Must We Love?

From the February edition of Conexion, BB's column.

Hola, Hola, Hola Beautifuls!

Febrero, February. El mes del Amor, the month of love. 

Oh Beautifuls, this is year dos without Sweetie, but not without love. 

 Quee?? BB ya con novio? JU SO FONII!! 

No Beautifuls, without romance, pero nunca without amor. 

Not to say the physical isn’t necessary or painful when lacking. Babushka always has Sweetie’s side of the bed con cosas. Partly because she’s messy, but mainly because it fills up that empty espacio. The void is felt, but it can be filled, to only come in surprising spurts and sometimes wicked waves. Pero love has so many levels, so many ways to manifest, to enjoy and partake of.  

Sin duda, without a doubt is the love of familia. BB doesn’t know where she’d be without The Trio and The Grands. It’s nice to be needed and loved. Family, this is a given. Hope you are Blessed to feel the same.

La Vida, Life is to be Loved. Good, Bad, and todo in between. It’s why we’re here, the reason to Be. To Learn and to Love. This is our tarea. Si, we must love. Now, What you love, How you love, is your choice, your challenge. Hopefully you love life and cherish every moment, every chance of Being. Because you are worthy of the chances, the choices, the Love of Life, and the Love of YOU.

Mucho, MUCHO Amor & Besos to All.

Cuidensen.

Life is But A Dream - Repost, Relive,Restart

Hola,Hola,Hola Beautifuls! BB is planning a restart porque really 2020 we need it. Sooo, while she's getting the pics y historias together, here is a post from the primero Abril- 2012.

 Still as true hoy as it was then. Maybe even mas.

Row, row, row your boat- gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream.

Wow- how deep is that? Almost scary the simplicity and how "in your face" that is.

¿Que creen?  What says you? Should we go gently but with a smile on our face?  No se, I'm Cuban- the smile esta bien, pero the "gently"?  Ok, Si,  I hear you.  "Pero BB dear, you're getting older you should start doing gentle." JU SO FONII!!!  Slower mayyyybbeeee pero gentle?  So sorry, can't do it.  It's not in my constitution, not in my soul.

Perhaps it was all the sofrito, but I need a bit of "oomph" in life, a bit of spice.  I need the passion, the energy- everything felt and done with every atom of my being and down to my very essence.  There is no gentleness there, for even in a tender caress the intensity of my beliefs come through, and though "this ol' gray mare ain't what she used to be", she can still give a pretty good kick!

 "Life is but a dream"?  No, no, no- it's not how most interpret that.  Life is not something that happens to us while we're in a dreamlike trance.  Bueno, if you think about it, maybe that's why it's usually interpreted that way- because most people are living lives that were pre-programmed by someone else.  Por fa gente, MAKE your life YOUR dream.  Set your own sights, chart your way, and since you picked the destination, don't fight the voyage.  Si, in this way you truly can go merrily down the stream.


BB is living her dream merrily, still with gusto, focus and style.  Perhaps the pace has slowed and the baile is now a waltz, but the choice of song is always mine.

Babushka Besos a todos.  Cuidensen.

P.S. The video is from YouTube titled "Viennesse Waltz".  A waltz performed by the SUU Ballroom Dance company during their 04 Spring concert  Music by Goo Goo Dolls, song title Iris, posted by willowbrook32. BB thanks them all for the brilliance and beauty of this piece.

God's Wicked Sense of Humor and Life Lessons with a Smile. @Courage_Cancer - Courage4Cristyl

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!

Mira que somos cabeziduros; humans are hard headed. And God has a wicked sense of humor. We go around doing what we want, focusing on our wants without realizing what we truly need or worse yet, what we already have. We may get reminders to look, episodes of life that make us stop for a moment, but those are fleeting and quickly pass. A child’s birth, reunions with an old friend, life moments that spark the love of life in us. Unfortunately we tend to focus on the mundane and insignificant, because as BB said before, we are hard headed. Fortunately we are given many nudges along the way to focus on what’s truly worthy; sometimes those nudges become slams.

