By  LPJ

My imagination’s running delightfully wild. The bag’s heavy with goodies. When opened, not all will fall out all at once. They’ll trickle out slowly, mysteriously, but everything has promise. Or maybe, the goodies will stay in the bag, and then rush out as “when it rains it pours”. Nonetheless, I see 2025 as a year of new opportunities. Better still, of dreams; some that stay as dreams, and others, as real as the flowers given by my daughter Joy, still lovely as on my birthday two weeks ago.

Why do I say these? Because I’m a dreamer, and I believe in dreams. That’s it, 2025 is a year of beautiful dreams.

What is 2025 for you? Tickle your imagination, and you’ll find your answer in the cobweb of uncertainties. Whatever you find will be beautiful, because you want it to be beautiful.

Strange, I feel like a poet reaching for the stars. I wonder if this is what the dawn of the new year inspires in me. I am full of hope, and I believe in hope.  I am full of trust, because I believe in the One who is most trustworthy, who gives the promise, and makes the promise come true. I believe in God, the source of all promise, whose son Jesus gave His all that we might have it all.

That’s it! I look at 2025 with faith.

The grand Palace Hotel lobby we visited during our stretch limo tour of San Francisco right after Christmas (photo by LPJ).

 Baby boomer Lola here, greeting everyone a joy-filled and blessed 2025.

                            (Photo taken by Rorie Pandes in early 2024)

Walking out the door of 2024 is not without gratitude. That has been a good year, too. For myself, I found my creative interests rise, as I finished a fantasy manuscript that’s still in the bush, waiting to be discovered. Among many other occurrences, I yielded to the need to join a regular exercise class at the Y, and I am so glad I did. I went on several travels including fun and touristy adventures of beach resorts in the Philippines in early 2024. In the Philippines, I traveled to many cities and provinces, and treasured bonding moments with family, kinsfolks, old and new friends.

In late 2024, I started a modest family charity, the JMP Group (Jacob-Manuel-Pandes family charity) aimed at helping poor children and their families in Naga City, Camarines Sur, the place I originated from. JMP’s first  project was Christmas Cheer that offered food aid to poor children of the barangay (barrio) in partnership with Dr. Elna Chia and her family. JMP is preparing for three other humanitarian projects in 2025, including Easter Joy lunch for abandoned elderly, sick children and paraplegics housed by Missionaries of the Poor in Naga. Basic items as rice, sugar, bed sheets, diapers, soap, wheelchair, etc. will also be donated. The hope is to inspire desire, especially in our youngsters, to cheerfully share blessings with those in need. When we serve God’s beloved ones, we are blessed, too.

Recently, I did a nostalgic trip to Chicago primarily to attend the wedding of my nephew Chito Pandes’ daughter, and see the old Chicago Tribune, affiliated to the daily newspaper I worked for in Palo Alto before being employed at Stanford University. I enjoyed vacations at my daughter Joy and son-in-law Matt’s place at Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles, and celebrated a wonderful Christmas at the home of my son John, daughter-in-law Natasha and grandson Eliott on the hill of El Cerrito, CA overlooking San Francisco bay and Mt. Tamalpais on the horizon.

My first stretch limo ride happened after Christmas, a treat from my son John and his family. For six hours, we toured San Francisco and stopped to gawk at spectacular, fabulously decorated hotel lobbies of the Palace, the Fairmont, John  Hopkins and St. Francis. We also visited intricately constructed ginger bread houses. We then drove through the Golden Gate to Sausalito and Tiburon. Even on an overcast day, the ocean views and sceneries were magnificent.

With Eliott as my pianist and patient techie, I did my first recording of “My Funny Valentine” which came out kind of funny (a polite word for shaky and amateurish) but which my dear lovable grandson admired. Encouraged by my grandson, 2025 will see a second recording: a perky puppy love song, “Lollipops and Roses” – maybe. I could come up with a long list of wonderful things in 2024, but I’ll stop here while I’m dreaming of lollipops and roses.

Ah, dreams. I love to continue to dream in 2025, and just maybe, they’ll come true.

You, too, can unfold your dreams in 2025.

Linda P. Jacob