IN RETROSPECT – A JOURNEY

THE AIM OF LIFE -- SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

2012-01-31T13:49:00.004+08:00

Somebody sent this quote to me some days ago. It immediately set down my thoughts to a dance..... a happy dance. Why? Because those lines are just what I would have wanted to say myself but which somebody else had beat me to it :-) .........

To quote...

"The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises." -- Leo Buscaglia

Beautiful, isn't it? Spiritual exercises.

That's what we should be doing .. to ourselves and to one another. Sadly we often forget that in our daily lives. Instead we set our own sights to things outside ourselves applauding someone or something else when we should be acknowledging our own specialness first as being the work of God's hands. Have you ever thought that maybe God wants to talk to us about this?

I say this in the context of understanding our own birthright as children of God. We are special and in being so are equipped by the wisdom of God with all that is necessary to bring out that specialness to others and to the world. Whatever gift you have been blessed with has a built-in mission.... to help make this a better place with who you are and what you have, by God's design.

Remember this line? ---- "There are two ways to spread light; to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it." (Edith Wharton) ....... And that, my friends, is our spiritual exercise.

Stand tall.... strong... brave... empowered to be who you really are -- a child of God. Be happy with that thought. Be HIS light to the world.

May God bless you with His Light and Grace for all times.

WHAT DOES MAKE HUMAN MORE HUMAN..... LIFE MORE LIFE?

2012-01-25T12:35:00.008+08:00

My two girls and I were at a wake yesterday. In a wake after going through the necessary courtesies, I choose to sit somewhere unobtrusively be with my thoughts in prayer or just watch the moving tapestry of life around death.

Life is fragile. Short. Fleeting. So what are we doing with it?

We hone our talents to prepare living our dreams which we strain so hard to reach. We also get into relationships and give it the best of who we are. We try to be good with the thought that God will be so pleased and take us into heaven someday. We get into physical programs or regimen to tone our bodies.. make it healthier, younger or tougher. We get into academic pursuits to beef up our intellectual vigor. We continually raise the bar of achievement with the thought that bigger or greater is better. All with the aim of making life well worth living.

All well and good. We carve out numerous successes from it. We become content.

But my aunt would say '.. the so-called threads weaving in and out of our tapestry is loosely woven yet.. lacking some more thread. Those things for which we drive ourselves to acquire or achieve are needs and wants personified.' 'Built-in', she says, 'for what is a human without them.'

So what does make human more human.. and life more life?

Maybe somewhere out there somebody else of higher mind-greater thought has found the answer. Let me know. Meantime......

- I will pay more attention to the birds singing in the treetops. Call up my dear friend often and not only when I want something. Buy gorgeous fresh flowers for no occasion at all. Express love in tangible ways to family often. Pass it forward without prejudice or bias. Take my morning walks and savor nature's warm embrace. Enjoy the moment. Eat ice cream from a cone licking it like a 5 yr old does. Be generous with praise, encouragement. Speak freely of words which build up people and not destroy. Not wait to be nice nor for the occasion to be nice. Be nice everyday. Be more understanding and forgiving of flaws in myself and in others. Be real. Pray for others more.. even if they don't need it. Tho I think everybody needs a prayer at one time or another.

I remember mom tell me this before.... 'a man is not just a mind, heart, and body... but essentially a soul'. And this, I guess, is the missing thread ... ofttimes neglected in weaving our tapestry of life.

There is the nice prayer I so dearly love. And I know you have come across this before too ......

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Blessings to everyone on this fine Wednesday. :-)

WHO ARE YOUR MENTORS?

2012-01-19T10:03:00.001+08:00

We get plenty.... real people in our lives in the past and present and in the future (who knows who we'll be meeting) --- who in very special ways give us some learning and knowledge that help make a difference in our lives, one-way-or-another in-small-or-huge-measure.

I have my own share too. Some don't even know that they are to me. But they teach me so much more than what I have learned in school... just by living good lives, being led by good attitudes, taking on the challenges of life one day at a time with a good amount of positivity, and understanding the power of faith. Other than my parents and family and close friends, most of them are ordinary simple people... the young housewife who does nails on the side, the cleaning lady, the laundry woman, the 'taho' (soya) vendor, the taxi driver-friend (suki), the elderly jeepney barker at the terminal on the main road who never fails to give my daughters and me his great toothless smile... and many more spread out through the years of my life tapestry.

Somehow in some unexpected unplanned ways we get glimpses or snippets of teaching or learning from them. Unawares and without trying to they open up our world bigger and wider. We come out of each encounter much better persons.

And there is this other mentor or mentors.........

A ray of warm sunlight, drops of rain, a soft and gentle breeze, a budding flower, the bluest of skies, trees doing their nature dance in the wind, waves rolling to the shore, mountains marking the horizon with their greatness and splendor, or quiet gentle meadows and fields, a full moon on a starlit night, the twinkling of stars on a clear night sky, or a huge tree trunk standing -- bare quietly holding up its own testimony on the irreversible passing of time .....

We all sit at their feet as they teach us how beautiful nature is. We learn how so much similar to our human life is its own gift of life. They are born... live... love... die.

All of them.... precious mentors. All of those lessons learned... treasured gems.
And everything in summing up leads to this one simple truth -----
God, in teaching us, uses all of his creation to carry out the job.

May God's grace and light shine upon you! :-)

WHO DO YOU HAVE BESIDE YOU?

2012-01-18T12:15:00.002+08:00

Here's something I have learned from an interesting interview on the radio today....

hardwork
honoring parents and the elderly
good deeds
positive thinking
prayer

All these in essence are good guides to a good life. These are simple things which need no further explanation. We're quite familiar with each. Yet we unfortunately can claim only one or two on that list while the rest have to be relearned over and over... again and again.

Anyway...

At the start of the new year so much have been said about good luck and bad luck. I'm not a fan. You see, even while in our mothers' wombs, already God had our respective lives all figured out.... Everything down pat to our joys and sorrows... the challenges to face... the people to meet.... and the roads to travel. Even our myriad and diversity of successes and failures. I believe that everything in it in that long journey happens for a reason by God's design. And this I believe too... that whatever the trials there is not meant to destroy us in the end as what most would think after going through tough and tougher times most of their lives (as they perceive it to be). If that happens I think that it is more of our ignorance and not because of God's neglect.

Don't get me wrong, life has not been easy for me too and I just like you have struggled with my own fears and doubts, frustrations and disappointments, hurt and pain. I may have been oblivious to its merits then because when you are in something like that you see nothing, understand nothing. But you know what, in retrospect, that was the best thing or things that ever happened to me. Nope I didn't fight back, threw no rocks, punched no face (although it was indeed a big temptation). Why? God took control of my life while I sat humbly learning at His feet. All I did was to bring them all to His care. I just sat there learning from the Master. Through it all I earned my spurs .. of maturity and wisdom. Indeed HE's the GREAT TEACHER.

There is no such thing as good luck or bad luck. But there is such a thing as having the will to --- let go and let GOD --- as you go about the business of living by God's design. Blessings will come far beyond measure -- far beyond your wildest hopes and dreams. You don't need feng shui for that.

You can never go wrong believing ... GOD.
You gotta believe this, that HE will take care of everything -- if you let HIM.

HAPPINESS IS MORE THE JOURNEY NOT SO MUCH THE DESTINATION

2012-01-16T11:47:00.003+08:00

"I have learned .....

That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain,
but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it."
- Andy Rooney

Saw that quote in an email sent to my inbox on this sort-of-gray morning. But gray doesn't stop the birds from singing... Can even hear them chirping at the top of their lungs on the tree tops. Right now several have alighted atop my clothesline in the garage... singing too.

Back to that lovely quote. It's great.. the mountain top experience. Euphoria! It means goals achieved, wishes granted, dreams realized. But that's just part of the whole picture. The rest of it is that part wherein one travels from the beginning and upwards the climb. There with every determined step one takes is where one gets truly acquainted with the learning and growing and the happiness that comes out of it. The overcoming of doubts and fears, the beating down of frustrations and disappointments, the new-found strength, the birth of steady faith, the evolved unfaltering courage, the wisdom to know when to take that two-steps-backward and the one-big-step-forward thing. And if you have the right handle on ... it's going to be quite a life journey you will never ever forget. And the mountain top experience at the end of your journey.......... will be one you surely and truly will deserve.

And this is addressed to a good friend.....
So carry on with the climb. We all are.
God is watching with great love and care.
Good Luck, buddy! Blessings! :-)

BE THE LIGHT SHINING OUT TO THE WORLD

2012-01-12T13:04:00.003+08:00

This picture is a gem. It's been circulating and shared by many on the internet. (Saw this on a friend's fb page. Had to bring it here. Thanks, DB.) The picture tells us something, doesn't it? You know what, we each can do better with that picture... Make it real. First, print the picture. With a cut out photo of yourself (your face), paste it on the head of the nameless kind gentleman offering his slippers. And with pentel pen in hand in broad strokes write ---- ' YES I CAN! '. Then post this in your bedroom or office wall.

YES I CAN..... be kind and kinder, be more giving and forgiving, be free of biases and discrimination, be compassionate and gentler with suffering brothers and sisters, be generous in thought word and deed for the greater good, be proactive in addressing the immediate issues of my community-my country-my environment, be honest and true in all my dealings, be willing to be the channel of God's blessings to others, and be the steady light shining out to the world.

"There are two ways of spreading LIGHT:
To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."
-- (Edith Wharton)

COURAGE - AN ARMOR, OUR ARMOR

2012-01-11T12:28:00.004+08:00

"Every man has an obscure respect for courage in others, especially if it is moral courage, the rarest and most difficult sort of bravery... It makes the very brute understand that this man is more than a man."
(Passage from Life of Christ)

Courage... what a beautiful word that is! And who says it's only for the select few who eat challenges for breakfast. Courage -- you see it on the streets, you sense it in your friends and strangers alike. Because we all have our stories to tell. Our personal histories which stand as testimonies to a life splattered with all that you can imagine would happen-will happen. That's life.

Imagine a movie of your friends' lives and you sit there glued to what is happening or being said or done. You see the failed dreams -- the fierce struggles -- the unfairness and meanness of some hearts -- the frustrations that bring one down to his knees -- the silent tears, hopes and dreams -- the anger welling up from utter desperation -- the ebb-and-flow of faith -- the masks put on because he's been told that he can't let the world see his misery. You're seeing his life.... but you're seeing yours too. Because life knows no rank but treats everyone the same with trials, turbulence, struggles, and fierce challenges. Everyone. There is no trouble-free life... or trouble-free person.

Courage in whatever form, huge or small, is what takes us down the journey each time. It's what turns our eyes to the skies looking for that rainbow or searching the far horizon for traces of one's dream. Or looking for the sun behind or beyond the gray clouds of misery. It's looking into a stranger's eyes trying to see a friend. It's that hope attached to a resume for a job and future so-desired for self or family. It's that once flickering faith in the heart now reborn on seeing doctors, nurses, medicines working to help heal the disease shaking his body. It's the soldier at the forefront fighting a war that isn't even his. It's a old wrinkled farmer working bent and weary under the fierce noonday sun. It's a middle-aged woman washing other people's clothes for a measly sum to feed her fatherless children. And more... so much more.

Courage is what you see everyday. It's the face that makes life real. It's what we have plenty of. It's what life is made of.

Stand tall with your armor of courage. It's God's gift.

THE SMALL VOICE MUST COME FROM THE HEART

2012-01-08T21:45:00.003+08:00

I watched the movie 'Smurfs' with my daughter last night in the living room. Cute entertaining and amusing lil' characters. But there was this line said by Papa Smurf in that scene with Neil Patrick Harris which stuck to my mind long after the movie was over.... Not verbatim but in essence it goes this way -- 'In knowing what to do, the small voice must come from the heart.'

But how many of us do listen to that tiny voice in our hearts? And do we ever listen? Easily we attach more importance to what the mind dictates. Like it never fails us. Well, sometimes it delivers where and when it should. But I have learned that some things are better thought of or lived from/with the heart.

Better exemplified with the people in our lives. People give life so much meaning. Reason enough that we should and must handle it with care. And it's better done with the heart than anything else there could ever be.

Oh sure we also get the 'unlovables' -- unpleasant characters to say the least. Nope, I don't pretend to love the hard-to-love characters in my journey. That's not how it usually works, in reality. But on looking at the bigger tapestry of life, that too (if you'll think hard enough) is part of our growing and learning. Nothing is ever bad if you try to look at it from the standpoint of God. After all there's always a reason for things happening, by God's design. You have to learn to look at it that way or you'll go crazy trying to figure it out.

When you deal with people, it's wise to think twice first. More often we get confused or bewildered as to what the right thing to say or do at any given situation good or bad. We can make mistakes with that confusion and risk hurt feelings or hearts broken. It's a pull between 'reaction' and 'consideration'. But if we stop awhile and listen to that small voice from within.... right there in the heart, you'll get things right more often than not. On the side of care and understanding.

The heart, as designed by God, speaks the language of kindness, compassion, sympathy, consideration, understanding, empathy, concern, gentleness, honesty, truth, humility, and more which altogether form the heart and person of a child of God. You do know we are created in His image. That's who we are.

That small voice within, coming from the heart, is the voice that makes things right. Let's pay more attention. Try to listen more. The heart, our heart, is the core of our being ..... and the heart is where God makes his home in us.

WHAT ARE YOU GOOD AT?

2012-01-04T13:32:00.001+08:00

In retrospect...........

"I don't believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be." -- -- Ken Venturi

What are you good at? I know a friend who says that he doesn't have any talent to speak of, that there is nothing he can bring to the table or to the world.

Wow! Is he for real? Then maybe he does not know his God - the God who made him. Because God does not create junk.

When you first saw the light of day out from your mother's womb, your life has already been figured out by Him. He placed everything that you would be needing to carry out your mission order. Right, YOUR mission order. And when God does that, it only means that you have been equipped and enabled to work it.

