Month: December 2017

Leila Isidro, a talented and skillful business manager for Golden Leaves Hotel, decides to leave New York behind along with the attractive Denis Fraga whom she loves deeply but fails to trust. She didn’t imagine she would travel to Spain to meet the mother who couldn’t be her mother and to face again the man she fought hard to forget. An unexpected check coming from Spain and a diary help her shift to the simple life in Rosemary Beach where Leila befriends John Gunter, a former internal auditor for Dunes Corporation, who hides in this thrilling location, running from his past. Leila embarks on a journey in time, learning about her parents love story and her father’s death, unveiling the reasons behind her adoption by her mother’s best friend, Gabriela. Myrna Clarisse Elmer, a famous writer from Spain, watched over her daughter from afar and, in the autumn of her years, decided to let her girl find out about the sacrifice she made. The old diary is the key to discovering her Spanish heritage.

Every Christmas I write a letter to myself. It talks about a woman, charming and dangerous. This woman waves her clever hand over a room, and the room looks like something from a fairytale. Later, she waves her creative hand over the goods of the earth, and a feast appears on the table. This woman finished her holiday shopping, wrapping, and sending in November. This woman never stops worrying about her family and her friends.

This woman needs to be stopped.

This woman must learn to delegate and take time for herself, away from the craziness of the daily chores. She needs time to rest and connect with her deepest emotions. For a while, it is all right to release the reins to other members of the household because it’s her time to think about her accomplishments that year, and the goals she has set for the coming one.

This woman misses her old buddies, but she is at peace knowing they are safe and happy with their loved ones. Then, she thinks about the new people she met. The old and the new combine in a rainbow of friends, each one unique, delightful, splendid, fabulous, unforgettable. Deep in her heart, she knows that her existence has been enriched because she met them. They taught her to believe in herself and move forward regardless of the obstacles set in her way.

This woman sits now at her desk and writes a new Christmas letter to herself, reminding herself never to lose sight of what’s truly important in life: to give love. She will seal the letter in an envelope and set it aside for the next Christmas.

As soon as the letter is done, her kid asks for more chocolate cookies, her husband needs a hug, and her cat wants to cuddle while they watch Christmas movies.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Carmen Monica

When December starts, women’s “should do” lists become long and heavy. Women write cards, mail cards, buy gifts, wrap gifts and send them out, buy trees, trim trees, bake cookies, give parties and so on. When it begins to look a lot like Christmas, in case no one noticed, women perform miracles. They are making the holiday dreams come true from behind the scenes.

What if we slow down long enough to remember the reason for this season so that Christmas becomes authentic and meaningful?

So, be of good cheer, and not frustrated or frantic. Decide to be happy, loving, generous, peaceful, calm, festive, and emotionally connected to the important people in our lives for the holidays this year.

Don’t choose to be a wreck.

Realize that you can’t do everything. Recognize that one of the reasons other Christmases didn’t live up to your expectations is that you tried to do too much, too perfectly.

You can choose to let only what you love most about the holidays remain. If it snows, maybe you should gaze out the window at the gently falling snowflakes, delight in the sound of joyful music, savor the aroma of gingerbread and hot chocolate, read a holiday story each night, bask in a fire crackling in the hearth and recreate customs good for your soul.

Love,

Carmen Monica