Il Terrazzo at Amman Marriott Hotel
I'm a big fan of eating out but it's rare to find the right combination of quality food, impeccable service and stylish ambiance that you'll get at Il Terrazzo. No wonder it is rated #4 of 405 restaurants in Amman, according to www.tripadvisor.com

Food lovers from left: Marie-Christine Mougin (Advisor to Al Marji' Publications), Norah Arafeh (Writer Intern at Al Marji' Publications & Fulbright Fellow), Chef Andrea Donazzan, Hind-Lara Mango (Publisher & Managing Director of Al Marji' Publications, Christine Sargent (Writer Intern at Al Marji' Publications & Fulbright Fellow), Dima Malahmeh (Editor of Nakahat 'Ailiyeh magazine at Al Marji' Publications)

From left: Dima, Laura (Editor of Family Flavours magazine at Al Marji' Publications), Christine & Norah

I thought I had good risotto before but after this creamy asparagus risotto at Il Terrazzo, nothing else can compare! And of course, you can expect homemade ravioli at this authentic Italian restaurant. Veil loan (above right) with tuna sauce, capers and basil oil is unique in taste and presentation. Often in Jordan, it's hard to find restaurants that accommodate their customers' diverse lifestyles, preferences and food allergies. But as soon as Chef Andrea heard that one of our team members is not eating dairy today, he whipped up a special menu for her that left the rest of us wanting her food as well as ours!

Chef Andrea personally poured balsamic vinegar aged 20 years on our dessert plates to accompany the flavourful Fresh Citrus Ricotta Cheese with Wild Forest Fruits, which consists of an alluring combination of ricotta, cream, lemon zest and lime, fresh fruit from Holland and fig and strawberry jam. The gracious hospitality of Chef Andrea and his colleagues made our dining experience all the more special 

Fresh Citrus Ricotta Cheese with Wild Forest Fruits
Strawberry Panna Cotta
Tiramisu

Baci di damaBaci di dama, or "lady's kisses", consists of almond cookies sandwiched together with a dollop of hazelnut chocolate. These treats, specially made by Chef Andrea, were the perfect ending to our lunch...and the perfect beginning to our love affair with Il Terrazzo at Amman Marriott Hotel

Omar and Shareef love to be with their Sido Samir from Jordan and their Opa Heinz from Germany. This special moment was captured at breakfast this weekend

This describes me on most days!

For every hand on the clock is a hand reaching for time: 

Time for kids. 

Time for spouse.

Time for work.

Time for housework. 

Time for cooking. 

Time for errands.

Time for social obligations.

Time for exercise.  

Time for friends.

Time for personal care. 

Time for God. 

Time with God used to be at the end of my list. Now I wake up a few minutes early for a daily devotional - before I get my son's school lunch ready, before I check my work emails, before I put away the dishes. 

After following Divine Perspectives in Family Flavours for a few years now, I can fully appreciate what Sonia Salfity meant when she warned, "Neglect to have a good spiritual breakfast and you'll pay the price later." After many years of trying to budget her time productively, she came to realise that she simply cannot afford to get out of bed until she connected with God. "I ask Him to carry me throughout the day."

It's ironic...Today, I want the clock to slow down so I can make time for what matters most to me. One day, I'll want what matters most to me to slow down to make time for me.

Omar writing down my order from a menu he designed. Mamas today got to sit and relax while our little ones brought us our salad, sandwich and dessert

Thank you Omar for making this day special for me. Sure, I love your gifts and your kind words but more than anything, your excitement over sharing this day with me means the world to me. When you sang, your heart sung for me. When you ran back and forth careful to serve me what I picked out, your hands laboured just for me. When you posed for pictures with me, your eyes spoke your love for me. So the next time you pounce on your feet in defiance or flash your animated look of disapproval, I will still be smiling...for you will still be loving me.

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

Haitham Haddad with his mother Randa, mother of four and the Quality Control Manager at M. Haddad & Sons Co. in Jordan. Haitham is currently living in the United States working as Senior Associate in Assurance-Financial Services

My mama is a strong independent woman and she's the most hard working person I know. She always has a positive outlook on life and has passion for everything she does. 

A valuable lesson I learned from my mother is to work hard for what I want in life and to accept that sometimes things don't go our way but there is a reason for it.

My mother is special because she is the most compassionate person I know. She has so much love for her family and she is very loyal to her family, friends and coworkers. She always also tries to be fair in every decision she makes.

