By: Martha Isabella Alexandra S. Carlos of Grade 8C – Aristotle
Ysa, a young adult in her 20s, just got laid off from her job. She thought that her job would carry her until New Year’s came. Yet, on New Year’s Eve, she cried and cried till the clock struck 12.
As the fireworks began to burst in color, her spark slowly lit up. Could it have been the lights or the joy that filled the city? Or maybe the clear glass window that showed her reflection in the grey room she sat in? None of these brought back her spark—but the reminder that everything was going to be okay again, that it would be better, brighter, and happier than last year—was what truly reminded her, what truly brought back her spark.
How could someone who cried on New Year’s Eve be at ease when the New Year came?
She hurriedly stood up and dusted off her journal that had sat on her table, untouched for three months, and wrote:
01/01/2026, 12:05am
Dear Diary,
Why do bad things happen to people before they get introduced to a fresh start? Is it because God plans to bless them for their perseverance, or is it because God has taught them such a big lesson that… He wants them to experience abundance in their lives? As long as 2025 was, I know for sure that it was both.
2026—a new year, a new change, and a new hope. I hope to wake up this year every day, knowing that each day brings me closer to understanding my purpose, because 2025 gave me trials that strengthened me, though I felt weak and sick to the stomach.
These are my goals this year:
- Have a high honor ranking in my Doctorate
- Achieve my goals that I didn’t achieve last year
- Do my passion project
- Get closer to God
- And lastly, be more confident in myself
With no more regrets, I will be confident and not scared.
Love, Ysa
“One of the selected writers for January, highlighting the theme: New Beginning, New Voices.”