But since He also gave you your free will, much of that will depend on what you intend to do with it. Or your understanding of it.

Your parents help you along to discovery by sending you to school, molding your character in the home, and you yourself get into the mainstream of gathering experience which in turn help shape your inclination. The hint is right there under your nose. Now the question to ask is.... where are your eyes set on? Or your heart.. and mind.

Let's make it simple. The goal of your existence, our existence, is to serve. Jesus showed us the way. But God in His magnificent god-ship decided to make it easier for us by blessing us each with talent. Talent which comes in many forms of thought, speech, and action. It's there for our enjoyment.. yes ... but solely not for our self-gratification alone. It has a purpose, by God's design. And that purpose is to bring God's magnificence out to the world.

Nope, I'm not thinking of doing it on a grand or grander scale. Although some others may or can. Saving the endangered species, preserving our forest lands, feeding programs for malnourished children, building houses for the homeless, and many other worthy causes. That also is part of the diversity of the gift. But to the greater majority of simple lives and simple people, we are matched with it in a more reasonable and realistic scale. Yet ordinary people who can do things extraordinarily well, by God's design.

We do it with our family, our neighbor, our friends, our community, and even to strangers who are called to our circle of life. We bring to them simple gestures of kindness, loyalty, responsibility, hard work, optimism, courage, help, inspiration, encouragement, faith, goodness, laughter and smiles, hope, strength... even our music and dance, our writing and art, our intelligence in science and mathematics, our inventions that make a difference in society, our friendships. There's lots more. You can see yourself in any of these. All with the aim of helping make this world a better place for everyone. Or perhaps just one person. That would still be good. Service with a higher goal. You see, we too are co-creators of our world.

That is God's definition of talent.

So.. the question again is --- What are you good at? Use it! No excuses now, you have to better than you ever thought you could be. God expects it. He planned it. And know what..... 'Whatsoever you shall sow...... so shall you reap.' (Gal 6:7) Blessings to you all!

(Photo courtesy of Mike Kinnaird)

THE NEW YEAR BECKONS FOR CHANGE

2012-01-02T20:21:00.009+08:00

There's somebody I know who faces this new year with such grim anxiety. She says it's going to be the worst of times for people-for the world. That so?

If it is, then we have only ourselves to blame for it. Who inhabits the earth? People. Who comprise life? People and other creations. Who manages the environment and resources? People. Who runs governments? People. Who fights ever so stupidly with wars? People. Oh the list can get long and longer. No excuses now.. it's people no matter how you look at it.

Therefore in simple language, if we do badly at our tasks and role the results will just as bad if not much worse. If we have made of ourselves such poor examples as human beings and of living, we shouldn't be surprised at the mess that follows it.

On the other hand, if we have been our best good selves we would be basking in the glory of our successes and Mother Earth -- she won't have to kick us hard in the butt no more. And God would be smiling happily and proudly.

But wait, there's a lot of good out there still. Individuals who stick out their necks to try to help save fellow beings, the environment, the animal world, work to bring about much needed change, brave enough to go against the tide, who lead with nothing but their own armor of hope - faith - courage - belief.

Because they believe in change. Change will and can get us the brighter future we so hope for. We need change to feed our highest goals and dreams for ourselves, for our children, and for the generations following. We must change if we are to thwart the effects of our bad deeds. Yes we can if we put our minds and hearts to it. Anyone who says we can't isn't trying hard enough himself.

This is the message of the new year. We are given a new slate to step up to our highest potential as individuals, as people, as human beings, as children of God.

And whatever other reasons, rhetoric, meanings ventured out by others, I believe in this simple thing .... the New Year means new start, new life, new hope, new dreams, new opportunity, new reason for doing things right for us and the world. Let's go back to the original plan, by God's design, to live right.

A HAPPY MEANINGFUL AND BLESSED
NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!

WARMEST GREETINGS TO EVERYONE

2011-12-24T09:42:00.004+08:00

For you all.....

a very MERRY and BLESSED CHRISTMAS with your family and loved ones. May the precious blessings of this wonderful season dwell in your homes forever.

Thank you for visiting my blog. It's such delight and pleasure for me. This year has been a wonderful blog journey with you. Bless you.

Sincerely,
Ellen

TALENTS DIFFER - ALL IS WELL AND WISELY PUT

2011-12-15T15:07:00.002+08:00

I was watching children playing out on the street close to the house one day. Overheard were older boys taunting a smaller kid who looked so helpless and defeated. Something they felt he wasn't capable of doing and which apparently they thought they did better if not best.

I feel so bad for the little kid, in fact for anyone who is at the end of such mean taunting or ridicule.

Frankly, that also happens in our adult world.... in different versions but with the same end result of making the object feel so unworthy - inadequate - dejected - and miserable.

But you know what, it is true that maybe the little kid wasn't capable of whatever it was the older boys could do better. Yet I am also sure that the small fella won't be so small with what he would know best too. He has it in him (God put it there) and one day he will find out what... if he hasn't already.

Let's be kind to one another. Because who you think is inferior to you might be quite superior in things you know nothing about. There's more to gain with kindness. Knowledge or talent is the monopoly of none. God wisely made sure of that.

Quoting here wonderful lines along that same thought ........

"If I'm not as large as you,
You are not as small as I,
And not half as spry,
Talents differ, all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut."

Lifted from Emerson's poem -- Fable
(a quarrel between the mountain and a squirrel)

Unquote.

Big thanks to a good friend who sent the poem to me today.
Blessings to everyone. All the best for you this holiday season.

WORDS ARE POWERFUL -- HANDLE WITH CARE.

2011-11-23T09:58:00.004+08:00

This line from a quote may come across as somewhat stern to some. But I think that's not the intention. It's more of real good sense, truthfully.

To quote:

"I am responsible only for what I say not for what you understand." - Unknown.

We never can read a person's mind, no matter how close that person is to us. The mind is a mystery and always will be. So is the heart.

So then when I say things or write my thoughts down, I do not expect listeners or readers to see it or understand it the way I may want it understood. Maybe some will and that's when I consider it such a blessing and appreciate it lots. But some won't or can't or will not. Still good because I respect the differences of our respective histories and nature. People are as different as the wide range of colors in the color spectrum. That simply makes it even more interesting. We may be looking at the same thing but you may be seeing apples where I see grapes -- or maybe you see some good where I can see only utter bad, and vice versa.

But I am responsible for what I say or write. I should be careful that whatever is said or written would not in any way be detrimental to another person's personal growth or well-being. Would not detract from the beauty of his god-given nature and soul. Would not diminish his self-worth. Would give credit where credit is due. Would seek more to understand individual differences and flaws. Would not feed his fears, doubts, frustrations, or even bias. But would allow for his greater potential and possibilities to shine through and out to the world. Better yet to help clear his way or nudge him gently along the path of his life journey, by God's design.

I see every person as my brother or sister -- as equals in this common journey we are taking in life. A travel companion regardless of gender, color, culture, creed or personal history.

It is a privilege and pleasure to travel this same road with you.
Blessings to you and your loved ones.

(A yellow rose, as been said, stands as a symbol of friendship. This is for you, lovely people in Christ. May I say thank you, too, for coming by my blog page every time.)

GOD AND YOUR PARTICIPATION EQUALS ANSWERED PRAYER

2011-11-16T16:17:00.005+08:00

A good friend bemoans the fact that her earnest prayer hasn't been answered yet. I asked her how long... and she replied longgggg! And she added 'so what's wrong with God? doesn't he think my prayer worthy?' Whooah that's taking it too far.

Everything in life has its own allotted time and place and memory that would etch itself into life and living. (Something along that line which Ecclesiastes says so well.) There's no escaping that. Now you would ask me how that has something to do with her prayer. It's this. As hard as it may seem to understand how this works but strangely I think it works. (Believe me, I had some problems with that at the start but with the gifts of understanding and faith I have learned to see it now through the eyes of God.) Not always easy but it is worth trying for.

Time is what it's all about. Everything happens in its own time. The perfect time is not our time but that which God decides for you. And that time is when every factor of your life is in sync with the rest of the divine plan for your life. But He expects your participation in its granting.

You will get your dream but only after you have worked hard or honed your talent to deserve it when it comes.

You will get well but only after you have strengthened your faith and belief in the power of a God who heals. And further if you change bad habits detrimental to your well-being.

You will get your dream job but only after you have scoured all possible areas leading to it. And after you have kept up with the desire and persistence to land one.

You will find a good husband or wife but only after you have learned to love yourself first. Because how can you give something which you do not even have in full measure yourself? Be the person you want to see in others.

You will pass the important college exam but only after you have made yourself study hard and consistently have worked on good grades from day one. There are no short cuts to excellence.

You will overcome hurdles in whatever sphere of your life but only after you truly understand that it solely depends on you..... on your attitude towards life, on how you can understand that success or failure does work itself to make you come out even much better as a person. There is always something in either one that increases your worth and stature, it always adds up and not take away from you.

Your earnest prayers will be answered but only after you understand and understand all these very well ..... after all else has been considered --- after you have done your part --- after your faith has grown stronger with every moment that you prayed...... and when everything is in sync with His divine plan... you will have your prayer. Because God operates on the right timing ----- one that is especially right for YOU.

Oh yes, God sometimes makes exceptions... things called miracles. Blessedly wonderful things. Still it is good to ask from your simple humble human mind and heart with a faith that pleases a magnificent God so much more. Ending your prayer with 'Thy will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.'

BE THE GOOD THAT WE LOOK FOR OR WANT TO SEE IN PEOPLE AND IN THE WORLD

2011-11-14T11:25:00.003+08:00

I believe the lines in the quote below. Though sometimes it's quite a challenge dealing with some rather odd and difficult character types. But I try to remember that basically people are good. That's how God made us all. So when I got this in my email this morning, I simply wanted to share it here.

Nope, we need not have to bother about those who make life miserable or mess things up big time. Well, maybe they could hurt us someway by intent or maybe not cos after all who can read their minds or hearts anyway ..... but they can hurt themselves even so much more than what they might have intended for someone. Because it is always true that 'what goes out ---- comes around.' It's one of the simple truths of life --- that the boomerangs of life can hit you where and when you least expect it. Things have a weird way of finally catching up with you. Everything that we do, good or bad, comes back to us in the same form it was created or intended. Maybe that's God's odd way of rewarding us and on the other hand punishing us too. That's some thought, don't you think?

But that isn't the whole point of my discourse here. Rather it is to say that we need to learn to refocus or set our aim on looking for the good in men and in life. We do know that there's enough bad or misery happening around us... we needn't add anymore to all that. Rather that we should make the choice to highlight the good, to promote it, to advertise it, to assert it, to believe it. More importantly..... to BE the good that we look for or want to see in people and in the world. It's been said and written about in many different ways by many before us... and will still be said by many more after we have gone. But the thought still remains........ to quote ----

"If you look for good, you'll find good.
If you look for bad, you'll find bad.
In life, you always find what you look for.
Only thing that matters is - what you choose to see."

- Unknown –

COUNT TIME WITH THE BEATINGS OF YOUR HEART WITH YOUR EYES ON YOUR DREAM

2011-11-10T12:49:00.003+08:00

This got my attention this fine sunny morning.......

"Life is like having a cup of tea. You sit by the side of the window, Lift the cup and take a careless sip only to realize, Somebody forgot to put the sugar. Too lazy to go for it, you somehow struggle through the sugarless cup. Till you discover undissolved sugar crystal sitting at the bottom... That's LIFE... So move on and stir up your Life ......."
- (Unknown)

So I hope that wonderful quote will turn your attention to all the undissolved dreams sitting there in your heart. It's never too late to get it out up front of your life, begin even with tiny steps. Make it matter whatever it is you may think would feed those dreams. Little is big when the heart is in it.

Don't put up fences yourself; instead break down all those walls keeping you back from realizing your dream. If you have to do one painful task at a time, do it. Because nobody else will do it for you. And if you truly want it very much, nothing can ever stop you. Don't worry about time... Time is always there for anyone who knows how to handle it. Don't think that youth is enough excuse for not starting now. Neither should you think that old is. Grandma Moses did her famous paintings in her seventies. Age is just a number, as many have said, and it is. And even if perchance you don't get there to where you want to be... be comforted with the thought that you have worked towards a dream... for a dream... because of a dream. That you are luckier than some of us who don't even have a dream... or know what it is.

And when you enlist the help of the Big Guy up there, you can never lose. Don't count the days with time; count it with the beatings of your heart with your eyes on your dream. I am :-)

Blessings to you all! :-)

LIGHT TRUMPS DARKNESS EVERYTIME

2011-11-05T12:36:00.003+08:00

Came across this quote: "There's always going to be bad stuff out there. But here's the amazing thing -- light trumps darkness, every time. You stick a candle into the dark, but you can't stick the dark into the light." -- Jodi Picoult

Exactly! Some friends I know curse the darkness with their hearts, hating everything bad that's happened to their lives. I don't blame them. It's hard enough having to go through misery to have to sing along through it. Easier said than done.

But I do know one thing... that bad is just as real as good. That it too has its own place and time in our lives. Yes, nothing beneficial derived from it. Well, that seems to be the general perception. But you know what, when you have gone through so much you come to this new understanding that it's temporary... that it's weakness is its own nature. Meaning that bad is strong as it is also weak. Weak in the sense that you can pierce through its darkness with the right tools.

And what are these tools? Easy. We do it everytime. The tools of hope, love, trust, faith, strength and courage, knowledge and understanding, and the belief that it too will pass... just like everything else in life does. It's fleeting - temporary - impermanent - transient - and that it has no defense against the good that could and would permeate it.

And it has no armor to shield itself against a person's willingness to learn from it. So thus it will be tossed and turned, beaten blue, shaken and rolled around, and squeezed tight until the lessons are extracted from it.

