Keep smiling, no matter what!

 

Honestly these days we need to smile more than ever. Regardless of age and life story, we all go through difficult times. The previous year with this horrible pandemic has been challenging for all of us around the globe. Unfortunately, it looks as if the near future won’t be much better either.

We all are suffering in one way or the other and so it is normal that we overlook the positive blessings around us. We forget to be grateful for what we have. Instead, we focus primarily on what we don’t have right now, which is Freedom and what’s bothering us the most is the face masks, the non-ending lockdowns, and the chaos with the vaccine. Let’s face it we are sick and tired and see everything only in black and white.

This little book KEEP SMILING, NO MATTER WHAT is a picture book in color that I’ve published back in 2018. It is available in English and German with colorful pictures, for children and grown-ups alike, to remind us about the importance of SMILING and being HAPPY.

We should appreciate the beautiful colors of life in nature and around us. This ageless book is a wonderful gift for the young and the young at heart who have lost the joy for life. It will help those in need of an emotional boost to wake up daily with a smile and be grateful for a new day, for a new opportunity. 

Get your copy in print in English or German. Keep Smiling has also its own merch in our online shop at Society6.com!

Now the world can breathe!

 

Black lives matter! All Lives matter! And yes George Floyd's life mattered! In the previous three weeks we have been watching the live trial on CNN and last night we couldn’t breathe and go to sleep until the decision was finally announced by the judge. Guilty in all three charges!

Words can’t describe our feelings and emotions. A massive huge weight has been lifted and we can finally breathe. Thank God justice has been served. What a relief for the entire world. We live in a strange time right now but let’s face it the racial injustice is a global issue. Racism and discrimination is part of the world’s history and our society no matter where we live in the world.

In eight weeks this police officer (whose name I’m not going to mention here on my blog!), George Floyd's killer will be sentenced for many decades. I hope this is a LESSON for everyone out there (especially for those in “high” and “powerful” positions!) who believe that being a racist, being nasty and violent, and arrogantly condescending to others just based on their skin color, religion, nationality, and passport, etc. is ok! If you are not being punished in this world, be assured that God is watching you.

This policeman had the chance to show his remorse but he didn’t. He had the opportunity to apologize to George Floyd’s family, friends, the community, the Minnesota state, America, and the entire world, but he decided to use the Fifth Amendment and stay silent! It seems that this man still doesn’t understand what he has done and how he has abused his power as a policeman. There are no signs of regret. No signs of a bad conscience. Nothing!

Steve Schleicher, who served "on a pro bono basis," as a member of the prosecution team for the George Floyd case did an excellent job and spoke the prosecution closing arguments on April 19 during the trial and said the following:

 

“Floyd was just a man, lying on the pavement, being pressed upon, desperately crying out. A grown man crying out for his mother. A human being. This police man killed Floyd by pinning him to the pavement for 9 minutes, 29 seconds. His actions were reckless, unreasonable, and warrant conviction not just for manslaughter but also on two murder counts.”

Steve Schleicher couldn’t sum it up better! Also, don’t forget that a grown-up man was violently tortured by four police officers and killed for only 20 Dollars! 20 ridiculous Dollars!

At the end of the day we all are the same. Black Lives matter. White Lives matter. All Lives matter! Whether young or grown-up, whether man or woman, REMEMBER BLOOD IS ALWAYS RED! So please be respectful, be kind, be thoughtful, be supportive! God damn it be human! 

Corona & Creativity!

 

I’m planning a brand new and exciting “Q&A Interview blog series” for summer 2021 and my blogger magazine “Read My Minds issue 2021” with the topic “Corona & Creativity”. Everyone is welcome to share their story. Whether you are a writer, blogger, artist, illustrator, photograph, musician, singer, actor, dancer, baker, cook or interior designer, makeup artist, hair artist, and so on…

Basically, anyone who is creative and productive and wants to share and promote their passion is more than welcome to send me a DM on Instagram @Lily.Amis. I will then send you my interview Questions. I will also need images that show your work, your masterpieces so to say. Closing date is 31.5.2021. Those who will be featured and promoted on my blog in summer 2021 and in my blogger magazine in December 2021 will be contacted in advance!

Join my inspirational interview partners Award Winning British actor Kevin Leslie, Guy Potter, Welsh singer James Kennedy, and British musician James Sayer as well as international multi-genre authors who have been featured in my “Q & A series” back in 2016 and 2017. You find all the interviews here on my blog under the label #Q & A Interviews!  

Goodbye Prince Philip - Why we care!

Tomorrow many people from around the globe will be watching the funeral from Prince Philip in Windsor. And I was asking myself and wondering why we humans care about people who we don’t know and never met at all?

Well, the answer is short and simple. Because they are part of our lives for decades. Let’s face it, as sad as it is we know much more about them and their lives than we know about our own family members, friends, and work colleagues. They share their joy, happiness, celebrations, and achievements as well as their sorrows, sadness, and tragedies with us.

