As we are still in the New Year spirit I have a piece of advice for every reader today. I know by now you have come across so many motivational talks and when you look east, west, right, left and centre there may be too much to grasp all at once, yet everything seems beneficial in some sort of way. I have been going through magazines and newspapers this month and all I can see is topics such as how to plan for the year, the best New Year resolutions, the do’s and don’ts of the year etc. and as a writer I also seemed to be joining this wagon but I want to stop already, because I think I have learnt the most important lesson of the year. Above all the pieces of advice I have read or heard this month I plan to be intentional about this mantra until December and maybe you too can join me, it is that life is precious so make the most of each day in 2019. It is as simple as that, nothing to add or remove and it is almost as if we can stop with the article right there. The year has started on such a low note for many of us with so many death announcements. We were recently saddened by the loss of a beautiful soul and of a life well lived, the famous and popular model Alexia Mupende. The news came at the least expected time and everyone was in shock and deep sorrow at the same time. Just this week a terrorist attack happened in Nairobi in a prestigious hotel, yet one of the least expected places for such an attack within the city. The hotel was situated strategically in a commercial hub, where offices, a university, banks, embassies and international visitors stay. It is one of the most guarded locations in the city and despite the speed to which the RECCE squad acted to counter the attack, so many lives were lost during the rescue mission while others succumbed to their injuries after. It was a dark day for Nairobi and the atmosphere was filled with ambulance noises, people’s wails and gun fire. It is amazing how things change in a split of a second. One minute you are happy posting your #10yearchallenge (the social media trend of the month that is currently being speculated for a Facebook attempt to refine facial recognition technology by encouraging people to share comparative visual data) and the next minute you are praying for those in demise. Someone wise said, and I will quote “When you consider how extremely hopeless and how lost you would be without the extreme love of God, it’s enough to give an extreme cause to give an extreme shout of praise.” I couldn’t agree more with this quote and so this year I start mine with a deep recognition of how time and life is fleeting and my total dependence on God. How about you? How are you starting this precious year? It’s a blessing to have seen it and it will be a worthy reward to your Creator if you therefore make every day count. So it is simple, nobody knows tomorrow and tomorrow never promises to come. The only thing we can do is to live each day and live fully, make better decisions, be kind to one another, work towards that dream/goal and most of all take care of yourself and hopefully 2019 comes out great for you! Twitter: @christineamira
