The fourth day of the new year…the weather has gotten colder here, although we haven’t seen snow yet. It was a strange feeling this year not seeing snow for Christmas and it seemed my friends and families in the Midwest experienced the same. Time has a tendency to run fast and just yesterday I was singing my heart out to Christmas songs and now it’s already January. Chase time, they say, chase time, but time seems to always be ahead.
My mother-in-law’s funeral is in 3 weeks…as we are preparing for it and adding last minute touch ups, I feel so surreal and am reminded of when we were preparing for my father-in-law’s funeral so many years ago. The two of them will be reunited now and I know that my mother-in-law is now in peace from the pain she’s experienced. This woman raised me practically since I joined the family at such a young age. She taught me so much and I am thankful for her guiding hand. The relationship we had was one that we made our own. She called me “Me Naib” and I answered. I called her “Mom” and she replied. It was something we made to work.
As I face 2024, I ask myself, “What changes am I making and how will I make sure I see growth?” This question lingered in my mind and as with anything, change means challenges. Some may be harder to do than others but is it impossible? Absolutely not. Can I still fail? For sure, but at least I tried instead of turning a blind eye. When I visited Valley of Fire in Las Vegas, my husband and I were in awe of the beauty in front of us. I told my husband, “Look at this…this is a rare beauty reminding us how easy it is to shift our thinking. We can certainly become more than what others limit us to be and if we just believe, we can change. A place like this stands out on its own and we admire its beauty and timeless grace. We too should stop lowering our standards when it comes to our growth.”
I hope you put your mindset together and start to believe that all is ready for you to claim. It won’t be easy. But it’s doable. Start today.