Prince Philip with his 99 years of a remarkable and exceptional life is of course a well-known household name for generations everywhere around the world. The handsome and charming husband to Queen Elizabeth had a difficult childhood though and was kind of a refugee. Philip was born into the Greek and Danish royal families. He was born in Greece, but his family was exiled from the country when he was only eighteen months old. His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and his mother Princess Alice of Battenberg in Germany. She was actually a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and was born in Windsor Castle. Isn’t this fascinating?

I recently watched a very interesting and touching documentary about Princess Alice and I have to admit I couldn’t hold back my tears. She was congenitally deaf and had an unbelievably challenging and difficult life! You find a book recommendation about her life at the end of this post!

Prince Philip experienced World world II and on top of that the Corona Pandemic last year. Which probably made him and his wife Queen Elizabeth spend more time together than they would have under normal circumstances. In retrospect, I’m sure the Queen is very grateful about the lockdown. The two love birds had the chance to spend wonderful days together and cherish each other's company without any duties and distractions.

Prince Philip is what Prince Albert (his great-great-grandfather) was to the older generation. We witnessed a man whose name will also be a well-known household name for the future generation, while our names will be long forgotten. We witnessed history with Prince Philip. May his soul RIP. He was surely one of a kind. A man, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a grand grand-father, who was able to love and support his wife and his entire family the way he did and sacrifice so much of his own freedom in a selfless 73 years marriage must have been an exceptional human being.

My first thought after reading about his passing was: “Oh good, now he is reunited with his beloved mother Alice. May God bless their souls! Goodbye Philip.”

Princess Alice & Prince Philip

Mother Alice & Son Prince Philip

This week our thoughts, deep empathy and prayers are with the Royal Family at Windsor in this difficult and heartbreaking time! As I said, we do care, because we know more about this family than anyone else. Looking at their family tree makes us realize how little we know about our own past, our own roots, and our own family tree! 

We at Windsor Castle in December 2009

Lily4SavingLives!

 

A fire swept through a sprawling Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Monday 22 March 2021, killing at least eleven people, destroying homes and endangering the lives of tens of thousands of refugees, according to the Bangladesh government.

The fire destroyed at least 10,000 shelters as it tore through the camp, according to the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) in Bangladesh. Up to 10,000 Rohingya refugee families - more than an estimated 45,000 people have been now displaced.

Essential facilities including hospitals, distribution points, learning centers, and women's support services were also damaged in the fire. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society said that it is launching one of its "biggest ever rescue and relief efforts" in the camp.

Watching and hearing about the misery in the refugees camps upset me. Why do people have to live under these horrible circumstances at all? Why do these refugee camps exist in the first place? All humans deserve to live a life in dignity. Surviving in refugee camps for decades is a living hell. Why do governments punish people who have already lost everything? If you don’t want to accept refugees in your wealthy countries, at least find the right solution!

At least 79.5 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are nearly 26 million refugees, around half of whom are under the age of 18. There are also millions of stateless people, who have been denied a nationality and lack access to basic rights such as education, health care, employment and freedom of movement. Don’t these people deserve a fair chance to build a normal and independent life? Being alive doesn’t just mean breathing. Saving lives doesn’t just mean putting them in refugee camps and let them struggle for decades. Saving Lives means give them the chance to live like anyone else in rich and privileged countries!

Image Source:  www.thenewhumanitarian.org

Text Source: UNHCR

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Lily4ShadowGame!

 

"The truck game, the train game, the taxi game", Sajid (from Afghanistan, aged 15) lists the ‘games’ he had to complete to get into Europe. Especially the ‘pedestrian game’: walking, lots and lots of walking.

Everyday teenagers who have fled their war-torn countries try to cross Europe’s borders in search of protection and a better life. They travel through a shadow world we never see: a world of minefields, bears, fast-flowing rivers, smugglers and border guards. ‘The game’ is the bitterly ironic term for crossing borders that has become commonplace among these young refugees. Risking their lives, the teenagers undertake a treacherous journey that often takes months or even years. Along the way, they grow up fast. Shadow Game is a journey through the dark side of Europe with teenage refugees as our guides.

Journey through the dark side of Europe! Shadow Game is an experimentally filmed account of the far-reaching consequences of European asylum policy. Now fences have gone up all over Europe, seeking asylum has become almost impossible. The teenagers cross snowy landscapes and meet aggressive border police on their way. Reaching their final destination has become more difficult than ever. Their journey takes them through the whole of Europe: from Greece to North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, from Italy to France and The Netherlands. The film was shot over a period of three years, partly by the main characters themselves on their phones.

Shadow Game is a transmedia project by Eefje Blankevoort and Els van Driel. It consists of a feature-length documentary (90 min), a series of short docs, an adventure game, a photo series in collaboration with photographer Cigdem Yuksel and an impact campaign. The project will launch in Spring 2021.

Source: shadowgame.eu

Lily4PaperLives!

