As the curtain slowly fell on 2025, prudence — and perhaps wisdom — requires that we pause, take stock and give thanks. Before we face the promise and uncertainty of another year, it is fitting to look back, not with regret, but with gratitude.

In one way or another, all of us had been blessed last year. Some blessings were obvious — successes achieved, milestones reached, prayers answered. Others came disguised as difficulties: setbacks that tested our resolve, delays that tempered our impatience, losses that showcased our humanity. 

Yet faith teaches us that when viewed from a supernatural perspective, even adversity becomes a blessing. What initially feels like a burden often turns out to be a blessing in disguise — an invitation to grow, to surrender and to strengthen our faith. The storms we endure frequently shape us more significantly than the calm seas we enjoy.

For that reason, gratitude must not be selective. We must be thankful not only for what went right, but also for what went wrong — and ultimately went right in more ways we could not fathom. 

I am especially grateful to you, my dear readers. Your continued patronage, kind messages and even gentle criticisms have sustained this space. Many of you took the time to suggest topics worth writing about, to flag issues deserving of deeper analysis and to share materials that enriched my understanding. A column, after all, is never a solitary exercise. It is a continuing conversation between writer and reader, and I am grateful that you chose to be part of that dialogue.

My thanks also go to friends and associates who regularly sent clippings, cases, articles, and commentaries — sometimes with nothing more than a short note saying, “This might interest you.” They did. More often than not, they sparked ideas that found their way into print.

Six years ago, Willie and Chingbee extended to me an invitation to write — a gesture of trust that I did not take lightly then and value even more now. What began as an opportunity soon became a privilege, and eventually, a joy.

Writing this column has been both intellectually rewarding and personally meaningful. It allowed me to think aloud, to explain the law in human terms and to reflect on how the law intersects with everyday life. For that opportunity, and for the freedom that came with it, I remain deeply thankful.

I am likewise heartened by the encouraging words I continue to receive from practitioners, students, and fellow travelers in the discipline of law — some of whom generously refer to themselves as its disciples. Their messages remind me that writing still matters and that ideas — when shared sincerely — can still resonate.

As we welcome the New Year, my wish is simple and sincere: may it be kinder, wiser, and gentler to all of us. May we carry forward the lessons of the year that was and may gratitude — not resentment — define how we remember it.

To everyone who journeyed with me through these pages, thank you. May the coming year bring you abundant blessings. 

A happy and blessed New Year to all.