Many have said that 2021 is just a sequel of 2020. Pandemic has still not ended unlike what everyone wished for. The world has not yet returned to how it was before this unprecedented event happen. Up until this time, I am still in question how did it happen during my lifetime. Despite that the pandemic came to the world as a pause to many life events and dreams coming true, this 2021 I made sure that I should make it worthwhile and not just another year passing by.

I started the year with full of gratitude for a blessed 2020. I assure that this year is a year of making my dreams come to life. I must say, this year was not the best. It is one of the most challenging years but the most productive one. I was discerning many times whether we will do the original plan or not despite the uncertainties. But what made me decide is the thought that the pandemic should not stop me from making my dreams come true or plans to happen. Despite the doubts and worries around, I still pushed through in renovating our home.

I am grateful that this year I was able to accelerate my life skills and learned new things about home improvements – design, constructions, manpower, plumbing, and many more. However, I can’t do away also with how challenging it was to me financially. This year, I got my first biggest cash loan. Home construction/ renovation requires a hefty amount of money. It’s true when they say that cost estimates are far more different than actual spending. I maybe ending the year with debts and almost no savings but with a comfortable home. And I think that’s fine after all.

As of this writing, we are almost 70% finished of our renovation of the home I worked hard for. By God’s grace, we will be finishing it in May 2022. Just additional interior finishing improvements and few appliances and furniture upgrades.

With this, I am overly thankful to God for the guidance despite the hardships along the way. He really provides our needs especially financially whenever I almost got nothing.

Apart from the renovation, I am also grateful how we were able to crossed over the number of times we brought Papa for medical consultations. I cannot deny how it was so tiring on my part. I cannot imagine how my Mama was able to take care of my Papa back then when I was still young. But I am not complaining. Instead I was thankful to God for giving me all the energy and determination I need to keep me going. Every time I take Papa to his medical check-up, the prayers I say at night when I was still a kid has been singing to my ears. I vividly remember how I keep on telling God to make my Papa walk again. Even until now that I am 28, it is still in my prayers. And I thanked God that this year, He has given me all the resources to answer my childhood prayer.

We have learned that my father has a Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease which occurred only to 2.6mn patients in the world. Who could have thought my Papa would get a rare disease with no cure? Despite that, I got no complaints. I only carry with me gratitude because it is not life-threatening and we can slowdown the progress. With that, we are scheduling him for another orthopedic surgery to remove his steel on his legs and he’ll be on under physical rehabilitation to help him stand on his feet again. Not easy but definitely, something we can do altogether.

And lastly for this year, I officially end taking my medications for my endometriosis and my depression and anxiety disorder after almost 2 years. Yes, 2 years already! I am exhilarated knowing that I will not be bothered anymore by my medicine alarm every 8pm. I may have struggled from weaning but I’m glad I’m ending the year with no more withdrawal symptoms.

As I close this year, again, this may not be the best year but this is by far the most productive one. I may need to work extra to recover my huge expenses but that’s always okay. What I ultimately learned this year is…

Despite how difficult or challenging or tiring or sometimes they call the “there’s no way out” situation it will be, an Attitude of Gratitude will help you get through it.

In 2022, this is something that I wanted to embody and carry all the time. And I hope this will also be something that you will consider too.

I pray that in 2022 you’ll get the healing, forgiveness, closure, success, love, fulfillment and bountiful of blessings that your heart desires.