"... always being honest."  (Heather)

"... being able to continue a deep, meaningful conversation or carry on that funny story with plenty of laughs, even if you haven't seen each other for weeks."  (Mark)

"... so weird. You pick a random human you have never met and you are like, 'This one. I want to go on adventures with this one!'"  (Awad)

"... when though a thousand miles apart you still remember each other."  (Daria)

"... the key to everything."  (Aamir)

Thought for the week ...

University of Greenwich Graduations

One of the best parts of my role, is celebrating with students on their graduation day. The culmination of late nights, periods of stress and lots of hard work.

Today the University of Greenwich celebrated their graduations online, in three different ceremonies.  It was lovely to be able to watch those ceremonies remotely and clap and cheer VERY LOUDLY in the privacy of my living room.

I want to say a VERY BIG WELL DONE to everyone. It was lovely to see your smiling faces, and I look forward to that moment of reunion and celebration that's been promised.

I really enjoyed the speeches and found the whole event very meaningful ...

Rt. Hon. Lord Boateng said,

"We've never needed your skills like we need them now. We've never needed your youth, and your enthusiasm, and your passion to make a difference, than we need them now."

Steve Malkin said,

"We need this class of 2020. We need you to be the very best version of yourself that you can possibly be."

Linda Bird, Mayor of Greenwich Borough said,

"We applaud your resilience and tenacity."

And I want to add a very big

to Hamza, Nadezhda, Sourabh, Afaf, King, Lenka, Razheka, Megan, Dima, Ahmad, Basel, Mustafa, Moksha, Aiste, and anyone else whose name or picture I somehow missed.

Thought for the week ...

Nelson Mandela Day

July 18th each year has been declared as Nelson Mandela Day by the United Nations - July 18th was Mandela's birthday.

Nelson Mandela was a civil rights leader in South Africa. He fought against apartheid - a system where non-white citizens were segregated from, and did not have the same rights, as white people.

He was classified as a terrorist by the South African government and spent 27 years in prison. However, his imprisonment brought about greater international visibility of the anti-apartheid movement and, in 1990, he was finally released after growing international pressure.

In 1993 Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with F.W. de Klerk "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa."

In 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first president of South Africa to be elected by a democratic system, and he became their first black president. He served as President from 1994-1999.

Mandela Day is an international day of humanitarian action and celebrates the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. It serves as a catalyst for each and every person to realise that they have the ability to change the world through action.

On this day people are encouraged to give 67 minutes in the service of others  ...  1 minute for each of the 67 years Nelson Mandela served his people.

As Mandela has reminded us, “it’s in our hands” to create a better world. 

“No one is born hating another person

because of the colour of his skin, or his

background, or his religion. People must

learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate,

they can be taught to love, for love

comes more naturally to the human

heart than its opposite.”

'A Long Walk to Freedom' by Nelson Mandela

Want to know more about Nelson Mandela?

Watch the film 'Invictus' or read his auto-biography

'Long Walk to Freedom' 

Six Qualities you need in a Pandemic and Beyond

Six Qualities you need in a Pandemic and Beyond

I just read a BBC article with the above title and thought I'd share it with you.

Here are the six qualities listed, along with a few quotes:

Here is the link for the full article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/xqldbgDZkF21p5xp6Sn2Vw/six-qualities-you-need-in-a-pandemic-and-beyond

On a personal note ...

After somewhat struggling my way through three months of being home alone, I was thrilled to finally be able to travel westward to stay with my Dad and visit with family.

This is the first photo I took - not sure my smile has been
so wide in a while.

I travelled home on a Friday and on Sunday we enjoyed lunch in Tony & Sarah's garden (brother and sis-in-law).  Life almost felt normal ... though minus the hugs 😒

One positive to come out of lockdown is the fact that making this throw for my sis-in-law took just a matter of weeks rather than months.  It was good to be able to finally deliver it in person 😀

Many of you know Uncle Bill, he came for lunch one hot, sunny day ...

One evening, Tony, Sarah, Dad and I enjoyed a take-out meal ordered from the pub down the road. All very scrumptious!!

I don't always like photos of myself, but Sarah took this one and I think it's super nice ...

Another day we had coffee with my niece, Heather, and hubby, Damian.  How they managed to take a photo of us and we didn't get one of them I don't know.  We were probably too busy chatting and eating millionaire shortbread 😋

Then we enjoyed a rather windy BBQ with my nephew, James, and Lydia and the boys, Jonah & Reuben.  It was sooooooooooo windy the gazebo broke and almost blew away, and the children's paddling pool ended up out on the street!!  But we still got to play football, and build a volcano, and enjoy a local walk before the rain decided to set in.

At one point when Jonah needed to pop in to the house I said
I'd sit down for two minutes. His responses was, "No, you need to
practise and get good."  I thought that was a bit of a harsh
comment on my football skills.

Reuben knows how to play to the camera 😁

 

My niece, Heather, had a hospital appointment so she, Sarah
and I made it a girls' day out  -  with coffee and cake
😁😁😁