She does it all and she does it so well! She's a great mother to four boys, a loving wife, an amazing cook and a dedicated employee.

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

"My mother left a very comfortable lifestyle in the 50’s to travel to Ramtha in the North and eventually came to Amman to work as one of the first women anaesthesiologists in Jordan....after surviving three rounds of cancer, she simply said to us, 'this is the beginning of the end' and taught us strength in adversity."

Walid Zou’bi as a child with his mother ClareMaria Fawaz,
may she rest in peace

My mother inspired me by deed if not by speech; she introduced me to art, to reading and dance. She said you are never complete if you do not indulge all the senses. She instilled in me very high standards of ethics, morals and a sense of justice.

I learnt that feminism is not a dirty word and you can work and be an excellent housewife and mother. I learnt independence and that I am not at the mercy of anyone else’ opinion of me as long as I am honest and straightforward.

My mother left a very comfortable lifestyle in the 50’s to travel to Ramtha in the North (as you can imagine, it was like being in the Wild West) and then eventually came to Amman to start working as one of the first women anaesthesiologists in Jordan and for the Red Crescent and Red Cross. She was on call 24/7 and still had time to raise her three rowdy boys.

She was also an excellent cook, an artist and craftswoman, who in her later years dedicated herself to her charity work, mainly for the seasonal bazaars for the The Al-Hussein Society for the Habilitation/Rehabilitation of the Physically Challenged (AHS) as a member, and president more than once, of the Scandinavian Women of Amman.

And lest I forget, my mother was one of those women with incredible insight into human nature coupled with a really wicked sense of humour.

Perhaps one of the greatest ways my mother has impacted me is her strong sense of justice and a love for all things beautiful. She also tried to get me to be more compassionate (still working on that one mother!). She always said, “Never ever confuse the fact that you were born lucky to be that you are better than anyone. You are just lucky to be different and that’s it. If you think you are better than anyone is when you should know you are not.”

My mother was an atypical Scandinavian Valkyrie, she studied anaesthesiology, loved nature, music, art, motorbikes and dance (she studied classical ballet and ballroom dancing), she made sure that there were always plenty of books, records and art supplies in the house and also made sure that we visited museums and art exhibitions whenever on holiday.

Caring and loving, she was also a humanitarian. With an O-blood type, she often gave her own blood in emergencies to newborns. Without hesitation, she would roll up her sleeve, put the cannula in her own arm and transfuse the blood to the blue babies as they were known (that’s the kind of woman she was).

My mother was a realist – after surviving three rounds of cancer, including lung, she simply said to us, ”this is the beginning of the end” and taught us strength in adversity and how not to get over emotional and hysterical. Keep your head high and have dignity, she always said, but laugh at yourself when possible. She also taught us that when faced with a problem, you must see the problem, acknowledge the problem, deal with the problem and solve it, if possible, and then move on. Do not dwell on it and never internalize.

My mother passed away in August 2006 and I had a creative block for several years until my Godmother said to snap out of it! "Your mother wouldn’t like to see you like this!" And so I did.

I am a renaissance person – I studied Fashion Design, Commercial Art, Beauty Therapy and Art Therapy. I sing, I dance, I perform, I write and I paint.

Thanks to my mother, I broke boundaries and went into my own business as one of the first Styling Image Consultants in Jordan. I design makeup for films and I teach it too; at the time, it was a nontraditional job for a society brat but my mother encouraged me.

And yes, I stand before the world as an unabashed feminist (the Naomi Wolf kind) and for that, I have to thank my mother.

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

"Even when osteoporosis claimed her hour-glass figure, she was always beautifully groomed and painstakingly colour coordinated. Though I easily passed her in height by age 13, she remains statuesque in my memory. Loved by everyone who met her, this once rejected, illegitimate girl."

Noor Saadeh with her mother Sashay Stella Stutz Van Wyk,

 may she rest in peace 

Noor Saadeh, based in the United States, is a Muslim Perspectives writer for Family Flavours. She also writes, composes and performs on Islamic audio and video for children and produces and distributes multimedia educational products worldwide. She recently joined Plaid for Women's #No Mean Girls campaign

Sashay Stella Stutz Van Wyk was the illegitimate product of a shipboard romance between an immigrant peasant girl and a young man from the Russian aristocracy. No one knew she carried the stain of her parent’s sin. Except me, perhaps. She refused to travel abroad, necessitating a birth certificate with that scarlet word emblazoned in bold print. In the 1920’s, children suffered the sins of their parents.

