As we welcomed in the New Year a few days ago, I was suddenly struck by how fortunate I am to be living in this day and age. I suppose that the Internet and Social Media are the biggest factors in my being able to do what is most important to me. They have allowed for me to turn some very negative experiences in my life into some very positive learning experiences that have propelled my desires to help others who have or are experiencing the same things. And if it were not for the current technology that is available, I can’t imagine how I could have been able to even reach a small percentage of those with whom I interact on a regular basis.
I want you to know that you deserve everything good and fabulous that life has to offer. You have earned a place in my heart and in the hearts of those with whom you interact every day.
Of course I would be very remiss if I did not include the importance of my husband, Kirk, in this equation. He is the one who handles all of the technical aspects of the websites and who keeps me up to date on all of the new technologies. He is the one who is responsible for the new website, “The BREASTation”, which we launched in August as he is the videographer as well as a major player in the footage that is recorded. He then becomes the creative editor whose vision has provided us with an awesome series of videos that provide information and education for breast cancer patients and their caregivers everywhere.
Most important in this equation are all of the fantastic people that I have “met” through social media. Although I have only been able to meet 5 of my new friends and colleagues in person, it is the support and sharing of information and experiences and lives of all of you who have made it possible to help and inspire others, including me. You have taught me so very much and have given my life a whole new meaning and direction and for that I am so very grateful. And it is with that knowledge that we all begin this brand New Year with hope and anticipation and a desire to help others.
With that as an inspiration, I want to wish all of you a most wonderful New Year. It is my wish that all of your dreams and wishes are realized in 2014. I want for every single one of you to know that you make a difference in the lives of all of those around you and in my life. You have inspired others to do things that they never thought that they could do. You have climbed mountains with the specific goal to be by the sides of those who needed the inspiration to do so. You have given of your hearts and souls and love and very beings when you thought that you had absolutely no more to give. You have laughed and cried and worked and pushed yourselves when you could hardly find the motivation to do anything but just curl up in a corner somewhere.
I want you to know that you deserve everything good and fabulous that life has to offer. You have earned a place in my heart and in the hearts of those with whom you interact every day. You know what you have done to help others even when you have not received a thank you or any kind of an acknowledgment. You know you have made a difference in the life of another and that is the most important thing that any person can ever do. And because you are who and what you are, I want for you to celebrate each day of the coming year by pursuing your dreams so that each and every one of them becomes a reality. Your time has come!
Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.