December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas everyone!

 


Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. 2020 has been an extremely challenging and difficult year for all of us. On this special Christmas holiday, our thoughts and prayers are with the forgotten and lonely souls in the refugee camps, shelters, orphanages, retirement homes, and hospitals.

Let’s hope and pray for a better 2021 for everyone. And here are the Lessons and Reminders for myself for 2021!


Be grateful for what you have and for what you don’t have! How often do we complain about the things that we don’t have in life? Too many times! Instead, we should focus on the blessings that we have and never ever compare our life with others. Because let’s face it, we never really know what people are going through. Most of us are struggling in one way or the other. Some have serious mental and health issues, others have financial problems and are struggling to survive. And the worst ones are those who are either lonely or stuck in toxic relationships! So reminder for myself: Be grateful regardless of what you think you miss in your life! 


Distance yourself from negative and toxic people. They are poison for your mind, heart, and soul. When you are going through a difficult time like in 2020, you realize even more how important it is to be surrounded by positive and optimistic people. The last thing you need is more negativity! A reminder for myself: Surround yourself only with people with positive energy. People who lift your spirit and don’t knock you more down than you already are!  



You can’t fix broken relationships unless both sides really care and act. This is a lesson that apparently I have to remind myself over and over again. When you are young and still clueless about life, you never think that the difficulties of life will separate you from your family. You never think that new partners and relationships, a circle of friends, jobs and life circumstances, and obstacles will destroy relationships to your blood-related family until reality hits you, and you wonder what happened and how you missed the fallout.

This was an unusual year and I think like many other people I tried to reconnect with my family members living across the globe. Even those who have hurt and disappoint me in the past. And yes, I learned my lesson once again. People who have hurt you in the past will hurt you again. People who have disappointed you will disappoint you, gain. People who didn’t care about you in the past won’t care for you in the present. People who have been disrespectful to you will be disrespectful again. It is what it is! People don’t change! They keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again! The sooner we accept this, the less we suffer! The sooner we stop them from hurting and disappointing us again, the wiser! A reminder for myself:  Blood makes you related, but love and loyalty make you family. And when there is no loyalty, there is no family! For the Love of God, STOP fixing broken relationships with family members, who couldn’t care less about you and your well-being!


December 06, 2020

Leonardo, Humans Just Don't Care!



LEONARDO - Humans Just Don't Care!

Leonardo is a young and hopeless dog with a difficult life journey full of emotional and physical obstacles. After leaving an animal shelter he ends up in an orphanage in the heart of Florence. But the manager and the children treat him so badly that he runs away in the darkness of the night in hope of finding love and kindness. After a stressful journey filled with struggles, he ends up in the capital city of Italy, in Rome, and has only one goal. He wants to meet Pope Francis and ask him why he sees humans but not humanity. Why humans treat each other and him so badly and why they just don’t care! 

My Voice for the Voiceless

During our many visits to major cities like Rome in Italy, we have experienced unfortunate people sleeping on the streets, while residents of the cities, national and international tourists walk by daily without taking notice and we’ve been wondering why. It is heartbreaking and shameful to look out of your fancy and warm hotel room with your comfy bed, while helpless humans struggling and surviving on the freezing cold streets just a few footsteps away and are only covered with newspapers. It is a tragedy of humanity how ignoring homeless people has become normality. It is a scandal how we look away and don’t act. Every single human being deserves a life of dignity. Every single soul deserves to be taken care of. Every single human being deserves to experience love and kindness, whether it is a child in an orphanage or homeless people and refugees on our streets. The story of Leonardo is my voice for the forgotten souls!

Leonardos heartbreaking story is available in English, German and Italian. Find all the links on my website www.LilyAmis.com

November 10, 2020

Lemon, When Later Becomes Never

 


Dear Dog & Book Lovers please meet my Ambassador Lemon. This heartbreaking story is available in English and German and is inspired by a bittersweet true story. 

Lemon is a cute little dog living in a refugee house in Zurich city. His owner has taken care of asylum seekers in Switzerland for many years. Almost weekly new families arrive and Lemon is there to welcome the humans. He is also there to cheer everyone up in a difficult time with his cuteness, love and tenderness. Lemon is used to seeing families come and go, but the story of Mansour, a little boy, and his heartbreaking destiny changes Lemon’s life forever.


My Voice for the Voiceless
In loving memory of Mansour M. (1982 – 1992)

Meanwhile, Lemons's heartbreaking story is available in English and German. You find all the links on my website www.LilyAmis.com


October 29, 2020

Lucie, Der Duft von Stille


Lovely books and dog lovers my heartbreaking story "Lucie, The Smell Of Silence" is also available in German. 

"Lucie, Der Duft von Stille" ist eine inspirierende Geschichte für junge und junggebliebene Leser. Lucie erzählt ihre Lebensgeschichte, während sie in einem Rettungsboot festsitzt, das den Ozean vom Nahen Osten nach Europa überquert, nachdem ein Krieg über Nacht ihr Leben zerstört und sie ihr Zuhause verloren hat. 

