When the clock strikes twelve, numerous fireworks are displayed above as it colored the darkest time of the night, filling every person with varied emotions. The glistening lights in the sky and the booming sounds surround our ears. The bright smiles and laughter create a scene that shines like gold in our memories.

As we welcome the new year, it also marks the second year of living a life while in a pandemic. I slowly realize and see the whole world from another point of view. It has been that long since I last stepped foot outside, but not quite literally. To be honest, I didn't really expect to see fireworks being displayed in the sky. People are flocking around each other’s homes and partying outside the streets. I was worried about what if while we welcome this new year, what about the medical workers and the other frontliners still at work? What about the people who are in hospital beds, alone and wanting to feel their family’s warmth the second the clock strikes twelve? It felt like there was still a void from before. Not everyone is happy. Not everyone is content. Not everyone is full. I could still see the news filled with a rising number of cases, continuous lockdowns, and limitations to keep us all safe.

Still, it amazes me so much how people find the most incredible ways to find joy and hope. The new year, the fireworks, though bright– it can never match the shining light of hope. No matter how hard it is, the exhaustion and the pain they must endure– they strive to survive. We all do. How our eyes reflected the different colors beaming at the sky, it also reflected the hope we still have in our hearts. I saw how the fireworks lit up and also saw the hope to see the end of this chapter in the people’s eyes.

The smallest things we do to people who give their all to come back home and give something to eat for their family. Even if we do not have something to give, we have that desire to grant them something even if it is little. And, they return something even more special. A smile and words of appreciation. The light of kindness showed up in the cruelest times. An ingredient of hope. I actually do believe that hope does not sprout so casually inside our hearts and minds. It is given as an idea of something to see, of something to believe, and of something to achieve. And it is hardened by our thoughts and by the thoughts of others. Added by the actions and the effort we do. Hope is not just for one. Hope is meant to be shared. It will wash our blinded eyes. Cover us with warmth from the coldest winds. The grayish sky will slowly change as the colorful rainbow shows itself.

The lights we see in the sky will remind us of the hope that never fades. It may flicker, yes, but it never sets off. We still have the light in our hearts, rekindled with new hope and joy we see around our life. Let us not be afraid to welcome a new chapter in our lives, even if we are in the middle of a pandemic. We may change, but we do not forget that hope is still alive.