I did not have to think twice about where I needed to be in the next few days. Flight arrangements were made, it was a coincidence that we could fly the weekend of Easter; this made it all the better as we did not want to break the news of what the doctor had diagnosed and the recommendation was to make his remaining days as pleasant as possible.

The days before my visit, all I could do was remember with fondness the treasure he had given me: the wonderful memories.

Riding with him on his horse while he rustled the cows on the farm. On many occasions I enjoyed sitting atop his leg while he allowed me to shower him with kisses. I followed him everywhere I could and made myself busy so as not to be ’shooed’ away. Feeding the chickens and the pigs. Carrying the little pail of milk to help out with the cows (of course, dipping my finger in the molasses barrel any chance I could). On Sunday mornings we’d go to church and he would smell of Old Spice and look sharp with his dress hat. On the way home we’d make our social visits and stop by relatives… he’d always brag about his favorite grand daughter (at the time… I was the only one and so totally enjoyed being the star of his show). The sweetest gestures I so enjoyed, he always had a treat for me when he came home from his adventures.

>>> Papaito, I love you. Thank you so very much. (It’s wonderful to choose the memory to cherish)

While cherishing the past is wonderful, it is also important to remember to live in the present to create the future. Mom is so amazing and gifted at living in the now… and saw to it that we create a few memories to take with us. We visited two beautiful local rivers.

Rio Fula had a wonderful swimming spot; at the base of the river they had a restaurant and they brought you food to whatever spot you chose to set up camp. Bachata and laughter permeated the zone.

RIO FULA:

The next day we hiked through the beautiful canape of cocoa trees of Rio Jima, this was a magical place with the sounds of running river, songbirds and crickets all about (a contrast from the music of bachata); it is said that there are 12 waterfalls as one ascends up the mountain, we only made it to the first waterfall and it was breathtaking.

RIO JIMA:

My parents are from the province of Bonao in the Dominican Republic (one of the 3 Spanish Caribbean islands)
Bonao borders to the north with the province of La Vega, east of the province Sanchez Ramirez, on the south by the Municipality Piedra Blanca and west by the town of Constanza.

About Bonao:
* It is the capital of the province Monseñor Nouel and has vast natural and mining resources. Bonao is also known as the “Villa of Hydrangeas”, Hydrangea is the flower of this town.
* Its name comes from the Cacique Bonao, named after the chief who ruled this city at the arrival of the Spaniards whom had the highest rank in the area.
* It is a town with a large eco-tourism potential that is associated with its people, characterized by being very hospitable, Bonao is one of the areas of the Dominican Republic that has plenty of rivers including Yuna, Blanco, Masipedro, Jima, Los Quemados, Fula and Maimon.
* Bonao known for good weather, good soil for planting, accessible mountains, rivers and clear streams and constant rainfall.
* The ninth largest reservoir of ferronickel in the world is located in Bonao, exploited by the multinational Falconbridge Dominicana since 1970.

Climate: It has a tropical rain forest climate and average temperatures range between 18 ° C and 26 ° C throughout the year.

How to get there?
By Air: The nearest airport is the Cibao International Airport (STI) located in the province of Santiago.
Other nearby airport is the Las Americas International Airport (SDQ) in Santo Domingo.

By car: Direct access by the Duarte highway an hour from Santo Domingo towards the North.

Daisy Says: (as quoted by grandpa) Life is but an exhale.

It seems like yesterday yet on paper it has been over 8 years since we bought a little piece of land about an acre and a half in the island. My grandfather was selling it… times were tough and I’ve always wanted to preserve a piece of my heritage and memories of my rich childhood growing up in the island.

With determination and great sacrifice we were able to purchase the land and make that dream a reality.
The land sat quietly overlooking the mountain with each passing season the rains came and went; nearly a decade came and went and finally the opportunity of creation came around again. What to do with the land.

Mom and dad finally retired back to the island and it was on one of my visits that it occurred to me of how wonderful it would be to have a pavilion; a place to spend the day, have a barbecue, play music, feel the breeze come down from the mountain and sit by the watering hole.

The greatest joy has been watching my mom and dad play and run around town pricing materials and meeting with people, it has helped them in gradually getting to know their community and the day to day swing of the island. For me, it brings me such joy to see them living life without the stress.

Dreams are to be pursued with patience and conviction..

As my parents now cross over the 60’s threshold I too cross another stage of life with them. Choosing to understand them. It is a decision based on love, gratitude and compassion. All relationships must be nourished and that nourishment comes with investing time. Time.

I spent the next three days listening, talking, laughing and sharing with my parents. We made plans to start construction of the outdoor room. This project is truly a gift of Love from me to them; it’s giving them a reason to travel around town and meet with people. I even taught belly dance to my moms friends, it was delightful and fun: Habibi!

Daisy Says: Love starts at home.

What drives a happily married man to fantasize about a pretty, young woman? What moves a woman to open over 400 shelters for the the “poorest of the poor”? What drives people to cheer for their team to victory? What creates the urge to step on the gas pedal and cross through the changing yellow light? What urges you to “get one more thing done” when you have a whole tomorrow left?

Human Instincts – sexual drive, survival, competition, aggression and our search for knowledge.

Visiting my mom and dad in the Dominican Republic always brings a lot of reflection as I watch my Caribbean culture and juxtapose it with my American culture.

We went on one of our excursions — my mom had heard of an oasis that was developed in one of the neighboring farms in an adjoining city. Why the term oasis? Well, picture the most beautiful island scenery, luscious green mountains, tropical trees of every variety, flowing river streams, lazy dirt roads, island people walking about making work all look like pleasure always greeting you with a smile, blue heaven above and radiant sun warming the coldest of hearts… that alone would be the oasis, yet… there is more.

Any one could become intoxicated with the abundance of nature. Driving through this natural beauty …when out of nowhere we come upon a clearing with the sound of island music, kids jumping around a man made pool, people dancing under a canopy dance floor and food being served out of a fully operational restaurant.

So, with the above picture in mind, I am walking with my mom and dad as we enter this oasis within the mountains, music blaring, people dancing and a pretty lady comes up to my mom and greets her. My dad reaches over and hugs the pretty lady and then looks at me and says… ‘meet my sister’. I pause for a minute and look at my dad then look at the pretty lady and share a hug with her along with some pleasantries, and then go off to enjoy the oasis discovery. Later on that evening I talked with my dad about my ‘new aunt’ and wanted to know the story. As the story is told, I could not help to think of how we all do what we do and most of it is all due to human instinct.

In the small island of Hispaniola, back in the days of my granfathers (both of them) it was not uncommon for men of means to bear children with other women outside of their marriage. (not much different than what goes on today even in America) These woman were not observed in the same light as the ‘wife’ but they were kept none the less. It must have been a status symbol for a man.

Sometimes it is awkward for me to share these things with my son, but it was a way of life. I recall my moms mother always a lady when it came to discussing matters of her husbands business. But my dad’s mom (who is still alive and creating mischief of her own even though she is blind) has no shame in telling tales of my grandpa’s quest to populate the island! (and for the record he is alive and kicking almost 90 — living with the last mistress who bore him the youngest of my uncle who is now 10).

To understand more about why we do what we do we need to observe human instinct. When we have a basic understanding of these things that drive us–then, we can move with clearer purpose towards the future.

With the understanding of human instincts we can also forgive our own shortcomings and those of others.

Daisy Says: Follow your instinct, it will guide you true.

My mom and dad finally are enjoying their ‘jubilee’ years. I was really tickled to see how they can trully enjoy the most simplest things and pack their agenda with trivial activity. The morning coffee is such a ritual, then there’s the adventure of going out to get fresh produce at the Farmer’s Market, followed by lunch and ’siesta’, then there is the afternoon walk and coffee, along with another trip into town for freshly baked bread. Simple things become a wonder such as sitting out in the porch and gazing on the ceiling of stars.

What I enjoyed the most was being with my parents and watching my son sneak peeks at the little girl in me when my parents fussed over me, I believe that it is important for children to see that we too are the sunshine to our parents. My son enjoyed the stories that my parents shared of me growing up and their experiences in life.

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Daisy Says: Go back to basics.