My sparks of hope and joy for 2021

“A spark is a little thing, yet it may kindle the world.” – Martin Farquhar Tupper

2020 may have been characterized by one catastrophe after another, but those of us who made it through are now faced with the promise of better days ahead.

As we leave the disaster of a year that is 2020 behind, we bring with us the lessons thar we learned and the little things that got us through our darkest days to bolster us into the new year.

Here are the sparks of hope and joy that will continue to kindle in me the strength and courage as I continue to forge ahead.

Love of family

The quarantine which arose from the pandemic physically cut us off from almost everyone except our immediate family. Instead of catching up every evening on how each other’s day went at work or in school, we now spend the entire day together at home.

With the increase in time that I spent together with my family, I was able to discover new things about them: how Hubby polished up his cooking skills to be able to serve me the dishes that I’ve been craving for but can’t have because restaurants are closed, how my daughter #ExhibitA took the time to tutor her brother because I was too tired to do so, or how my son #ExhibitB did his best to adjust to learning from home despite his development issues.

I’m looking forward to discovering more to love about my family in the new year.

Constancy of friendship

Before the pandemic, busy work schedules and various responsibilities have already precluded frequent meetups with friends.

During the pandemic, the restrictions on mobility and the need for physical distancing made getting together with friends near impossible.

That doesn’t mean, however, that true pals will let those get in the way of friendship. There were those who were quick to send messages of concern and encouragement when my mother company was shut down, or those who immediately checked up on me and my family during the typhoons because they know I live in a flood-prone area. There were also friends sent tasty dishes and care packages to brighten my day.

These friendships bolster my confidence in facing the days ahead.

Innate goodness of people

With all the travails that 2020 brought, we Pinoys really went out of our way to help each other out. From contributing to #TulongTulongSaTaal and #PantawidNgPagibig, we helped to make vital supplies and essentials available to those who needed them most.

Abundance of blessings

Through all the dark times we’ve faced this year, there are slivers of sunshine that bring us moments of happiness and hope.

While the new work from home setup required quite a lot of adjustments for me and my coworkers, we were still able to function and be productive away from our office. The blended learning setup for my son enabled me to be more involved in his education, something that was very difficult when I worked in the office.

I was also gladdened to learn that many of my friends became entrepreneurs, providing products and services that became important because of the pandemic.

These are small blessings that when added up made life in 2020 bearable, and some moments even enjoyable.

As I leave the past behind, I carry these sparks of hope and joy into 2021.

I hope you keep your own sparks close to your heart and I wish you a better and happier new year.