It’s been QUITE a week.

I had actually been looking forward to my birthday for a while now and anticipating all the amazing things that usually happens this day each year.

I imagined that there would be a room full of balloons and surprises and incessant phone calls and loud alarm tones that my sms inbox is full. I knew the entire day like the years before would be surrounded by friends and the night would be prayers and a celebration with my family and relatives. And, so I anticipated...

Then, as fate and faith would have it..one of our friend, Aaron fell very ill and doctors could not diagnose what was wrong with him. It turned out to be two weeks of camping out at his bedside, uncertainty, prayers and clinging on to hope. We stood by his parents, giving courage to his brother and hanging on a prayer waiting for a miracle. I forgot about my birthday.

While we waited on that miracle and gave his parents hope, God had other plans. Aaron went home to the Lord on the dreary Monday morning of October the 10 as we stood by his bedside refusing to let him go. We stood helplessly and watched the screen record his dropping heartbeat. As the numbers decreased, we held him and prayed with all that we had and willed for him to come back. But it defiantly slid to a zero and stayed there even as we called out his name and called out to God.

His face and body lost its colour while we held him close to keep him warm. His body was frail from the machines and medicines and his will must have been exhausted. Aaron must have been very tired and so God commanded the angels to wrap his son in their wings and bring him home for He will have no more of this. The angels lifted him off the earth and our tears flooded the ground...

It’s been one week now. The sadness is almost paralyzing. We continue to be strong so that Aaron’s family can lean on us and move on. Life does go on because it must. Though we might get busy with life, we will never be too busy to remember Aaron who did not know how to frown and never stopped smiling. Aaron made it impossible for us to be mad at him and there was never reason to. We will always help his parents remember this son they loved and lost when they stumble across memories of him.

We have learnt more in this last one week that we had in the months journeying as the Single Adult and Youth (S.A.Y) group of St Joseph's.

We have learnt that life IS short. Whether we have 17 or 70 years, make it good.
We learn that sometimes we forget that the significance of life is not about being cool, it’s about being there.
We learn that everything is not always about us, it’s also about others.
We are reminded that our family is the closest and most important people we have.
We treasure good friends who celebrate the good times and support us through the bad.
We trust that you can go on long after you think you can't.
We now know when we are down to nothing, God is up to something.

Aaron's ordeal has blessed in the most significant ways. I hope he is looking down from heaven and knows how much this has changed the lives of so many people. We are closer now that we have ever been. We love and support each other more. It’s amazing that all the challenges we faced seem insignificant and our struggle is actually the most important part of this journey.

When October the 16 finally arrived, I was touched to see that my friends had got together to celebrate it anyway. And, we did get together at night just as I had imagined. My family had taken so much trouble to make it a wonderful day and lots of people I loved was there.

In hindsight, I believe that I had the most memorable birthday because I learnt some very important, life changing lessons. I swallowed a bitter pill to learn that pride should have no bearing on relationships and I was fortunate that Aaron's family allowed us into their home and hearts and we are better people for it.

God bless you, Aaron. You are the reason I further believe that my family will always be the most important people in my life. I stand tall because they lift me on their shoulders and I soar high because they lend me their wings. And thank you, my friends who are near and those of you in other countries for blessing me with your love. For always....

The Change that needs be must begin with me….
Shireen Fernandez


Friends from around the world...

Hi and hope that you are well. This is Shireen and I write to you from the beautiful city of Stirling, Scotland where I have been for the last ten days. I stand on a platform and on par with some of the most inspirational young people from around the world. It is refreshing and breathtaking to know what we have achieved together while we were here and the unlimited possibilities which are to be of us.

The loudest message throughout this Congress has been, 'Be the Change' and it’s inspiring that it resonates in the hearts of the delegates as they stand here with me in support and solidarity to do just that: BE THE CHANGE!

I would like to reiterate the need and this call to action by emphasizing on the heartbeat of this theme, that the change we seek must the kind of ripple that begins from within. It must start in us and within us. Simple acts of turning off lights when not in use, using water efficiently to empathize with people for whom water is a luxury and saving paper so that one less tree falls is what is demanded of us.

As a delegate of this Congress and as the first step to declare my commitment to creating that positive action that we can initiate by the power of just being young, I write to pass on to you the message of this Congress and the sentiments of compatriots from around the world.

Quote: Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great, that generation can be us. Unquote

We at the World Youth Congress are here because we WANT that generation to be us. We have worked best as we can while we are here. We are armed with our Action Toolkit either to empower our work as young people. We have Policy Papers to hold our Governments and leaders accountable to the pledges that they make. We have a passion within and a fire in our heart to call our community back home to action.

While all is well and good, I would also like to offer a thought: Children in Africa cannot be fed with Policy Papers. Youths in Nepal cannot end the conflict with Action ToolKits. Azerbaijan and Armenia will not be safer for our friends because we wrote a resolution. Street children in Thailand, Cambodia and India will not regain their lost childhood because we traveled to Scotland and stood at a podium in Parliment to speak.