Neither can it revel in the mistakes it pounds upon a person because a person who sees clearly with the eyes of God is enabled to see mistakes as friends and not as enemies. We learn from mistakes.

Good and bad. Yin and Yang. Darkness and light. Each have their uses. But truly 'light trumps darkness everytime'.

Have a pleasant and blessed weekend, everyone! Blessings!

(Photo courtesy PDPhoto.org)

THE HEART IS THE LANGUAGE OF GOD

2011-10-31T11:59:00.003+08:00

"It is the heart which perceives God and not the reason. That is what faith is: God perceived by the heart, not by the reason." ----- Blaise Pascal

The reason why it seems so difficult to believe in God and in what He does for us is because we put our reason in so many other places.... except in the heart. We believe reason for what we think it is as being logical... making sense which we, who consider ourselves very bright smart and intelligent, pride ourselves to understand.

But when is believing in God or having truth faith ever logical or scientific or making sense in terms the human mind alone agrees to? When is it ever bad that in praying to God you sometimes don't get what you want but what you need? Did the world end for you when you cried or were miserable or so depressed over the way things turned out sourly in your life? Did you stop living because you failed, not once but many times? Did it destroy you because you lost a loved one or precious thing?

The answer is NO to all that. Because look at you now. How'd you get there.. where you are at this point in time? Do you think you got there by your own strength, effort, wisdom? Partly perhaps but even that God provided you with. When you lacked strength, He gave you His. How do you explain how you rise up with every fall? How can you explain this when you find hope - help - change .. from nothing at all? How do you explain that despite the numerous mistakes you have made, still you are being blessed with so much more good?

When God answers prayer He answers it with His eyes on your heart.... to what is contained in there. True needs rest in the heart in silence -- a silence God alone understands. So no matter what you may think in your head which often translates itself into your words, it is not what totally nudges God to move. You see the mind and the heart are two separate things, the reason why ofttimes we find ourselves at crossroads in our lives. What moves the heavens is THE heart.

See God with your heart. And if you don't know it still ---- the heart is the language of God.

May God pour out blessings beyond measure upon you and your loved ones, near and far.

P. S. A thought and prayer for November 01 - All Saints' Day .... May the heavens welcome our dear departed ones into the presence of our magnificent God through His Son Jesus Christ. Mother Mary, pray for us the living and those who have passed.

THE GUTTER CAN'T STOP US FROM LOOKING UP AT THE STARS

2011-10-24T13:31:00.005+08:00

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde

Oh I like this quote. See and feel the positive note in there? That's where we should focus our lives on.

Gutter is such an ugly word. For instance ---- the vulgar, sordid, unprincipled gutter mind, gutter emotion, gutter intelligence, gutter spirituality, and the physical gutter that's messing up the face of the earth.

It has its way with us because often we tend to fear it, ignore it, tell jokes about it, or tolerate it ------ more than we would even try to or attempt to lift a finger to resist it, fight it, expose it, censure it.

Luckily some of us have found the secret to rise above it -- overcome it -- or bash it down to smithereens! By fearlessly lighting the candle of HOPE in their hearts.

We are made free by keeping our hope - faith - courage - optimism - positivity - and dreams alive. And move our lives forward by living and acting on those principles.

A star-studded sky. Keep looking. Find your star. It's just there waiting for you. Besides there's enough for everybody.

Blessings!

WRITE BECAUSE NOBODY ELSE CAN OR WILL WRITE IT FOR YOU

2011-10-18T20:54:00.002+08:00

To someone out there who has this huge dream, or even the smallest dream of writing.... allow me to say this .........

Write because nobody else can or will write it for you.

Your talent is not meant to be stored away in a dark corner languishing in anonymity. If you are afraid that people may not like it nor read it. That's the least of your problem. What should concern you is what your heart is nudging you to do. And if it says 'write'.... then listen to it and write. Write for the joy of writing. Write because you love to write. Write because you have something to say. Write because it feeds your dreams and your soul.

And don't worry about making mistakes, to do a good thing well you have to make some mistakes along the way. But learn and learn well. Don't fake it; write what you know. And remember that a good piece of writing is one which a reader after reading comes out of it thinking. And when he does that --- Congratulations! you done well where it truly matters! You have made the connection.

Believe that you can....... and you certainly can!!
Good luck! Blessings to you.

JUDGE NOT SO YOU BE NOT JUDGED

2011-10-16T11:46:00.003+08:00

I don't know who said this, wasn't mentioned in the email I received. But it's sure one good quote. What it says is this ----- "You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him."

Now as I understand it we are more inclined to listen to what people say about others and from there make our own judgment about that person. I used to, that was before I learned that people are not always correct in their judgements. That includes myself. No kidding abut that.

Until on this one particular day (in high school) when I found my big BIG lesson. This friend, let's call her Patty, was singing praises about her other friend -- speaking with such high adulation about Wendy's achievements, her sweet temperament, being smart, and etc etc etc. Added that I should meet her. Okay, I was curious now to meet this person who seemed to be after my job as best friend to Patty.

So we met. Pretty, big brown eyes, long black hair, fair skin. She would stick out in a crowd indeed. And we girls talked the usual 'girl talk'. Clothes, shoes, handbags, cute boys, brownies and ice cream, monster teachers. And I sat there and listened intently to her chatter. She knew the latest fashion trends, knew almost every high school boy worth knowing, and carried on a monologue on the worst teachers she met alongside some of the girls she considered boring - bland - stupid - geeky - ugly - lousy dressers - and weird.

Then it hit me hard like a huge rock to my head --- she wasn't the girl Patty so admired after all. What came out of her mouth belied the nice smart sweet person Patty praised so highly to me. She was pretty alright.... but her mind and heart was not!

When I got back home that day I thought about Wendy. If I may have in the past sounded like her spewing out negative jibes at people and things, then the people listening to me right there would have reacted towards me so much the same as I had reacted towards Wendy. Awful, isn't it?!!

Well, to cut a long story short, this one high school girl learned one big lesson out of school that day. Sometimes the best lessons can be found outside the classroom too without the help of books.

My Favorite Song

2011-10-15T11:09:00.003+08:00

AS TIME GOES BY
(From the movie Casablanca)
Played on the piano by Fabrizio Caligaris

Lyrics:

You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.

And when two lovers woo
They still say, "I love you."
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by.

Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date.
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate.
Woman needs man
And man must have his mate
That no one can deny.

It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die.
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.

(Sorry, folks, but the owner of the first video posted was removed. Here's another version as beautifully played as the first one. Just click on the title song. )

IN MEMORY OF MOM

2011-10-12T16:11:00.001+08:00

"Lettre à ma mère" - by Richard Clayderman

I want to do this for my mother. This piece translated means 'Letter to my mother'. What can you say to your mother... no words suffice for what's in the heart. So many plans I had planned for her but God to my sadness had something else in mind. He took her away and just when I needed her most.... and just when the dreams were almost in my hands. So close -- almost there. But when it did come ... it came to an empty heart, an irreplaceable inconsolable void. Still is, always will be. My heart aches with her memory. Nope, don't need nor wait for a Mother's Day because each time she comes to my mind is a 'Mother's Day' to me. And that's for as long as life is.

WHAT A DOG AND A CAT CAN DO TO YOUR IMPORTANCE

2011-10-08T14:20:00.005+08:00

"In order to keep a true perspective of one's importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him." -- Unknown

Love that quote. I go back to it every time my human impulse is to revel in vanity or ego. Oh yes, we all do that secretly or blatantly. Humanly natural. But it can become quite annoying when we take it so seriously. Otherwise it simply comes and goes.... just like a good pat on the shoulder for a job well done.

We are important only as we see that importance from the perspective of doing what is expected of us as intelligent creatures above our four-legged brothers. And essentially important as we are able to see ourselves as God sees us. Can't fool the Big Guy upstairs.

My pet dog Maxie adores me and I revel in her adoration and adulation... I'm important to her. I'm great to her world.

My cat Miko is the exact opposite... I could go walk by him in all of my human splendor and importance and he would just sleep through that experience. Yawns at my face sometimes.

Maxie sends me off to cloud 9; Miko puts me back on the ground.

Importance -- it's not the be-all and end-all of everything nor of you. That is all that we need to know about that word.

IN REMEMBERING MY TEACHER

2011-10-05T13:31:00.004+08:00

"An understanding heart is everything in a teacher, and cannot be esteemed highly enough. One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feeling. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child." --- Carl Jung

I have been blessed with good teachers.... well, most of them. Cause we do know that sometimes you get one odd thing in the same bunch. They were good, brilliant. Drove home the lessons well with their teaching, books, homework. Learning from them was great.

But one stood out... a nice sweet simple petite lady who stood out not only for her brilliance but for the warmth injected in her teaching. The class wasn't just a roll call of names. She connected heart to heart. I often felt that it was almost like she was reading my mind every time she caught me looking at her when a subject was being discussed. "Okay, Ellen, what's on your mind?" And again when my mind strayed to something far away unrelated to the subject at hand. She'd ask "What's on your mind now?"

I like hearing those words from her. Nobody asked it the way she did. I felt that I mattered, that whatever it was I was having trouble with.... it's going to be alright somehow. She made me feel that I was someone, that I was not a weird odd nutty person thinking my thoughts about the universe... about people, good and bad... about life and its mysteries... and about the challenges of living in my tiny corner of the world. I was a person, not just a name. She saw me, she knew me, and understood me. She cared. She was all heart and the mind just followed close behind it.

I learned much more from her than the other dozen or so. She not only nourished my mind... but too my soul. God bless her.

WHEN PRAYER TOUCH ATTITUDE

2011-10-01T22:08:00.004+08:00

"Sometimes Prayer doesn't change the situation,

but it changes our attitude towards the situation
and gives us the hopes which changes our entire life."
- Unknown.

Saw this quote in my notes this morning. Beautiful one, isn't it? You know this is also true. But I don't mean that God never answers our prayers. He does but in different ways -- 'wait' 'later' 'not today' 'let's try something else'. Now we all know that, don't we?

This quote though tells us about prayer and attitude. An exquisite truth to learn and keep. And I think that is what prayer really does to us apart from nudging us to up our faith. Prayer alters the way we see our problems, our worrisome struggles or trials, our anxious wants and desires. No, it does not banish them all to never-to-return-again. The problems stay there as real as your pizza pie. But it restores your appetite for the pizza pie and eventually you would devour it leaving simply bits and shreds in the box. By the way, I love pizzas too.

Prayer makes you see things differently. It somehow opens a door which all this time remained closed as your heart and mind battled with your perceived curse. Prayer opens it and takes you through that door and all seems like new --- All that you feel inside you. You feel hope, quiet joy, bigger faith, rock-like trust, renewed courage and strength. You see heaven and your day from a new set of eyes - a faithful heart - an enlightened mind.

Doesn't that give you all the reason you may need to pray?

Pray as you are - wherever you are - for whatever need and reason. God always hears. Be it a quiet whisper or a silent sigh or a lonely tear in the dark of the night. Bring your heart to God. He knows what to do with it.

May you all have God's blessings to your prayers.

WE ARE AS SMALL OR BIG AS OUR BELIEFS

2011-09-30T10:19:00.003+08:00

"BELIEFS - We grow as big as the things we believe, and there we stop. Beliefs are creative, and they also are restrictive. They make us what we are, and limit us to what they are."

(Roy L. Smith)

The dictionary says that 'belief' is something believed or accepted as true. That covers a wide range of somethings. Exclude religion though because I'm not going there with this. Not yet anyway.

This subject came to mind when a friend remarked that he believes people to be selfish. That's a harsh thing to say but I respect his right to say it. It's his belief; he's entitled to one. But when you say that people are selfish (a sweeping statement, by the way) ..... it's not because they are but I think there must be a story behind it. Something must have happened somewhere there in their own tiny niche in life. Life presents us with so many challenges and battles which undeniably affect us in different measure and degree of discomfort or unpleasantness. As we live through it, these impact - form - shape our experiences, insights, opinions, attitudes, perceptions, and responses to life. Everybody has his own history. What is inside that undoubtedly creates the person that you are. It forms character and personality. Thus is born our beliefs.

But we should remember too that we can be as small or as big .... creative or restrictive --- as our beliefs. We are what we believe. Believe in potential, opportunity, greatness, talent, hope, faith, GOD, and in the basic goodness of man. Believe that yes there is both good and bad in life... but we can learn from 'bad' and be immensely blessed by good.

Blessings to you all! :-)

THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS

2011-09-24T14:05:00.004+08:00

---- This was a question from a good friend in our usual lunch get-together with the rest of the gang..... 'what is the true measure of success?'

That's a good question, don't you think? The answers vary and it will depend on that person's sense of priorities in life..... on what he deems far more essential to make one's mark in the world. So when I heard that question I waited to hear what others would say bout it. It can be so revealing.

A nice house and car or houses and cars, a high position, dozens of titles attached to their name, substantial bank account, expensive clothes, the best of schools for their children, a successful profession and career, travels several times a year, luxury perks, and moving in high social circles.

All well and good. It's all been worked hard for. Those were and are dreams fulfilled. Blessings from a good God.

Just like everybody else I have my own dreams... some have materialized, some are still in the work process. But as the years go by and after looking in serious retrospect at my world and everything in it, I saw something else which shook up my thinking cells big time and made it rearrange themselves - reorganize - regroup - reset.

This is a material world. I understand that; we all do. That's the world we have been born and grew up in and live with. And around us are many of material people living in the same material world. How is anyone ever going to escape that?

We can't. It's the only world we've got. But instead of trying to escape this consuming materialism which engulfs every area of our lives.... we should live through it just as we would but also resolutely rise above it just as we should.

We are given far more than just the material. We can do far more than just the material too. Because the bottom line is that after all has been said and done --- we must and should measure up to the measure that God intends to use with us.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

" Always demanding the best of oneself,
living with honor,
devoting one's talents and gifts to the benefits of others -
these are the measures of success that endure
when material things have passed away. "
- Gerald R. Ford

WE DON'T RECEIVE BUT DISCOVER WISDOM

2011-09-23T12:27:00.003+08:00

"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." --- Marcel Proust

That's a good quote and I like it.

