SeeingRred
In April of this year, I was with a friend of mine, Jackie Halstead, whom I’ve known since grade 8. We were celebrating her birthday with an intimate group of her friends, drinking wine, catching up, and redefining our selves on canvas. Perhaps it was the wine (Did I even have any??) or the exuberant liberation one feels on a rare, child-free-night-out-with-the-girls. Whatever it was, I happened to mention that I had been working on a blog for quite some time. My tongue was bit by hesitation and regret as soon as it came out. Still, I continued on to explain that, although I had secretly published the site, I hadn’t yet gathered the courage to publicize it; I was dissatisfied with its structure and was afraid the content was too personal.
When I described the premise behind the blog and how the idea had come to be, Jackie got really excited and began telling me that she was in the midst of organizing a big cultural event in Mississauga, a project she had been envisioning and pulling together for a couple of years. The event was based on Caribbean culture and was about the passing down of traditions. She exclaimed that my story fit perfectly with the event and that she would love for me to be part of it. In that moment of fear vs elation, I chose yet again to “Say Yes!”– baby steps and giant leaps 😊 And, this is how my participation in Island Flavour began. So, I want to thank Jackie for inviting me to join this group of dynamic people and to be part of such a lively, cultural event.
Only two weeks prior to the event, aware of scrutiny, an already substantial workload and impending deadlines, I decided that I was going to finally launch my blog www.SeeingRred.com on September 23rd, the very same day of Island Flavour! I contacted Vannon Chiang, the amazing web designer of DesignIgnite, with whom I had only a brief exchange. To my delight, he looked at the hyper-detailed sketched-out plans of my blog, and agreed to work alongside me to get it up and running in 14 days!
The thrill of doing something different, outside the four walls of my perpetual confinement, ignited the fire in me to keep on writing. I forged ahead full throttle. Each day I raced the moon to sunrise, weary and groggy-eyed, until an hour or two before my batch of boys woke for school, often falling asleep on my bed propped up in seated position, my laptop still in my hands. I worked passionately, recording the memories and stories of my sisters and brother, to compile our family’s treasured recipes in a cookbook (Recipes From My Mother) and to share on the blog. Despite the moments of “Whyyyyy??” and “What the heck was I thinking?!#@!!,” I welcomed the day with a beaming smile. With my magnificent family taking up the entire front row that day, I opened the Island Flavour ceremony with a speech to honour them (my mother and father; 7 siblings; 7 in-laws; 22 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild) and cookbooks in hand to give out to the crowd. It was a momentous and fun day, bringing together family, friends and community!
I hope you enjoy some of the highlights from Island Flavour❣️
