“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” ~ Aristotle

Life seems to continuously give us ups and downs; and it is how we handle the ebbs and flows of life gives us our perspective. After surviving 2020 and a slow return to travel in 2021, plus an extended flood season; we were finally getting everything back in pristine condition, the Lodge beautifully painted, the mahogany walls, floors and furniture shined and the trees and gardens lush, green and flowering. I was able to sit on the porch in the early evenings visiting with guest and enjoy a cup of tea and appreciate the lush trees and jungle which gives beauty to the Lodge while the majestic jungle music gave me peace as the Lodge was once more looking and sounding like itself.

Mother Nature again took her toll when Hurricane Lisa struck with a vengeance and uprooted so many recuperating trees whose water soaked roots were not yet healthy enough to endure the force of her strong winds. It was such a sad day when we began cutting up those beautiful fallen trees.

To quickly clear tree debris, we had to hire some crews to start the clean up job which was very slow at first however; a blessing, my nephew Dennis came to our rescue and brought with him his workers. These men were professional wood/tree cutters. Amazingly, the crew of Dennis’ workers very quickly had the place cleaned up so we could start taking guests, a little over a week after Hurricane Lisa hit. There is still clean up to finish with the disposal of the remains of tree trunks here and there, which will be removed so that more replanting and beautification can continue.

Today, January 1, 2023, is the beginning of a new year in so many ways for us here at Belize River Lodge. It will be the start of a new season, with new life being planted to produce new trees, new flowers and finding exactly where everything will be planted. There will be new roofs where needed and a couple new engines to keep our fleet up to date. Our buildings survived pretty well and all the blistered paint caused by the strong winds will soon be fully repainted. Our new porch on the Cottage nestled in between the main Lodge and bungalow is looking bright and sharp. The Parrot Palace held up well as thank goodness it was properly repaired before the storm. Our famous Jack Fruit tree did not fare well but a new beginning will take place as we replant a new Jackfruit tree and this new Jackfruit tree will have an awesome story and a new history to add to our historical Belize River Lodge – look out for pictures and the full story in the coming months. We realize that some of these new beginnings will take time and patience to grow strong.

In the meantime as we approach the traditional January 6th and the arrival of the three Kings following the star of Bethlehem to witness the birth of the Christ Child, we remind ourselves that even though we are sad at the loss of things, those things that can be rebuilt or replanted. We are blessed as a family as we are all alive and healthy and know that we must focus on our many blessings. We can look for our blessings by accepting what is past is past; then enjoy and appreciate what we have today; and trust in what is to come in the future will be brilliant.

There are some blessings we would like to share with all our friends, family and guests. As we count our blessings, we wish for you to find a road filled with happiness. Always remember in order to find our blessings we must not dwell on the sad times but dwell more on our happier experiences. Move beyond those friends who turned out to be false; however, never forget those friends who remained faithful and true friends. Forget past problems and never forget to count our daily blessings.

We have been blessed with a good life and our wishes for all as we enter 2023:

· That the wind will always be to our backs to help push us along through life.

· That the rain will softly fall on our lands bringing new life.

· May we find happiness and good fortune in these blessings by remembering the happy times and what and who made us laugh and how blessed we have been to have walls to protect us from the wind, and a roof to cover us from the rain.

· May our children be rich in all these blessings and lead happy lives for they are our riches.

May God hold all of us gently in the palm of his hands and bless us all with a long, happy and healthy life. These are the blessings we wish to share this New Year of 2023 with you, our guests, family and friends.

We wish you a year full of Health, Wealth, Happiness and HOPE!
Warm regards,
Mike, Marguerite
& the BRL Family

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” ~ Nelson Mandela