Wisdom comes to a person who takes his journey with an open mind and a believing heart to truths unfolding down the road for his benefit and education. Than armed with this he acts towards keeping the Light shining for the next traveler or travelers coming after him.

May your own journey be blessed with God's light and peace.

FIND - KNOW - EMBRACE YOUR CALLING

2011-09-21T11:02:00.006+08:00

"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you." --- -- Oprah Winfrey

So what is your calling? Have you ever stopped to figure that out? Honestly, sometimes you don't get to know it early in life. Some discover it in midstream when they have something else going for them. Sometimes it comes to you later in life. Much later. But then again who can tell why it is so? Why God so chooses at what time you should or shouldn't? The goal is still the same.

The essential thing to this is that you perform what it is that is being asked of you. That is after you have found out what it is of course. That is the challenge and task HE has set out for you to do. And pronto.

No, it's not to be another Oprah Winfrey or a Helen Keller or a John F. Kennedy or other highly esteemed personality who have made their indelible mark on us and on the world. But why not also cos if it is .. that's something fantastic on a grander scale.

But usually it is in being what you do best with what life and God has given you. As you are. God may want you to be a ...... good mother, leader, priest, father, son or daughter, friend, student or teacher, employee or social worker, nurse or care giver, businessman, pilot, NGO, street sweeper, etc. But this also means that you give it your best shot. If you are a street sweeper, be the kind that does an excellent job of sweeping the streets that people will enjoy walking by your street and admire the work of the hands that did it!

It is in knowing that what you have is not there for keeping. Not really or totally. It is meant for something much bigger than you. I've said this before I know. And you will always hear it from me. Because by nature we always tend to forget. We forget a lot of things we should be remembering............... birthdays, anniversaries, grandparents, good old friends, appointments, favors, and more stuff which give meaning purpose and reason to our lives. We forget to be kind, friendly, compassionate, sympathetic, generous, helping, understanding, tolerant, human and humane, non-judgmental, forgiving, trusting where trust so inspires, believing in a greater good, savoring the simple pleasures of life and living. Like we also always forget to thank HIM for HIS blessings then and now and forthcoming yet. We forget.

So then let's try find our calling. Know our calling. Embrace it. Make it our gift back to God.
Blessings to you all, in Christ.

AND I AM ME AGAIN

2011-09-16T11:28:00.002+08:00

Comes a moment when the heart seems to long for something. Something you can't put your finger on.... elusive... distant... unreachable... intangible... unreal.

When I hear this played somehow my thoughts settle and my heart begins to rest on calm serene soothing strains of this enchanting melody. And I am me again.

(This lovely and exquisite melody "Claudine" is played on the piano by Maksim Mrvica. I could listen to this over and over... again and again. It has become a part of my day... my life.)

TODAY IS SPECIAL. THERE'S NOTHING LIKE IT.

2011-09-14T14:47:00.002+08:00

I like those lines.... no, I love those lines. The now moment. This moment sitting here at the computer typing out these words... this moment is special. Not for any reason but simply because.

Thoughts are special .. one gives birth to it but it takes on a life of its own .. moves from one person to another .. transforms itself as more or less is added or removed from it. It becomes someone else's thoughts until again it is time to move on to the next ownership and experience. Thoughts are timeless.... immortal.

The heart is special. When one looks at his day with his mind.... he will see nothing there but ordinary mundane stuff. But try to look at your day with the eyes of your heart... and you will see awesome - magnificence - beauty - miracles ... things beyond your imagination. The heart sees worthy things from the hands of God.

Life is special. You don't live because you deserve to live. There is nothing we can put into life that would make life worthy. Not by our efforts. It comes from something much bigger than you and me, bigger than life itself. Life is a GIFT. And the Giver has decided to bless us with it because he loves us this BIG!

Make every day, hour, minute, moment in your small temporary life so SPECIAL.

Live SPECIAL with all of who you are.

WE DECIDE WHO WE ARE AND WHAT THE WORLD WILL BE

2011-09-10T14:51:00.005+08:00

--------------
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

Buddha quotes (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)
----------------------

Those lines there tug at familiar strings in the hearts of many, honestly. I know that in any one of these some of us have become slaves to, at some point or another. But just because we have been doing it for ages or because we got it from highly esteemed authorities and cultural or social tradition, it does not mean that it's always right or true or useful or wise... or foolproof. Sometimes these same things serve as barriers or stumbling blocks to genuine understanding and communication. It has to be put to the test. If it be found to stand solidly on the foundation of authentic good ... fine... but it must also be understood that it's not entirely or only for our own personal consumption but rather meant to be shared outward in the spirit of service, truth, enlightenment, progress and change.

We all stand connected, in one popular or odd way. And whatever lessons, knowledge, wisdom, or learning in life we get from it is meant to be passed on and on and on.... to the generations after us or out there to do some service to a greater number you can manage. To help make our world a better place. Ambitious plan? No. But a mission, I believe, designed by Someone up there.

Like life is a gift from God, and that what we make of it is our gift back to HIM. And so why we should learn and strive to be responsible with ourselves, with our fellow human beings, and with what we want our world to be. Everything that is -- is as good or bad as we make it to be. We alone must make that decision. Nobody will make it for us. And it's done day by day, with every task coming our way, with every thought passing through our minds, with every soul crossing our path, in the way we regard Mother Nature and all of creation.

Have a blessed weekend, everyone. May God's light and blessings pour out upon you and your loved ones.

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

2011-09-08T12:28:00.003+08:00

"Promise me this, that you will not allow life to harden your heart because it will if you allow it. Always stay open to the possibilities of a new Love, it could be right in front of your face, and always have faith that God wants you to be happy and he has wonderful things planned for you." ----- Karen Kostyla

Beautiful, isn't it? Yet we fail in all that it highlights. We allow the difficulties of life to harden our hearts...... close our doors to new love and possibilities when we are broken lost and confused..... and doubt our God in His plans for us when we are at our lowest ebb.

And still.... God loves us inspite of our frailties flaws and imperfections. He picks us up every time we fall. He comforts and heals our broken hearts and souls. He understands the times when we struggle with our faith. Not once, not twice, but all the time.

That said, I think it won't be so hard to keep those promises, Karen Kostyla. Cos we are backed up by the magnificent love of a wonderful God. Hope can't be very far behind. It's just a prayer away.

TRUTHS ARE ROSES WITH THORNS

2011-09-07T11:55:00.002+08:00

----------------------
"Truths like roses have thorns about them." --- (Henry Blinn)

Truths are not always welcome. And why we shrink or shirk from it with elaborately cooked up excuses. Motivated by aversion or diversion from what could be apparent challenges to one's preconceived notion or notions. But all to naught because truth will seek you out. Always. Sooner or later.

Know that to be true?

AUTHENTICALLY YOU - ME - EVERYBODY

2011-09-03T20:44:00.004+08:00

Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass,
A book of rules.
And each must make,
Ere life has flown,
A stumbling block
Or a steppingstone.
------ R.L. Sharpe

That's a good one. Sent to me by a friend. So I guess the question to ask ourselves is ... what are we making with and of our lives ---- our thoughts, words, actions. Are we building or destroying? Are we sowing good seeds or rotten ones? Are we loving or hating? Are we a blessing to others or have we made ourselves somebody's burden or bane?

Let's take ourselves seriously. Waste not precious time and life with being such huge disappointments to the Lord. And in case we forget, let's remember that we were designed or created for good - to do good, think good, speak good, act good. No other way to live our lives. No other way to be authentically you or me or us..... that means everybody.

Remember this popular quote: "Life is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God."

Blessings to you all. Have a pleasant evening.

PUSHING OUR CART THROUGH LIFE

2011-08-31T20:27:00.006+08:00

You see that guy in the picture? A common figure in the tapestry of life... the bigger and smaller tapestry of our collective and separate lives. Aside from the apparent message it pushes out to our brains i.e. dignity of labor... it holds a far more stronger symbolism of ourselves.

That's us pushing our own cart and inside our cart is heaped a dozen or more of our hopes, ambitions, goals, aspirations, or dreams and the nitty gritty details of having them. We carry these with us in our cart pushing hard along the path of our journey. Pushing hard, harder, hardest.

You think that we'll make it?

Unlike the guy in the picture who won't think of losing any of the contents of his cart for some apparent reason I would presume, we can and must do better than that. Cause certainly that's a heavily laden cart we're pushing through life. And it's a long tough journey we're taking no doubt.

So then what's to do? The logical thing.... meaning relieve some of that burden or load.

You see, not all of that load is necessary. Some in there are just there for the ride and then some pretend to be important and again some are downright extra baggage. So you sort through it all and extricate those you don't need or which tend only to hinder your progress. Now this is the part when you have to think... and think hard. What you don't need is the wrong attitude... lack of discipline... hanging on to old comfort zones.... unwillingness to adapt.... fear of change.... weak faith... and other unessential stuff or undesirables you are better without. You know them all.

Because unless you lighten your load it's going to be a huge struggle pushing a gigantic cart with only your mere puny strength.

And when you have done all that and still the pushing is hard. Well, there's nothing like having a good strong friend to help you push. And that's what God is there for. Bring Him along; you won't regret it.

Note: Picture is courtesy of a friend. Thanks, Perry.

PATIENCE IS WHAT YOU DO TO YOURSELF.... WHEN LIFE BECOMES DIFFICULT

2011-08-30T16:00:00.006+08:00

Nobody can give you patience. You give that to yourself. Nothing can make you patient. You train yourself to be one. Many things will go wrong in your day or your life. That's a fact. Nothing will and can assure you of a hundred percent outcome according to your expectations, requirement, or plan. Things can and will go wrong at some point or another, like it or not. That includes people. You can't heap on them your expectations, goals, or dreams and expect them to run it through with precision and exacting detail. Well, maybe in some but then that does not always happen; it won't happen. Always something somewhere would go crazy. Different folks; different strokes.

Life and people are both unpredictable and ever changing. If you tend to be steady, unbending, and resolute in your dealings with everything and anyone crossing your path, expect to be disappointed because your expectations will be dashed to the ground eventually. Not because they failed you but because you have failed yourself. Impatience rises from your utter frustration of not getting what you want or of seeing that you are losing your desired control of situations or people.

Because that's the way the cookie crumbles. Your cookie.

Unless you understand and learn that you need to develop patience. The kind that is nurtured by self and shaped by a broad understanding of how things work with life and living. The kind that allows you to think the matter through and not allow emotions to lead you. The kind that can afford to give generously to seeking the greater good thus making allowance for imperfections and human flaws. The kind that does not insist on self-satisfaction first and last. The kind that believes and trusts in the power of God to work things out for good.

Patience is what you do to yourself when things around you don't go the way you want it to. Patience is knowing in your heart that there is a bigger Power at work and this power makes things right for you and everyone.... sooner or later. Just believe.

God is very patient with us -- how can we be anything less than that??

SUNRISE - SUNSET

2011-08-25T23:38:00.001+08:00

Every time I see a sunset or think of one, my soul soars high up in the clouds. Might even take me higher to heaven's gate. I can't imagine how something as magnificent as a sunrise or sunset could go past our senses or being. It's magical. But why must it be so fleeting? Would it not be wonderful that it stay and wrap its magical glow around our souls forever. I'd like to be in that moment for a lifetime. Wish!

Fleeting.... that's what it's saying. Like everything is fleeting. Life is fleeting.... the good, bad, sad, joy, grief, fear, worry... and everything else laid down on our plates. Everything that comes to us come for some reason but certainly and sadly not to stay. When these things of life - love - experiences have done its job it moves on to touch other lives too. But unfailingly leaves behind those precious memories which hold us close to life. Memories which hold a promise.... Like a sunset assures us of a new morn... a new day... a new life... a new you.

Cherish the sunrises and sunsets of your life.

Blessings to everyone.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME IS STILL A ROSE

2011-08-21T11:31:00.003+08:00

A rose is such a beautiful flower that standing inside a flower shop amidst a myriad of roses makes my senses swim in sweet confusion and delight. Comes in different sizes, colors, varieties, and numbers. Yes numbers, take three red roses and it simply says 'I love you'.

Makes me think of friendship ..........

Good friends and friendships are there in times of joy and sorrow, success and failure, sickness and health, love and hate, wealth and scarcity, strength and weakness, smart and sometimes when you're just plain being silly or stupid.

A friend knows much about you and sometimes even more than you know yourself. Can read your mind and the secrets of your heart. Knows when to be silent or be such a nagging freak to you. Understands when others have ceased to be or don't care.

A friend stands by you when others choose to be somewhere else. It doesn't matter if you're walking on one leg or see with only one eye or have this uncanny knack for doing the wrong things 90% of the time. But of course to this, a friend would find the biggest hammer to bang your head with and knock you back to your sense. The rest would be up to you.

A friend, as that lovely old song goes, is often the wind beneath your wings.

Friends come in different sizes, color, creed, culture, education, breeding, orientation, and other things besides. But.....

a friend by any other name is still a friend. Just like a rose by any other name is still a rose.

Cherish your friend or friends -- those who truly matter in your life. They matter.

HAPPINESS AND CHANGE ARE CLOSE COUSINS

2011-08-16T16:34:00.005+08:00

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The shortest distance to change is knowing that you are unhappy. You start from there. Then some action would come from that maybe not overnight but eventually. It could be anger, pity, frustration, depression, and others more that would make you even feeling worse. And worse it is but.....

as a good friend further added --- it makes you feel so bad, revolted, and darn fed up with it all that it pushes you to a firm resolve to have no more of it from now on! She should know... she went through that kind of hell.

