I will not lie, I will be glad to see the end of 2023… physically it has been the most demanding and challenging year of my life. Since December 18th 2022 I have not been mobile due to a problem with my foot. It has been a long hard road to find the real problem and another to heal and solve it. And it is not over yet for me, nor will it be for another while. I have truly had an avalanche of emotion and physical pain this past year. Along with frustration and pain, I had to change my life habits, and say goodbye to walking the dog, and going to shops, ordinary simple things became daily struggles. I have learned to adopt – I have had no choice, and I have learned many things about not only myself but those around me. in fact, 2023 has been a real eye-opener and on every level. 2023 was a year that I had to reset everything, except of course for my spirituality that supported me as it always does. Once my brain continued to function I could still pray and meditate; and that in and of itself keeps me in order. And of course, thankfully I can still write. So my life boils down to being extremely simple these days. Gone is the diversion of spending time browsing in the supermarket or shops, I thought the COVID lockdown was bad but this was worse – everything is open but I can’t go… a bit frustrating but sure I have learned to live without, and thank God for the internet shopping. Ok, it is not the same but it is better than nothing. I can’t use a wheelchair either due to tendinitis in my wrist caused by too much wheeling last December… I can’t win. But I am gaining in simpler pleasures and patience. Life has been more complicated for a lot of people this year, and my understanding is it is an accumulation of negative energy which started with COVID and dragged on to be manifested in our daily lives and collectively as wars. But Spirit is here to help us, and we must remember to stay grounded in God, regardless of what is happening on the external. We cannot control everything on the external, but we can control how we react to it. We can control our interiority and our emotions. It is up to us to decide how we feel, but if we limit our happiness to circumstances then we will be fighting a losing battle. I used to think that I could only be happy if I was out in nature every day, but even though I miss being out, I am still nonetheless happy. It is a decision I made; I decided to be happy and filled with the joy of life that the good God gave me. I have a responsibility to the life that I was given to live it as best I can. And that best does not include feeling sorry for myself, feeling hard done by or depressed. For what good would it serve me or others if I was lying around depressed feeling sorry for myself? What energy would I be putting out there if my attitude was like that? Ok, I do be fed up, but I do not keep that facade up. I quickly decide to pull myself out of the hole and look for the good things in my life; the many blessings that I have, knowing that God and my team in spirit are there silently supporting me. I still look out the window and wonder at the beauty of nature, and thank god for the seasons with all their magical beauty and I await for the day that I will again be able to get out there and enjoy it. And it is with that hope and belief that I look forward to 2024. For the experience of 2023 has taught me a lot, and I will appreciate 2024 with even more valour and joy. I have weathered the storm of 2023, and I am not in Gaza this Christmas, so I impatiently await this winter solstice; to see the sunset on 2023 and to usher in a new solar year.
Happy Solstice 2023.
Bursting with Love and Blessings,
Edel.
