Joy is Free

Dear Africana Woman,

Hey Beautiful. What a year 2023 has been. You know in action movies, there is the epic fight scene, where the good guy has been beaten to a pulp, he can barely move and there seems to be no hope left. Then there is that moment he remembers what he was fighting for, he sees a loved one about to be unjustly killed, there is a montage flashing back to the people he is fighting for. You know that moment? Suddenly, he has a surge of energy and he gets up signalling that it is not over. He faces off with his enemy in one last fight sequence and behold he wins against all odds.

I am telling you this story because you may be feeling like the good guy who has been beaten to a pulp in 2023. You have done all the right things. You have worked so hard and gone above and beyond. It seems like no matter what you have tried for your business, it was like taking one step forward and then being slammed into a wall 10 meters back. (picture your body flying after a kwapa). Your finances are bleeding. The frame of your business has black and blue bruises and internal structures are broken or paralysed. People left literally crippling your small operation. You are lying there looking up through a bloody eye thinking, "How much longer can I go on? I have nothing left to give."

Remember Why. Remember why you started the business. Remember who is blessed because of your business. Remember all the times you have won. Remember that feeling. Remember. Remember.

This is not the time to give up. There is still strength within you. Know this the devil does not attack something that is not beneficial for this world. He doesnt have time for useless things. However, the best part is, the results are already determined in your favour. Good always wins. Good always conquers evil. Don't give up. I am asking you to NOT GIVE UP. You are destined to win. Victory is within reach.

As much as I am telling you this, I am also writing this for myself. 2023 has taken me through the ringer. I have wailed and cried out from the depths of my soul due to the pain I have endured. Much of which I have not shared publicly. So I am at the end of this year contemplating whether to throw in the towel? Fake my death by lying so still that the enemy will finally walk away.... But deep inside I know there is still fight within me and breakthrough is eminent. I can, I must hold on. So hold on I shall. Get up I do. Today is not the day. Victory is mine.

As it is yours.

One last thing, you may be feeling bad/sad/guilty because you are not able to splurge as much as you usually would during Christmas. You just don't have the money to buy the gifts, the decorations or do the activites and it has you feeling down. Can I tell you, that is not the point of Christmas. Joy is free. Truly connect with your family. Play board games. Blast some music and dance together. Have singing battles. Tell stories. Go outside and make mud cakes with the kids. Dance in the rain. Read to each other. My darling Joy is free. You get to spend time with your parents, siblings, partner, children, and whoever else is dear to you. How blessed you are.

From me and mine, I wish you Love, Peace and Joy.

Love

Chulu