Rebello Lobo Christmas Update 2016- Here's to good health and happiness, to hopes and dreams, courage and resilience.

It’s that time of year again! Twinkling lights, Christmas cheer, Gratitude, Prayer, and Giving. It’s also that time of year I sit down to write our annual family update and I must be honest here; this year I dragged my feet, almost didn’t write it, but then realized (and was remindedJ)that this is one Christmas tradition I absolutely cannot give up on and so… here it goes.  (Warning: it’s long so go get yourself that cup of coffee and put your feet up.)

It’s been a whirlwind of a year! Lots of ups, lots of downs and quite some drama. Not surprising I guess, considering our track record, but nevertheless it has been an exhausting year.

The ups-some great holidays, catch ups with friends and family, a long amazing summer in India where we enjoyed setting up our new home, lots of little moments with the kids, where something they said or did made us laugh, made us smile, made us proud; made us hold them just a little bit tighter, our hearts exploding with happiness and love every time. And yes, we got to shake hands with the Pope!

The downs- a never ending series of weird, uncommon ailments that struck the kids this year, so much so that our pediatrician told us that if we bring the kids in because of a common cold or ear infection she would open a bottle of prosecco. Then, there was the nanny who turned from Jekyll to Hyde and who we had to put on a red eye out of Rome, one very dramatic night. And though this should probably come under the para above, we can’t forget how we narrowly missed the blast at Brussels airport. We can now look back and laugh about it all, but oh yes, there were some stressful moments.

On another note, it’s also been a very wistful sentimental year, as its Arhantika’s last year at home. Yes, our little girl is all grown up and will begin university next year. We have all been acutely aware that she is soon leaving home and are finding our own ways to let her know already how much we will miss her, finding our own ways to slowly let go. Its tough let me tell you. In the middle of an ordinary day, I suddenly think about it and a gut wrenching emotion rips through me, and I have to take several deep breaths to quell the emotions that threaten to overpower me. We are not ready, but no parent can ever be I guess. But… thankfully she is. And it is encouraging and heartening to see her confidence, her excitement as she eagerly counts down the days.

As for the other three kids, their year was pretty much routine. Ryeika turned 13 and seems to have embraced her teenage years with a maturity and calmness that is so typical of her personality. She takes everything in her stride, and is always cheerful, and happy. The highlight of her year was discovering that she can be sporty and has since enjoyed playing hockey, basketball and soccer.

Neeira turned 11 and made the transition to middle school with quiet confidence and a whole lot of enthusiasm. Her after school schedule is packed with soccer, hockey, percussion, drama and piano to name a few. She seems to be coping well with all this and her homework schedule, but it does mean that invariably she is the first one to hit the bed at night.

Liraya turned seven and is still Little Miss Pataka (firecracker). She exasperates and delights in equal measure and her voice overpowers all ours most often. But, it won’t last for long and so we savor the trail of noise and the chaos, giggles and masti she leaves through the house. She is developing her father's ear for music and is getting quite good at playing the piano.

And now for the breaking news. We are moving to Nigeria! It was quite a surprise to us too, as a move was not on the cards for another two years. But Nigeria is in crisis and WFP is responding to the government’s urgent call for help to assist some 5 million people in the northeast of Nigeria who are in urgent need of food assistance. Gerard is already there and we will follow at the end of the school year in June or July.

For the first time ever we will spend Christmas apart this year; Gerard in Nigeria and the rest of us with family in India. It’s not going to be easy, but as always we have to stay strong and convince ourselves that the sacrifice is worth it for the larger cause.

So those of you who haven’t visited us yet in Rome and have been planning to, you have 6 months to do so. And for those who really want an adventure we welcome you to Abuja, capital of Nigeria.

Well that’s about it. Our life in a nutshell.

We wish you all a wonderful Christmas. Thanks to each of you for your love and warmth over the years. With some of you our connection goes way back, while with many it’s still fresh. But, the length of friendship doesn’t matter. It’s the resonance that sealed the bond; opening us to new relationships, enlivening and transforming us.  

And Happy New Year too!  Let’s hope the world isn’t as messed up in 2017 as it was in 2016. Terrorists, dictators, natural calamities, oppression, racism…I could go on. But what was scariest of all was to witness the open, sharp, confident change in mindset of a whole section of society all around the world. They found pride in acrimony, pleasure in antagonism and had no shame in publicly admitting their fanaticism, bigotry, dogmatism and arrogance. It was horrifying and alarming, the polarization disconcerting. So what is the answer? What can we do, in 2017 to reverse things? There is no easy answer, but we have to try, each of us, in our own small ways and fervently hope that the forces of love and prayer come together to overcome the madness. To quote the legend Michael Jackson-

“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.”

Here’s to good health and happiness, to hopes and dreams, courage and resilience.  Let’s all leave a little sparkle wherever we go.

Keep in touch.

Sanchita, Gerard, Arhantika, Ryeika, Neeira and Liraya