Today is an important day, as is on every last day of every year. This is a time where typically we should remember the blessings of the year that has come to an end, thanking our God - or which ever spiritual entity one chooses - for every learning experience we have received that makes us stronger and hopefully a bit wiser.
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| Upper Canada Village, 2010 |
I have spent on some occasions the holidays away from my family and I must admit this can be a tough season to be alone. I have also spent these holidays with my birth family and other times with my new Colombian family who gave me one of my best gifts: My wife Ana Maria. The key has always been remembering the blessings both in the face of challenges overcome as well as moments that made you smile and feel like the luckiest person alive.
This is also a great moment to think of the people who give shape to your life, such as family - my parents, David and Madeleine, who dedicated their life to their family giving their children all the right tools to shape their world the way they want. Brian, my brother, who has been there for me since the very beginning, and later on together with his wife, Melissa and my lovely first niece Emma. Pio and Norma, my Colombian parents who welcomed me into their life as their Canadian son. Santi and Camila my new brother and sister who are always there to make me laugh and feel funny by politely laughing at my bad jokes. Ana Maria, my twin flame who has easily become a Bickford and taught me how to become a bit more Salazar Moreno - as well as the family we adopt throughout life, friends.
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| Manotick, ON 2010. |
It is easy to say we live in an increasingly difficult world, but family and friendship make the experience much richer. Many times I think of where I came from, where I have lived, the challenges and everything that shapes a human life and it always brings me back to this conclusion: "All You Need is Love", John Lennon. When I think of an ideal world to share with humanity, I often remember the movie with Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt, "Pay It Forward". A young boy undertakes a school project aimed at proposing something revolutionary to create a better world. The child comes up with the idea of a simple gesture of giving without expecting anything in return, except for the person who received the gesture of kindess to pay it forward. That's a world I would like to live in and believe we can achieve this in leading by example. My closest friends know this is how I like to live.
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| David, Madeleine, William and Ana, wishing you a great 2011. |
I guess the overall end of the year message is the same one that we have as Christians during Christmas - I am sure other cultures and religions have something similar - peace on earth. Let's all get together and make it last longer than Christmas and New Year, shall we?
Best wishes for 2011 to everyone!
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