We were moved by spirit and wisdom.

There are times in your life where you’ll feel forever grateful that you were in the right place at the right time. Tuesday’s event was one of those times.

Those of us who had the fortune of listening to Bonnie Fatio will most likely remember her radiating charisma, words of wisdom and powerful presence. Everyone exclaimed how touched and impacted they were by her. Not only is Bonnie Fatio an incredible story teller who has had fascinating life experiences, she is an inspiring visionary who is so self-motivating – she is the essence of ‘young at heart’ (… and in body, mind, spirit too!).

Bonnie has a dream to be the catalyst for the creation of a world where ‘age’ is not an issue and people can truly appreciate others for ‘who they are’ and not which category they fit into.

To achieve this in today’s society, we face the ‘i’ challenges – not those related to ipads, iphones or other i-tech, but the three unspoken ‘i’s of ‘aging’. Where, if you have an ‘elderly’ appearance you may be treated as though you were invisible / incompetent / insignificant – subconscious attitudes embedded within a society addicted to the image of youth.

So how do we turn this around? We get back in the driving seat and take charge because, as we learned from Bonnie, there is so much more available to us in life.

By becoming aware of how we think, feel and speak; uncovering our attitudes and expectations, can help us identify small positive changes to enhance the quality of our relationships with ourselves and others.

Bonnie encourages us to have a dream and passionately commit to it using these helpful steps along the way;

• Believe in yourself
• Contribute
• Realize “Its never too late..”

Our ETC values are very much aligned with those of AgeEsteem & we hope you get another chance to connect with Bonnie. So, if you find yourself anxious about the next phase of your life’s journey, consider calling Bonnie for an alternative and positive path that can turn your life around.

Sign up for Bonnie Fatio’s newsletter or workshops at www.AgeEsteem.com

Thank you dearest Bonnie for being you, for sharing your energy, wisdom and spirit with us.

Warmly, Anine & Cheryl

Expat Talents Connect is a face-to-face creative exchange network inspiring YOU to CONNECT & share your TALENTS and live your passions.

Happy Mother’s Day 2013

What is your favorite memory of your mother?

In several countries of the world, today is dedicated as Mother’s Day.  It is a day to honor our mothers and to recognize all that they have done and continue to do for us.

I would like to give a special thought to the single mother who is juggling motherhood with working to earn an adequate income, often entailing more than one job, to clothe and feed her children.

I would also like to recognize the Grandmothers around the world who are raising their grandchildren.

Let us celebrate all who are acting in the role of Mother, whether temporarily or permanently.

Bonnie Fatio

Beware of Ticks

April and May are the months when ticks make their appearance.  They are very dangerous and do not show any particular respect for age.  Tick bites can even cause death as well as diseases like Lyme Disease.  Certain areas are more prone to them than others.

You cannot feel them when they are on the skin, and once they bite, it is too late.  Be very careful when hiking or walking in woods and forests.  Cover up as much of the body as possible by wearing long pants and long sleeves.

The diseases can be treated with antibiotics.  However, prevention is always best.

Grandma Nature

Albert Gallatin – Historical Age-Esteemer

I love to discover historical expositions that feature age-esteemers.  Albert Gallatin is one of these historical age-esteemers.

Few people know Albert Gallatin.  Certainly I don’t remember learning about him in history classes while growing up.  Yet this Swiss American was Secretary of the Treasure under both Presidents Jefferson and Madison, helped found New York University, was instrumental in the Louisiana Purchase, and was responsible for many improvements in the infrastructure such as roads within the United States.

Albert Gallatin left his home in Geneva, Switzerland at the age of 19.  From that time on he was active in the development of the “new world”.  He seemed to never stop.

At the age of 69 he was asked to run as Vice President of the United States on the Republican ticket with William Crawford.  The letter that Albert Gallatin wrote to say that he would not run for this office was on display at the Exposition Gallatin in Geneva, Switzerland, as was a letter written to Albert Gallatin in 1806 by Thomas Jefferson.

Looking at these amazing artifacts, I remember wondering what virtual artifacts will be saved in cyber space from our lives today.

Bonnie Fatio

Bonnie spoke at the United Nations Pre-Retirement Seminar on Embracing Retirement With Age Esteem on April 16th.

• As a retiree today you represent a new breed of retiree, very different from your predecessor.
• How you feel about yourself at the age you are today, every day, will influence how well you age and how well you live.
• Age Esteem is the decisive factor.

It is never, ever too late to dream! – and to realize your dreams!

Join us at the Dare To Dream!  Conference 2013

Love Your Life! Spiritual Awakening

in Bournemouth, UK

May 18 & 19, 2013

 Whatever your age and your present circumstances,  learn how to truly 

 Love Your Life!  

This could be the most transformational week-end of your life! 

Bonnie Fatio,  Kenn Gordon, Michael Gott, Dennis Merrit Jones and Mary Manin Morrissey  are bringing their expertise from around the globe just for you!

http://www.daretodream-uk.com

Emmanuelle Riva, 86

In the United States the world of cinema is honored by the Oscars.  In France they are honored with the Césars.

This year Emmanuelle Riva received the César of best actress at age 86 proving that there is no limit of age when it comes to shining through your talents.  She starred in the French film Amour written and directed by Michael Haneke.  Amour was also awarded an Oscar as the best foreign language film.

Bravo Emmanuelle Riva for shining with age-esteem on the big screen as a model for each of us!

World Refugee Day – A Day Of Thanks

World Refugee Day is a day to recognize the refugees of the world and to draw attention to their plight.  Today there are more than 10 million refugees, whole families and communities who have had to flee their countries in order to survive.  Many are older persons and children.

This is also a day to give thanks and express our appreciation

• to the multiple agencies working to provide food and shelter, often with great risk to their own well being;
• to those of us who are not refugees, to recognize the privilege that we have to be able to live at home and to have access to food, water, lodging, healthcare and education in safe environments; and
• to the multitude of refugees who have helped to shape our world by sharing their expertise, experience and talents in their new countries.  They represent a great gift to their new homelands.

So while we reach out to help refugees, let’s also remember the contributions they have made and will continue to make as they settle in new lands.

Bonnie Fatio

As a child growing up in Parchment, Michigan, I remember our community adopting a refugee family from Latvia.  We were fascinated to think that they had to learn our language and way of living and we were eager to understand their stories and customs.  After we left Parchment, my path never seemed to join that of refugees again nor did the word come into conversations until I came to Geneva, Switzerland.

When Mrs. Sadako Ogata became the High Commissioner (1991-2000) of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), I was privileged to serve on a council of local leaders who she invited to become involved with the UNHCR in order to promote a realistic understanding  of both the plight and contributions of refugees within the Swiss and international communities.    Mrs. Ogata personally moved us to understand the multiple issues at play.   When you are forced out of your home with only the clothes on your back and join the hundreds of thousands seeking refuge in the UNHCR camps, you are grateful that such an organization exists with the extensive logistics behind it.  And yet, your deepest hope is to return to your own home.

The most moving picture that I can share to represent the plight of the refugee is an event planned for the 50th anniversary of the UNHCR in Geneva.  Thousands of floating candles were placed in the Rhone River that flows out of Lake Geneva.  It wasn’t possible to represent the 40 million refugees in the world, but the image was moving.  As the candles floated, some would capsize and disappear, others would break off in little clusters and then split up once again, while yet others would find themselves alone with their light flickering.  It is a picture that stays with me as I think of what trials refugees experience and the courage they prove.

As we look at the meaning of Age Esteem, I believe that refugees offer us an important lesson.  No matter where we go, what trials we meet, the obstacles in our path or the need to leave the past behind and move on we will have to count on our own inner resources to meet each new day with hope and the understanding that what is most important is within us.  Refugees such as Einstein and Madelaine Albright who have had only their know-how and will power as baggage teach us a powerful lesson.  We too can contribute our skills and knowledge to make this a better world with however little we may have.

Geneva is home to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) established in 1951 to give legal, social, economic, and political aid to refugees. The UNHCR is the successor of the International Refugee Organization whose first efforts focused on Europeans displaced by World War II.  It has since assisted refugees in multiple countries globally. It is financed by voluntary government contributions. The office won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1954 and 1981.

A friend forwarded this beautiful, moving letter about life in Japan following the devastating natural disasters.  I have since discovered that it was written by Anne Thomas and published in ODE.  It is dated 14 March 2011

“Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very  blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is  even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend’s home. We share  supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one  room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.

During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes.  People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line  up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water  running in their home, they put out a sign so people can come to fill up their  jugs and buckets. It’s utterly amazingly that where I am there has been no looting, no  pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, “Oh, this is how it used to  be in the old days when everyone helped one another.” Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes.  Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.

We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is  for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on.  But all of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not. No  one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition,  of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the  entire group.

There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in  some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the  sun. People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out  walking their dogs. All happening at the same time.

Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night.  No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered  with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled.  The mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see  them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.

And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my  shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity  is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea  from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking  to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they  need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic,  no.

They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes,  for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls,  shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a  bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is  better off than others. Last night my friend’s husband came in from the  country, bringing food and water. Blessed again.

Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is  indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the  world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events  happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me  if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don’t. Rather, I  feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave  of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent.

Thank you again for your care and Love of me.”

Many of you have contributed towards helping the people of Japan following the earthquakes and tsunami.  I thought this would be meaningful to you as a reflection on life and age esteem.

Bonnie Fatio