For me, the time to give thanks is every day. That’s because I am reminded, each and every day, of the person who made me the woman that I am: my grandma, whom I called “Bako.”
Bako raised me. She came to America from the former Yugoslavia in 1981, when I was born, to help my young parents as they were just starting their family. I was Bako’s first daughter’s first child. We had an instant bond. She taught me about my heritage; she taught me the Serbian language. She took me home to Montenegro, after I hadn’t been there for almost ten years, to reconnect me with my family. I’ve been back every year since, even through the country’s instability, NATO bombardment, and war-imposed sanctions. Bako’s home was my home. In fact, Bako was home to me. That will never change.
Bako was my pillar, too. She was my secret-keeper. She was the inspiration behind everything I ever did. She carved my life’s path for me without even knowing it. She was beautiful-even magical. She was my world.
Bako’s warmth, humility, strength, understanding and unconditional love built the foundation for my character and defined the traits that I now admire in others. For most, these characteristics probably sound pretty common-just your every day run-of-the-mill way to describe someone you care about. For me, though, they represent a package that’s hard to come by. They represent what’s at the core of the human heart. It’s this “core” that Bako shared most closely with me, and it’s the very reason why I am so very grateful to have had her as my grandma.
The pain of Bako’s loss in 2007 left behind an endless gap, not only in my life, but in all the lives she had touched in her short 72 years. When Bako passed, the magic ceased. I thought I would never move on.
I miss Bako every day. But even through the tears, I always stop to say thanks. I am blessed to have Bako in my life for the time that I did. As she used to say to me, “Ti si moje sunce,” – ” You are my sun.” Now, she is my sun, watching over me, guiding me, illuminating my path. She will be with me always, and I will forever be grateful for that.
Looking closer at the “Black Tie Project” between adidas and David Z’s Ronnie Fieg, we see the classic Superstar model receive a luxurious treatment of materials including pinstriping, embroidery and even leather wrapped midsoles. The tonal approach works quite well, making for a nice versatile sneaker without compromising the models original intent. Release date is set for Black Friday November 28th, 2008 at David Z, Shoe Gallery in Miami and Major DC.
Academy Award® nominee Will Smith reunites with the directors and producers of “The Pursuit of Happyness” for the emotional drama “Seven Pounds.” In the film, Smith plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent with a fateful secret who embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.
There’s too much to be grateful for, first giving thanks to the Supreme Being that made all things possible. 2008 has been a tremendous and triumphant year in my life, from acquiring a new home, launching this magnificent outlet called Limite, to watching the manifestation of the power of unity through the chosen Barack Obama. I’m grateful for the close circle of loyal friends and family whom I’ve cherished on my journey through this life. I’m ever more grateful for the role of Alex Bursac, Matt Kristall, Auston Bunsen and Maurizio Pennucci in helping bring forth this dynamic site. Continue reading “I’m thankful for…” »
Life. As simple as it sounds it goes so much deeper than you think. I think of life as, the often taken advantage of, abilities of humans. The ability to breathe, to smell, to see, to hear, to touch, to feel. I’m thankful for being able to enjoy simple things like watching a father pat his baby on the back while being rocked to sleep or being able to see an orange moon. I’m thankful for being able to hear music or food cooking. I’m thankful for being able to smell my grandfather’s old cologne when he walks in the room. I’m thankful for being able to feel sand in my toes and wind in my hair. I’m thankful for being able to feel the pain of love. People should be more grateful for these things because, unlike material things, once they’re gone you can’t get them back.
I remember Saturday mornings when I was ten. Without even opening my eyes I would lie in bed and hear my Momma in the kitchen banging around pots and pans. You could hear the sound of bacon sizzling and smell the pleasant aroma coming from the kitchen. It’s funny how I always knew exactly what Momma was cooking before I even reached the kitchen. Momma’s style of cooking was straight out of Emporia Virginia and I will say first hand, there is nothing like some “down home southern cookin”. My favorite happened to be cheese eggs, and biscuits with a side of bacon. Everything from banana pancakes to sage sausage, you name it and my Momma can cook it! Let’s not even talk about Thanksgiving Dinner. It’s no wonder why my Ex is trying to bang down the door and still eat with us this Thanksgiving. He and I use to joke about if we ever spilt, that he would still beat down the door to get some of my Momma’s Thanksgiving Dinner even if he had to sit in the cold and eat it. I guess he wasn’t joking because he already left two voice messages asking about Momma’s Thanksgiving dinner. I told Momma, “If you feed them, they won’t go away.”
