MY BEAUTIFUL BAHRAIN

By DaVonda St.Clair

My Beautiful Bahrain…

Has encouraged my spiritual wisdom and prayer life.

Hearing the call to prayer physically reminds me to always take time out of my day to thank my Heavenly Father…

For myself…for life… for family… for grace… for wisdom…for peace…

Even if I forget my waking prayer or the workday becomes too busy the Adhan (call to prayer) causes me to stop and pray.

Taking time to open my heart, my mouth and my mind for praise, worship, confession, guidance, thankfulness, existence, love…

Not waiting until something drastic, dramatic or devastating to happen in order to call or talk to the Lord.

My Beautiful Bahrain…

Has helped my strength/peace of mind and mental flexibility.

With revelations of increased tolerance, patience, acceptance, self love, self worth, personal development, counselled progression of others and TRUTH.

Elevating my inner strength and inner power.

Conveying internal happiness and bliss to all.

Always comfortably adjusting, switching and blending into changing environments.

Constantly building thinking power by expanding my openness to new and different ideas on a global perspective.

Living… instead of ONLY existing.

My Beautiful Bahrain…

Has radiated a (self) consciousness …an enlightenment … an awakening like no other… a self actualization.

What more can I accomplish, what additional contributions will I be able to make…toward the immediate community…the global community?

Being more circumstantially aware of what’s around me, who’s around me (physically / spiritually), what non-verbal/verbal impressions I give, what energies are accepted within my realm… 

Not living by emotions, instead, living by intuition, advertence and philosophy.

Living up to my full potential, with a restored focus, increased ambition not giving myself boundaries…..being limitless.

My Beautiful Bahrain… 

A country known for its oil and pearls.

Increased my cultural knowledge / awareness / sensitivity…for my own America, the Gulf States, Africa, for all countries around the world, to a more profound level.

Where there is a cultivation of the soul and mind.

Being more in tuned with cultural values, beliefs and perceptions.

To distinguish, interpret and evaluate cultures and traditions in different ways.

Mindful that there are multiple ways to reach the same goals and to live life.

My Beautiful Bahrain…

Nurtured the development of my womanhood.

Encouraging a fire for determination on knowing what I want.

Upholding my values for who I am.

Fostering the strength of sisterhood from all my beautiful sisters of every age, race, ethnicity and religion.

Knowing the power I (we as women) possess having my sisters rallying around one another with united support.

My Beautiful Bahrain…

Has embraced my imperfections while illuminating a vibrant personality.

Manifesting goodness, purity, and selflessness.

honouring myself and all accomplishments.

Reminding me to spoil and pamper myself.

Celebrating life with style, class and opulence.

My Beautiful Bahrain…

Is for love found, love damaged, love lost, love hoped for, love renewed, love soon to come and love meant to be.

In favour of what love has given me.

For all that love has taught me.

Continued wisdom for what love has revealed to me.

All love will bring to me.

Strength for what love has in store for me.

Everything I’ve given for love.

What I will entirely continue to give for love.

My Beautiful Bahrain… 

A place that I miss when I’m away for too long.

LAST RANDOM THOUGHTS

Moments in time… Thoughts in action… Sounds turned into visions… Visions turn in to art… Art turns into a beautiful Bahrain.

Waking thoughts of a peach sky as morning twilight approaches.

Birds playfully chirping outside my window.

The weather of the Middle East is different than any other as it is currently changing seasons.

Several months of summer, weeks of fall, a month or two of winter then beautiful awakening of spring.

Monotony can have you miss the beauty of this kingdom.

Morning walks to work, ceasing moments of splendour.

Hearing mysterious squawks from a bird unknown.

Crowing from neighbourhood cockerels. 

Parakeets flying above the corner villa…. Parakeets?

A yellow crowned cockatiel lands in my path, so I take a picture, who would believe that they fly freely and that I see them daily.

The aroma of gardenias, adeniums (desert roses), perennials and flowers blooming from a tree over-growing from someone’s property onto the street.

Glimpses of magnificent landscapes when a set of towering metal driveway doors part.

Side-walks stained of dates not yet picked.

Waving with a smile at the security guards patrolling the perimeter of a high white wall.

Occasionally accompanied by a stray dog or two, longing for playful interactions.

A gentle breeze… refreshing.

Proud Nation flags wave gloriously atop Embassy buildings. 

Detailed ornamentation of minarets and mosaic domes.

If driving, all this will be missed but so much more will be discovered.

Traffic… ugh!

How long is this light? (Hear car horns blowing).

Yellow light… why are most people in a rush?

Who taught YOU how to drive? 

Construction, accidents, diminutive inconveniences when on the road.

Roundabouts, one-way streets, people driving down one-lane alleyways.

Shopping cravings cured by A’Ali, Seef and City Centre malls.

Souqs filled with shimmers of gold and the glistening of silver.

Calls of “My friend, my friend, here I have a good deal for you!”

Tailors, seamstresses, fabric stores.

Fruits, vegetables, roasted nuts.

Smells of curry, a few puddles of soot.

Cafés, lounges, coffee shops.

Swarmas, lambchops, cheese naan, chicken tikka, freshly made juices.

Friday brunches, mmm… Friday brunches.

Hookah, shisha, hubbly bubbly.

Camel farms, camel races.

F1… speed! 

Horseback riding, equestrian clubs.

Al Alreen Wildlife Park, Rally town, WahOOO, Adhari Park, Lost Paradise, Beit Al Quran, Barbar Temple, Al Khamis Mosque, ancient burial mounds, Al Jasra House, Arad Fort, King Fahd Causeway, Al Faith Fort, First Oil Well, Dilum, the Tree of Life.

The remarkable architecture of the World Trade building, Financial Harbor, Almoayyed Tower (Dark Tower), Sommerset, Novotel, Sofitel, KFC, McDonalds.

Toothbrush / toothpaste, gum, water, ice, juice, dry cleaning, all delivery quickly to your door.

Amwaj, Saar, Seef, Hidd, Riffa, Al Areen, Juffair, Isa/Hamad Town, Manama, Sitra, Adliya, Durrant, Hawar Island.

Without the Pearl roundabout nothing will be the same.

All these words, sentences, phrases make up My Beautiful Bahrain.