I AM not one to make New Year’s resolutions. However, another year has begun in my life – of which I am very thankful – so I am thinking of doing a few things that I have always wanted to do but was never able to because I lacked time.
I have been retired for a couple of years; all my children have their own paths to get busy with. So, I would say, I really have the time now.
I would like to share what I would like to do, now that I have control of my time:
Spend time with people who are spiritually hungry
Being a public servant for so many years, mingling with a lot of people is routine. And even after I retired, I still engage with several people because I am active with church activities and with the cooperative that I belong to.
But somehow, I’ve slowly realized that most of the time, I am with people who are, in many ways, very much like me.
So, I am thinking that perhaps, it is time to be with people who feel an emptiness in them. People who are spiritually hungry and listen to their angst.
I am not saying that I am the epitome of perfection or that I am so holy. All I’m saying is that it would be best to spend time now with people who need direction, who may need someone to listen to them and not judge them.
Serve others on a regular basis
I have been serving others from the very first day that I became a public servant and church lay leader.
But the acts I did before were acts dictated by my position in the government and within the church. This time, I want to serve others as “me,” a private, ordinary human being.
I will do it every day and every minute that I am given the chance by the Creator.
This time, I’m going to serve not because it is my duty and obligation but because my heart is “screaming” for me to do it.
Keep a “thankfulness journal”
Aside from regularly writing my column articles for this newspaper, I intend to keep a record of people who have given me something or who have done something for me that I can be grateful for.
I am quite sure that there are so many helpful and generous people in this world that I will encounter in the coming days. And I am certain that at the end of the year, this journal will surprise me.
I know I will be amazed (and astounded) of how many good people there really are in this world despite the chaos, the pain, the corruption, people’s duplicity and the betrayal that many people do to their fellow men.
2023
I am aware that the coming days have become so uncertain. The war between Russia and Ukraine hasn’t ended. Covid-19 is still around (though things have eased a bit). The economy of the world is still in shambles. Climate change effects have continued to wreak havoc to the world and its inhabitants. Fake news abounds on the internet that sifting through them to determine what’s real and what’s bogus can make our heads swirl. And everything seems chaotic.
But I have fresh “eyes” and have gained new perspectives. And I have faith that whatever pandemonium the world brings, God is always faithful and will always be true to His creations.
Thus, I am at peace.
Happy New Year to all!!!
