2018 Behind, 2019 Ahead

We made it, it’s 2019. But what did we learn in 2018 that will help us to get through 2019? For me, it would have to be that forgiveness is for both you and the person who has wronged you. I finally came face to face, through social media, with an issue from my past that I thought I was totally over and healed of. My biological father reached out to me and wanted to begin a relationship with me and my siblings. That didn’t go to well, to say the least. However, by the end of the year, on Christmas Eve actually, I decided to call him and finally give up the harshness in my heart and be open to hear what he had to say. We didn’t talk about the abuse, but we did talk about the future which was most important. I felt good after the end of the conversation because I was finally free of that cloud of unforgiveness that had been holding me captive for many years.

In 2018 I also finished and published my second full length novel. It was a project I had been working on for over 7 years, however when I hit publish on KDP I was ecstatic. I had finally finished something that had taken the core of me to finish. During the development of the book I had to face so many of my demons and come to terms with one thing: I suffered from low self-esteem which had catapulted me into various relationships that were not healthy, including those with family members. By the time I typed the end, I was a healthier woman of God who knows her worth and married to a wonderful man from Nigeria.

In 2019 I know the sky is the limit. I will be stepping out of my comfort zone more often and talking more about my testimony and gift as a writer. I don’t make new year’s resolutions anymore, I just show up for myself and my family then do what it is that needs to be done to reach my goals. Last year I lost 47 pounds and this year my goal is to lose another 40 to get down to my goal weight. I have other plans and aspirations, but I will keep those to myself and be surprised with everyone else once they are accomplished. My wish for everyone this year is to have blessings upon blessings as God continues to grant each of us His abundant grace and mercy. He knows the plans he has for each of us and will work it in us until the end. So, Happy New Year, and may the peace of God go with you throughout the year.