My Epic 2017

I can’t believe it! As in all the past years, 2017 seemed to have passed by so quickly. Now, I only have a few hours left of what turned out to be an epic year for me.

So here’s to reminiscing and celebrating my highs and lows of 2017.

Promotion. I remember welcoming the new year with a new title as a Manager. Funny though, little did I know that I will have to prepare and review my own work. Pretty much like a King without a Kingdom. Lol. It was tough at first but it’s all good now. I finally have my own complete structured team plus a wonderful VP.

Going Home. As promised, I made it a point to go home to the Philppines and visit my mom and family at least once a year. And as the cliché goes, nothing beats home, especially coming home to the sumptuous meals cooked with so much love by Mama and the warm welcoming of families and friends. My love tank always ends up being full at home. Thank God for the blessing of my family!

Condo Turnover. After 5 years, I finally got the key to my condo! Woot! BUT… I had no idea it was going to be really stressful to get all the appliances and furnitures that I had wanted for the theme of my unit in just 3 days. See link here for daily and monthly rental needs. :)

Mission with the Missionaries of the Poor. What can I say? This was the very highlight of my 2017 for the many answered prayers I received during and after the mission. It was my 2^nd time to visit and serve there, only that, this time, I was blessed to be joined in by 2 wonderful brave women who turned out to be my new best friends in the community, Giselle and Chegail. I had it in my heart to share and give back whatever little I can to the needy in the centers but as in all other missions I did in the past, I always, never fails, end up taking away more than what I could ever offer to the mission. Indeed, I was overwhelmed with love and joy in serving with the MOP. They are such a blessing to me! This is going to be a lifetime mission.

My Miracle. Back in July, my family doctor broke the news to me about a condition in my uterus that may eventually prevent me from bearing a child. God knows how I long to be a mother someday. It was devastating for me. But I resolved to keep my faith up and offer my condition for healing. When I went to the mission, there I experienced my first affirmation of healing. The excruciating pain that I go through every single month for the last 10 years was suddenly gone! Not even a feel of pinch. 2 weeks after the mission, my specialist confirmed that I am perfectly well. Praise God!

Affirmation on my vocation. During my first visit in the Missionaries of the Poor in 2015, I had the chance to meet the sisters and know a bit about their daily life, how they lovingly take care and look after the residents. They have such inexplicable joy and peace in their faces. All of it was so appealing to me that I felt the calling to discern for religious life. And so since that time, I had always prayed for God to lead me to the path that He is calling me into. So when I went back in August, I was open to the possibility that I may end up pursuing the religious vocation if I felt the strong calling to do so. For 7 days, I kept praying and on the last day, I got the long awaited crystal clear answer. It was that personal and intimate moment that affirmed to me that I am called to be a wife and a mother, the light to my own family someday. And so, I await for God’s perfect time for that to happen.

My Constants. Whenever I find myself reflecting on my blessings in life, I often feel overwhelmed by the love and care of the people around me. They are definitely my greatest blessings. Sometimes I would even ask myself, “what have I done to deserve their love?” I thank my family, friends, and relatives who have remained to be my source of strength and inspiration all these years. Without their prayers and unconditional love, I don’t know how far I could go in this lifetime.

New friends and inspirations. In this life, you will encounter people who may or may not stay long but has a special lesson or blessing to leave you. There are some whom I may have known for just a short while but have that role of etching a mark in my person – either they needed something from me or I needed to learn something from them at that time. My close friend once said that I tend to be open to people to a fault, that is, not having any reservation at all. But I guess, it helps to know a person fully if I open up myself as well. I think I easily fall in love with people who are fearless to bare their souls and hearts to me. So I am thankful to everyone whom I just met this year and have shared a light in my journey.

Lessons learned. I kept learning new lessons and re-learning old ones all year round. Lol. I guess that’s what makes the journey more exciting – the humps and bumps along the way. The hurdles that you need to leap over which oftentimes, require your creativity and more importantly, your positivity. Two lessons that kept coming back to me all these years is first, to never give up on the yearnings of my heart. After all, God placed those desires in my heart. Secondly, while I always feel that I have so much love to give to people, circumstances often reminded me to love myself too. Better sense be had, I should now know how to strike a balance.

Adventures. This is perhaps one of the most awesome years for me in terms of travels with 2 amazing vacations I made along with my equally adventurous girlfriends. After my trips to Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park and the Crazy Iceland, I realized I long to be one with  nature. Lol. I appreciate natural beauty more than concrete jungles of bustling cities. My penchant for traveling has definitely taken me to greater adventures this year. Maybe Africa or Antarctica next year?

My Sweet Beautiful Heart. I thank God for my heart. Funny that I have only come to embrace this title fully as friends started to call me this instead of my name. Well, mind you, it is both an honor and a responsibility. Lol. But I am always grateful for my resilient and loving heart. It’s endured quite a lot but it always chooses to love. And so I pray that I may have more love, joy and peace to share to every person I meet in this life.

And for all these, may God be praised! Thank you, Lord for everything! 2017 was indeed nothing short of amazing. I look forward to more of your Bests for me in 2018!

As part of my yearly tradition, here’s a video summary of the highlights of the passing year.

Thank you for taking time to read through! Blessings! :)