What did she do next? Simple. She picked herself up, determinedly shook off the dust, shut rather slammed the door of her sad past.. locked it, threw away the key and never looked back since. And now she is one happy lady moving on with her life, having lots of good people around, happy with family, enjoying a good job, and thanking God for making her see that she was unhappy and was needing to change.

Sounds so simple, doesn't it? Admitting you're unhappy. But that's just half of the battle and solution. The other half is having the courage to change. But admitting that you are unhappy is the first step towards the change you want for yourself. Unless you see it for what it is instead of creating so many excuses to ignore it, you will never make that big start. Seeing things honestly and where you stand in it does set you down straight on that desired road without a moment's waste. Then you can get moving!

LIFE IS A JOURNEY OF FAITH

2011-08-11T20:09:00.003+08:00

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This morning I got this nice email from a good friend. Let's leave the letter alone in respect to a wonderful person and friend.

But, let me tell you my story.....

I was in a similar situation in my life.. Doing something important and yet not what I really wanted. Yet keeping the hope alive that God would finally send me something right up my alley in passion and interest. My fond dreams materialized.

I was bored with that and although I gave it my best shot it wasn't really me. While in it something got me to thinking ... in retrospect. Maybe God wanted me to be simply there for the moment... maybe there was something God wanted me to acquire in skill or ability or spiritual attitude.... maybe there was special work God wanted me to do for Him right there with who I am, with what I have, and with whose company I was.

So to make a long story short, I refocused and realigned my sight to the realities of the moment. Knocked my head to tow the line and kicked my heart to stop it from wandering elsewhere. My prayers became different. --- I simply posed one question to myself: What is it going to be, faith or no faith?? I made the decision of faith... apparently a not so easy decision or choice. But I did what I thought God wanted me to do --- DECIDE to have faith... and like He said even the size of a mustard seed. And the rest is up to Him.

Did my life improve? Far beyond my expectations. Nope, I'm not rich yet......... hahahah. But in matters most essential to life, heart, and living, I think God is so generous in His blessings. Transformation wasn't done overnight.. took some years.. and struggles or battles of faith. A roller coaster ride, so to speak. One thing I learned from those struggles... when one decides to have faith -- God will make sure that you will keep it. One other thing I learned -- faith is a journey.. small ones, big ones, one or two or several.. which we take day by day, every minute, every hour. A life of faith is what God requires from His children. There is no other option.

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May your own journey of faith be a blessed one. Keep the faith. Trust HIM.

GOOD BATTLES ARE FOUGHT BY GOOD MEN

2011-08-07T22:51:00.003+08:00

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This quote caught my attention today.....

"A lot of life is dealing with your curse, dealing with the cards you were given that aren't so nice. Does it make you into a monster, or can you temper it in some way, or accept it and go in some other direction?" -- Wes Craven

Don't we sometimes find ourselves in that same boat at one time or another in our lives? Not nice, aye?! But the wonder of it all is that we survive. We do our best with what's laid down on our plates, good or bad. No, not everybody is turned into a monster by it. Maybe a scanty few but these are the exceptions rather than the rule. We suffer yes ... does cause us a lot of pain. Ofttimes in the middle of the night we shed buckets of tears like an unstoppable stream. But when the morning comes we rise and wipe our eyes dry and bravely step out the door to face our challenges anew. That's how tough we are.

There are many ways to fight our battles and we sift through those and find something that will work for us. Although there's no guarantee that the choices we make would be the right ones... no guarantee that we wouldn't fall not just once but again and again... still we hang in there fiercely and believing that one day everything will work out just fine.

Because they will... maybe not today but eventually they will.

Good battles are fought by good men; nobody can put a good man down easily. He always wins... sooner or later... but he wins!

BUILD WALLS OR BRIDGES?

2011-08-03T11:56:00.003+08:00

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Just finished with breakfast on this gray rainy morning when I thought that I should be checking my inbox for mails. And clear it of junk too which I do on a regular basis. Well, I got this lovely forward email from a good friend which contained a list of quotes. All good, some I've seen before, and a few I've used in my writing. But I was drawn to this particular quote which struck me as inspiring. Here's how it goes.....

"SOME PEOPLE ALWAYS THROW STONES IN YOUR PATH. IT DEPENDS ON YOU WHAT YOU MAKE WITH THEM..... WALL OR BRIDGE?? REMEMBER YOU ARE THE ARCHITECT OF YOUR LIFE." -- Anon.

Criticism ... nobody wants that word, it sounds so negative. It's unwelcome. Most would, on receiving criticism, take it as an affront offense or hurt. Well, that depends on intent. But we can separate good criticism and bad criticism easily by this simple measure: bad criticism destroys ... good criticism builds. While bad criticism blocks creativity, good criticism inspires it.

Life though is never without one or the other. In fact both are laid down on our plates just like Yin and Yang.

So then what to do with that will depend on how we understand things. Knowing ourselves well gives us an edge simply because we know both our strengths and weaknesses. Faced with what is true in both aspects we tend to respond easily with grace and open-mindedness. What should come after mistakes and being criticized for it is -- growth and wisdom.

And when people throw 'stones' at you, understand that it is not because they are more knowledgeable than you are or smarter or educated.... but rather because they have understood so little of what's happening to you or something. They didn't bother to know at all. And that already is a huge stone hurled back to their faces without you helping it along.

In fact you should be thanking them --- those who throw these stones at you. Why? Because they have, without aiming to, given you all the tools you may need for building or creating better things with it. Foremostly, they empowered you to be your better self.

As it's been said ....... It all depends on what you make with them; you are the architect of your life.

KINDNESS - PASS IT ON!

2011-07-28T10:48:00.002+08:00

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"Pass it on! Kindness is like a snowball that's rolling down a hill. Each unselfish act or word is another snowflake that greets others... creating something much larger in the process. Whether it's a big deed or a little one, just do! Each day find the opportunities to do something kind that will make a difference in the world around you." ------ Mac Anderson

I'm looking for kindness everywhere I go. And it's not the big acts of goodness that I'm searching for. It's the little ones that oftentimes go unnoticed. It's because these little gems tell more about a person than the big flashing ones do.

Now you ask me.. why this interest or unusual pursuit? I'm going to write about them. It needs to be put out there for the world to see.... both the giver and the act.

I'm sick and tired of the kind of news that's making the headlines on TV, the radio, or the daily papers. They make it seem that we have a dearth of good people around us. That good does not matter. That this is such an evil society with people killing each other for the silliest of reasons.. and smart people are smart with bad motives.. the exploitation of the deprived and underprivileged... that bad are packaged to look good and good made to look bad that you can't tell one from the other anymore.

To this my best friend quips --- 'That's our world today. Can you imagine what it will be like tomorrow?"

Okay, that's quite a ton of pessimism she's heaped on me. But, my dear friend, this is a big wide world and gazillions of people inhabiting it. Different people of varying education, upbringing, orientation, culture, religion, breeding, character, and other things more which make them quite different from one another. That's a lot of bad people to contend with, you know, if you would consider them all bad. You might want to say -- "Stop the world -- and let me OUT!!"

Anyway, I'm putting one tiny word on today's agenda ---- KINDNESS. It's a small big word. Often taken for granted, ignored both in high and low places, many times dealt with in utter suspicion, and sadly not given its space to shine.

Kindness is out there and it needs to be recognized. And don't think that it always has to be a huge grand show of generosity or goodness. Not always. Usually it's just like this teeny-weeny buds of a wild plant which blossoms and beautifies the meadows and plains... just as the bigger gorgeous flowers do. And by the way, while we're at it.... kindness begins with you and me and so with many others more. And we need to pass it on. Now! Help me tell my friend that she is wrong. Because she is wrong because I believe this still is a beautiful world!

START WITH SELF

2011-07-27T13:39:00.003+08:00

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A good friend online sent this to my inbox. Glad that he did because it is one of the most powerful though simple piece of writing I have ever come across.

To quote........

"But where to start?
The world is vast. I shall start with the country I know best, my own.
But my country is very large; I had better start with my town.
But my town, too, is very large.
I had better start with my own street.
No, my home.
No, my family
Never mind, I shall start with myself."

(Elie Wiesel)

Unquote.

It's as simple as that... 'start with myself'. But sadly we don't. Well, not often as we should or must. Funny but we seem to get so much thrill in pointing the task or blame on others. We say ...... It's they who should change, they should do the dirty work, they should stop their bad habits, they should be praying more, they should do the noble and higher goal. It's always --- he, she, they or them.

But where are we in the bigger picture of things? Have we made ourselves part of the change? Are we there where things are happening and not under the cover or safety of our comfortable shells? Are we willing to take risks for a better life for self and the family, home, street, town, country? Do we bite our tongues rather than speak out when we should? Do we crumble at the merest pressure? Do we hesitate in writing down our thoughts on something controversial yet which we believe is true? Do we turn the other way when we see crooked practices from men and women of religion, position, and uniform? Do we simply look with distance and disinterest at cruel and unfair practices of man towards man... or man towards animals... or man towards the environment?

You want a better world, country, town, street? --- Start with self. A good person creates a good family and home, is a good influence to the neighborhood on the street where he lives. This in turn makes for a good community. A good community creates a good town. Many good towns create a good country. And hopefully many good countries create a better world.

Isn't this what we really .. really want? To get that -- we, as somebody once said before, need to be the change we want to see in our world.

MY NEIGHBOR'S MANGO TREE

2011-07-24T14:36:00.002+08:00

My good neighbor across the street has trees in her yard... but this one stands out being so close to the fence and road. It's a lovely mango tree lush and green. And strong branches heavy with leaves and fruit.. and then some branches sticking out like wayward children. Wayward that this morning my neighbor decided to hire someone to trim off those unwanted branches. It was becoming a risk and threat to the safety of nearby neighbors being so dangerously close to the power lines hanging between light posts.

So this morning I woke up to the sound of someone fiercely hacking on wood with an axe or some sharp tool I guess. I looked out the window and there it was.. branches falling down from the sky or so it seemed. I felt sorry for the tree cos it must have hurt but on the other hand there was an apparent reason for the cutting and the bigger picture it hoped to achieve. Mother nature would understand that too.

So much like life and some people, don't you think? People who are so uncontrollably wired up inside and can't get a good hold of things thereby creating chaos within and without. People with habits and attitudes that brush across others in an abrasive and unpleasant way. People who think that the world owes them everything and live in that bubble of illusion. And many other irregularities of mind, spirit, and character.

And just like that mango tree they need to be clipped too. They need to be trimmed of faulty attitudes or behavior which serve no purpose other than make life miserable for those around them... and ultimately for self. And if they can't do it themselves to change, somebody or something or GOD might come along and put him back on track again or force the needed change to serve the better and greater good. It will hurt of course but sometimes to get to the good part one must peel off unnecessary layers to do that. Pain can be a good thing sometimes. Unwelcome but necessary. It happens to all of us.

Looking back to the activity outside my window I now see a tall handsome nicely trimmed mango tree and a happier safe neighborhood on my street. The trimming indeed served the greater and better good ---- the bigger tapestry of life on the street where I live.

QUALITY ENGAGES BOTH THE MIND AND HEART

2011-07-21T13:37:00.003+08:00

"Quality is never an accident:
It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives." ---- William A. Foster

Some people think that it's impossible to churn out quality in everyday life. I'll say that depends on -- you. You alone will decide what you want your day or life to be. Quality, I have once read in a nice piece written by someone (now I'm forgetting the name Lols...), starts from the heart. And I certainly agree with that. If the heart's intent is to serve honestly and well... or please with the best intention in mind... or seek what is not just good but better or best... or live intelligently for the bigger picture of life.... that in any language I know will tell you what quality is all about.

Quality engages both the mind and the heart and then tumbles out as visible expressions of it to the outer world.

Here's a story of two mothers...

Maria is a full-time wife and mother tending to her family and doing the usual chores to keep the house turning with clockwork precision. Clothes are washed, meals are cooked, children are sent off to school, house is cleaned, dog is fed, and the wifely duties of a wife to her spouse. At a gathering of friends one day, she was asked by one just how does she manage with all that. And she replied .... 'It's a job. That's what wives and mothers do.'

Sarah, a wife and mother, also is a work-from-home employee as an English tutor to foreign students via the internet. She also does the laundry, cooks her family's meals, takes her kids to kindergarten school every morning, cleans the house, feeds her golden retriever and Persian cat, and gives her wifely attention to her spouse. When friends ask her on their usual monthly lunch date how she manages with everything.... She replied --- 'I try to make the home a place they would feel happy, cared for, loved, nurtured. This way I hope to prepare them well to cope with the challenges of the world outside. My family is important to me.... as I too am to myself.'

I guess you know whose star shines brighter. :-)

EXCELLENCE IS WHAT YOU DO BEST EVERYDAY

2011-07-20T11:04:00.003+08:00

"Excellence is...

caring more than others think is wise;
Risking more than others think is safe;
Dreaming more than others think is practical.
Expecting more than others think is possible."
--- Winston Churchill

More often we tend to shy away from -- caring more, risking more, dreaming more, and expecting more....... and would rather stay where it's considered simply -- wise, safe, practical, and possible.

So then maybe it's time to understand that it's the little extra put into something which makes it very special. It's going the extra mile.... believing a wee bit more than the fella next to you dreaming the same dreams.... creating masterpieces out of the mediocre... or doing ordinary things extraordinarily.

A good friend once told me that all these are easier said than done. Well, I told him that excellence also takes practice. You must challenge yourself everyday, pushing yourself farther forward each time towards that dream. You don't stop even if others have. And it is well to understand that even a small conscientious step will certainly create the big moves you aspire for and definitely take you there. It matters.

Excellence is what you do best with the best you can be. Everyday.

(With special thanks to a good friend who sent me the abovementioned quote.)

