Merry Christmas!!!!

For all of you who celebrate, I wish you a very Merry Christmas this year!

These are all the ways I know to say Merry Christmas.

Joyeux Noel!
Feliz Navidad!
Buon Natale!
Froliche Weinachten!
Kali Kristyena!
Mabuhay Ka!
Quan Deng Fai Lo!

Irie I'smas?

Jacob Miller and Ray I- WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS [REGGAE CHRISTMAS STYLE]

In my household growing up, no Christmas seemed complete without playing songs from the Jacob Miller Christmas album. It wasn't until I was an adult that I figured out what he was holding in his sack. As a child, I thought there were flowers in that sack. However, as an adult, I came to realize those were not flowers! I also developed an adult "crush" on Jacob Miller. Unfortunately, he died in 1980 from injuries sustained in a car accident in Kingston, Jamaica. A note of trivia, he died at the age of 27 like Amy Winehouse (in 2011), Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Kurt Cobain.

I particularly agree with the "broke pocket" part of the song. Having just finished reading The Wealth Cure, I wish to make a renewed commitment to work out my finances. I don't think at any other point in my life have I felt so "broke ass" at Christmas. (Since I switched from full-time to part-time work in November, it is taking a while for the pay to catch up. So my last pay, just 3 days before Christmas, was literally: $0. My pay prior to this was 1/3 of my regular pay. Why am I putting this information on the Internet? Because it is the truth and I like to write about the truth and I hope to share with you what I learned from this experience.) It was a lot different when I was a child since I didn't have to worry about rent, car payments, student loans, and groceries. When I was younger, I had a lot of time to invest in making my Christmas presents. This year, I am much more aware of not being able to afford to buy gifts.

Being away from work for seven months, returning to full-time for a bit, and then deciding to switch to part-time for health reasons, I know that I could have done a better job of managing my finances during those fluctuations so that my current situation would not be so "broke". I could blame it on the cancer for screwing with my health, my energy levels, my priorities and budget... a bit of a "hot mess". The wonderful thing about life is that you can start again and in so many ways, I am "rich". For this, I am thankful.

I can express gratitude for many things in my life. I am thankful for my health and blessed to have family and friends with whom to share this Christmas. I am thankful that I have some vacation time to rest, take care of my business, and spend with my loved ones. Lastly, although I will not be buying gifts this year, I am so happy that I can share and give of my talents to my loved ones like cooking some awesome vegan dishes, spending time with my baby nephew, sending e-mails of "good cheer", making some gifts over the holidays, and writing.

I am also thankful for my faith. I believe that all things will work out for good. I end this post with a quote from Hill Harper's acknowledgments in The Wealth Cure:

God is the creator of all things (including wealth) and when it comes to acknowledging the gratitude in my heart, for me, it starts with God, from whom all blessings flow. Without guidance, love, and support from my Creator-- this creation would not exist.