Until she was 16, Shay didn’t understand why her dark hair and flashing brown eyes were in such contrast to the fair and flat features of her siblings. She didn’t understand why her father’s fist always found her nose, her ear; why she was pulled up by the roots of her hair until it fell out. She was the eldest and assumed guilt and responsibility. She didn’t understand why her parents cursed the features that everyone else admired. She didn’t understand until the Russian aristocrat finally took an interest in his beautiful 16 year old daughter. She would never have anything to do with him.

I learned how horrible ignorance is from my mother, Shay. How when she reached puberty, in fear and shame, she would hide her soiled garments deep in the closet. Upon finding them, her mother would curse and call her a ‘dirty girl’. How on the memorable night of her first date, granny stood at the door with a fisted warning, “Don’t come back pregnant!” Ignorance. Mama swore she would never be a parent like that and so she never was.

Shay left that house the day she turned 18, gratefully accepting an invitation from a married friend 160 kilometres away. The young couple welcomed her. The plump, placid farm girl was no match for Shay’s vivacious personality and exotic looks. The close proximity was too much for the young man. With the wiles of earnest youth, my father convinced them both that divorce from the one and marriage to the other was best for all. Incongruously, yet another blight added to my mother’s heart.

Shay had the heart of an artist but not the wherewithal. Her genetic code passed to me and she vicariously enjoyed herself through my career as a professional musician. Though only a high school graduate, she constantly rose to leadership positions in whatever service organization she felt her calling. Women in our community named their daughters Shay.

Her heart accepted another pain with the loss of her middle child who drowned in the river that flowed by our house. Somehow she remained in that same house for another eleven years, watching the swift current of the river carry things away day after day. It is any wonder she would later develop angina in a heart that had borne so much.

I never saw her sad, never heard her voice raised; she was always singing and optimistic. She taught us to live by the Golden Rule and her oft-uttered belief that the spoken word could not be recalled. Even when osteoporosis claimed her hour-glass figure, she was always beautifully groomed and painstakingly colour coordinated. Though I easily passed her in height by age 13, she remains statuesque in my memory. Loved by everyone who met her, this once rejected, illegitimate girl.

As I sat by her deathbed, I recalled a verse of faith – that we take nothing with us to that Final Reckoning but our deeds. Gone was the trophy figure, the dark, sparkling looks. Yet the sunny smile, the optimism, the kind words remained. May the Most Merciful of the Merciful have mercy on you, mama – Shay.

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

"My mother helped me develop into a confident and secure young woman who appreciates, loves and values all aspects of my Syrian-Irish, Muslim-Christian heritage. I will be forever grateful for the way she shaped my worldview, for that is the greatest gift of all!" 

Norah with her mother Mary
Norah Arafeh is a University of California, Berkeley Fulbright Fellow in Jordan and Writer Intern at Al Marji’ Publications; Mary Lennon Arafeh is a volunteer at the Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) and author of https://justbeingmary.wordpress.com

My mother is a strong, secure and confident woman who befriends everyone she meets. Her resilience and ability to flourish in difficult situations inspires me more than anything else. When my father found out that he was being transferred to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for his job, she took the news in stride and has made an entire life for herself there while also supporting my father and younger sister with the transition. She has immersed herself in the international school community, their local neighbourhood and has even managed to keep busy by volunteering with Syrian and Palestinian refugees living in Malaysia (yes - there is a big community there!). She picked up driving on the left side of the road immediately as if it came naturally to her — something that I still have not been able to do myself! Everyone affectionately calls her the “Ambassador of Kuala Lumpur” because she seems to know every family (locals and expatriates), every local business and all the alleyways that line the streets of downtown KL.

My mother sees the good in everyone she meets and regards every experience as a positive learning lesson, a perspective that I have adopted in my own life (and one that serves me well)! She treats everyone with love and respect. She is exactly the kind of mother that I hope to be one day. Every time I follow her advice, I’m happy that I consulted her because she always knows the right thing to say.

My mother runs a blog in which she details both the joys and struggles of motherhood, life as an expatriate in Malaysia, memories of the past, and stories about family, friends and travel. She always had a wonderful way with words and expresses herself beautifully with every story. While she is a hilarious storyteller, most all of these blog posts end on a serious note with a positive lesson that she took away from every story, memory, encounter or experience. 