LITTLE MOMENTS MAKE LIFE BIG -- AND YOU BIGGER

2011-07-18T14:17:00.003+08:00

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A cute 5 yr old girl came up to her mom, who was busy chatting with a visiting friend, and unceremoniously yet proudly placed a piece of paper on her mother's lap. On the paper was a drawing of a smiling little girl in pigtails which was named ME... and her tiny chubby little hands held those of an older woman named MAMA. In the background was a drawing of a smiley sun.. a blue bird, and a tree laden with red apples. The little girl happily raised up the drawing to her mother's face and said 'Mama, for you!". One brief silence... and then the mother told her daughter to 'Go and wash your hands... it's dirty!'

A young woman sat on a bench, one of other solitary benches at the park that afternoon. A slight wind blew and softly brushed her hair. Tiny birds flew up in the air and some flitted here and there on the ground and the pavement near her chirping merrily. She looked down, opened her bag and took out something to tie her hair with. That done she stood up and walked away from the bench and out of the park without looking back.

Little moments. Those ordinary oftentimes considered trivial moments that touch our days and lives but mean more than you could or would ever imagine. Taken for granted things which we often give no attention to because we never really understood.

Life's genuine treasures pass us by because we fail to understand that wonderful things don't always come in dramatic ways and means. Or that not everything is wrapped with glossy paper or colorful trimmings. We pay no heed to the little gestures of kindness.. gifts of joy... proud achievement... familial love and bonding... genuine gestures of friendship... unsolicited respect and admiration... courtesy and honesty.... thoughtfulness and consideration... awe for the beauty of mother nature... unabashed gratitude... quiet times of calm and peace... gems of faith... simple pleasures..... and many more. These fill up our little moments which definitively give so much more meaning to our ordinary lives. These little moments tie up our mundane lives in a beautiful package filled up with treasures beyond compare. These too lead us to discover self --- our long forgotten capabilities to become better individuals where it matters most.

It's the little moments that make life big.... and you bigger.
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Hope this makes for a wonderful Monday to start the week with. Be blessed.

THE PAST HAS DONE ITS JOB

2011-07-17T14:09:00.002+08:00

------
Somebody posed a question and this was the answer he received from someone too. Probably a quote making its way from one hand to another but it certainly made its point very clear.

"Do you know why a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the REAR VIEW MIRROR is so small? ------ Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. Look Ahead and Move on."

I like that answer. The past has done its job. We've learned and have been made wiser by it. Those parts which broke our heart have no part in the present nor in the future. There is no need in wanting to live the pain and hurt over and over again. No need to break your heart repeatedly by your own pitiful thoughts... and certainly no need for it to be brought along into the future; it will only clip your wings if your aim is to fly.

There is more to life than what you can conceive in your mind. The dreams of your heart are there to move you forward. And that is the only direction we are supposed to take.

Move on. Forward.

A SILENT WISH

2011-07-13T13:27:00.005+08:00

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What's on your mind? That's a question I often hear. Not that the person really cared. But it drives me crazy whenever it's asked of me. Well, sometimes it's because I don't really want to tell. But that question does serve a purpose by making us think. Though occasionally some among us would say that people tend to 'overthink' or 'underthink'. Oh I don't mind that, it's their opinion. Different folks, different strokes. But with my two-cents worth.. I think that's better than a 'no think' person. :-)

Minds are made for thinking, whether in mediocrity or brilliance it does not matter, for each has its use which God may know of. Now then that pricks my mind to nudge brain cells to some bit of action this morning. :-)

A good old cousin once told me that -- '..we can never have what we want and what we need at the same time...' Impossible, he insisted. Fine! Maybe he is right... and yet again maybe not.

You see, there was this one afternoon in that wonderful family vacation in Boracay a year ago and which I remember so well ... I was sitting on the beach looking out to the cool blue waters. Just enjoying the moment mindless of the people around me. Pretty soon the sunset in taking its leave made a wonderful show of it floating away down the horizon. In farewell it painted the skies in glorious scarlet and yellow ... filling my senses to overdrive. Gorgeous, simply magnificent. What can you say!! It just leaves you speechless.

But it certainly made me think. It was just what I needed to ease my weary soul... and it did a wonderful job of it. Moreover, it was just what I wanted --- a gorgeous sunset. I love sunsets!! Give me one anywhere and you'll have my full attention.

So to you, dear cousin, I believe that we can have what we want and what we need at the same time..... with the heart. A silent wish which God saw fit to grant.

Have a good day, people. May that silent wish in your heart come true.

SO WHAT'S ON MY MIND TODAY?

2011-07-08T18:13:00.003+08:00

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What's on my mind today..... so asks a friend, not that he cares. :-) But I do care to tell or write about it. Because somebody out there might need to hear it. He or she might need to hear what a day is like in the life of one of God's creation. And after hearing maybe just maybe it would light up the spark kindling in the heart that never was given the chance to shine out to the world brightly. There's plenty of us who live very quiet lives holding that spark within quietly. So thus here are my thoughts today...........

-- I can let any of my daughters choose the movie they want to see or pick the dish on the menu in a posh restaurant without having to ask of mine own choices if that puts huge smiles on their faces. Because I can.

-- I can shelve my precious free time to listen to my best friend when she calls on the phone with her miseries and woes. Because I can.

-- I can write of things which may not be popular to a greater number of people because it could be something about the harsh truths of life which they don't really want to know. Because I can.

-- I can stop by a display window at the mall gazing at gorgeous fashion and accessories of jewels shoes and bags without batting an eyelash and messing up my wallet. Because I can.

-- I can speak my mind honestly when necessary if the goal was to shake some sense into another person confused and unsure in his hour of darkness. Because I can.

-- I can cry in the privacy of my room, kneel down and pray when things get so tough and tougher. Because I can.

-- I can do a lot more other than what I have been born with as I acknowledge the power of God within me. Because I can.

It's a CHOICE. A choice to do what is good, what is necessary, what is essential, what is kind or noble or meek or generous or compassionate, and what is simply called --- 'doing my job'. A humbling of self so that others could have their joys. An honest acknowledgment of what we should really be doing here with our lives. You see, we have a job .. but our boss is HE who sits on the throne up there in the great halls of heaven.

And what, you may ask, is that JOB? It's simply this..... to be the best we can be to ourselves and to others with who we are-what we have and aim for the greater glory and praise of a wonderful God and Father. He who loves us beyond measure -- constantly, unfailingly... whether we deserve it or not.

Make the right choices.. and do your job. You were created to do far more than you ever dreamed you could as a person and as a child of God. We cannot do anything less or lesser than that. Shine as you are right there where God has placed you. And make it your goal to make God smile. Everyday.
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Hope you all have a lovely and blessed weekend up ahead. Bless you!
(Picture above was taken by my daughter on our Boracay Island family vacation.)

ANXIETY OR CALM

2011-07-07T12:08:00.003+08:00

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Doesn't that picture there tell you something? A still pool of water on one side and the unease of rolling waves on the other side. Aside from being so breathtakingly beautiful, does it not remind you of life?

Calm and turbulence sitting side by side in the same frame. That's just about what life is about. I won't get into the turbulent aspect of life and living because we know that. And neither would I say anything about the calm and serenity of a life stable and balanced. We know that too.

But I do have a question for you.......

Which of the two sides do you have your gaze on?? The turbulence ...or... the calm? Life as you live it everyday will nudge you in many ways to the answer and that answer will reveal just how you are coping with life. Anxiety or calm.... the presence of faith -- or the absence of it.
-------------------

Remember to bring your umbrellas; looking like rain later today. God bless.

(Much thanks to a good friend who sent me this wonderful picture.)

THERE'S ONLY ONE YOU

2011-07-06T12:03:00.001+08:00

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This is for a young kid I know .............

“Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.” --- John Jakes

Unquote.

There can never be anyone else like you on this planet. Or if there be other civilizations out there in the universe, I'm pretty sure you would have no copies out there too. Whoever you are, whatever you are ... crazy, funky, opinionated, brusque, rough, goofy, sweet, gentle, brilliant, stupid, lazy, or other types and names we humans are prone to call ourselves with, good or bad --- you the total package is still an original and unique.

So I don't get it why some people have to play this 'wish I were somebody else' game. Pretending to be somebody else is not cute. Not liking where we are or who we are won't help us in any way. We may not have perfect lives, perfect looks... but that's still okay. Perfection is a journey we all take as we travel in the direction of our final home. But we may or may not achieve it on this planet or in this lifetime. I have yet to see or hear about someone genuinely being the epitome of perfection right here right now. So meantime in-between the lessons and peeling off of unwanted layers (the bad we have gathered through the years), we must deal with our flaws and weaknesses ... live it from day to day.

And to be real with that we must be true to ourselves. We are who we are .. warts and all. But we do our best with what's there in us. We change where we should. Like what is to like. Grow up, mature, progress, develop, change for better. Live the best way we can with all that. Hang on to the hope that one day at the end of the journey we will become perfection in its shining form -- so magnificent that we will not wish to be anyone else ever at all.
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Blessings to you and your loved ones.

CREATIVITY IS GOD'S GIFT TO YOU

2011-07-01T14:28:00.003+08:00

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Allow me to quote this.....

"The fear of being wrong, different, or socially unaccepted or unpopular is one of the biggest inhibitors to one's creative juices. When a person can do things without worrying what people will think of him, then a person can use their creativity with no limits, and take their work to places they probably would never of imagined going. One of the biggest rules to being creative is to first disregard everyone's opinion. The creativity you have is what makes your work your own, and changing it to fit into someone else's mold would defeat the purpose of it all." - (Author Unknown)

We each have our unique individual talent but it's not given us for keeping or for our sole consumption. Although in its initial stages of discovery and growth we become fascinated and delighted and proud of it.... very pleased to have its ownership. But we must learn to stop when pride takes over lest we ourselves cause our own destruction. But let's leave that for another post.

Creativity is a gift given us to serve as tool to bring forth and grow talent. Its purpose is to nourish - nurture - develop talent. Its strength is powered by courage and fearlessness... unafraid to face its own potential and possibilities for great and greater work. Unafraid of small minds who by their numbers can whittle you down to pieces... or by big minds who by their snobbery can clip your wings and keep you from soaring high and wide.

Do not let these deter you from being the person you were specially made for --- you are God's masterpiece who in turn will create other masterpieces within your realm of creativity. Create with your mind, with your heart, with your hands, with your fullest potential.,,, and turn ordinary things into extraordinary beauty or meaning. Transform an ugly world into a world of great wonder and promise... one after God's heart.

It's never too late. Creativity is not subject to age or aging. It's never lost. It's right there inside you just waiting to be roused and commanded to do its work. So what are you waiting for? The world is waiting.
--------------------------------

It's a rainy Friday today but I hope it does not stop you from planning a wonderful weekend with your family, rain or shine. God bless!

MY WISH FOR YOU TODAY

2011-06-28T12:05:00.004+08:00

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Good morning! This time it won't be thoughts put down to share.... but a wish sincere with a hope that it helps you in your day's journey. A quote that puts in all the words I want to say..........

“This is my wish for you:

Comfort on difficult days,
Smiles when sadness intrudes,
Rainbows to follow the clouds,
Laughter to kiss your lips,
Sunsets to warm your heart,
Hugs when spirits sag,
Beauty for your eyes to see,
Friendships to brighten your being,
Faith so that you can believe,
Confidence for when you doubt,
Courage to know yourself,
Patience to accept the truth,
Love to complete your life.”

Author Unknown

-------------------------
Blessings of peace and joy for you and your loved ones.

(With thanks and appreciation to a good friend who sent me this quote in email.)

GOD - OUR POWER SOURCE

2011-06-25T13:45:00.005+08:00

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If God would speak to you now up close, do you know what he would say to you... seeing you now fraught with so much anxiety worry and fear?

Allow me to quote this from the book I'm reading --- "Good Morning... God" (Pamela Steinke) .....

To quote:

EVEN THIS

"Even this. Say it often --- 'The Lord would take care of even this.' There are no exceptions, there is not one thing beyond My control and power. These are valuable lessons to be learned, and there is no other way to learn them than simply to put your faith on the line and trust Me.

There need be no discomfort in the midst of trials. Not in my presence. Discomfort comes from worry, from fear, from meeting or anticipating problems in your own power, not in Mine. If you were truly trusting Me with no reservations, you would not be uncomfortable in any situation. You would not be irritable, or depressed, or upset. You would know my rest, the rest i give so liberally to My children who are trusting Me. Is there discomfort? Then go to the source and oust it from your life. Discomfort does not come from Me and need have no part of you." -Unquote.
--------------------

Now you tell me... are you seeing this with disbelief? you say easier said than done? impossible? not doable? Yup you are also correct in your perceptions. Humanly correct yet spiritually incorrect.

But only because we.. yes all if not most of us ... have not yet learned so well how to put our faith and trust in God. Our human nature is to worry. (I worry too just like you.) That's a flaw in us, among many others more. But God understands us and judges us not. Instead He shows us how to handle our anxieties in life. Gently He nudges us closer to Him knowing fully well our own frail weak souls and offers Himself as refuge.

Take it! Don't hesitate. Bring God into our lives, into our hearts, into our minds. And stick to it like hard glue no-matter-how-you-feel and no-matter-how-things-may-look to you. Open the door and let Him in. Understand that without Him, we will certainly be lost beaten overwhelmed and defeated. But with Him -- we have the power to overcome whatever it is that comes and tries to beat us to the ground. Let go of our weakness.. and LET GOD - our power source.

Write this in our hearts --- "EVEN THIS. THE LORD WOULD TAKE CARE OF EVEN THIS." Remember we have a great FATHER and KING. Don't make Him a small GOD.
------------------------

May I request for prayers for the safety of my people in this big bad storm, thousands of families are being displaced by it. Thank you and God bless you.

FAITH IS WHERE THE HEART IS

2011-06-20T13:54:00.001+08:00

A rainy day. So what does a rainy day like this bring to my mind?

This -----

No amount of intellectual thinking or educated brain or brilliance or wit can take you to that point of faith. It can't and never will be able to fathom the wonder and mystery of it. Research it but still you will feel empty inside. Experiment on it and it will only lead you back to where you started... still wondering.

