Thursday, May 9, 2024

6 Years Anniversary of ALICE & FRIENDS CIRCLE™

 Romanian literary evening featuring 6th year anniversary of ALICE & Friends Circle™
as well Importance of Continuity, Spring & Mother’s Day
With much joy and gratitude I’m sharing with you all that on Thursday (May 9, 2024) we celebrated the sixth anniversary of ALICE & Friends Circle™, together with a group of loyal friends, who were able and willing to join us despite their busy agendas. It was super nice to meet in person!

This time, at our gathering we were pleased to have with us a special guest – Hon. Gabriel Rotaru, who is the General Consul of Romania in Vancouver and the Head of the Romanian Diplomatic Mission here, as well as Minister Plenipotentiary of Romania in Canada.
After the introductory remarks were delivered, Consul Gabriel Rotaru expressed his appreciation for the activity of our Literary & Socio-Cultural Circle, assuring an ongoing encouragement for the initiatives aimed to keep the Romanian language and the Romanian cultural-artistic heritage alive, reiterating the permanent support of the diplomatic mission for any project generated on the west coast of Canada for the benefit of Romanian-Canadian citizens. Indeed, very beautiful!

Further, our program continued with a number of personal impressions shared by participants, emphasizing the significance and the relevance of our Circle for each of them. All the thoughts my friends shared openly that evening really brought so much joy to my heart, realizing once again how blessed we are to be able to have genuine heart to heart conversations in a world where many people are focusing mostly on ‘having’ rather than ‘being’.

Additionally, our discussions referred to the significance of continuity, which is an important life concept.
As I always do, for your convenience, below I’m sharing only few highlights as well as few supplementary points, while maintaining the confidentiality of the personal aspects discussed:
Few thoughts about the significance of CONTINUITY:
(definition: continuity is the consistent existence of something over a period of time, a state of stability and the absence of disruption/s)
- According to many scientific studies, it is important to know how to address changes of different situations in life, while continuing to maintain your identity
- It helps to clearly identify what could or should remain constant, even when some circumstances might change
- Objectively recognizing that a particular situation, for instance, might change but your more profound sense of self can stay steady while you adapt
- Analyzing and understanding how your past events have shaped your present self, can help you see a sense of continuity in your life
- It is essential for your wellbeing to keep engaging in hobbies or routines that reflect your values (even in new environments), while continuing to maintain a healthy and accurate sense of personal identity
- “Continuity in psychology highlights how our sense of self remains consistent over time, even as we face life changes. We can maintain a strong identity by recognizing our external behaviors and internal psychological experiences. Coping strategies such as focusing on core values, embracing flexibility, and reflecting on past experiences help us manage challenges while staying true to ourselves.”
Furthermore, here is the link of a briefing I wrote some time ago about the concept of continuity. Pleasant reading!

Subsequently, our conversations were followed by a traditional Romanian song (called 'La multi ani!'), time when we raised our glasses with (non-alcoholic) champagne, toasting for togetherness, happiness, good health, prosperity and peaceful longevity!

Further, we all were heading for light refreshments, which allowed for more pleasant conversations around the table, refreshing that food always tastes much better when you share it with like-minded friends. 
Also, an old Romanian tradition was not forgotten, and at this gathering we brought red eggs (since the Easter recently happened) and we had the chance to practice the old custom of “egg tapping(aka: egg knocking, egg fights, etc.) ….it was truly enjoyable!

On the other hand, I would like to mention that soon, on this part of the world, people will celebrate Mother’s Day, fact which allowed us to comment on the occasion ahead of time, while honoring each of our mothers. Those friends whose mothers are still alive, are truly blessed! For others, whose mothers departed, we would always honor them to the best that we each can.

As you can easily imagine, time was flying by truly fast, but the new memories we’ve got the chance to produce will stay with us forever.
Concluding, before I wrap my briefing, I would like to express again my most sincere gratitude for all the love, appreciation, loyalty and support I received from my friends over the last six years!
Until our paths will meet again, my warmest regards to my dear friends for a wonderful rest of the spring!
Sincerely,
Alice
CONTINUITY provides meaning and coherence to our lives.
Mesaj personal din partea lui Alice, adresat la ceas aniversar
Dragii mei,
Doresc să vă mulțumesc şi pe această cale pentru că ați fost alături de mine într-un moment important, când împreună am putut să ne bucurăm de-a şase-a aniversare a Cercului nostru literar şi social-cultural, fapt ce ne-a adus la toți foarte multă satisfacție!
De-a lungul acestui drum special, mi-a făcut o deosebită plăcere să ne însoțim într-o camaraderie deosebită, ce cu siguranță că are la bază dorința de bine, de frumos, de trăinicie, asezonată din plin cu disciplină şi consecvență.
Noi cu toții am văzut şi ştim că de multe ori viața se compune dintr-o multitudine de lucruri mai mari sau mai mici, mai importante sau mai puțin importante, dar la un moment dat toate erup în ceva special, ce lasă o amprentă unică peste timp!
Să alegem să continuam în a crede, în a clădi, în a spera, în a dăinui...aşadar călătoria noastra continuă – cu multă grație, demnitate şi integritate.....
“Curajul de a continua este ceea ce contează! (Winston Churchill)
Cu (o continuă) prețuire,  
Alice 
“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” AliceFriendsCircle.blogspot.com
This event has been delivered in Romanian Language, featuring Romanian culture.
Previous anniversaries of Alice & Friends Circle: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
NOTEDear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed)