I love the month of March besides being spring. There’s so much to celebrate in my life during this month –I feel so alive! My late father’s birthday is March 17th, a good excuse to celebrate St Patrick's Day, my mother in law’s March 15th. I got married  March 16th, and my first business in the US, a tailoring shop was opened in March of 1983 and so much more I prefer not to share with you. But one thing I’d like to share was my personal journey during Spring.

I was about to turn 21 years old. A friend and I were sponsored to join a four-day religious retreat to be held in a nunnery or convent along with 10 other young women. (We had no idea and were not informed prior to the event). Away from the city, the site was up on a hill. As we entered the convent, we were required to check in all our material belongings except the clothing for sleeping, like a nightgown. Days and nights were dedicated to prayers, novenas and some very, very long silences in the Chapel. The only sound we heard were the grumbling sounds of our empty stomachs. Whenever the food was provided, we were fed very lightly. There was no clock in sight, nor did we see anything outside of the convent to remind us of the time. No one dared to ask. The instruction was clear. NO TALKING even to your ‘cot’ mate. By the third night, food and drink did not matter to me anymore, I felt so light my feet did not seem to touch the ground anymore. The following morning, at dawn, we were awaken by one of the nuns. She instructed us to look out the window and down the hill. And, I saw … tears started pouring down my face, a magnificent sight I will never, ever forget as long as I live. The memory is so precious and too dear to share just yet. That morning was the mark of Spring .

 May you all remember…Sunshine and Rainbows in your life!