Dear Donna

It is Sunday, my favourite day of the week.

Orly and the boys left early for the boys’ first soccer training session for the season, and coming home late from a friend’s party last night, they let me sleep in and didn’t bother to wake me up. It could have been a treat to watch them train today but my body yearned for a longer time in bed. I had more than 8 hours of blissful sleep – what a way to start this glorious day!

Waking up at 9am, I know I have tons of cleaning up and organising to do in the house. I fixed our bed, brushed my teeth, took the laundry basket from our bathroom and headed downstairs. I rolled up our blinds, opened the windows, put water in the kettle. The house is quiet and all I can hear are the birds chirping and the sound of bubbling water. I fixed myself a cup of tea and resisted the urge to start the house chores, but instead listened to what my heart and my inner voice was telling me: ‘Today is a great day to write!’…’The chores can wait’…  ‘I want to write!’. And so I gave in. I got my laptop but instead of heading to the study, my feet led me outside. The outdoors was calling me. I turned on the water feature and put on my favourite yoga music on Spotify, and took in the lovely sight of our backyard for the inspiration, hoping to write something from within… hoping to inspire.

This backyard is sprinkled with Orly’s love and care. Thanks honey!

It was my birthday 2 weeks ago. When I woke up that day, I did exactly the same thing that I did the same day last year, and the year before that – I silently said a prayer of gratitude, then stared in the mirror to examine my face closely again, noticing every line that was added to my face; examining if my new hair colour managed to hide the thousand grey hairs that I now have. I was amazed though with how I felt this time around. What I saw in the mirror didn’t bother me at all. I woke up feeling good about myself. I felt so much positivity in my heart that day. I am still overwhelmed up to this very moment by all the love and well wishes that I received from family and friends, and this made me want to encapsulate the great vibe, joy and peace that I cannot contain in my innermost self, into a letter to myself from me, from the 42 year old me – a letter that might be worth reading again when my future self is not at my best.

To my dear self, my dear Donna, here’s my message for you:

Your days can be really busy, embrace it. You are blessed with physical and mental strength, nurture them while you still can. Take the extra effort to eat and live healthier. At times, the mundanity of daily life can be exhausting, take time to breathe. Remember always, you cannot give something that you do not have. Love yourself, take care of yourself so you can take care of your family and and the people who depend on you.

You always strive to be the best you – a loving and caring mother, despite the challenges of raising teens, a wife that your husband adores, a career woman who excels in what you do to contribute to the family’s finances, a daughter and a sister who tries to always be there for your family even with the physical distance, a friend who is willing to share time, an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on, a traveler in this life who wanted to capture life and inspirations and willingly share them to the world… But you too often question yourself, ‘Am I good enough?’. You doubt and sometimes ask and seek what is your real purpose in this world. Know that your present life IS the purpose. Stop waiting for an end state. Live every minute of life purposefully. And yes, oh yes, YOU ARE ENOUGH!

You believe that no one is perfect and yet, the mistakes of the past linger. You have made wrong decisions, wrong judgements, wrong moves, and during those times, you might have caused grief and sorrow to others. You have gone through the very difficult process of humbly acknowledging them. You have learned from those wrong turns and that is what matters the most. You have asked for apologies and every single time, you have been  forgiven – so forgive yourself. You know yourself better that anyone else – trust your heart.

You can be fragile; there can be times when people or circumstances cause you pain. Do not be afraid to be vulnerable. Be brave. It is okay to melt, to cry. Let your tears wash away the darkness, hatred and fear. You cannot change other people but you can change yourself. Take that difficult path towards freedom. Forgive as you have been forgiven; trust in His will; only then can you be free.

Each day you come across joyful moments. Be sure to recognise them. Savour them and be present. Forget about how society defines joy and happiness and success, but celebrate that person who has done something special, that sweet gesture by a friend or a stranger, those simple miracles that happen before your eyes which are often taken for granted. Be generous and share to the world what true happiness is and in the process redefine the colours of the rainbow.

You are strong – stronger than you think… stronger than the boundaries that you’ve built or other people built for you. With every challenging situation that comes your way, pause and take control. Look around you and you’ll be amazed by the love and support that is thrown your way. You are not alone, you are NEVER ALONE in your journey.

Every day is a GIFT.

Laugh to your heart’s content. Do not be afraid for others to see you dance or hear you sing even if you are out of tune. Be brave to make mistakes; be courageous to pick yourself up and never get tired of trying again.

Live life. Choose love – ALWAYS!

TODAY is a good day. Be inspired and inspire.