A word of inspiration: Happy 2013 Happy New Year

It's almost 2012  2013Yeaaah!!!

Note from the editor November 30th 2012.
I am doing a little updating on this article as we actually end 2012. When I wrote this article I didn't know that my hardest challenges were going to face me and that life would slap me in a face like never before. I gave birth to my 4th child in January 2012, it was my 4th C-section and the most complicated one. Not only things didn't go as planned for me, but our baby girl spent our whole 4 day stay in the NICU. Having had all my children by my sides right after birth, the nicu experience was quite traumatic.

Something I overheard while visiting our baby one night brought things into perspective  as I was feeling sad & confused! There was one mother who was a nurse at the hospital and her son was fighting for his life. One of her nurse friends said that she never had the experiences of having her kids in the maternity room because for some reasons all her babies end up in nicu. This one was her 3rd son. The sad thing is, when we were leaving the hospital that day with our baby girl, her son was making the complicated trip to a bigger hospital. The very hospital where the doctors told us we might be transferred to within minutes of our baby's birth. God intervened and our baby girl made fast progress that surprised both the nurses and the doctors. It was a blessing to finally come home because this was my hardest experience but I am well too aware that other mothers have endured worst.

I look back at my own words below...I was grateful then but I AM EVEN MORE GRATEFUL NOW.
The amazing thing is that 2012 started with hope of a new child, took a crazy twist right in the middle of January but have I grown in ways I didn't see coming. I am so different in many ways. Gratitude is my lifestyle, simplicity is my priority....I have learned to appreciate even more than ever, every single blessing no matter how small. I have become more disciplined, more persistent, more compassionate, more open, more patient, more confident in myself, and more in LOVE with LIFE.
I am learning since January 2012 to be truer to myself, to let go of things that just do not matter. I am more real and more at peace with myself...It's like I am seeing the rainbow after the tornado...

I meant all the words I wrote back then and I mean them even more today. Some of my success this year: losing all the baby weight with 9 months. I weight less now than I did before I got pregnant. I am no longer afraid of pushing myself.
I have met more wonderful people this year. The one that were not that wonderful didn't bother me much because they had their contribution to offer in making me better person.

I want to believe that I have made a point to bless more people this year than I did before. Thanks to the internet I am now using facebook as an instrument to impact more people. I am bravely crawling out of my comfort zone just so that the lessons I have learned in my pains can bring victory to others. I have seen my ashes turned into beauty in the hands of the God that I serve and love even more.

I hope you won't mind this little addition to the rest of the article. I just wanted to keep it real and I hope something I added today ministers to someone in a very special way.

Enjoy this article and all the many others. Please join us on our facebook page and be BLESSED beyond measure! ~~~~NB aka Goodhealthdiva!

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First published December 28, 2011 12:09 pm

As this year comes to a close I wanted to share a simple word of encouragement with you and offer you some food for thoughts. 



                  I wanted to congratulate the survivor in you.


I wanted to take a moment to Thank God for watching over you, for keeping you, and for strengthening you.


You see, if you made it till this point, if you are alive reading this, no matter the quality of your life and the quality of your health at this very moment...there's a survivor in you and if you do believe in God, there's a God that has faithfully watched over you.


You might not have been granted all the things you wished for in 2011 2012. You might not have achieved all the things you wished to achieve and you might even have suffered some setbacks, some losses and some disappointments... but...regardless of it all...you made it to the end of the year and you've survived!


You've survived through the pains that seemed unbearable, physical or emotional or both.
You've survived through the days you probably thought you could not "take it any more" whatever the " it" was.
You've survived through any discouragement you might have felt in the course of the year.


You might have buried a loved one or more this year. You might have endured some tragic losses. You might have lost a job, a home, a friend or a partner etc. If you had such pains this year, I am sorry you had to go through that.


I want to

• cheer you through the last days of 2011 2012,
• offer you hope for 2012  2013 and
• encourage you to not give up and be resilient.

You made it through 2011 2012, you can flourish in 2012 2013.


A year has obviously many ups and down. 365 days that are full of unknown and surprises. 365 days of events we can't always prevent nor control. 365 days of having to make the best of any situation, check our attitude and have the wisdom and determination to see ashes turned into beauty.


A year is not all about the 'bad things" like what I listed above...A year can and does have many pretty & pleasant moments as well. This year 2011 2012 you might have reached a special goal, bought your first home, landed that job you dreamed about, met some remarkable people, launched a promising business, lost some or all the pounds you wanted to lose etc.


Has 2011 2012 been a great year for you? However insignificant some  'small blessings' might be to some of you, I am hopeful that you have had some very good days this year. Maybe not as much as you wanted but there has to have been some good days in your life in 2011 2012.


This year might have seen many of your dreams come true or you might even have had experiences that totally surpassed your expectations.


Like my friend M-G  who had some experiences in the past 2 months that surpassed her expectations for 2011.

 She traveled for her first time to Paris and London and to Egypt. The pictures speak for themselves, she is an excited woman.


What's most special about her is that she's the kind of person who always find a way to see the glass half- full. She makes herself happy. Believe me she had her fair share of trials in life and had survived a lot, but looking at her  now, you see a woman who knows how to make the best of her life! 

She has survived a lot,but with her great attitude she's not just surving, she's thriving! She's an inspiration to me and I hope that the pictures I am sharing with you trigger something special in you...




In Egypt:
Alexandria

In Cairo

 In Europe:
 London

 Paris

Paris Le Sacre Coeur

Notre Dame de Paris

If you feel like you had more bad days than good days this year, I pray that 2012  2013 be better for you. I want to encourage you to look back and be grateful for the smallest things because there's always something to be grateful about and gratitude seems to be a multiplier of good things.

The more grateful we are, even for the smallest things, the better our lives get.

If you feel like you had more good days than bad days this year 2011 2012, I rejoice with you and pray that God's favor continues to rest on you and that you be used to be a blessing to others.


No matter what the year 2011  2012 has been to you I am thankful that you have survived or even thrived! 
Yes... You are still here, and this is worth being grateful for.  

Be grateful because many people started 2011   2012 alive and did not make it to the end of it. Be grateful because some people might have gone through some of the same trials you went through and failed to overcome like you did.




Be grateful because you might have been spared a lot of troubles that others might have endured this year. There is always something to be grateful for so, as you enter 2012 2013, have an attitude of gratitude.

May you be abundantly blessed in 2012 2013 as you remain grateful and hopeful for the best.









Get your saddle ready and prepare for your next ride and the adventures of 2012 2013! May 2012  2013 be your best year yet!

I did not get to travel overseas like my friend M-G but I have been blessed and inspired by her adventures and by mine! (smiles)


I am thankful for you all and the way blogging and meeting all of you have enriched my life. Blogging has been an adventure in itself, and meeting people from all over the globe has been a true delight. I never would have guessed that I could travel the world through blogging. Thank YOU!


What are some of your best memories of 2011 2012? What are you most looking forward to in 2012 2013?


N'na