Sometimes we just don't get it, do we? Even if others who know have tried with their stories and lives to tell us what it truly is. Even if we see dozens like them with our eyes, still we don't get it.

But I know why we still don't. So then ... you ask why?

Our hearts are not paying attention. It takes on a lot --- fear, joy, sadness, grief, hate, resentment, bitterness, loneliness, love, hope --- but always and always it finds it so hard to have faith.

Faith is nothing you can cause by yourself alone. It's not the magic that happens with a wish-upon-a-star or a wave of your fairy godmother's magic wand. It's not a piece of candy in a candy store that looking so gorgeous you want it for yourself too. It is not even when you are down in misery crying buckets that would qualify you to hold it in your hand.

It's far more than that... and yet so simple too.

Because all that you have to do is simply to open up your heart and let God with his gentle and loving hands put faith in there.

And when you ever find it, it can be so fragile and fleeting that if you don't hold it close and nurture it... it will fly away. The fire of faith has to be rekindled again and again, nurtured with our life day after day. It's life depends on the life you put into it with your heart.

Faith is a gift ... a gift you can ask for, pray for, live for.

"Faith is an oasis in the heart which can never be reached by the caravan of thinking" --- Kahlil Gibran
-------------------------------

A blessed Monday to everyone. :-)
(Quote and image courtesy of a good friend.)

LOVE IS ALSO LETTING GO

2011-06-16T13:02:00.004+08:00

I have always thought that when you love someone, there shouldn't be any if's or but's to it. No holding back. No conditions. You just give it your all. This could take you to the ends of the world or to making a fool of yourself for the _nth time or turn your world crazily upside down and around or simply said -- just feeling so in love and don't care a hoot if all hell breaks lose.. You simply love. And that is beautiful, truly!

But as all things in life go through change, so will a relationship. Layers get peeled off sooner or later and sometimes we don't like what we see or discover. Or maybe the other person is growing at a much faster clip and tips the scale over to that person's favor. Dissatisfaction and resentment sets in. Many reasons bring change to a person and to life. Change which upset the balance or rattle comfort zones. And this puts pressure on the relationship. Can love cope or handle that? Sometimes yes, sometimes not.

So then If the moment should come for hard decisions which would end up in an empty nest so to speak, then perhaps it is best to learn to let go. You can't keep someone or something which isn't yours anymore, or doesn't want to be. Maybe not so much losing her heart cause love must still be there .. but a loss brought about by a mind that has grown by leaps and bounds harder to rein in or catch. Letting go would make transition easier from having to not having. Further, it is just right to free a person to seek his or her own truth or grow where asked to grow or change when the heart so dictates truthfully. Certainly it will be very sad and would crumble your world, but if your loss would mean a loved one's gain ... then letting go might be deemed heroic too and would point to a beautiful heart which knows how to love and love so well. Don't you think?

HEARTS PRAY BETTER

2011-06-13T17:37:00.003+08:00

Prayer is not just a word but the only common language known and shared the world over. It is spoken in all the different languages by a vast multitude and diversity of race, culture, and creed. Oh but we all know that, don't we?!

But this one thing I do know....... prayer is the only 6-letter word around with heart permanently attached to it. Not always visible to the eye but a poor man living on the streets or the president of a country or a little kid of 5 or a life-weary old man of 80 or a person praying for a loved one -- they all have their hearts tied up in their prayers. So many things to pray about -- life, death, healing, success, provision, protection, guidance, relationships, ambitions, dreams, goals -- everything contained in our life struggles is reason for a prayer. For self or for others. Even in our mundane pettiness and whimsical desires. Oh yes, ever heard how kids pray? And maybe in some adults too.

No lengthy phrases and offerings need be said nor sacrifices be presented although it will not harm to do so too. Prayer is as according to one's faith and belief. But prayer need not be much of a burden for anyone to do. A whisper or a silent tear can be a prayer too. All that is needed or ever could be needed is already there in the heart. Pray with it.

Though the different ways of praying, still only the heart knows how best to pray. Only the heart can send off a plea carried by throngs of angels straight to the Holy Throne. Only an earnest heartfelt pleading is heard loud and clear reverberating in the sacred halls of God's kingdom. And only in the heart is where you are authentically genuinely you in prayer.

"When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart." --- John Bunyan

"I have come to know that God can smooth my path, calm the storms, keep me and all I care about safe, and even make my way simple when I ask Him to carry the complexities of life for me. But these things don’t just happen. Not without prayer." --- Stormie Omartian, author of The Power Of A Praying Woman

THE GREEN GRASS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE HAS ITS OWN WEEDS TO FIGHT

2011-06-10T16:15:00.003+08:00

I remember one lunch I had some months back with my best friends. 'Twas the usual monthly get-together lunch we usually have for our group. Conversation would flow easily on any random subject brought in by anyone. This was one such thought brought to the table.....

"Was there a time when you wished that you had the life of your next door neighbor who seems all well-placed in all the areas of her life... work, family, success, career, prosperity??"

That question drew a momentary blank stare from us all. I guess that frozen moment disclosed and simply confirmed that yes we did. Yes, we all do at some point or another in our lives. Who doesn't?! Whether we do it in our dreams or every time she-the-neighbor-in-her-smart-business suit passes by our window driving her car to work.

Human nature. We haven't really learned not to long for the greener pastures outside our fence despite our mother's warnings. To the average woman then and now (or for any person for that matter male or female), it always looks more enticing, attractive, challenging, promising, fulfilling ... than our shaggy apron, pots and pans, milk bottles, children in public schools, and a husband toiling bravely on a minimum wage pay.

Then Cynthia spoke up --- 'Well, 'think she's happy? Meaning really happy.'

Glenda followed it up with ---- 'We'll never know. But I know that she ain't any different from the rest of us with our dozens of issues in the home, marriage, in-laws, husbands and raising our children. Including that of our personal demons we have battled almost all of our lives and still do with a few left over.'

To that Myrtle replied ---- 'Oho then she IS human too??! By golly, let's drink to that!!' and raised her Sprite in can with two straws in it. She always takes two straws with her soft drinks!

The grass may look greener on the other side of the fence... but it too has to battle the weeds that also makes its home on the same turf.
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Have a good Friday, folks! :-)

WHO ARE WE WITH OUR ATTITUDE

2011-06-09T11:23:00.005+08:00

-- So what's on my mind today?

It is this.... on the subject of attitude

"Our attitude toward the world around us depends upon what we are ourselves. If we are selfish, we will be suspicious of others. If we are of a generous nature, we will be likely to be more trustful. If we are quite honest with ourselves, , we won't always be anticipating deceit in others. If we are inclined to be fair, we won't feel that we are being cheated. In a sense, looking at the people around you is like looking in a mirror. You see a reflection of yourself." ----- Lifted from the book Maybe It's Time To Laugh Again -- by Charles R. Swindoll

Grandma would always caution her grandchildren, that's me and a dozen others, to take care of our attitudes. The world is how you see it and how you see it is dictated by your attitude. Whenever there was a misstep from any one of us, that would incur her special look. A look which all of us hoped and prayed wouldn't be directed at us, singly or collectively. She got us straightened out alright, a good support to the training we already had in the home.

But soon enough children grow up to be adults and the world has its ways with them. Attitudes take on a different color, become diluted or dissolved, change skin and tone, get replaced, or erased (now that's a sorry state). Sometimes sadly one discovers that what was once .. isn't anymore. Attitudes change, so I've been told.

Maybe, maybe not. I can't speak for others but only for myself. I still am that kid who stood before grandma listening to her lectures and ofttimes getting her special look. I see the world and understand that there is both good and bad in it. I understand too that other people will reflect both the good and the bad in me. And vice versa. It's true, the mirror works both ways. But if perfection is your goal, that can only be seen at the end of our earthly journey. I think God isn't finished with anyone of us yet.

But I have the choice to choose what to believe or trust or cherish. And try as hard to be what I believe. And if the world would speak up and tell me that isn't right. I won't believe it. I only have to remember grandma who knew better. Thanks, grandma.!
--------------------

It's a rainy Thursday today but blessings still abound in it, maybe just a little bit soaked and wet. :-) God bless you all!

LOVE FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES

2011-06-07T11:01:00.003+08:00

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My thoughts on this fine sunny morning are on the beauty of friendship and of finding love in unexpected places. Here's something I found in my inbox that pretty well illustrates it magnificently.

To quote:
--------------
The Law Of The Wild says kill only when you are hungry

Photographer Michel Denis-Huot, who captured these amazing pictures on safari in Kenya 's Masai Mara in October last year, said he was astounded by what he saw:

"These three brothers (cheetahs) have been living together since they left their mother at about 18 months old,' he said. 'On the morning we saw them, they seemed not to be hungry, walking quickly but stopping sometimes to play together. 'At one point, they met a group of impala who ran away.. But one youngster was not quick enough and .... The brothers caught it easily'."

But something else happened....
This was caught on camera.

And then they just walked away without hurting him...

Message: Life is short... Forgive quickly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably...and never regret anything that made you smile.

Unquote.
---------------

Imagine finding love and friendship in unexpected places from humans, with humans?

We're so quick to defend our turf when we feel threatened. But we don't first stop to think that perhaps the other person is just as scared as you feeling the same threat to his life too. Blessed is he who first sees with his heart.... and then responds accordingly with his mind. They say that heroes do it. But ..... isn't it that there's a hero inside us just waiting to be called forth? Everyday holds opportunities to be heroes; we just don't look hard enough. Sometimes it's right here with our families in our own homes. Are you seeing it?
-----------------------------
Blessings to you and your day.

WE SUFFER PRIMARILY FROM OUR ILLUSIONS

2011-06-05T13:54:00.003+08:00

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Quotes do better with things we would like to say ourselves. But looking hard at it you will see that it is written or comes from the thoughts of men and women just like you and me. Good quotes travel through the years, some add to it or remove from it ... it takes on a different flavor in different hands which try to inject some freshness into it. But the basic thought behind it is always the same. So it's like saying old things in new ways and differently. But I much prefer to seek out its authenticity and origin adding nor removing nothing from it. An original quote is a treasure. And equally so is its author. Remember when you bring in a quote, to quote his or her name too. Giving credit where its due increases its worth... and you.

I like quotes because it provides the missing word or thought I could be struggling with as I do my writing. Here's one quote I'd like to share with you, sent to me by a good friend.

--- "We suffer primarily not from our vices or our weaknesses, but from our illusions. We are haunted, not by reality, but by those images we have put in their place." --- (Daniel Boorstin)
-----------------------------------

Illusions... oh but we have plenty -- of ourselves, of others, of our world. Sometimes we gauge our actual lives or decisions off it. Sometimes it defines in some measure our expectations, beliefs, hopes, and dreams. Sometimes it stunts us, makes us lose our way, makes us believe that we're getting somewhere but really are not. Illusions.

A RAINY DAY CAN'T BE SO BAD

2011-05-30T14:14:00.003+08:00

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If I were to say something about this kind of weather we're having now, I'd say that it sucks. Big time! because I love weekends...... and sometimes I plan my weekends way ahead of time. The big plans with families and the small ones with myself.

But these unpredictable rains are just keeping me so grounded. Even if I do manage to raise some bravado to go out there.... it's not going to be pretty or fun. One has to contend with monster traffic snarls, pot holes especially around here in the long stretch of Marcos Highway now undergoing a huge makeover, wet shoes and feet, people scurrying to and fro trying to escape the heavy downpour, and the sudden scarcity of taxis just when you needed one.

We planned to see the movie 'Kung Fu Panda 2' but considering the 'panda'-monium that these rains bring... we've decided to stay home. Maybe next time...

But there still is something about a rainy day I must still say.

Whatever arguments other people may have as to its negative impact on ordinary and not so ordinary lives, I still think it's got something we can or should be thankful for. Mom would say that sometimes you just have to wrest your eyes and mind and even heart away from the unpleasant things of the day or life. You got to put your effort where you can rise above it or soar up way above the gray clouds hovering above you. Simply put... when your feet gets wet you have to go somewhere where you can dry it! When your heart is burdened with the irritations of the day, you go find something to bring the smile back to it. And she further adds, you surely will find it if you try hard enough.

That's where I am at right now. In the stillness and quiet of a rainy day I find my thoughts and it runs over meadows hills and valleys of wonder and awe at the beauty of things and life even on a rainy day such as this. Peace prevails, within and without.

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Take care, folks. Don't forget your umbrellas.

(Above photo courtesy of youngest daughter, Malen.)

I'M SHOOTING BULLETS!

2011-05-16T13:03:00.002+08:00

---------------------------------
Today I'm on a shooting rampage!

Yeah! Fact is, have been doing it for quite a time now, long before and continuously. And the police -- oh they have no idea who-what-when-where-why. Although I wish that they knew why.

I'm invisible .... and everybody is my target... on the street where I live, out there on the main roads, inside jeepneys, at the mall, at clinics, at the supermarket. Even from here where I stand at my window looking out to my neighborhood street. Because you know why, everybody deserves to be shot with my bullet.

When I see a cripple walking down the street on his poor man's crutches, I shoot him. When I see a family crying at hospital corridors, I shoot them... all of them. When I see an ambulance rushing with sirens blaring, I shoot out a trail of bullets hitting everything animate or inanimate inside and out. When I see a fire truck screaming down the road, I point the bullets in that direction sparing no one and nothing. Recently when I saw this fat lady who, on seeing her husband gaze at sexy young women with a naughty eye, deliberately turned her face away as sadness shadowed her chubby face, I shot her... with two bullets. Of course I shot the husband too, he deserved one. When I saw this old wrinkled man reduced to a mere wisp of a body sitting forlornly in his wheelchair while his family chat nearby oblivious to his presence, I shot him two -- three times. And I shot his family too with a dozen more.