My mother is strong, resilient, and independent in a way that is both nurturing and maternally ferocious. She is warm and affectionate and has the most beautiful and welcoming smile in the world — one that immediately makes you feel as if you’ve known her for years. She has a genuine love for life and is a joy to be around. Whenever she is in town, my friends enjoy her company as much as my own! She loves both her family and her Irish heritage and has dedicated so much time to tracing her family tree back in Ireland. She is the rock that keeps our family grounded and the link that keeps us all connected despite the long distances that have us scattered on almost every continent! 

Since moving to Jordan, I’ve faced the typical difficulties of adjusting to a new life abroad, and my mother has been there for me every step of the way — sometimes offering advice, other times just lending a listening ear or sharing a laugh with me. Whenever I find myself in a sticky situation, I always ask myself, “What Would Mary Do?” and I always pull out just fine. 

Moreover, my mother grew up in a small town in Rhode Island in a tight-knit Irish Catholic family. She married my father — a Syrian man from Damascus — almost 30 years ago and has since embraced many aspects of his background and adopted them into our own family. I can’t imagine how hard this must have been, but their relationship is based on a respect and love for each other that supersedes any cultural or religious differences. While supporting and raising an interfaith and mixed family couldn’t have been easy, she was understanding and open-minded about all of the challenges that came along the way, especially when I started to seriously question my identity as a teenager. When I was in high school, she both encouraged and supported my decision to spend time with my family in Syria and study Arabic because she knew how important it was that I explore and navigate my lineage. If anything, she has helped me develop into a confident and secure young woman who appreciates, loves and values all aspects of my Syrian-Irish, Muslim-Christian heritage. I will be forever grateful for the way she shaped my worldview, for that is the greatest gift of all!

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

"Thanks to my mother, I learned to be self-reliant and resilient. She always supported me and never said 'no' to any idea I had for my professional growth, no matter how crazy or risky." 

Marie-Christine Mougin with her grandchildren Hiba (far left), Sijal, Mira (far right) and Adiba (middle)

Hind-Lara Mango is Publisher &
Managing Director of Al Marji' Publications

Thanks to my mother, I learned to be self-reliant and resilient. She always supported me and never said "no" to any idea I had for my professional growth, no matter how crazy or risky. 

She took care of my children when I had to travel and sometimes she travelled with me when I was breastfeeding so that she could take care of the babies while I attended workshops. She took care of my babies in the afternoons and until late at night when we both came back from teaching all day and I started my second job (radio and newspaper). She used to be my proofreader after I typed my articles on my electronic typewriter and she used to share her opinion about the articles I wrote. 

As a parent, I try to expose our children to as much cultural diversity because she raised me in a bi-cultural environment. I try to raise tolerant children who do not see colour, race or gender. This is how she raised me. 

I try to raise children who believe in God but who do not impose their beliefs on others and who respect all religions. This is a value she instilled in us and which I have found to be very important growing up and as I mature. 

I always tried to plan my children's birthdays and to make them as special as she made mine. I try to develop their taste in art, music and fashion as she did with me from an early age.

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

Rumi once said, 
“We are born of love; 

Love is our mother.” 
I would add, 

“We are born of mother; 

Mother is our love.”

Jauad El Kharraz with his mother Amina Kharchafi, mother of five. Jauad, who’s originally from Morocco, lives in France and is Information and Projects Manager at Euro-Mediterranean Water Information System (EMWIS) and General Secretary of Arab World Association of Young Scientists

My mother was and still is very generous with me and with everybody, very patient even in very difficult times, very caring with me and my brothers and sisters. I remember my childhood, when my father was working far from our hometown, when resources were scarce, she would still manage to do her best to be a gracious hostess. She would give me money to buy sweets and things while she prepared Moroccan green tea and coffee so our guest can have a choice. She passed on these qualities to her sons and daughters, and I feel like the luckiest person in the world for having such a mother.

My mother taught me some valuable lessons that continue to influence me and how I live my life:

• Without effort and patience, nothing can be achieved
• Never be arrogant; be modest and humble 
• Be loving and kind to everybody 

Obviously, each person in the world considers his or her mother a special person. For me, she is the most special person because she raised me, my brothers and sisters often in difficult times (socially and economically), suffering in silence and generous with no conditions. She never complained, despite her sickness and all the problems she faced, while we nowadays complain for whatever small reason. She has a patience of steel. All that and more make her a very special person. May God bless her and give her good health and happiness.

Thank you, mama, for your unconditional love, for your generosity, for your prayers and for everything.

Rumi once said,
“We are born of love; 

Love is our mother.”
I would add, 

“We are born of mother; 

Mother is our love.”

