With just a few days left in what's been a difficult year for Joe Giudice, the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" alum is already thinking about the changes he wants to make in his life in 2020.
Inspired by a holiday visit from the four daughters he shares with his recent ex, Teresa Giudice, Joe, 49, shared a pair of Instagram posts over the weekend in which he reflected on his hopes for the future and his regrets about the past.
On Saturday, Dec. 28, he posted a collage of family photos along with a promise to daughters Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 14, and Audriana, 10, that he wants to be his best self in 2020.
Admitting he initially deleted the post because he "got choked up," Joe said he decided to share it after all because he realized "part of regrowth is acceptance."
"This year, I have done a lot of self-reflection," he captioned the pics. "I now know to be Happy and content with who I am and what I have food, bed, air, girls, and family." He went on to write, "All you have to do is love yourself and be the BEST! I'm letting go of 2019 with my beautiful girls but promising them the BEST of ME IN 2020!! They make me proud in so many ways and are my treasures. ❤️❤️❤️❤️."
Joe added an apology for those who thought he "cut my baby out," a reference to part of Teresa's face not making it into the Instagram frame.
The longtime couple reportedly decided to separate in November when Teresa and the girls visited Joe in Italy, where he's been living while waiting out his deportation appeal. He was previously in ICE custody. Prior to that, he served a 41-month sentence for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud.
Teresa spent time behind bars for her role in the fraud before Joe, keeping the two apart for most of the last few years.
"They discussed their future when Teresa and the girls went to Italy in early November and they agreed that each had to move on," a family source recently told People. "They are doing so amicably and very slowly."
Joe's time away from his family seemed to be behind another moving post he shared over the weekend — the famously sad clip from "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" in which Will's dad returns after being out of his life for 14 years, then abandons him again.
"2019 got me all sorts of 😢!" Joe captioned the clip. "The day I left over four years ago to go in is shown in this scene it was worst mistake I made hurting my babies!" He added that he was spending the day taking his daughters to Rome and clearly relishing their time together.
"I want you all to take this exciting ride into 2020!!" he told followers. "It has been the best week of my life being us again! I read a quote in there which stuck with me you cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight. All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination. I'm willing to change for my girls. #motivation #life#MMXX here's to turning 50 new outlook and beginning!"
Joe's daughters, Gia and Melania, replied to the posts with "I love you."
The older girls have also been sharing pics from their visit with their dad since just before Christmas. Their mom spent the holiday with her father, other family members and her ex, Anthony Delorenzo, according to People.