My Christmas All Year Round

during Christmas season, i always find time to look back for the year that has been and enumerate the many blessings that God has bestowed on me.
it always amazes me to realize how blessed i am.
and if those blessings be equated to some monetary value, i bet no banker could come up with the amount
or if one comes up with the amount, i will surely be the richest person alive! :)

this year has been my best so far; i have been given a lot of opportunities to grow.
i have journeyed far and near.
i went to places and i was also able to go within.
everything has been generously given by the Almighty.
what i find the most interesting was, God made partners with a lot of people to make me feel His love for me,they are in the form of human angels: family, friends and new found families and friends during my travels through SSEAYP.

i could recall that during bus rides to institutional visits, i find time to reflect
those reflections always make me cry
those tears are out of elation for the bliss that i have experienced in my life, especially for this year
i cannot help but to wonder, do i deserve all these?
but thinking that the God is so gracious, He makes things worthy for us to have; i then stop asking and just enjoy and savor whatever i have.

truly, i am blessed. i will not elaborate on that, those who know me will no doubt attest to such. :)
my Christmas prayer is, for God to bless those have shown to me the spirit of the Season all year round.
may He bless my family and friends who have been there; their love for me made all things possible.
their joy is to see me realize my dreams. they share my ups and downs as well.
indeed they are jewels worth keeping for a lifetime, and for eternity, if time permits:)

i am blessed with the 37th Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program where i was able to meet more than 300 young people across Japan and ASEAN, youths who share the same aspiration with me and that is no less - create the best world we all deserve.

through the program, i was able to have new sets of wonderful families who inspired me to have one of my own.
these families considered me like their own. i never felt i was a stranger to them even on our first meeting.
i am truly blessed to have families in the countries we have visited, a family that is not defined by the time we have spent together but by the special bond we have developed.

i had also meaningful encounters with new friends, they were the ones who have shown warm hospitality to us when we were in their communities. their interactions and assistance meant a lot!

could you blame me if i would assert that it has been a Christmas to me all year round? ^^
surely, Christmas spirit has been manifested into my life way before the Christmas day.
i hope we all realize that we do not need Christmas season to show how we value and love each other.
if you only choose to be a blessing to others everyday, you can!
i can then imagine how beautiful this world will be.
may we never forget the essence of celebrating Christmas, upholding the value of Love through selfless giving just what the Father did:)
Merry Christmas to us all!
malou