A Blessed 2019

The year started with a warm welcome with my family and Rob. A great assurance to have my loved ones together!

When I look back at the passing year, I could not help but be filled with gratitude. I would not say that it didn’t go by without some hurdles to leap over, but that my blessings outnumbered my challenges.

My first big blessing was my citizenship in March this year. After nearly 5 years, I can officially call Canada my home. Yey to more countries to visit anytime without the hassle of getting a VISA! And of course, since I will always have my heart for my birth home - Philippines, I also took an oath again to qualify for dual citizenship. Smart move eh! 😊

As for my summer escapade, I had the privilege to visit and taste the bests of Spain and Portugal with my dear friend, Carrie. We went to Barcelona and got to appreciate the masterpieces of Antoni Gaudi. Madrid’s sights, sounds and tastes were definitely few of the highlights of the trips. I cannot forget the tapas and the Flamenco experiences. I also had the chance to meet my cousin, Manuel there for the first time! I am glad we both share the same interest for travelling. Further South is another beauty that surprised us – Seville! It is a small town full of exquisite architectural designs in all of their infrastructures. Man, no wonder Game of Thrones had their scenes taken there. The place was amazing!

Portugal, on the other hand, presented us with a different charm of its own. Lisbon is a town that takes pride of its history and architecture. We also marvelled at the sceneries at Nazare, Obidos and Our Lady of Fatima Sanctuary. And our last leg of the trip was at the home of best Portuguese tarts, Porto. My best memory was that one breathtaking sunset by the Duo river.

I realized that unlike all the past years where I travelled a lot, this was my only big travel this year but it was all worth it. I have only been able to afford eating tofu since then. LOL.

Then I also got my drivers licence in September which makes me the first in my family to drive! Woohoo!

It was a tough year for me at work when I got sick. But then the last quarter of the year ushered me to new opportunities. After a decade of working for the company that brought me to Singapore and Canada, I had discerned that it was finally time to take on a new journey with another firm. This also meant for me to move to a new city – Montreal. The decision didn’t come overnight. Funny that amongst my big moves from Philippines to Singapore and Singapore to Canada, this move from Toronto to Montreal was the hardest. LOL. Oh well, I still continue to discern for what God has in store for me in the bilingual city.

2019 was also a milestone for me and Rob too as we celebrated our first year together! Wooot! It was a year of constant and intentional efforts of choosing and committing to love each other. We can say our love has blossomed like the sunflowers. 😊

Moreover, along with blessings came few realizations this year as well:

   > Look after yourself. Work is just an aspect of your life and not your life. Do not work yourself to death. (I should tell myself this 1,000 times!)

  >You can never say you love enough. Everyday presents us with a chance to expand our capacity to love. Love all you can!

   >Take your time. Slow down if you must. You run your own race in your unique path. Never compare your pace or progression with others. Every hurdle leaped over is a milestone, celebrate it.

  >There is something extraordinary in making a difference in others. The fulfillment derived as a by-product is rather lingering and deeper. It fills you to the brim.

    >You can only control so much in how life unfolds. In as much as you try all you can to orchestrate things to happen your way, there are certain aspects that need waiting for time to take its course.

And as I close the page 365 of my journal this year, I thank God for all the trials that kept me resilient and blessings that made me grateful.  Thankful too for the love of my family and loved ones around. Thank you 2019 for everything!

With prayers, I look forward to a grace-filled 2020!

Here is my 2019 in review: