People spend a great deal of time  preparing for the New Year’s eve celebration. Finding 12 round fruits,  preparing  fireworks, cooking delicious food,  wearing polka dotted clothes and jumping high at the strike of midnight  are but some of the traditional practices of  Filipinos every New Year.  Some say the fruits represent 12 months of prosperity, as well as the polka dotted clothes and the feast prepared to be shared by the entire family. Fireworks and firecrackers are believed to be used to ward off evil spirits.

All of these things, however, would mean nothing if we do not do things to make our lives better. We play a great part in writing our story but as Jonathan Anthony Burkett aptly puts it,  “Faith is why I’m here today and faith is why I made it through.”

We are all given the opportunity to live a life full of challenges. How we handle these  challenges would define our true character.  Helen Keller said, “Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against  difficulties.”   Therefore,  let us welcome the new year with much  positivity, hope  and faith that there is going to be a bright future ahead.

A Blessed New Year to   everyone!  -TLA FAMILY.

This article appears in the January, 2014 issue of TLA Blaze. Click here to download a copy of this newsletter.