Transforming Celebration into Grattitude: Navigating New Year Celebrations with Mercy.

Dear friends, today I want to wish you a Happy New Year!!, and may it only bring you peace, love and health. As I have always welcomed the year with my husband, this time we decided to stay at home, and prepare a simple but loving dinner. I cooked a traditional dish from the Balkans, called Sarma, which consists of making little packages of cabbage or grape leaves stuffed with ground meat and rice, complemented with white bread that I also made at home. The result was very good and we had a delicious and quiet dinner. Sending messages of appreciation to loved ones and being able to talk to some of them, thanks to phone applications, is a relief. It is the only day of the year that I usually spend hours watching the CNN news channel, since they only show how they welcome the arrival of the new year in various countries around the world and I love to see the fireworks and light shows that take place in various cities around the world. We ate dessert a little before midnight, which is when we also prepare the drinks with which we make the toast. This time I wanted to make something simple too, some baked caramelized apples that went very well with the main dish of our dinner. At midnight we not only greet each other, but we also go to the window to watch the fireworks over the city. A moment of joy and nostalgia for loved ones that I cannot be with because of the distance. Personally I think that this year that has just ended has been very difficult, because of everything that is happening in many places, such as Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, etc.; and the various natural disasters that have struck and left millions of people with nothing, such as in Spain, Brazil, etc. But the question that always comes to mind is: How can we celebrate knowing that other people are suffering? Is it possible to celebrate when another person is suffering? I decided to answer these questions that arose in my mind with concrete actions. First, to celebrate in the simplest and most humble way possible, so as not to forget those who are suffering. Second, to transform the celebration into an act of gratitude for the opportunities and possibilities that I still have. Third, to have only one resolution in life, to try to be a more compassionate person with myself and with others. And lastly, I know that none of these actions will change the course of things in humanity, but it is a way of showing respect and giving support to all those who are not having a good time. People I do not know, but I know, are human beings like me. It could be that in the end these actions are not only an attempt to show respect and support, but to keep my faith and hope alive in life and in humanity. That human beings are still capable of transforming our hearts into welcoming places full of love. There is always something that can be done to help, and sometimes help does not begin by giving to those who have less or suffer more, but by receiving what is given to you by those who teach you with their suffering.

I will say goodbye wishing you not only the best for everyone, but also that this year that begins will renew our hope and faith in life, in ourselves and in Humanity.