Hey, hey, hey and welcome to Self Published’s 2nd bonus episode. 

I’m Aziza Kibibi and I’d like to use this episode as an opportunity to show my appreciation. My appreciation for you dear listener, for allowing me to caress your eardrums and penetrate your mind. I mean seriously, there are a lot of podcasts to listen to, television shows to watch, films to enjoy, books to read and you my love, have taken time out of your day to listen to me sharing my shameless journey to becoming a self made author.

I’d also like to share my appreciation for Mark Asquath and the Captivate team for being so supportive and encouraging throughout the process of me creating and publishing this podcast. Captivate is the company where my podcast is hosted. I’d like to share sentiments of appreciation for my offspring/cohabitants for being quiet during the 4 hours I’m locked in my room recording. And though it’s often far and in between, I’m especially appreciative for the moments when my neighbors upstairs take a break from their forever project of trying to crash through my ceiling which happens to also be their floor. I really appreciate that.

I appreciate my mic, my mixer, my computer and all the tools that I’ve been blessed to be able to purchase to produce this podcast. And I’m especially appreciative to my job and my other businesses that help fund this podcast.

But what is appreciation exactly? According to the Merriam- Webster dictionary the definition of appreciation is….a feeling or expression of admiration, approval or gratitude; Judgement, evaluation. 

But like many other words in the English language, the word appreciation could mean something different depending on who you talk to.

For me, appreciation is the conscious acknowledgment of the contribution that someone or something has made to your life. And this conscious acknowledgment comes with a feeling, a vibe that then inspires you to manifest or express to the source of that contribution the feeling you feel, hence showing your appreciation. 

Unfortunately this apparently doesn’t come easy to everyone. I’m not sure if it’s because people aren’t appreciative or they don’t feel it necessary to show appreciation. But I truly believe that if more people showed others their appreciation of them, there would be less sadness in the world. Let’s face it. No one is on an island alone. And if anyone who is, hello, they didn’t get their by themselves.

Before I continue, lets get into a blogpost I wrote December 09, 2013.

It’s called, 

GIVING THANKS

I look forward to the holiday season. I love to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and I revel in the smiles that come after someone opens a gift I gave them for Christmas. 

My father stopped us from celebrating holidays some time ago. I don't even remember exactly when, but I remember controversy between my dad and my mom's family surrounding Christmas,

Easter and Kwanzaa every year. When my aunts tried to give me and my siblings Easter baskets, he didn't allow us to except them because he said they purchased them after Easter, when the baskets went on sale. Sometimes I was allowed to keep the toys my extended family gave me for Christmas; that is until my father threw them away before spring the next year. 

Well, now that I have my own family, I make sure I make up for lost time. 

My first Christmas after I got my children back from foster care, was especially memorable. I couldn't afford a Christmas tree so I bought a spiral "tree" made up of lights from the supermarket.

I spent most of December that year checking the newspaper for community programs that were giving away presents to low income families. I made my way around to four different organization collecting wrapped boxes that said 'boy' or 'girl' so I could make the small space under our vertical light display overflow with boxes with...