Today I continue my series, called "Meet My Friend..."

In this series, my goal is to introduce each of you to one of the people I have become friends with here on Steemit.

So,

without further ado...

I am proud to introduce my good friend,

@denissemata

She first joined Steemit in September, 2017.

In her first post, "Know me a little", she tells us she is from Margarita Island in Venezuela.

She also let us know she loves to bake, read, and enjoys the movies. I hope you noticed she used the smiley face emoji in her very first post title--this gives us a hint about her--she is very cheerful and always looks on the bright side of life.

I really loved in her introduction that Denisse tells us about her family. You can tell, right away, that family is important to her. I think this is one of my favorite things about her. Many of her posts feature pictures of her family.

I have never been to Margarita Island, or even Venezuela for that matter, but I looked up a few pictures from there and it looks very beautiful. Here is a nice picture of a beach from there—doesn’t it make you want to go and visit?

The first thing that caught my eye when I began to read her posts was her incredible attitude towards life and difficult circumstances. As many of you know, the economy in Venezuela is pretty tough right now. In spite of this, here is what Denisse said in one of my favorite posts:

Many people say already do not be worth a sorrow working! It reaches you neither to buy a kilogram of meat, since I do not think this way. I do not deny that it is sad and very debilitating to see that the money is like a water between the hands and that you can buy food. But this does not prevent me from continuing working and from wanting a better future.

I think her willingness to work despite the odds makes her one of the strongest people I know. It would be easy, in light of the difficulties of her country, to give up—instead she realizes that work is always worth it. Not necessarily because of what we get from it, but because of who we become. Denisse is very wise--because she already knows and lives this truth.

Another thing I think is wonderful about @denissemata is she works in a bakery. I love baking and thoroughly enjoy reading her posts about the delicious cakes and pastries she bakes.

Here is a one of my favorite pictures she has posted of her cakes—this looks absolutely delicious.

I also think it is wonderful @denissemata can see the potential that the Steemit platform has for each one of us. In this same post (the one with the yummy looking cake), she tells us that for a long time she wanted to go to school to be a chef but was worried about the financial cost. Now, as part of Steemit, she believes she will be able to go and realize her dream. What a fantastic thing!

Denisse is always kind to make thoughtful, cheerful comments. Most of all, she is grateful for the things she does have and focuses on moving forward instead of lamenting tough circumstances.

I think she is going to go far in this world, don’t you?

FOLLOW @denissemata

and

UPVOTE her posts.

You will be glad you did! I am.

I am humbled and grateful to be able to count @denissemata as one of my friends.

**The picture used in this post is from @denissemata , I used it with her permission.

A special thank you to @denissemata for allowing me to make this highlight post about her.

Follow @bigpanda for more flash fiction.