Moving into 2023

The speaker reflects on the passing of Barbara Walters and the state of women's rights. They acknowledge the challenges of the past year and express hope for positive change in the future. They encourage people to use their voices to help others and challenge societal norms. The speaker also shares personal growth and gratitude from the previous year, emphasizing the importance of self-discovery and authenticity. They end by wishing happiness, prosperity, and peace for the new year. As we have collectively taken another trip around the sun, today tends to be a time of deep reflection for many. Upon hearing of the passing of Barbara Walters yesterday, it made me stop and really think about not just the past 12 months, but my whole 55 years. Barbara Walters was a trailblazer for many women in her life. Her tenacity, commitment, passion, and ethical reporting placed her in incredible places, interviewing incredible people, allowing her to be a voice for those who couldn't be. What an amazing blessing she had. May she rest easy, and my deepest condolences to all who were blessed to know her. We have seen so many things this past year in relation to women's rights. Roe v. Wade and the rebellion in Iran are just two. It certainly makes women step back and look at how far we've come, yet how far we've gone backwards. This year, collectively, we have forged through to find a new normal after an incredibly difficult couple of years. A couple of years that have changed people to their absolute core. A couple of years that had caused an incredible great divide, segregation, and so many other things that placed fellow human beings in the categories of us and them. So many wrongs that may never be right. I have always been an optimist at the end of every year, choosing to look forward into the new year as a continuation of my own personal journey of growth and discovery. Although this year, that little bit of pessimist inside of me is saying, thank God that year is over, I feel so many people chiming in with the same comment and feeling. We can look back over the last 12 months and see many things that have happened around us in the world. Hold space in our hearts for those atrocities. Be a voice for those people and to send prayers of strength and courage. Sometimes that is all they ask. Knowing full well there is not a whole lot many of us can do here around the world. However, with modern technology and the internet, we can continue to be the voice for those that need it. My hope is that 2023, more people will discover their own voice, discover their ability to help others, even though they do not even know them, and to understand that in a world of 8 billion people, we can still continue to move forward with the thought process of it takes a village. We have also seen a year with so many minority groups coming to the surface and being heard, causing friction and fractures in the societal foundation that we have always known. I commend those who were strong enough to move forward and to be a voice. Without them, the foundation would simply never change. It is time for old societal thoughts, whitewashing belief patterns and prejudices to leave our world and our thoughts forever. It is simply time. I wish you and yours happiness, prosperity and peace in 2023. And I hope that within the days in the calendar year, you can discover yourself, your true authentic self, that person who you were born to be, the person who gets up every single morning and you are grateful and thankful to be alive. Yes, that person. Collectively, we have the ability to forge forward with compassion, peace, commitment and kindness. We simply just have to do it. God bless you all. And thank you so much for standing with me during my journey this year. Your comments, thoughts, messages and support did not go unnoticed. You were a light and a beacon through some dark tunnels for me. 2022 was by far one of the most challenging years of my personal life. But what I gained from those challenges is something that I will be eternally grateful for. Every tear that went down my face was a release of unnecessary emotions and thought patterns that no longer served me. Every relationship that ended gave me something during the season it was there. And for that, I am grateful. I discovered healthy boundaries. I discovered I no longer need to match energy with people around me. If their energy does not match mine, I am no longer available. I have discovered that obligation is simply only a word. If I do not feel comfortable doing something, I simply do not. I discovered that personal power is the most amazing thing that a person can ever feel. Something that you have to nourish, foster and be grateful for. And it is within us all. I discovered that I do have the power to change generational trauma. And it is hard, it is messy, and it is so worth it. Step into the new year by being brave, being bold and being badass. There are 8 billion people in this world and you are one of those amazing people. Let your light shine brightly. And if it is too bright for some, they are simply not your people. Happy New Year from my home to yours. And from my heart to yours.