Believe #adventwindows #reverb12 Day 5

#Adventwindows: 
December 5th my word of the day was "believe".

“Because,” explained Mary Rommely simply, “the child must have a valuable thing which is called imagination. The child must have a secret world in which live things that never were. It is necessary that she believe. She must start out by believing in things not of this world. Then when the world becomes too ugly for living in, the child can reach back and live in her imagination. I, myself, even in this day and at my age, have great need of recalling the miraculous lives of the Saints and the great miracles that have come to pass on earth. Only by having these things in my mind can I live beyond what I have to live for.”
- Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

I believe in woman like Rafea . She makes my heart glad. At the end of the documentary where she is fixing the "first solar powered electric light in Jordan" into her house and her daughter is reading the text book which Rafea studied at the "Barefoot College", I am filled with hope for all our children's futures. You can watch the whole documentary here or here.

#Reverb12 prompt 5: What was your dream destination of 2012? 
Myself and my son went to the MEN arena in Manchester in the summer. The Dalai Lama was visiting the UK and I bought tickets to hear him speak to the young people here. I always dreamt I might visit Tibet one day, and maybe see the places where the Dalai Lama lived before he was in exile. I never imagined I might hear him speak, and also be sitting next to my dear son when I did so! It was such an honour to listen to him speak to the young people, my son included. I also never imagined I would be seeing the comedian and actor Russell Brand on the same stage as the Dalai Lama. It was just perfect however! This young girl was also very inspiring in her film about forgiveness, following the loss of her father.

Stand Up and Be The Change - Manchester MEN Arena June 2012