Wednesday, October 28, 2015

TODAY'S MORNING WALK AND MORE...









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I almost missed my morning walk today because it felt good staying in bed... rather overstaying... just feeling cozy and comfy.... the temptation was so great to sleep on. But..... habits are indeed hard to break. So I pushed myself up and out of bed grudgingly and gathered my morning-walk-stuff and walked out the door. Oh yes, I remembered to bring some money for some fruits and to pay my one-day-old debt with Mang Obet, the fruit vendor at the talipapa (market).
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Once I was out on the street the feeling of exhilaration returned and kept me moving at my usual pace and gait.
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You know, I've been at this for so long already that maybe you would be thinking by now that I have become quite jaded or bored with the landscape... both human and natural. Well, it's a yes on some days when the mood isn't there... but a no on most days when a small whisper from within reminds me that it's a beautiful world and life and that there is always something new to see everyday.
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The streets I walk on are the same ... perhaps worn and beaten in some parts through the years... but still good. The people I meet down those same paths are the same people too.... oh perhaps grayer in the hair... have put on some weight or lost a few.... have lost someone or gained a new one.... but still the same normal people in my same normal neighborhood.
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The trees, plants, flowers, animals... the flora and fauna, so to speak... of my neighborhood also seem the same.
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So I reply to that tiny voice inside... 'There's nothing new.' Immediately it comes out right back at me with.... 'You're not paying attention.'
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I'm NOT paying attention. --- I'm not paying ATTENTION.
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Oh boy! Okay, Mr. Tiny-Voice-Inside, let's see what you want me to see.
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From the top of the slope and looking down the road up ahead... it was nice watching the play of light and shadows as the sun began its ascent into the waiting sky. It's the newness of day which warms the soul.
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While I was admiring the view, somebody whisked past me in his jogging shoes and flew down ahead nodding a greeting at the man sweeping the garage of his home, and farther on till he was lost from sight. It's a nice neighborhood when a smile is freely given away like that.
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As I resumed my walk, I saw this bush by the road .. so pretty in its graceful leafy arch stretching out towards the street. Pretty in green! It reminds me of people whose wonderful friendships stretch across or beyond barriers of color, race, or religion.
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Not far from it was this ball-shaped plant and its spiky leaves thrusting out from its center. It's pretty. In fact, so beautiful. So much like life. Sometimes beauty can come from unexpected places.
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And then I came to this ugly stump of a tree. What remains of a once glorious and magnificent tree. Maybe we fail to understand it that these trees in its wonderful way help to keep the soil together thereby giving us the solid ground we walk on everyday. There's more to learn if we would just stop awhile and try to understand.
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Oh yes, that sign there. Garbage! It says 'No throwing of garbage in this area'. Speaks for itself. What about the garbage we find inside our heads... and hearts -- what do we do with it?
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See the plants thriving down on the ground? Talbos ng kamote. .... SCIENTIFIC NAME : Ipomoea Batatas. DESCRIPTION : The leafy part of the Camote plant is familiarly known as the Camote tops or Talbos ng Kamote, Thanks to that sign.. it IS thriving beautifully. ------ It's health benefits ---- It contains protein, dietary fiber, lipid, and essential minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron.


► Lowers blood sugar and cholesterol.
► Regulates good bowel movements.
► Boost the immune system and thus helping to prevent infections and disease.
 

I have it with my meals almost everyday.
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And finally at the end of my walk, a quick trip to my favorite fruit vendor, Mang Obet. Bought a few mangoes, lansones, rambutan, chicos, oranges, bananas... and of course I paid my old debt of thirty pesos. We exchanged pleasantries spiced with his usual contagious smile. Gee, people are lovely!
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In your day there are many things to see.... the old becomes new, the new becomes more interesting, the interesting becomes much more amazing. Just pay attention. Life is beautiful! By God's design.
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Have a great and blessed day, folks! :-) God bless you!



Sunday, October 11, 2015

LIFE IS NOT ALL ABOUT YOU -- IT'S ABOUT OTHERS TOO





The homily at mass today was one I consider among the best I have heard. Delivered by a Filipino priest, it was so simple so much that it was easy to grasp. Unlike some other sermons delivered which tend to fall on the wordy nerdy side of telling, this one talked straight from the heart to other hearts.  Others failing this criteria will find me appreciating the architectural details of the church or chapel more rather than on God’s servant on the mike telling me how to be a good Christian. Oh but I do find others with their own ways of coping with a boring bland delivery… they doze it off or walk out to smoke their cigarettes. (This doesn’t happen with Bishop Soc Villegas with his homilies. In ten minutes, you get the right dose of medicine for your soul. You come out of church happy that you went in.) In this article he talks about ‘homily abuse’……..… 

http://www.rappler.com/na…/88758-bishop-warning-homily-abuse

Today’s homily in essence says about living a life not simply for ourselves but for others, too. Further down the narrative the priest tells of a story of new graduates for the priesthood. When asked how they see their future in about 5 – 10 years in the midst of the political and social problems of the day, the common reply was ‘I’d be very successful… get to a high position… storm the Vatican with my brilliance…’ Then the priest turned to us and said ‘Nothing wrong with all that. But what will you do with what ails your country and people?’

