When I was young, I never thought I’d be sitting on my chair and sharing the story of how our family came to Colombia with my grandchildren.

The joy of having the chance to share a dumbfounding ancestral story is an honor I carry with pride. The moment I decided to share our family’s story with the world was a spiritual breakthrough for me. Not knowing what the future might hold, my determination was straightforward, and I knew the risks I was taking in publishing our story. At first, I was doubtful. I was doubtful that this endeavor would lead me somewhere I did not want to be. However, when in doubt, I always tell myself to keep pushing on and be the best version of myself. 

“Alas!” I thought to myself, “There are things in life I didn’t know I could do until I started doing them naturally.” And then there was that. My books gained so much appreciation, and my heartfelt gratitude is always held toward all the people who have been touched by our ancestral story as told in my book, Survival: A Story of Friendship, parts one and two.

Do you believe in the saying, When life gives you lemons, you make lemonades? I know that everyone in this world is destined to be part of society. Some would get lemons, others would get apples, and maybe most would have strawberries.

The bottom line is that life doesn’t always give out lemons. It provides various fruits that symbolize skill sets uniquely designed for each person to use as they go into the world.

So you ask, what do I do when in doubt? I must simply, yet assuredly, share this with you, dear reader, I DO.

“Dharma practice calls on us to see what is really true and to step out of delusion.”—Anushka Fernandopulle