As I am writing this on the last night of the year 2018,
I can hear the sound of the fireworks from the distance,
reminding me that a new year is approaching.
As how most of my close friends would confide in me
on how the year went by for them, I also felt that this was one tough year indeed.
It felt like it could go on forever with the challenges it brought for us as adults,
but I am glad we were able to stay tougher than what was meant to bring us down.
And if there were times it may have succeeded in doing so,
it brought a lesson for us to learn from.
 




I am writing this annual blog mostly for myself,
a tradition I started a few years back, something I almost gave up on last year,
but a little rest, a lot of considerations, talks with friends,
and giving importance to family and loved ones, made me think otherwise.
I needed to continue writing to express myself,
my thoughts and my gratitude towards the people who matter in my life.
The same ones who gave me advice when I needed it;
who listened when I needed to talk;
who stayed when I felt alone;
who shared the joy, the pain, the roller coaster emotion of it all;
the ones who keep showing their support and love
as we keep following a dream to live creatively.








I don't always remember my dreams a lot, but on the eve of Christmas this year,
I had a vivid dream of a loved one who passed away years ago.
I may have not allowed myself to grieve much when he passed,
because I felt I needed to be tough,
but in my dreams I felt the warmth of his hug, an assurance that everything is going to be okay.
I woke up in tears, thinking how much I have missed him.

That dream had so much effect on me, it gave me back motivation
to work much much harder at my goals for the coming new year,
a goal to continue to inspire with my art.

I don't usually have an idea of what is in store for the upcoming year,
but in a long while I am at ease in the thought of facing what lies ahead.
If somehow I do forget or if I am feeling a little down,
I will look back on this memory to help me keep going.


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