LOH Contest 114: My Greatest Joy This 2022

Looking back at the early months of 2022, outside were still restricted but slightly loosen. I have wasted so much time since the pandemic started. Initially, I only planned on working for a year and I will enroll myself after that, yet that didn't happen. A year has been prolonged into almost 3 years. Imagine how much time was that, I could have been in my second or third year in college if it wasn't for the delay.

Though my only choice was to patiently wait for the right time to resign, go home, and enroll, I didn't get discouraged as I was locked down in the workplace and in the house. When restrictions were lifted during summer, I eagerly grabbed that opportunity and booked a plane home.

It is my greatest joy this 2022 to be reunited with my daughter. She was only 8 months old when I left, she barely recognized me. I missed a lot of her firsts, such as her first walk, first birthday, first teeth, and so on. I wasn't there even on her Christening Day. Even though I often called her through video calling, a face to face interaction is still different. She wouldn't even talk to me on the phone and mostly she was annoyed every time I called. It was quite understandable for a child since her thoughts are always into playing and talking to a not-so-stranger on a phone isn't in her interest.

She was already 3 years old this year when I got home. At first, she wouldn't like to be hugged by me but a little while later, we got closer and now she is calling me "Mommy" again. I feel elated every time. You know, that joy when your kids express their care and love for you. It's cute, and fulfilling. It's like my efforts paid off after all those years of hard work and being away from her.

Another greatest joy that happened this 2022 was when I finally got back to school and was in college. It's another stepping stone towards my dreams in life. It's quite hard maintaining my academics but I'm learning to live with the pressure now. I'm a single mom and a working student at the same time, so time management is quite hard but fighting! Hopefully, I can finish this and receive that most desired diploma ever since.