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

"My mother bridged two cultures for me, giving me the best of each. She embraced learning the language and ways of our Jordanian life while at the same time sharing the best of her American background...She taught me to reach for the stars and not to wait for someone else to do what only you can do."

Sonia, as a child, with her mama Virginia in Zarqa, Jordan

Virginia Haddad with her daughter
Sonia Salfity, who works part-time
at her husband's Cardiac Clinic
in Omaha, Nebraska.
She is a monthly contributor to
Family Flavours magazine

My mama is generous beyond measure. She is also kind, and compassionate. She has always demonstrated these qualities for as long as I can recall. She bridged two cultures for me, giving me the best of each. She embraced learning the language and ways of our Jordanian life while at the same time sharing the best of her American background. This enriched my life on so many levels. Every aspect of my life was better because of her grace and gentleness in teaching me to look beyond the limitations of what a traditional culture imposes especially on us women. She taught me to reach for the stars and not to wait for someone else to do what only you can do.

She was critical in my going to university in the United States at the young age of 16. I was the youngest university student on campus which brought with it many challenges. Without my mother’s encouragement, I would have given up. Instead, I ended up excelling and graduating Magne Cum Laude with honours thanks to the perseverance and disciplined work ethic she always instilled in me.

I am ever so grateful to my mother and am so thankful that she was present at the birth of each of our three children. Her generosity has now extended towards our children and they too get to soak in the goodness and pure joy of my sweet mother's unconditional love.

Thank you Mama for all that you've given of yourself. There's not a day that goes by that I don't enjoy talking to you and connecting with one of the most treasured blessings in my life.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

"Mama gets me out of my narrow comfort zone to try new things, meet new people and exceed my limits"

Matthew Salfity (11) with his mother Sonia 

Mothers do so much for their children throughout the year that they deserve more than a day off of constant work and contouring everything to their family.

I am constantly inspired by my mama who gets me out of my narrow comfort zone to try new things, meet new people and exceed my limits. When the going gets tough, she always taught me to stay strong.

Since mothers help mould us into who we are today, I’m so proud to celebrate Mother's Day!

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

"She taught me to look for solutions to my problems, not find problems in my solutions! Complaining gets you nowhere."

Jumana, as a child, with her mother Hala

When I was a teenager, I would look at my mother and dream and hope to be like her one day. From the way she looked and dressed to the way she handled everything at home and out. She really is a super mama.

One thing I can tell you about my mother is that she is a positive person, positive in every sense of the word. She taught me to always look for the bright side in things and that everything happens for a reason. She taught me to stay away from negativity and negative people. And to look for solutions to my problems, not find problems in my solutions!

She taught me that complaining too much for the sake of complaining gets you nowhere; it just adds to your stress and stresses the ones around you more. So just focus on yourself and try your best to solve whatever it is that is causing you trouble.

Thanks to my mother and father, I am the person I am today.

Jumana Sabella (right), teacher and mother of three, with her mother Hala Khoury, fitness trainer and mother of three

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

"Sometimes I wish that she had been less selfless as she always put us before herself, prioritizing everyone else’ needs above her own. For her, her happiness and wellbeing was dependent on our own."

Fadi Zaghmout, Marketing and Social Media Specialist, with his mother Rima Soudah, retired from the Social Security Corporation

I can't imagine the amount of energy Mama put in raising four children while working full-time at her day job, doing household work and helping Baba with his struggling finances.

Sometimes I wish that she had been less selfless as she always put us before herself, prioritizing everyone else’ needs above her own. For her, her happiness and wellbeing was dependent on our own. Now that I live in Dubai, we skype daily, and when I have a cold, I try not to show it in my voice. As much as she loves us, that’s how much we love her back.

The love mama and baba have shown us gave us the security and self-confidence that helped shape us and enable our success. It is the kind of love that fills you with the love of life and of other people.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mama. 

This is a day I always looked forward to since childhood, making mother's day greetings cards at school. It continues to give me joy and surely will for many years to come.

I love you, Mama.

Mother's Day Special Series - Guest Posts

“Her name is Sidonia
And she also

Has plenty of tales to tell.

She whisked her children away

To many lands

From the shores of Napoli

To the grandeur of Turkey

To the charms of Paris.

She was always our rock

To cling to

Among the shifting sands

of our adolescence.”