I truly believe that for each of this oppressed generation that has shed one too many a tear, heard one too many gunshot, sacrificed their family, friends and youth, it is not the conflict, pain, torture and terror that they know too well which keeps them awake at night. Instead, what terrified them most is that help will not come, not even at the end when the fall to the ground from starvation or because their frail bodies are pelted with bullets. It is, my friends, the fear that help will arrive one day too late.

When they pray to God for help that will not come, let us remember that that is why God put us here. It is our call to action and ignorance is no excuse. For everything that is wrong, unjust, unkind, immoral and inhumane, we must hold ourselves accountable because we were in the face of change and the capacity to make a difference. There now lies before us two options: we can walk away or we can stay and face the music and either way, we must be able to sleep peacefully at night our choice night after night.

The call to action is now!

(Especially for Ricky, Sylvia, Enat, Sadaf, Dessie and Aiban)

In 2004, I wrote a poem. It wasn't fancy or complicated. It was merely overwhelming and true. I was in love. And, there is nothing wrong with being in love till you have to leave... and the reality ended up on paper.

Soaked in tears and a quiet happiness, I wrote it when the tears wouldn't stop and the pain was so real. Simple words of the happiness I felt and the pain that was almost physical wrote itself a poem, 'I love you'. I never thought anything of it then, till I decided to get it published. When I found out it would cost almost Malaysian Ringgit 10 0000 ( USD 3 800) to get the book in the market, my heart fell to my stomach.

So, 'Spring' the book which held my favourite and famous poem 'I love you' with a compilation of 29 other poems still sits on the shelf. I decided to publish it over the TIG site. It is probably one of the better decisions I ever made. Today as I surf the site, I found that it was rated as No 1 in the Top 10 recent poems. I am humbled and honoured by the appreciation.

Rather, I am overwhelmed by the appreciation that has been expressed even till this moment for this poem. I am unimaginably grateful to God for having blessed me with the gift of words and the arts.

I believe that every writer who ever crafted a piece and every poet who strung his/her feelings hope for a few things of their art. Not that they will win awards. Not that it will make them popular. Not even that it will make a bestseller.

Instead, we hope that our poem will reach out and touch as many people as possible. We wish that our poem will honestly and deeply express for another the depth of the words that inspired us to write it in the very first place. And that the poem will live forever in the hearts and minds of those who will read and remember it like famous works of the past.

Every word of thanks, encouragement and honour that I have received and continue to receive till now breathes life into this poem. And, I want to thank all of you who have read my pieces and written me thank you note of encouragement. Most of all, thank you for giving my poems life and meaning. You are the reason I continue to write and you are why the inspiration lives on.

I continue to aspire that my compilation of poems, 'Spring' and 'Breathe Butterfly, Soar to the Sky' will inspire its way off my shelf and on your bedstands where they belong... :)

All my love, Shireen Fernandez

hey there,
I've been fortunate to travel a little and during which I have been blessed to meet some amazing people. Some of who have adopted me and who I now know as family and others who have changed my life forever.

On Valentine's, today, papa ( Professor Samuel Gonzalez- my adopted dad from mexico) sent me a card today with this message.

As I read his message, I kept thinking of my friend who lost his dad when he was younger. What about those who will not get a message from their dads today? I felt he must miss him terribly and then it came to me

So, I wrote to him as I write to you to share this message from papa which means a lot to me and I hope it makes you happy.

We are all blessed in different ways, in my case, it is this outrageously wonderful family, in my case family(s),
who loves me so much...I don't know what I would do without all this love.

Happy Valentine's everyone, there is love all around you if you just open your eyes and see...

love, shieryene fernandez

Message from Papa
*******************

Love and be loved children:
The life of the human being is governed by its feelings,
and the highest of all these feeling is LOVE.
It is by this love that we are truly free,
and by the same love that we forgive and we are pardoned,
We give love to be able to receive it!


the sea is moderate by waves,
the sky by wings
we by tears

the air rests in the leaves
the water in the eyes
we in anything

in all
amidst the salts and sand
and the sun
who are we..


On this day remembering your love,
Papa

Hi,

This is Shireen from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Currently, I work with on the YES Campaign, which is a project of the EDC. I also work for the young people in Malaysia on the UN MDGs Campaign etc. I am in discussion with a group of young people about running the GYSD too.

Mostly, my work involves creating awaress on the importance of active participation of young people in Malaysia and mobilizing them into running projects on the ground.

The main challenge right now is the red-tape in Malaysia and the lack of funds. I am certain that we will get past these hurdles and secure funds given more time.

To deal with the current situation and after much thought, I decided that I want to publish my compilation of poems to raise money for our needs. These funds can then be utilized for the to run our projects, at least for the short-term.

I also find this thought very interesting because I never thought of myself as a business person or an entrepreneur. I have always been chanelled to help in other areas.

To make this a reality though, I am searching for a publisher and a graphics artist.

If you have any contacts, advice or suggestions on this, I would like to hear from you.

Thank you so much.

Shireen.