It is said that we never appreciate things or people until they’re gone. I for one totally agree, but there is a point where we at some point in our lives appreciate something. As we go on in life we find ourselves taking a lot of things and people for granted. I am thankful for the ability to “realize.” Realization is a great ability our mind posses, though it might come after the fact or in the “nick of time” it never seems to amaze us. Personally I have realized that I am thankful for myself. Too often we never give ourselves credit and we under estimate the gifts and talents we posses. To some it may sound so egocentric that it would stop their desire to read on, but I see it as a motivational topic, rather than selfish. When I was given this topic to write about I thought it was the most cliché’ and mundane topic I would ever write. Then I thought to myself, what would my fellow writers write about? It was a question that could easily have an assumable answer, maybe they would write about their families, friends, their favorite piece of clothing, or something that was more concrete like a person or an object, or something a little more abstract like their ability to write, or breathe or see. Continue reading “I’m thankful for…” »
In the spirit of the holiday season that is ridiculously fast approaching, I want to take the time and express my gratitude for the year 2008. First and foremost, I had a wonderful kick off to the new year of ‘08 by welcoming my niece, Kayla Marie on Feb. 1st 2008 (exactly 2 weeks before my birthday). Kay Kay, as my family affectionately calls her, has been an amazing blessing in all of our lives. Watching her grow so quickly in the past nine months and experiencing such milestones the first time she giggled, when she started crawling, and her first steps (yes, she’s been walking for about a month and a half now!) has made me so grateful to have a chance to be a great aunt to her. She’s made this past year fun and awakened a maternal instinct that I thought I was devoid of. I want to say thanks to Kayla Marie for being born.
Recently, I was a seat filler in the Glamour Women of the Year Awards, which is an award show that Glamour magazine holds annually to honor women who have made an impact on the world. Among the honorees were entertainers like Nicole Kidman and Tyra Banks, political magnates like Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, and activists like Jane Goodall, Shirin Ebadi and Wangari Maathai. But among these women, a child honoree stood out at the forefront. Her name is Nujood Ali and she is the first child bride in Yemen to seek and get a divorce. At 9 years old, she was sent by her family to marry a man more than 3 times her age. After months of abuse, she took a cab by herself to the courtroom and sat there until someone noticed her; a judge who sent Nujood to Shada Nasser, a female human rights lawyer, noticed her. Shada represented Nujood free of charge in the divorce case and won. As Shada and Nujood stood in front of the auditorium full of people and accepted their award, I was struck with an overwhelming sense of appreciation for the life that I have. That I can go out and live the life that I see fit and without suppression simply because I am a female. I give thanks to the freedom, privilege, and education that I have and the possibility that my future can be bigger and brighter than my present is right now.
Like many, these harsh times have stung me pretty hard. I was laid off less than a week after my birthday and just before the holidays. It’s worthy cause for depression and self pity, but I’m thankful for the people who have rallied around me, offered words of support, and in some cases, offered job leads. I always hoped that I had a positive influence on my workplace, but it wasn’t until after I was let go that I realized just how appreciated I was. It’s times like these when you realize who your true friends are, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the people in my life who care enough to tell me how much I’m worth to them, and for those who push me to get to a better place.
Created by Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, New York’s very own Public School has just released some new items for their 2008 autumn/winter collection. Their new line continues to follow the dark, downtown New York theme by adding some new welcome additions to their brand. Most notable of them would be the eye-catching studded leather vest sweater and the Goodland Jacket. The black varsity style jacket comes with a heavy wool exterior and debatable leather sleeves, allowing you to also wear it as a vest.
