A Family Of Spices

Just like the spices in a honey cake, a blend of ethnicities adds flavour to life.

- Medea Kalantar, Toronto

I was born in Georgia, U.S.S.R, and came to Canada when I was four years old. My husband Esfandiar was born in Iran and immigrated to Canada in 1987. Our children, Shanaz and Jean-Diar, each have a partner in life (Brandon and Reilly respectively) with diverse ethnic backgrounds. My husband and I are proud grandparents as our daughter Shanaz and Brandon welcomed our first grandchild on March 2; his name is Lukenzo Kal Correia. Our beautiful little “Luka” has a mix of Georgian, Persian, Jamaican and Guyanese heritage. To me, this unique blend is a perfect recipe, and it’s the reason I was inspired to write my first-ever children’s book series, Honeycake: A Family of Spices, based on my own family and our diverse ethnic backgrounds.

When I left the corporate world to become a Reiki master, I never looked back. Reiki is often described as an alternative medicine in which a “universal energy” is said to be transferred through the palms of the practitioner to the patient to encourage emotional or physical healing. I knew that this was what I was put on Earth to do. Because of my Reiki training, I am committed to my personal growth, healing and living my best life; and to inspiring others to do the same. This is what I teach my clients on a daily basis. So, transitioning into becoming a writer and sharing the same lessons and tools with children was seamless for me. My books and my career change were not planned; the universe showed me the way, so I had to follow my instinct, and I’m so glad I did. I feel like a totally di­erent person and I see things in such a di­erent way.