Hi! It has been a year!!

Hi Mary, Take a deep breath — we made it. I’m writing this to remind you just how far you’ve come. A year ago, you were carrying so much on your shoulders: rent, huloga 1 and 2, family savings, pet food, plane tickets, dental worries, health goals, and all the little expenses and anxieties that came with daily life. You were doing everything to prepare for July — for your boyfriend’s visit, your friends’ trip, your time back home in the Philippines — and you were trying so hard to make sure everything would go smoothly. And you did it. You survived that season. You handled your responsibilities with grace, even when it was exhausting. You found ways to save, to make money, to keep your commitments, and still be there for the people and animals you love. That alone is something to be proud of. But this letter isn’t just about what you accomplished — it’s about who you became. You became stronger. You made hard decisions about your teeth and your health instead of avoiding them. You learned to listen to your body when you were tired or sick and gave yourself time to heal — like when RSV knocked you down, but you let yourself rest without guilt. You became softer, too — not in a weak way, but in the way you treat yourself. You started being kinder to yourself when things didn’t go perfectly. You stopped letting the past control how you feel, even when memories or names popped up unexpectedly and triggered you. You let yourself heal from that old heartbreak. You stopped blaming yourself for what happened and chose to move forward. You worked on loving yourself better. You reminded yourself over and over that your happiness isn’t in anyone else’s hands. You can enjoy love, but you don’t depend on it to feel whole. And you kept your promise to build a better future. You learned more about Amazon arbitrage and kept seeking ways to grow your income. You stayed consistent with your plans, not just for money, but for your health, your fitness, and your peace of mind. So here you are now, a year later, reading this. I want you to pause and really feel proud of yourself. Look around — wherever you are right now — and remember that you are the one who got yourself here. Not luck, not someone saving you, not someone else’s approval. You. You got up every single day, even when you were tired, anxious, or scared, and you kept going. And now, I want to remind you of this: keep being kind to yourself. Keep being proud of yourself. You are not behind. You are not failing. You are still growing — and growth is never wasted. Mary, please don’t lean your happiness on anyone else. Don’t wait for someone to make you feel loved before you love yourself. The love you give yourself is the foundation of everything good that comes after. No matter what happens next year, no matter what challenges show up, promise me that you will keep choosing yourself. That you will let yourself rest. That you will let yourself laugh loudly, smile without guilt, and cry when you need to — and then keep going. You’ve made it through so much already. You are proof that you can make it through whatever comes next. Be proud of the woman you are now, because she is everything that 2025-you hoped you’d become. With all the love and gratitude in the world, Mary ❤️ September 18, 2025