Prepare yourself for a lot of tissues. “Paper Lives“, in German “Das Leben ist wie ein Stück Papier“, original title in Turkish “Kagittan Hayatlar“ is an excellent film with powerful and touching messages. The dark, modern and heartbreaking side of Istanbul with its homeless children and teenagers on the streets seen through the eyes of the main character Mehmet (actor: Çagatay Ulusoy) is incredibly touching and eye-opening. 

Mehmet is going to die unless he gets a kidney transplant. On top of his life’s wish list is the deep desire to find his mother. Just when Mehmet is about to start his journey, he finds an abandoned small boy. He takes the young 8-year-old Ali (actor: Emir Ali Dogrul) under his wing and he changes his life.

This film is a window to an unknown and shamefully tragic world. Most humans who see homeless people ignore them. They never make the time to think twice about these people’s destiny and misery. Even though this boy Ali is not a refugee child in this film, he represents the refugee children of today in Turkey and other countries, who have lost their parents and are surviving on the streets. 

In my opinion, this film deserves all kinds of International Film Nominations and Awards for the best story, best acting, and best production. Our shallow, selfish, thoughtless, and superficial world of today needs more of these kinds of deep and meaningful movies. Now more than ever! 

Lily4SyrianRefugees

 

I love it when young refugees use a reality TV platform to speak out about their life experiences as war refugees. In the previous weeks, a young lady from Syria is doing exactly what all refugees should do.

Life wasn’t easy for the now 20-year-old Soulin, because she is a refugee child. The Germanys Next Top Model candidate in 2021 lived in Syria until she was eleven before war broke out in her country. "Then of course my parents were very concerned that it would be dangerous for us," remembers Soulin. Since the future of their daughter was very important to her parents, the family ultimately decided to leave their country – first only as a "vacation holiday" in Turkey.

Soulin completed her ninth grade on the Mediterranean peninsula before she and her parents came to Germany: “To this day, I am very grateful for that,” explains the 20-year-old beauty, even if she misses her home country Syria, but my future is Germany and that's why I always look ahead."

Soulin is not only a beautiful and ambitious young girl but also a very intelligent and confident candidate in this year’s TV reality casting show Germany's Next Top Model by Heidi Klum. I wish her all the best and I hope she continues to use her voice for the voiceless.  I hope she wins the show and makes all the refugees proud as the most beautiful and intelligent Ambassador.

 

Watch her Interview on PRO SIEBEN

Lily4YusraMardini

 

I often wish more refugees would use their voice and speak openly about their difficult and painful experiences and life journey as war refugees. In the last decades only a few refugees inspired me with their stories and talents. One of them is Syrian refugee and Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini. She was appointed the youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in April 2017, aged just 19.

Yusra Mardini advocates for refugees globally through sharing her own inspiring story and has become a powerful voice for the forcibly displaced across the world and an example of their resilience and determination to rebuild lives and positively contribute to host communities.

The Syrian civil war started when major conflict broke out March 15, 2011, after a forceful crackdown on peaceful student protests against the government of Bashar al-Assad. Conflict continues with insecurity in parts of the country. The consequences are tragic for civilians, particularly children. The Syrian refugee crisis has exacted a heavy toll on hundreds of thousands of children and their families. It’s the largest refugee and displacement crisis of our time, affecting millions of people and spilling into surrounding countries. It’s also a protracted crisis, which is ongoing …

Source: Worldvision

 

Lily4RefugeesVoices!

I often wish more refugees would use their voice and speak openly about their difficult and painful experiences and life journey as war refugees. In the last decades only a few refugees amazed me with their stories and talents. One of them is German–Lebanese pop and opera singer and artist Fady Maalouf. He is known as the runner-up of the fifth season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German version of Pop Idol. He has released three albums to date, Blessed (2008), Into the Light (2010) and City of Gold (2012). 

This young man literally amazed me with his voice, charisma and life story. If you don’t know his music yet, watch his music videos here or on YouTube and listen to his truly angelic and amazing voice on Spotify. If more refugees would and could find the courage to speak out, more people around the world would understand the dysfunctional refugee policy and rules violating human and children's rights in every level. I wish all war refugees would use their voice and become as strong as the LGBT community and the climate change activist worldwide to stop the bureaucracy madness and allow people to live a happy and peaceful life far away from home and war zones like Lebanon. Lebanon was once called the second Paris of the Middle East until war destroyed lives and the country. 

Two explosions ripped through Beirut on 4 August 2020 and killed more than 170 people and injured about 6500 people. Dozens more people remain missing and the death toll continues to rise as search and rescue operations went on. More than 300 000 people are now displaced from their homes amid a severe economic crisis that had pushed many Lebanese and refugees deeper into poverty and an already overwhelmed health system caused by the COVID19 pandemic. Many people are dealing with trauma caused by the explosion and need mental health and psychosocial support. Many have lost loved ones. UNHCR is working with community organizations to provide psychological first aid, help identify the missing, and refer people in need to specialized services, all while delivering aid. 

Source: UNHCR 

Youtube: FadyMaaloufVEVO 

Amazed

 

Blessed

 

 Show me your love  

Into the light

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