White cell count ok. On to #chemo Round 2. #GSOG #GigaSecondOfGratitude #GospelOfGracias

A post shared by Bohemian Babushka (@bbabushka) on Jun 14, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

My eldest, Cristyl’s Corazon has  stage 2 breast cancer. At 33 years of age she is facing her mortality. Now before you start feeling sorry for her, let Babushka show you the blessing of this.

Nothing makes you reevaluate your life attitude and actions quicker than the threat of losing it. For years she has refused to seek medical help for depression, for years she has been in a relationship that constricted, not daring to follow her true fullfillment of self. No more. Gracias to that golf ball size lump, she is happier than she’s been for years. She’s tending to her physical, spiritual and emotional self. With therapy and medicines she’s mentally in a much better place. With renewed and real faith she is content and feeling purpose, ready to conquer all. She’s following life loves and goals. Que te dije? Wicked sense of humor.

At this stage of life BB has become a fulltime madre again. Blessed Be. The first time around BB didn’t spend much time focusing on my first born because she was perfecta. Good grades, bella ballerina, popular, Babushka mistakenly thought she didn’t need a mama’s hovering and constant attention. The first time around she left home as soon as legally possible. This is our chance to makeup for missed moments. Not quite the same, but on many levels so much better. 

Life now is for living and following ones heart. Being older has helped her realize what is truly in her heart and who should be there. She has found a stronger love of family and her family in God. Her vision is to start a dance ministry, to combine two of her major loves. This is her first performance where she shared that dream.

Gracias to many she continues finding more ways to give and to live. One of these inspirations is from a book her therapist suggested , Living with Cancer by Barbara K. Linton. Gran casualidad that Barbara lives in Tallahassee? Again, Wicked Sense of Humor. Thanks to this book Cristyl found answers and strength. On the back cover, “Linton’s story promises that if you let Him, God will stay right beside you, loving you and willing to give you strength to walk triumphantly through whatever life may bring your way. It won’t be an easy journey, but if you let Him, God will prove that even with cancer...you can live!” Not only is BB’s Baby living, but she’s living for others too.,

BB's daughter @CristylsCorazon has found more than @Courage_Cancer , she has found her truth, her faith, and her fight to continue living. Please help her raise $100 to give others courage too. 1000x Gracias. #pinkwarrior https://t.co/G9JKo54cnS pic.twitter.com/ZGEPVj89vB

— bohemian babushka (@BBabushka) July 23, 2018

For our children we are capaz to do anything. Even physical labor, in the sun. Babushka has signed up to walk on Cristyl's team and hopes y'all can join us. We'd love to have you there or/and donate for this wonderful cause.  The link for her walk page is http://bit.ly/BBCourage4Cristyl.  We would love to raise at least $100 to help buy supplies for the many projects Cancer Through Courage has.

So, are we feliz that we've had to come to this point to realize what's lifes point?  Por supuesto que no, wouldn't wish it on anyone. PERO knowing what's really valuable, THAT we wish for TODOS.

Y remember daily with a knowing sonrisa the motto, now mantra, 

 

Life- JU SO FONII!!

BB2U

3 Steps for Living- Babushka's 2018

This post was originally shared in January's Conexion print, y aqui BB will add a little mas.

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!!

Adios 2017 and Hello 2018. Increible how fast that went. No se about ustedes, but Babushka for one is glad we got past that one.  For BB, 2017 was a year of realization and reckoning. A year of shake up and shape up. Globally, events we didn’t want to see were highlighted for our attention, y aqui in our own backyard, ni se dice.  We were shown what needed to be fixed, needed our attention. No longer can we continue with “pa luego” and “someday”. This is on a personal, business y hasta mundial level. What are you wishing you did more of last year? Did 2018 catch you by surprise and you’re still tratando to do 2017 resolutions?

Beautifuls, hacemos algo.

Let’s make this year easier for ourselves, while still being true to ourselves y lo que vivimos.

