Day by day, I remain in the question of who I am. What is my purpose? What do I want to leave behind?

In the midst of last year’s pandemic, during this same month, I lost my father. Sadly, with his death a part of me died as well; and after his passing, many truths were revealed, several thoughts sparked, and plenty of questions were raised.

How do I find my way without his guidance? I continue to dig deep in my soul searching for my inner light and trying to listen to that silent voice that leads ahead. Desperately trying to survive, I strive to pull from his strong deep faith to place it within my heart. “How did he do it?”, I always ask myself.

One of the most important lessons I learned is that eternity only belongs to kind hearts. A genuine soul is the one that prevails and lingers with people for years to come after its departure. The type of soul that gives without asking for a return. The type that is true to itself, to its people, and to its home.

My father used to say “Our land, where we grew and prospered, is where we, our family, and our business feel most safe.”

Home is not only an address, it is the place where you feel the safest. It is where you are most devoted to invest and give with love and loyalty. Home is the beacon and family guiding you ahead even during their absence.

As National Day approaches, I wanted to drift away from the typical cliche nationalistic words, because we are deeper than that. I wanted to touch on our sense of belonging and our interpretation of loyalty. Stemming from our roots, how can we combine to strengthen our legacy? How can we flourish into becoming better people for ourselves and our nation?

The only way to move forward is to commit to building a better future; to be dedicated with a sense of love and care. The only path to prosperity is to not be selfish, to have win-win solutions, and create strong foundations for our children and grandchildren. The only way is to establish with love; this is who we are, this is our home.

I myself am in search of some answers. I try every day to plant a seed that helps build a brighter tomorrow. Sometimes I feel lost, but as my father was, I always pray for strong faith and momentum; and as he did, I try to continue building on his foundation, hoping to leave a mark to be remembered by, after my departure as well.