Now that I am stepping into a New Year, I can still feel the weight of my youthful expectations throwing me off balance. As I reflect on my past, I see how what I thought I wanted was not always what was best for me, or as Garth Brooks phrased in his song, “Unanswered Prayers.”
Before I married, I had experienced careers in the creative world of acting, modeling, and weather broadcasting on television. Yet, none of them sparked my passion, where I felt continuously happy with what I was doing. What I didn't fully understand back then was that the road I chose and the choices that I made were all part of a plan that would later expose itself to me. It is through teaching and writing that I found my passion and the courage to look at myself more clearly.
I believe that resolutions should hold no limitations. The beauty of tossing them out into the universe is how we announce our hopes and dreams. What I’ve learned is to expect the unexpected. When something doesn’t work, there is always another way, it may not be the perfect solution, but it will get the job done. The more I traveled the world and the more pain and suffering that I saw - it was through the eyes of children that I learned a valuable lesson. In their poverty and hunger and for some the absence of family, they still found ways to be happy. They created their laughter and joy from something as simple as weaving grass and flowers together for jewelry that didn't last, but to them, it was as beautiful as a necklace bought from a store. They didn't expect to be entertained with expensive gadgets or toys or to be given happiness; they created it from a bountiful nature and a heavenly sky for that was all they had. Constantly, I remind myself that if I am the ruler of my happiness, I should value the simple blessings that touch my life each day? Caring friends and a loving family are a gift and I wish you all a new year filled with comfort and peace.