Life is Unpredictable – Live it to the Fullest

Life is unpredictable. You never know what happens from one minute to the next. Even seconds. It is so important to cherish and appreciate loved ones and others around us while they are still alive and not after they pass away. Say I love you all the time, hugging and letting someone know that they are appreciated and loved is so important. Actions speak louder than words. It is easy to say a few words, but to act on it, is a different story. When you show that you love and appreciate others, it will feel incredibly awesome.

When someone passes away, they are talked about a lot more than alive people. When someone’s passes away, people tend to regret and to say, I wish I had spent more time with them, I wish I had cherished them a lot more, I wish I had made an effort to make more time with the person and spend quality time with them. Giving someone our time is something that shows how much you care, love and appreciate a person. Yes, sometimes we may spend our time with the wrong people and later realize that we wasted our time, but all in all, no matter what, we should always be grateful for all the moments in our lives.

Mind you, there are babies, children and those who were never born to get a chance at living life.

So, be grateful and do good things, be around good people, spread positivity, appreciate, love others, understand the walks of life people take, be happy, be healthy, be yourself, enjoy life to the fullest, smile, embrace the little things in life, be sentimental, cherish your memories. We only get one life to live. make it right for you, but at the same time, don’t forget about appreciating, loving and understanding others too. We are in it as a team and should treat people like family.

My Vision in Being involved in the Armenian Community

As being an Armenian and being part of the Armenian community, I take it very seriously. No matter what part of being involved in the Armenian community , it is all very important. I attend the Armenian Community Centre of Toronto and I attend church at St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church of Toronto in Canada as much as I am able to. I also take part in the St. Mary’s Armenian church Bible Study sessions. I attend many Armenian Genocide events around April 24th and right on the day by participating in going to Ottawa. It was my 20th year in a row attending in 2017.

My vision in being Armenian in the diaspora outside of Armenia in North America in Canada is not just by being involved, but also spreading awareness on social media and other online sites and telling people by word of mouth about Armenia, our people, and everything that I possibly can to Non-Armenian individuals. Before, people never really knew about us, but now with all these prominent figures and being on the news and also The Promise Film that has been out in select theatres, we are now more out there and trending as well.

Helping my fellow Armenians and being part of the Armenian community is very important to me. a couple of months back, I had written something about not being appreciated back with a gesture of gratitude to acknowledge my hard work and efforts to the Armenian community by making announcements and getting rewarded with all that recognition publicly, but on the contrary, I really am receiving private acknowledgements and people coming forth to me and complimenting me and my hard work and efforts in the Armenian Diaspora and so much more.

I have since then realized that I am receiving the greatest reward by helping out. I was expecting something in return, but then I said, why am I going to expect anything in return? I give to my Armenian community without any conditions or any strings attached. Being helpful and being part of as many events as I am able to attend to is something so important to me. As long as I know that my help never goes in vain, I will always go above and beyond without expecting anything.

I am Armenian and I am so proud, happy, and blessed by God to be one and that I will never take for granted. No matter what race and culture we come from, we must always be proud, happy and blessed. It is important to keep our culture alive by helping each other out without expectations. God bless Armenians, God Bless Armenia and one day and hopefully soon, The Armenian Genocide will be recognized by all the countries of the world.

I love you Armenians and I love you Armenia!

Garo Paylan – A Brave Man & A Hero

Garo Paylan was born in 1972 in Turkey. His family is originally from Malatya. He then went onto University of Istanbul’s school of Business. He is of Armenian descent. Garo Became a director of many Armenian Schools in Istanbul. He became a member of the (HDP), Peoples Democratic Party of Turkey. He is a politician and member of the Turkish Parliament. In June, 2015 he was elected in the Grand National Assembly as a representative of Istanbul’s 3rd electoral district.

When Garo Paylan got elected, he vowed to fight against The Armenian Genocide denial when he later demanded that the Armenian Genocide be recognized in Turkey. The Armenian Genocide happened on April 24, 1915 and 1.5 Million Armenians were massacred, and lands were stolen by the hands of the Turkish Government and Ottoman Empire.

In April of 2016, during a speech in parliament he made about the Armenian Genocide, he counted the ethnic Armenian Politicians who were deported then eventually killed from the Armenian Genocide right amongst Turkish Officials. He is currently a member of Turkish Parliaments planning and budget committee.

After several days went by after his speech, a brawl and fight broke out in the parliament which involved the AKP and then forced the parliament to be suspended. Then the Turkish governors in the room began calling him “The Armenian Bastard”, and began being racist to Garo Paylan. The attacks were due to him being of Armenian origin.

He stood for what was right, he stood up defending Armenia and Armenians, and the right to speak out about the Armenian Genocide. He did not care about where he was at that time when he uttered those words in The Turkish Parliament. He is now known to Armenians as a brave man, a hero, and someone who stood up for all Armenians of the World to do his best to get the Armenian Genocide recognized and acknowledged. For that we are so grateful to him.

Paylan’s safety and security is also at risk right now. Wherever he travels, he has security officials around him. At an event in Toronto on April 30th, 2017, where he spoke about the status in Turkey right now and about him, the hall was heavily secured by police authorities, security checks with wanding individuals before entering into the hall where Garo Paylan was to enter and to speak to all of us.

I have met Garo Paylan and took several photos with him. He is an absolutely beautiful person inside and out. He cares so much for his Armenian People and you can tell by his expressions and how he deals with people is something so incredibly beautiful. He is an awesome person with a great personality.

I wish Garo Paylan all the best and I wish him safety and security as always. May God bless him and to continue to do what he does and to keep raising awareness about The Armenian Genocide throughout the world.