These are times when one is called to be more for others, too. Sadly this is not much understood in some. I have read this somewhere...a writer remarked that the present generation is called the ‘me generation’. The question topmost in one’s head when something presents itself is ‘What’s in it for me?’

Observe our politicians today as they gear themselves for the coming election; notice their gestures, mannerisms, their beliefs, thoughts-words-deeds. Do they seem familiar?

A wise man once said that ‘People are mirrors of you and me. Their good and their bad.’ Thus, they are not just bad politicians to whom we entrust the leadership and management of our country with, we are bad voters too. Is that right?

Selfishness. Selflessness. Two words poles apart (i.e. North Pole, South Pole) in meaning and intent. As defined by Webster…. Selfishness is the quality of being selfish. Selfish is lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure. Selflessness or selfless is having or showing great concern for other people and little or no concern for yourself.

Like mom would often say…. ‘Honey, life is not all about you. It’s also about others, too. Life is about being in this together.’   By God's design.

Let's be kinder. God bless you and your loved ones.


Tuesday, October 6, 2015

LIFE IS ATTITUDE.. HEART.. PRAYER




Musings on a surprisingly sunny day! The storm threatening our shores must have passed. Did somebody say it's paying China a visit? Be safe, China.
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To quote... (oh you know already which book I'm quoting...)


LOOK TO THE GOOD
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"Look only to the good,. Look only to what you have, to what God has given you. Do not let your eyes come to rest upon any other thing but the blessings and peace of Christ. Do not fix your gaze upon the negatives, upon the past or the future. Remember, your life is hid with Me. By now you know that I can be trusted and that I have all your affairs in My hands. Not one thing escapes My attention."
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Unquote.
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But first..... I get this tiny suspicion that many of you do wonder why I often quote lines off the book 'Good Morning... God'. The answer to that is simple.
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I am a mere mortal running the course of my allotted life and time on this beautiful planet. Many things cross my path... some good... some bad. I cope with the best I can manage with the inherent skills God has wisely equipped us all with. Sometimes I win... sometimes lose. When times get tough... or when I forget who I am... or when utterly get lazy - crazy - bored - sad - lonely - scared - confused - unbelieving - suspicious - furious... or when simply at a crossroad ----
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The need there is to energize.. recharge.. renew.. reconnect.. reboot my soul. What better way to do that but with the Source. Prayer does a great thing.. and supporting that is a tiny (and perhaps trivial to some) humble book waiting beside my bed. It encapsulates or sums up simply and beautifully my thoughts on life which are humbly presented to God. In turn, God imparts His wisdom to me. He does that to anyone and everyone who stops to listen. Oh let's remember that God works through people, places, events, and things. That's the way He operates.
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And... I sincerely hope you won't or don't mind when I share these treasures with you every now and then.
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Now back to the musings.......
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Positives and negatives... life is full of both. We have no problem with dealing with the lovely positives of life. In fact, we often wish life was only made up of those. Heavenly, right? - On the other side of life's coin are the negatives. Oh brother! these can surely tear down everything you may have built! And you know what I mean.
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But only if you let it!
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So how do you do that? "Look only to the good"
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Yes, I agree it's not always easy. Life's troubles are such that they sure can prick you hard and hurt you harder. But that is when you are asked to fight your battles hard, too... and hardest! Look for the good in your life. It's there.. maybe under some cover... but it's there! Fight the bad with good. Turn the negative into positive. It all takes the right attitude to beat the odds and come out winning.
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Life is ATTITUDE... HEART... and PRAYER. Nope, it is not magic nor is it an instant formula to banish your cares and woes away. It's even better. Because it sure can give you the best chance at winning. And winning..... is God's design for our lives.
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Look to the good. There's plenty if you look hard enough.. or truly seek it with your heart and mind. Frankly, no other better way to live life.
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Blessings, everyone. God sprinkled plenty in your day.. your life
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Sunday, October 4, 2015

YOUR PRESENT SITUATION IS NOT YOUR FINAL DESTINATION






Oh I know there are times in our lives when 'tough' isn't always a lovely go-to word. Sometimes that cliche is not a bit comforting to the weary mind and heart. Sometimes we need more than just that.
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The thing is we won't get any other kind of comfort elsewhere. The real kind of comfort can be found from within ourselves. It is right here where we are-as we are. It is in trying, and I mean really trying, to understand that life is not the villain but just a vehicle on which rides the lessons we should be learning. And learning is what we are supposed to do on this planet.
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Life will happen as it happens to us... mean, hard, nasty, bad, unfair, scary, desolate, dismal, biased, unkind, sometimes hopeless. Yet no matter how easy we may possibly fall into its trap or fierce grip, it cannot really snuff out the spark within that struggles to shine bright and even brighter regardless. May I nudge you to the thought that God knew we needed something to help us along with life and living, so He put that tiny spark there to help us through.
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You see, I have learned that if the story of our life be bad, terrible perhaps, and that the common perception is because it is bad it will therefore mean it will also end bad...... Well, that isn't always the case. It does not have to end bad.
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It is not what happens to you, them, us..... but how you respond to it that truly defines you. What we do with life is who we are. Allow that spark within to shine bright and even brighter out to the world.
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As the cover photo says..... "Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come." And that, dear friend, is by God's design.