Jean Janki Samaroo | Portfolio & Digital Archive

Introduction: Looking back across decades and oceans, I realize how much of our shared history remained unspoken during my childhood in Guyana—and how deeply our paths to freedom were intertwined. Emancipation Day Growing up in Georgetown, Guyana, my primary school was a diverse space, mostly made up of Black classmates. We played together, yet beneath the surface lay a quiet undercurrent of racial division that we didn’t fully comprehend. As a child of East Indian indentured labourers, I was often called a “coolie” on the playground. ...

Although the International Day of Hope was observed on July 12, hope is not something we celebrate for only one day each year. It is something we carry with us every day of our lives. This year is only the second time this United Nations observance has been recognized. That alone says something important. In a world that often feels divided by conflict, uncertainty, loneliness, and loss, the international community has chosen to recognize hope as something worthy of our attention and our care. The United Nations describes hope as a force that can promote peace, well-being, mutual understanding, resilience, and sustainable development. When I think about hope, I don’t think of it as pretending everything is fine. Hope doesn’t ignore life’s difficulties. Rather, it gives us the courage to keep moving forward despite them. ...

Finding Maru Mori and Mono no Aware in Daily Life The realization that something is beautiful precisely because it is fleeting. We spend so much of our lives chasing milestones—waiting for the next vacation, the next achievement, the next grand celebration. But what about the vast, quiet spaces in between? Lately, I’ve been reflecting on a word coined by John Koenig in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: maru mori. He defines it as “the heartbreaking simplicity of ordinary things.” It is that sudden, bittersweet ache we feel when we realize that the most peaceful, mundane moments of our lives pass by without a second thought. They aren’t recorded in history books, and they don’t make it to the evening news. They simply exist, bloom, and fade. ...

Everything in life I experience becomes a gift Recently, I came across a poem by Tahlia Hunter that reminded me of something I have been learning more deeply with age. When we are young, we often spend years collecting things—possessions, achievements, titles, and all the symbols of what the world calls success. We imagine they will bring us happiness or security. Yet as I approach my 77th year, I find myself seeing life differently. ...

Kahlil Gibran: The Prophet Reflections on Immigration, Identity, and Our Shared Humanity I have loved Gibran’s writing for years, yet I knew very little about the man himself. Reading a recent Facebook post about Kahlil Gibran’s life stirred something deeply personal in me. Gibran has long been one of my favourite writers. Like many readers of The Prophet, I was drawn to the beauty and universality of his words. As I learned about his journey from Lebanon to America as a young immigrant, I found myself reflecting on my own journey. ...

How are you feeling these days? Are you hopeful about the future? In a world filled with wars and rumors of wars, where the news often feels weighty and uncertain, it’s easy to believe that hope is just a naive dream. You are not alone if you feel this way. I’ve had to cut back on watching the news daily. The truth is, many of us are experiencing a profound weariness, feeling that the very notion of ‘hope’ is a luxury we can no longer afford. ...

This post was published in the GGCN Magazine ~ January/2026. GGCN stands for Global Grandmothers Council Network. My gratitude to Kalina Bains, Grand Editor, for her editorial skill in putting together such a fine magazine, and especially making “What I’ve Learned About the Soul at 76” look so good. She’s also the Founder and Creative Director of Kalina Digital Median ~ “Digital Magic for Women Rebuilding their Lives.” You can reach her at hello@kalinamedia.ca. ...

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Are you ready for Christmas and the New Year? As Christmas day approaches on December 25th, we all seem to get more and more anxious about all the preparations. I’d say this is truer for the ladies I know than for the men. I know that I often get into a frenzy when there are just a few days left before Christmas! We ladies worry about the decorations, the food, the gifts, the parties, the clothes we’re going to wear, and more. There are the school concerts, the pageant at the church, the cookie exchange at work and the package to be mailed to overseas relatives. ...

“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering ‘it will be happier’ ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson A happier life for me started on January 2nd, 2023. A change of country, scenery, and environment brought with it new vistas and opportunities. It was something that I had dreamt and hoped to do for many years – wintering in a beautiful, warm place. I had always dreamed of living by the sea and hearing the waves lapping the shore day and night. While I was dreaming, I thought that if there were also mountains, that would be a bonus. Since I saw the Sound of Music and Heidi when I was a little girl, mountains have always beckoned to me. My new locale has the sea, boats, and the Sierra Madre Mountains. Talk about luck! ...