Aqui tienen-

Babushka’s 2018

Be Grateful & live in the momento.

All we truly have is now. Whether you perceive it to be bueno o malo, this is yours. If someone comes into your mind, contact them. If something makes you feliz, let it shine in your memoria and being. When negativity enters, acknowledge it, think what is being highlighted, and move on.  Live the NOW.

Take Better Care of Yourself

Now does that mean no more arroz con frijoles or lechon? JU SO FONII!! But it does mean all things in conscious moderation. Eso incluye temperament y lo mental as well as the physical.  If something “te vuelve loco” ponte a pensar, do you really need it? Perhaps it’s time to find another way or leave it altogether.

Be with those who make you feel good.

Este in a way is part of el anterior. Surround yourself with love. Follow tu corazon and what it calls you to do, follow that direction. The cause you always wanted to help, ayudalo. Familia y friends you miss, call, contact them; feel good in that memory. Sobre todo, learn to feel good with self. Show kindness and amor to your being, tu historia and your futuro. Above all else.

Y alli tienes Beautifuls. Nothing concreto, pero todo completo.  2018 is ours to Be.

Live, Learn and know it's all for our bien.

A DECIR- ESOOOO!!!!

Babushka Besos a Todos. Cuidensen.

P.S. Beautifuls, algo pa' all of us-

Free guided meditations English/Spanish from UCLA.
http://marc.ucla.edu/mindful-meditations

Dear Baby.I'm Sorry. Summer Wine Tumbler Giveaway (Because Mom Needs a Sippy Cup Too)

Babushka received an email asking to share this new libro.  Once the premise was read, the days The Trio were toddlers, and then the ::shudder:: PUBERTY years did a quick flashback. BB knew the truth was being told here.

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!!

Parenting, siendo padres... it's never ending.  NEVER ending.

So, like all things in la vida, Babushka wants you to take it easy and find the humor in it.

Parece que the writer of this pitch and this libro do just that.

Hi Bohemian Babushka,

Summer is finally here! Which means your kids will be around ALL THE TIME.

Get through those long summer days with some laughs from Dear Baby: I’m Sorry… Apologies for Life’s Little Parenting Fails, a new book featuring captioned photos that hilariously narrate the everyday indignities and comic blunders of parenting (and the poor kids who have to put up with them).

For readers of Sh*tty Mom and I Heart My Little A-Holes, DEAR BABY: I’M SORRY… is a collection of captioned photos that hilariously capture the everyday indignities and less than perfect moments of parenting--and the poor kids who have to put up with us.

It all started when Sarah Showfety was nursing her infant daughter for what felt like the millionth time and thought, “I wish she’d hurry up and finish so I can have a glass of wine!”

Di la verdad. Who hasn't thought this??

It was a relief to laugh at the ridiculous thought after months of living in a mostly humorless, post-baby bubble. She quickly felt the need to apologize to her baby, which got her thinking about her other sub-par parenting moments that might warrant an apology. It turned out the list was pretty long.

In addition to being a pro bono toddler personal chef, chaffeur and dry cleaner, Sarah Showfety is a writer whose work has been featured inToday Parents, the Huffington Post, ABC News, Buzzfeed, the New York Post, Yahoo!, the Daily Mail, and other publications. She has appeared on The Doctors, The Better Show, and The Lisa Oz Show. She is the creator of the popular blog Dear Baby XO and the humorous web series Pregnancy 411: Stuff You Need to Know if You Have a Fetus.

In honor of author Sarah Showfety’s “aha” moment – thinking to herself while she nursed her infant daughter for what felt like the millionth time, “I wish she’d hurry up and finish so I can have a glass of wine,” Sourcebooks is offering a summer Dear Baby: I’m Sorry…wine tumbler cup giveaway!

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Buena Suerte Beautifuls!!

Y remember, everytime you think parenting is pushing you over the edge,

just raise your head and voice to the heavens and say-

JU SO FONII!!!