A love letter to all the important people in my life (Day 19 - being grateful for FRIENDS & FAMILY)

Gratitude

Dec 19

This article is part of my December 2020 Gratitude series that help me end this year on a more positive and inspiring note.

I am just learning the importance of everyday gratitude. Whether it is daily journaling or these blogs, the time set for reflection is proving to be essential. That is precisely what traditions offer - the context for meaningful pause and reflection. Yes, the dates are set by social norm and religion that people might not follow. But if it weren't, how many of us would actually stop and do the inner work on a regular basis?

Traditions are constant with giving us a date to look forward to. Their purpose is to strengthen the sense of belonging and comfort from being part of family, friends or even cultures. That being said, remember that traditions are not written in stone. They can adapt, change and adjust or even stop if they are no longer relevant in the new social contexts.

The reason why I am writing this is that many of my friends and acquaintances are alone for Christmas 2020. Which is heartbreaking. It is important to keep repeating that health always comes first, and with your decision to stay home, you might be saving someone's life and adding to a greater good. And I want to thank you for that. Yes, it is the time when families are supposed to be together, and the whole world stops just so we can do that. But this would be a good time to reflect on the origins of these traditions. We can share presents, be grateful together and postpone Christmas a little bit. Thankfully we now have the technology to keep us connected—little wins.

At the same time, I would like to send my sincerest condolences to all those that lost their loved ones to covid or any other reason. I know for sure that during these Christmas holidays I will be grateful and incredibly privileged to be with my healthy family. That is why I would also like to take this opportunity to tell all of my friends:

I love you, I appreciate you and I hope you are healthy and happy. You inspire me and I am grateful to have you in my life. I hope you love yourself fully and that you know your worth. I want to thank you for being there for me and for all the beautiful moments we shared together.

Even though this message might seem very generic, it applies to all of my friends. They inspire me in one way or another. I hardly say it often—on Christmas or any other day. Knowing I won't be seeing them in the upcoming months, I decided to take this opportunity to go through my photos and send a bit of love to everyone. I was not able to find pictures of all of my friends, but I am sure you know who you are. If you are not sure, feel free to get in touch, and I will evaluate hahahh.

But in all seriousness, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope you know you are loved.

Photos of my loved ones, not captured by me, but saved on a very special place to remind me of these moments: