Happy Mother's Day!

Mothers are amazing beings who selflessly give themselves to their children. They never ask for anything in return, but if they do it is that we do our best to become the best authentic version of ourselves. This Mother's Day was a special one because we were blessed with the opportunity to celebrate our mother and the amazing woman she is, as well as her good health.

I will never forget Friday, November 15, 2013. A month or two before the aforementioned date, my mother went to the doctor for her normal check up (she is a recovering diabetic) and shared with the doctor her concern for a bump she found on her neck. Due to the fact he could not diagnose her, he recommended her to receive a biopsy to determine what the bump represented. In other words, she needed to undergo surgery to determine whether that bump was benign or cancerous. I was confident that this bump that disturbed my mother's peace was nothing more than a benign growth. Days leading up to this intravenous surgery, my mother grew a bit scared and worried because she did not know what to expect and knew that her children meant the world to her. The day of the surgery came and I received a text that changed my life: "The growth is cancerous..." At that instant I wanted to cry and leave where I was so that I could be with my mom, but I couldn't. I will admit that I turned my chair around so that no one could tell that I shed a tear or two after receiving the aforementioned text.

I could have yelled in anger to God for giving my mom cancer because that is what the world wants us to do when bad things happen to great people. Instead, I gave Him all the praise and glory for blessing my mom, my family, and I. Her cancer represented a great opportunity to grow our faith and to love our mom now more than ever before. Her cancer is also a great reminder that nothing in life is promised nor guaranteed and as such should not take anything or anyone for granted. I also felt that God has a special plan and purpose for my mother's life through her cancer. Believe me, there are days when I want to cry in front of her and hug her because I cannot imagine my life without her. However, I remind myself that I need to develop my strength and faith in Christ because our mother needs us to be strong for her.

My mother is my biggest inspiration and will continue to be until God calls me home. She is the most resilient being that I have been blessed to know. There were days where I am sure she was pushed to the edge and wanted to quit on life, but instead looked to my brothers, sister, and I for strength to continue in her journey as a mother and as a person. I love her more than words can describe and I look forward to making her proud through my accomplishments and more. If you have ever wondered why I am so passionate and committed to my mission in life it is because of the woman that said yes to God and gave us life. My mother is the fuel to my dreams and goals. In the same way that my brothers, sister, and I are her inspiration to fight through her cancer, she is the reason why I fight to win big because I fight for my dreams and goals in her name.

Praise God that her cancer is not requiring any treatment as of now, although the doctors project that she will need treatment in the future. I have faith that God will heal her body and restore her soul with peace. Even if she does not make it, I am blessed to know that I have cherished every moment with my amazing mother, especially the love that she has poured on us and continues to pour unconditionally. Always remember that mothers are amazing and have a special place in our hearts.

P.s. What makes your mother amazing? Please share below! Your story deserves to be shared because there is someone out there waiting on you to change their life and make a difference.

Peace and Love,

Catherine Joann

Moving Forward: Year of Service

Greetings from the beautiful State of California!

My apologies for my disappearance! While I do not like to make promises I cannot keep, I commit myself to writing more often, especially after a surge of inspiration.

What I love most about celebrating a new year is the opportunity to reinvent yourself by taking your dreams and goals to greater heights. In the month of December, I received the opportunity to participate in the trip of a lifetime by visiting the Philippines with my classmates and colleagues from the University of Redlands. It was a humbling and life changing experience to say the least. Manila grew on me so much that I wanted to stay for another week. At the same time I began to think about my intentions for this new year and the great things that I can accomplish as a woman along with my family, friends, colleagues, and sorority sisters. As a result, my theme for this year is Year of Service.

In 2014 I am committing myself to really engage and live out my mission in life - TO EMPOWER PEOPLE TO BE THE BEST AUTHENTIC VERSION OF THEMSELVES. It was a mission God bestowed on me almost three years ago and while initially I was scared to live out my mission because I did not know how to live out what God called me to achieve, God spoke to me and said "Just walk, keep moving forward, you're going the right way." All I knew is that what had once been a vision all of a sudden became a mission and commitment to God to live out my life for others, in a similar fashion as that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Like I tell many of the individuals I encounter and speak with on a daily basis, my faith is a deep rooted pillar in my life. However, I share my faith with you not because I wish to convert you, but rather show you why my life is the way it is as a result of my faith. In fact, I would not have become the amazing, energetic, full of life, loving, and caring person that you see before you today. I live today because I have a greater purpose than me to achieve and accomplish before the Lord calls me home to be by his side.

These last few days I have been tempted to believe that I was selfish for choosing my dreams over the hopes and desires of others. The video that was recently posted by Patrick Bet-David really spoke to me and reminded that I was not selfish in choosing my dreams. In addition to the video moving me to tears, it is also a great reminder to the rest of us that we are all destined for greatness and its time to act to live out our greatness. We cannot accomplish our goals, much less make our dreams a reality if we continue to sabotage our own success. While it is true that life sometimes can become overwhelming, it is better to accept sooner than later that life will bring about some difficulties and challenges that will push us to our tipping point. Growth does not come without pain or challenges; when you encounter the aforementioned, it is a sign that you are growing.

This Year of Service will bring about great opportunities, joy, love, sadness, hardships, and resilience. All I know is that you and I need to both persevere and push until the end, until we cross that finish line. Besides life being overwhelming at times, human beings can sometimes be just as overwhelming and sometimes even annoying. Despite all that, I am still willing to serve, love, nurture, inspire, motivate, and above all, EMPOWER those people God puts in my life for a purpose. Sometimes what those people need is a bit of love and patience; we need to understand that not everyone comes from a similar background or lifestyle as ours.  It is from those individuals that we learn the most because they have some of the most amazing stories of hope and struggle that you will ever hear.

Lastly, give yourself the opportunity you deserve to live out your dreams because you owe it to yourself to be a very successful person. I believe in you and I have the utmost confidence that you will achieve greater things than your biggest critics will ever say about you. Have a blessed day!

P.s. Watch the video below and I hope that you understand why it moved me to tears. To Mr. Patrick Bet-David: thank you for the inspiration sir! Your message was a Godsend; it provided me with clarity and reassurance that I am moving in the right direction. 

Peace and love everyone!