The end of the year is very near. And here we are reflecting back on the year that passed. Most of us will be saying the same thing:”I just want this year to finish and hope next year will be better”. While there is nothing wrong in wishing for a better year ahead with better luck and better life and to finally have the happiness we have been searching for since forever, isn’t it fair to give thanks to all that has happened in the year that passed. How many of us actually do that?

It seems that it is habit for us to complain at the end of every year, while we focus solely on the bad stuff and the things that hurt us. We tend to forget the good times we had, we might mention it in the passing, but eventually focus on the negative things that happened and dwell on it and wish those days to never return. Some go as far as saying they want to erase this year from their memory because of how bad it was for them. And I can totally relate to that. I said those things myself. However, as each year passes, I have come to realize some very important points or should I say lessons.

It is true that this past year has been tough, but so was every other year that passed. It is also true that I faced many challenges, obstacles, heartache, and disappointment; and so I did every other year that passed in my life. I cannot recall a year that these things didn’t happen. Maybe the intensity of it varied from one year to the next, nonetheless, it occurred, and it passed, and it came again. And what happened? I am still standing, still pushing through; still living my life as it was meant to be lived.

And if I were to be truly honest with myself, this year hasn’t been all that bad, neither was the year before that and so on.  It is up to me to make out of it what I wish. If I want it to be all gloomy, then that’s all I’m gonna remember it for. But, NO.  It wasn’t all bad times. I had good times too. I had many moments when I felt true happiness. I laughed and I smiled from my heart. I felt grateful many times. I felt blessed even though I’m missing many things I could have. I never felt alone because even if humans turned their back on me, my Heavenly Father never let me to feel alone. My angels were always there protecting me.

And yes, I cried too. I felt pain in my heart that at the time I wondered how it could be possible to endure. Yes, there were moments of weakness where I thought GOD had left me to suffer. I asked a lot of whys and when will it be over. But those times didn’t last long because my faith was always stronger than my doubts. I believed deep down in my heart, that even with all the pain and struggles; that the sun will shine on me again one day and I will put these troubles all behind me. And one day I will look back at it and say: “now I know why I went through that”. Just like I say now about things that happened years ago. I am able to see it for what it is; a lesson to be learned. This is in order to become the person I am today. And what happens today will be the lesson for me to become the person I will be tomorrow. And I accept that. In fact, I welcome it. I am not afraid to go through struggles. I am not afraid to be hurt again and again. I wish I wouldn’t because damn it hurts. But if it does, I know in my heart, I will get up again, dust myself off and continue my path in life.

With that said, I share my thoughts with you and my personal experiences so you would know that you are not alone. You are not the only one who feels pain, not the only one who lost a loved one, not the only one who continues to struggle emotionally, mentally and physically. We are all in the same boat. Don’t judge the book by its cover. Just because someone may seem that they have it all, doesn’t mean they do. And just because someone laughs a lot, doesn’t mean they are truly happy. We all have pain that run deep within us, some are able to hide it while some are an open book.

I welcome the NEW YEAR with open arms, with whatever it may bring my way. I am ready and well equipped. If I could survive all those years with all those struggles, I can survive this one too. But I don’t want to just survive it; I want to live it. With its good times and bad times. I welcome it all. Thank you GOD for the blessings you have given me. Thank you for the lessons you taught me the hard way. And Thank you for always being by my side.

Happy New Year everyone!!