A BLESSED YEAR 2013.

A BLESSED YEAR 2013.

This year ... Oh, this year 2013! that had finish and has been dismissed without further preamble that the hand of a clock passing the 12am and the usual "Happy new yeaaaaar!!".

It's time, like every year, to take soul and heart inventory. It's time to inventory your goals and do the inventory of your economic situation of these past 12 months ... Let's do it without fear...

Many of us fear that moment because we know that doing it will mean to accept the reality of unfulfilled goals, challenges not addressed, the sorrows experienced and all what implies the negative things that happened this year but we have to face the negative that comes along with all the positive things we did this year. Just like the rainbow that appears after a heave rain, we must unfortunately endure the rain that depresses us, wet us, which makes us sad so then we would see the rainbow in our life.

Yes, this year I met many new people and I missed a lot of people I knew for many years... There is some others that I will always remember and some others that are not longer part of my life and I do not remember them as I remembered them before, but there is also people that do not remember me and don’t dedicate me even a small thought.

Yes, this was a year of encounters and separations... a year where what happened last year this year it wasn't happening any more. It has been a year with many goals culminated and other yet to culminate.

Is inevitably to come to this day and, with little energy left after work, you start to think in each of the actions you did these last 365 days... this past year ...

Yes... many days I acted badly. I said things I should not say to the people who I said it to. I spent many sleepless nights thinking about tomorrow... and others with a lot of frustration for the things that happened politically in my beloved Venezuela.

Yes... I was wrong... we all make mistakes... I made many mistakes that may not all have been forgiven... but I accept them and try to correct myself... I will not give myself a hard time because of it because I'm human and I never claimed to be perfect, but humbly I accept my mistakes and if I cannot apologize to those affected it, I believe in a God -who hears this call- and I know that His Mercy is infinite.

Yes... I hated ... I hated injustice and I hated the one who executes the injustice... Yes, my Lord.... I hated when I should not... when I could not... because you do not approve it...

Yes… I cried too... the physical loss of family and the emotional remoteness of friends…

Another year and it wasn't an easy year to live... another year and yet I have dreams that I want to do and I have not really materialized... another year...

But, no ... I didn't lose it. 365 days are not lost: they are invested... invested in you, in your family, in your future and in your life...

Yes, I have rediscovered myself ... I felt the joy of knowing that you can achieve your goals... I have recovered the presence of my brother by my side... I felt the union in my family... and have loved them...

Yes... This has been another year... a Holy Year... a Blessed year... because even if I like it or not, or if I have not fulfilled my goals yet or if there are things that happened that were not in my plans, that doesn't mean it was a bad year... simply means that it could have been worse, but God protected me from it...

This was not a perfect year... but it was a great year... 365 days ago I did not felt like I feel today... I didn't like what I like today and if I had to pass what I passed yesterday to be where I am today I will do it all over again because I know it is some divine plan of God that I cannot doubt... and in Him I have put my trust and faith.

I always told you that there is a poem by Amado Nervo that I love because of what it says and, although it is applied to the twilight of life in general, we can apply it to the end of a year... The poem reads:

“Very near to my sunset, I bless you, Life,

because you never gave me neither unfilled hope,

nor unfair work, nor undeserved sorrow;

Because I see at the end of my rough way

that I was the architect of my own destiny;

and if I extracted the sweetness or the bitterness of things,

it was because I put the sweetness or the bitterness in them:

when I planted rose bushes, I always harvested roses.

…Certainly, winter is going to follow my youth:

But you didn't tell me that May was eternal!

I found without a doubt long my nights of pain;

But you didn't promise me only good nights;

And in exchange I had some peaceful ones…

I loved, I was loved, the sun caressed my face.

Life, you owe me nothing, Life, we are at peace!”

Yes, friends, it was a good year... a blessed year... a holy year...

Thanks for that my Lord.

And I thank you for sharing with me a bit of this beautiful 2013...

2014: With you God gives me 365 days to see my dreams come true ... I'll get them!

2013: you owe me nothing.

2013: we are at peace.

Contract automatically renewed for another year... Let’s live, God has promised to be with us every day of our lives!

"Fear not, for I am with you; not look with suspicion, for I am your God; I will give you strength, I've been your help, and with my righteous right hand I have held." Isaiah 41, 10.

Happy, prosperous and blessed new year 2014 for you and your family!

Written by: Liza Moussa on 22/11/2013-01/01/2014.

Translated by: Liza Moussa on 02/01/2014 and edited on 18/06/2014

P.S.: Sorry for any mistakes in the translation process.