Sidonia Megyesi, may she rest in peace

My Beloved Mother

I wrote this poem for my mother after she died in 1991 

-Virginia Haddad

I embark on a journey
Down the River Styx.
I had to visit Hades
I knew not why
I knew not what
Compels me there.
I only knew my soul
Was flying there.

Hades so black,
Why do you draw me?
Why not Mt. Olympus
With her head in the clouds?
Oh Hades you lure me
I must go in haste.

Down the River Styx
I embark on a boat
By myself, by myself
As I always am.
I row and I row
But the current is kind
She sweeps me along
As if she too
Shares my urgency.

The river is my friend
She cradles me
She soothes away my fears.
I need not navigate
The river knows her way
She carries me swiftly
To my destiny.
What will await me
When my river runs dry?

I shake with trepidation
But my river lulls me with her lullaby.
Who is here to greet me?
Pluto with his three headed dog
What, What is this?
I need a passport
But I have not died
I have no passport of death.
Please, please
Let me slip in quickly
I do not want to stay long.

Pluto remains steadfast
"No bribe - No entry"
Virgil and Dante
Neither can be swayed
"Once you enter these gates
There is no return"
But we are ready
To read your sins

So we know what level
To put you in.
I hang my head
In shame and despair
But oh what a vision
Do suddenly I see
Beautiful Persephone
She grabs my hand.
"Quickly, quickly
Run with me.
Wear my cape
And they will not see
You, Virginia
As you dash off with me."
Off we fly
Leaving the men
To guard their precious gates.


Oh sweet, beautiful Persephone
Take me to my mother.
You who well know that special bond
Between mother and daughter.
Please help me find my mother
As Zeus helped your mother find you
After Pluto fell in love
And dragged you down here.


Please take me to my mother
She who has been
Many years now
Hidden from my view
I want to introduce you
I want you
To become her friend
As you have befriended Eve.


You will recognize my mother
Her heart is huge
So huge it overwhelms you
You will know
When you get near
For her warmth will engulf you.


She will love you
As she loves
All things of beauty
She will want to sculpt you
She will want to paint you
Allow her that little pleasure
Talk with her
Make her laugh
You must have plenty
Of tales to tell.


Her name is Sidonia
And she also
Has plenty of tales to tell.
She whisked her children away
To many lands
From the shores of Napoli
To the grandeur of Turkey
To the charms of Paris.
She was always our rock
To cling to
Among the shifting sands
of our adolescence.


I now see
That I cannot find my mother.
I cannot see at all down here.
But you can, you can
You can do so much
You, Persephone,
You with your ethereal intuition
You can find my mother.
Keep her company
Until I and my children
And grandchildren
Are ready to join her.
She is too shy to seek friends.
Introduce her to Eve
And to Eve's descendants.
Let her play with them.
Let them delight in each other’s' tales.


I love my mother, Sidonia, so much
With a love that I cannot contain.
I cannot see her
While I in my temporal body
Still remain.
But she has shed hers
Much to her delight.
When I too, shall shed
This body of mine
I look forward
To being one with her again.


But until then
Please seek her out
Please embrace her
She needs it so much
Give her some seeds and a shovel
She loves to watch things grow
As she so lovingly
Watched me grow
All through her life.


Thank you
Thank you dear Persephone
For hearing me out.
Thank you for sneaking me in
To your hallowed ground
For a little while.
I could not see anything here
But I feel their stories
The stories of all
These invisible souls
Who are your guests.


I bid you farewell.
Thank your friend Zeus
For arranging
My safe passage back
Back home to my family
Back home to myself.

Sidonia (far left) with her daughter Virginia (far right) and son-in-law Samir (middle)

"If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love" -Stevie Wonder

Shareef and I planting a flower at Book 'n' Brush preschool 

Early Childhood Teacher, Karma Khalidi, now gets to put her expertise to good use in her own family!

Congratulations to Karma Khalidi and Omar Badran on the birth of their precious boy Zaid!

From left: Karma, Laura, Muna Battash and Rula Abujaber 

Karma received this lovely gift basket from Al Marji Publications, which publishes her monthly corner "Play in the Mix" in Family Flavours magazine

The Women I Want To Empower And Inspire My Sons

It's not just girls who need female role models. Whether you are raising boys or girls, male and female role models are critical to their overall development. As a parent of two boys, I want Omar and Shareef to have role models who'll have a positive influence on them. These are five women I would want my sons to learn from. Their traits, their wisdom, their accomplishments are an example for us all.

(You can read all about them in the March 2015 edition of Family Flavours)