Meine Stimme für die Stimmlosen
Kriege zerstören nicht nur Menschenleben, sondern auch das Leben von Tieren. Sie vernichten auch die Schönheit der Natur und werfen die Länder Jahrzehnte, wenn nicht sogar Jahrhunderte in ihrer Entwicklung zurück. Leider kann jeder obdachlos, staatenlos und zu einem papierlosen Flüchtling werden. Wenn man alles und jeden verloren hat, den man liebt, gibt es nur noch einen Hoffnungsschimmer: Den Glauben an eine bessere und sichere Zukunft. Dies ist die Botschaft dieser pädagogischen Geschichte für das Lily4Refugees-Projekt. 

October 06, 2020

Lucie, The Smell of Silence

 


Lovely dog lovers, meet my Lily4Refugees Ambassador Lucie. “Lucie, The Smell of Silence” is an inspiring story for young and young at heart readers. Lucie shares her life story while she is stuck in a rescue boat crossing the ocean from the Middle East to Europe after she has lost everything back home because war has destroyed her life overnight. 

My Voice for the Voiceless
War does not only destroy humans but also animal’s lives. It also destroys the beauty of nature and sets countries back from improving for decades, if not centuries. Unfortunately, anyone can become homeless. Anyone can become stateless. Anyone can become an undocumented refugee. When you lose everything you have and everyone you love, there is only one thing that keeps you moving forward: hope and the belief in a better and safer future. This is the message of this educational story for the Lily4Refugees Project.

This story is available in English and German. 


August 04, 2020

Lucky, Vom Niemand zum Helden!



Lucky is now also available in German!


LUCKY, Vom Niemand zum Helden

Dies ist die Geschichte eines unglücklichen und namenlosen Hundes, der in einem stinkenden und unfreundlichen Tierheim in Irland festsitzt. Gerade dann, wenn man glaubt, dass es überhaupt keine Hoffnung auf eine bessere und bedeutungsvollere Zukunft gibt, überrascht einen das Leben. Lucky erzählt seine unglaubliche und aufregende Lebensgeschichte und wie er von einem Niemand zum Helden wurde.

Meine Stimme für die Stimmlosen
Dies ist ein Lehrbuch für das Lily4Refugees-Projekt. Die Geschichte von Lucky soll jungen Lesern die Bedeutung von Bildung, Schule und Arbeit vermitteln. Es ist auch eine Antidiskriminierungs- und Antirassismus-Geschichte. Sie soll ein Weckruf an Regierungen, Gesetzgeber und unsere selbstsüchtige und herablassende Gesellschaft sein, Flüchtlinge einzubeziehen und in ihr Flüchtlingsland zu integrieren, anstatt sie von Bildung auszuschließen und sie von Ausbildungs- und Arbeitsmöglichkeiten abzuhalten. Jeder einzelne Flüchtling verdient die Chance, ausgebildet zu werden und auf seinem Interessengebiet und aufgrund seiner Fähigkeiten zu arbeiten. Jeder einzelne Flüchtling ist begabt und sollte unterstützt werden! Nur so kann unsere Gesellschaft Fortschritte machen. Nur so können die Menschen der nächsten Generation zu unabhängigen, nützlichen, geschätzten und steuerzahlenden Mitgliedern unserer Gesellschaft werden. Wenn Menschen in der Lage sind, Tiere zu erziehen und ihnen einen nützlichen Job zu vermitteln, sollten sie auch in der Lage sein, Flüchtlinge zu bilden und auch ihnen einen sinnvollen Job mit Perspektive zu ermöglichen.

July 02, 2020

Lucky - From Zero To Hero!




LUCKY - From Zero to Hero

Brand new release in July 2020!

This is the story of an unhappy and nameless dog stuck in a smelly and unfriendly animal shelter in Ireland. Just when you think there is absolutely no hope for a better and meaningful future, life surprises you. Lucky shares his incredible and exciting life story and how he became a hero from zero.

My Voice for the Voiceless
This is an educational book for Lily4Refugees project. Lucky’s story will teach young readers about the importance of education, school, and work. It is also an anti-discrimination and anti-racism story. An eye-opening wake-up call for governments, lawmakers, and our selfish and condescending society to include refugees and integrate them in their refugee country, instead of excluding them from education and holding them back from training and work opportunities. Every single refugee deserves an education and the chance to be trained and the chance to work in their field of interest and ability. Every single refugee is gifted and should be supported! Only in this way can our society progress. Only in this way will the next generation be able to become independent, useful, valued, and taxpaying members of our society.

If humans are able to educate animals and give them a useful job, they should be able to educate refugees and give them a meaningful job as well.

Meanwhile, Lucky's story is available in English, German, Italian, and Spanish. Find all the links on my website. 

May 31, 2020

EN TRÁNSITO: DEL CIELO AL INFIERNO!



Very excited to inform you that my memoir is now also available in Spanish! For the Spanish version, we chose a different book title. "En tránsito: del cielo al infierno"  which means “Transit: From heaven to hell”. And this is the book description in Spanish. 

EN TRÁNSITO: DEL CIELO AL INFIERNO
Perdimos todo lo que teníamos y todo lo que conocíamos: nuestro hogar, nuestra existencia, nuestra familia, nuestra mentalidad, nuestra identidad, nuestra cultura y nuestro idioma. Vinimos a un país distinto y nos enfrentamos a un futuro incierto. Creíamos y esperábamos encontrar un nuevo hogar en libertad que comprendiera justicia, aceptación, tolerancia, seguridad, independencia, felicidad y un brillante porvenir. Pero ¿se nos dio verdaderamente una oportunidad justa para convertirnos en miembros de nuestro nuevo país? ¿Se nos dio en realidad la oportunidad de vivir una vida digna y de tener esperanzas de futuro?

La sociedad espera mucho de los refugiados. Espera que se integren a la perfección. Pero integrarse implica siempre dar y recibir. Es recíproco. Yo me pregunto: ¿Quién se va a responsabilizar de mi infancia robada?

"En tránsito: del cielo al infierno" son unas memorias sinceras basadas en los sucesos reales que tuvieron lugar entre 1976 y 2002. Los personajes que aparecen en este libro están basados en personas reales. Para proteger la privacidad de la autora han sido cambiados algunos de los nombres.

La historia es narrada por la autora en tiempo presente. Durante el vuelo de regreso a su país en el año 2002, Lily echa la vista atrás y recuerda cómo comenzó su doloroso viaje.





May 19, 2020

Reading with Lily Amis "Peanut & Lily" in English & German


This month I will share some of my children & YA books with you and your children. The videos I post are “one-shot videos” without any preparation and repeating. 

I hope you like and enjoy it. And if you do, you can follow my Youtube channel  for more "Readings with Lily Amis" and my upcoming brand new book trailers!


Reading with Lily Amis in English


Reading with Lily Amis in German

April 26, 2020

The Carousel, Trappend In A Circle! is out now!


My illustrated print book, "The Carousel, Trapped in a circle", is out now and available on Amazon! 

Book Description: 
The beautiful and antique city carousel in the heart of Florence in Italy is under a magical spell. Miles away in Barcelona, Spain, a little girl named Shirzad receives a little carousel from her grandparents on Christmas Eve 2019. Once she starts to play the music, she is thrown into an unknown world with her new friend, the white horse, Esperanza, and a Tuscan girl named Mitra. The future of an entire generation lies in the hands of two young girls and a horse. Will the three be able to break the spell?

This story shows us that it is okay to be different. We shouldn’t be afraid of leaving the circle of our daily lives and having new experiences. But we should always be aware that our actions have consequences. Selfish decisions affect others around us. So whatever wishes, goals and dreams we have, we should be prepared and ready to deal with the unforeseeable outcomes!



 

March 18, 2020

Coronavirus = Karma?



The previous weeks, especially the previous days have been crazy for all of us. The Coronavirus is ruling our daily life like nothing else before in history. For those of you who have never experienced war, the uncertainty and fear that you are experiencing now and today is the same help- and hopeless situation that the refugees are facing for many years in refugee camps. 

The only difference is that most of you still have a home. You still have a roof and a safe place to stay, while millions of refugees are surviving day by day in the refugee tents in several locations around the world, under the most horrible and inhuman circumstances without any hope for a better future.

Your worries and uncertainty today are food, alcohol, and toilet paper. The refugees are struggling with hunger and the most disgusting, unhygienic, and unsanitary conditions for years. So next time when you allow yourself to make a negative and incomprehensible comment about refugees in general, please remember how you felt about the Coronavirus these days and your uncertainty and fear about tomorrow and your future! 

For me the Coronavirus and its negative and challenging effects on our daily life is nothing but Karma! A reminder for everyone that life is not only about work, making money, and going to bars, Discos, Exhibitions, Museum, Galleries, Cinemas, Theater and Sport and music events. You are annoyed that you can’t travel anymore? You are sad that the European Football Championship 2020 is being postponed for a year? You are worried that you can’t continue your education at your school or University? Maybe NOW you understand the struggles of young refugees! Maybe NOW fortunate people will understand that you can’t and shouldn’t take everything and everyone for granted. Life is about taking care of each other and showing compassion and solidarity – even with refugees!


Those who are making a fortune will NOW finally wake up and understand that you can’t buy HEALTH AND SAFETY with money. Your fortune is worthless! I hope that once this extremely challenging time is finally over, there won’t be ONE single refugee camp on this planet. I pray that every single refugee, young and old will finally find a place in safety and a future in dignity. People wake up! The Coronavirus is your Karma! Stop being selfish! Start being human!