So there you see... if that isn't a shooting rampage, what is??!!! :-)

Bullets? I've got plenty. But if ever I do run out of stock... my BOSS up there sends immediate replenishment. Because you see..... GOD approves of my shooting BULLET PRAYERS!

Bullet prayers give life. It builds up and not destroys. Nothing can stop this bullet, not even the devil.

You want to join the Team? God's hiring. And you can start RIGHT NOW!
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OF PENCILS AND ERASERS - OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN

2011-05-12T14:14:00.000+08:00

So what's on my mind today? ........

OF PENCILS AND ERASERS -- OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN

I'm quoting this nice story (author unknown)...

PENCIL: I'm sorry

ERASER: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.

PENCIL: I'm sorry because you get hurt because of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.

ERASER: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad.
------------------------------

The author further writes.....

I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way, they get hurt, and become smaller / older, and eventually pass on. Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.

All my life, I've been the pencil. And it pains me to see the eraser that is my parents getting smaller and smaller each day. For I know that one day, all that I'm left with would be eraser shavings and memories of what I used to have.

Unquote.
---------------------
I guess this says it all. Nothing more can be said about that. You know, make everyday your Mother's or Father's Day. You don't need a calendar for that.

WHEN BIG IS SMALL

2011-05-10T10:38:00.002+08:00

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WHEN BIG IS SMALL

That's what's on my mind this morning. Let me tell you a story.. a short one.

Nene, not her real name, came to my house late one night. She didn't come in but stayed at the gate, so I came out to meet her. Saw her in tears, so I asked what's wrong. She said, in tagalog, that she needed help for her very sick child who needed to be brought to the hospital that night. She has already knocked at friends' doors for that help in the effort of trying to raise the necessary fund. And she thought of me too. My mind was racing through the contents of my purse trying to count what was left there. It was not a good time to be generous as I was not prepared for it. But I went back into the house and shook my purse, shook it harder hoping that it would cough up magically some more. No luck. So I ran back to the gate with what I had and gave it to her explaining my situation. When she saw it she cried even more and thanked me profusely saying that it was going to be a big help to her plight. To make a long story short, she came back to me a few days after to thank me for that. Such a sweet gesture from a sweet person I must say. Her grateful thanks was unexpected. You don't get something like that everyday.

Anyway, The whole point of the story is ---- in helping others small is big! You don't have to withhold help because you think or feel that you don't have enough or that you could give bigger at a better time. You don't have to wait for better circumstances for you to be able to help. Whatever there is that you can --- just give. Because you will never know if that 'small' is just what is needed to complete a 'big'. A few hundred pesos may be the missing link to raise the thousand aimed for. Or that you may have been the last person on that exhaustive list ... because there are only a few of you who the suffering one could think of as friends. Where would she go next.. if you withheld the giving?? Would there be anyone else to approach? What would have happened if she wasn't able to gather help to her desperate need?

In that moment of another person's need, This is what happens..... you are given the opportunity to make God shine through. You have the opportunity to serve as God's conduit or channel of blessing to a burdened soul. That moment is not all about you; no it is not. That moment is all about God reaching out to a burdened soul. God is using you to minister to his children. Be a willing channel of God's grace and blessing to another.

Give with whatever you can, with what you have. Serve in whatever capacity God wants you to serve. How do you know it's what He wants you to do? Simple, listen to your heart. It's all there if you pay close attention. And get your ego out of the way.
-----------------------
Be blessed and stay blessed.

THE REAL TEST OF COURAGE ARE MUCH QUIETER

2011-05-06T10:59:00.003+08:00

What's on my mind today? ---- These lines from Charles Swindoll .....

"Courage is not limited top the battle field or the indianapolis500 or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are inner tests, like remaining faithful when no one's looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you're misunderstood." --------

Deeply moved by it I penned these few lines and dedicate this to my best friend. She's a strong lady .......

'The real test of courage are much quieter' ... is so true.
It is those times when you suffer quietly as a dagger or daggers pierce through your heart.
It is those times when you sit alone in an empty room wondering if you can still make it another day.
It is those times when you wet your pillow many nights flooding it with tears.
It is those times when you ask yourself - 'Is there a God?'. And hope that He hears.
There is no fanfare to herald your display of courage or strength. No fireworks or band playing.
It's just you and your shadow trying to put together the shattered pieces of your dream.
As your soul gets down on its knees praying ........... still praying.
---------------------------

WE ARE CREATORS

2011-04-28T12:02:00.006+08:00

--- "We are creators" --- Have read this somewhere and it's a good line to remember too, especially good to tell a friend who now is feeling quite down in the dumps with her bland boring day... thinking that life is just one heavy stack of tough luck. And believes that there’s nothing else one can do bout the situation.

Well, I hope that she's reading this now because that line tells us that we need not look far because we can hope to turn things around. How? With our innate and inherent -- creativity.

If you’ll ask Mr. Webster, he’ll tell you that the word is about – ingenuity, cunning, intelligence, inventiveness, cleverness, resourcefulness, and imagination.

Wow! We’re all that? And it’s right here in our hands to work out something better for ourselves? So who says that it’s out there whatever-it-is that we need to be or have to make good?! Didn't he get it that 'out there' is nothing compared to what's 'in here' --- in us, in you, in every breathing living person on this perceived 'cursed' planet?!

So why do we think or behave otherwise? Why instead do we spend so much time bewailing the difficulty of our days and times when it isn’t really so hopeless as we perceive it to be? Who’s been pulling the wool over our eyes?! We can actually do something about bad days and bad lives; change alter or transform it -----from difficulty to immense wealth of and in experiences, challenges, opportunities, riches, learning, and wisdom. And this is not just all about the material.

Why not give that a thought, my good friend? And while you’re at it, think about this --- We are indeed ‘creators’ created in the image of God – THE CREATOR! So why not give life our best shot? It's His Will that we should. And if you know your God, you should know this to be true.

But if inspite of this you still think you can't ... I might as well bonk you on the head with a block of ice. The summer heat must be getting to your brain, best friend! :-)
-----------------------------

DO OR DO NOT. THERE IS NO TRY.

2011-04-26T14:12:00.005+08:00

DO OR DO NOT. THERE IS NO TRY. (Yoda, character in the movie, The Empire Strikes Back) This line fascinates me most. And I love that movie. It seems so simple, isn’t it? He makes it sound so easy. ‘Love that small guy.

Don’t we always start out considering first so many odd things before making decisions? It’s like standing at the door of opportunity but having only one foot in. I think it’s fear that’s mainly eating us up – fear of the unknown, of rejection, of failing, of being different, of someone’s displeasure, of losing, of censure -- So many fears, normal maybe, but we cower hugely in its presence.

But after doing the drill and considering things the way you should, what's stopping you from taking the plunge? What's stopping you from pursuing that dream?

Like the little guy says ‘Do’ and get to discover the surprises in store for you. ‘Do not’ and get to miss out on what could be yours to enjoy. ‘Try’ is a feeble attempt at neither sanity nor wisdom. It's hesitation at the door of opportunity. The middle ground is not always the safer ground. You want fireworks --- light the fire!

May the force be with you.
Or better yet this way.... May God be with you.
Now go for gold!
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THE BLESSING OF EASTER IS OURS

2011-04-24T11:19:00.003+08:00

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The Lord has risen. Once again we are reminded of our temporal lives and how we owe it all to Him --- forgiveness, comfort, salvation, mercy, love ---- all restored to us now with the risen Lord.

After we have done our reflection, introspection, meditation, reevaluation, and refocusing of our minds, hearts, and souls... I guess it is now time to get on with our lives with our fresh new start. We're given a clean slate to start all over again.

Here's a beautiful prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. May this lead us to walk with our Lord in our respective life journeys.

PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
-----------------

And if you're looking for a love story, His is the greatest love of all.

Rejoice in the blessings of Easter. God bless you!

IT'S ALL ABOUT THIS ONE GREAT LOVE

2011-04-21T13:28:00.007+08:00

--------------
I was watching the news on TV and there was this interview. The question was 'In your observance of the Holy Week, what are you planning to give up?' And the replies came as -- not eating my favorite chocolate cake, not do any computer chats, not do this and that etc etc etc. All well and good if that's how they feel about it. So does that mean that after the Holy Week is over, they're back at what they love most doing? That's okay too, nobody's judging.

But do we really understand the significance of all these rituals or tradition of the Holy Week observance? Well, it's all about this one small solitary guy who was so dead set in doing what his father wanted him to do. Even if it meant ending up on the cross. But why? Because he loves his father so much and because he also believed in what his father believed in .... that people were worth saving and were worth dying for.

But were they? And thousands of years after... Are we?

The Holy Week is not just a one or three-day thing. Those are the externalities of it. The external rituals of man. It is good serving a particular purpose... but what is truly essential is what thoughts, feelings, insights, perceptions are contained in there in your heart. Giving up chocolates for a day or two doesn't count if we continue with bad habits or treat our fellowmen with meanness suspicion deceit disrespect or tyranny the rest of our days. Giving up computer time on Good Friday doesn't mean a thing if we don't do our part everyday in our lives to take out the garbage as told, obey traffic rules, observe courtesy in public places, and stop mocking the poor, physically challenged, and the ignorant.

But it will matter if we think, speak, act in a manner consistent to our values and beliefs everyday of our lives.... everyday..... not just when the Holy Week comes to season. And this too is true... that it comes not just as a religious tradition but as a reminder to us all to again reflect reevaluate our lives, and to remember that if God thinks that we are worthy and worth saving....... then we must be. And what greater love can there be than to give up one's life for one's dearest beloved.
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FINDING THE GOOD IN GOODBYES

2011-04-14T23:25:00.004+08:00

I said this to my friend who was hurting from a breakup... "Find the good in goodbye." "That real?" she asked. "Yea, why shouldn't it not be??!" I replied.

Oh I know what you're going to say next... that it hurts, that you can't imagine the pain, that it was my life! Oh but I know that too.

We all have said our goodbyes and have been said goodbye to at some point or another. And we cried, got furiously mad, broke some glasses or punched pillows, went wallowing in self-pity (now that is pitiful!), and moaned in desperation (that is even more eeooyyywww.. Nothing can be that hopeless!) We all did that and some are right now.

Goodbye is a word we'd rather not hear especially when we're feeling top of the hill, gliding on cloud 9, or riding the crest of happiness. We just feel that this could go on and on -- we just don't want it to end. But as usual life is what it is --- things do come to an end, like it or not.

Goodbye is made up of two words.... good and bye. The thing is we keep focusing on the last part of it... the 'bye'. The End. That's the one that gets through to us and hits us like a ten-inch brick wall. It breaks us. We hurt.

So how do we cope with that? Simple. Let's try something else. If you know why goodbyes are being said, you're half way there to being its survivor. Like this...

-- goodbye to that two-timing jerk out of your life
-- goodbye to overstaying relatives cos they were messing up your room all the time
-- goodbye to a friend who was hitting you in the back anyway
-- goodbye to an abusive father or husband
-- goodbye to bad memories that keep holding you back
-- goodbye to that company who can't learn how to treat their employees right
-- and etc etc etc...

Because the good in goodbye tells you that --- be glad that things happened as they did or you wouldn't have known your own strength or saw the naked truth... or acquire the faith that so pleases our God.

So the next time someone says goodbye to you or that you should say goodbye to someone .... find the good in that goodbye. With understanding comes healing. Healing allows you to move on with your life.

LOSE SOME FIGHTS TO WIN

2011-04-11T10:17:00.003+08:00

Heard this somewhere...
......'you have to lose some fights so you can learn to win'.....

Didn't quite get that first time I heard it. Lose not just one but several? But first what does that mean by losing a fight? Because my lolo (grandfather) once told me that losing means just one thing -- giving up so easily or losing fire within. I've always thought myself a fighter; learned it from my mom. She fought the good fight with life's turbulence and strife. Did it with her own quiet steady courage. She never failed to amaze me as she went through the day caring for her family's needs, working hard and praying just as hard or even harder. Never gave up down to her last dying breath. My hero.

I begun to think and looked back to my own battles. And you know what..... that line is correct!

At several points in the past I gave away the fight but for a reason... a reason which the heart alone knows. It didn't make me miserable as I thought it would. I realize it now that it never does when you know in your heart that something else is there waiting for its moment. One lost fight does not make a failure, not even with several more. Just as long as you still have the fight in you. It's like you simply stepped back a few steps for the need to recharge energize or evaluate your options. It's the act of one who understands that sometimes it is smarter to kick on the brakes before possibly careening down the slope to disaster foolishly without a thought. So I slowed down to a full stop. I always did that when there was a need to.

To make a long story short.. I'm glad that I did. When I let go the fight it may have seemed that the problem won over me. But I knew better and waited for the right time. It came and I was ready for it...... with the same quiet steady strength of my mom. Now I understand her even much better. She knew how to fight..... taught me how with her own battles.

You have to lose some fights so you can learn to win.

LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU WHILE YOU'RE MAKING OTHER PLANS

2011-04-09T14:38:00.004+08:00

That line in the blog title was taken from the movie, 'Mr. Holland's Opus'. I loved this movie and have seen this 2 or 3 times already and probably will be seeing it again... and again. And again.

It's true, you know, just when you get into deep plans in pursuit of a dream or goal the rest of your life unfolds. If you think that life is only about that journey to a dream, it's not. Life is also this....

-----when you wake up in the morning, drag your body off the bed, head off to the kitchen to make yourself a hot cup of coffee. Then you probably will be looking for the morning paper to keep tabs on what's happening to the world outside. Wifey comes in and tells you that son goofed up in class yesterday and his teacher wants to talk with Mom and Dad. You both then agree to meet with the teacher later in the afternoon. But you notice that you are running late and have to get dressed for work. At this point, your eldest daughter comes bouncing into the room flashing a piece of paper and gushing over it. It's the university in New York saying that her application was approved and that she could start the semester coming up in September. Already?!! Your wife looking like time just stood still is shocked. You understand because both of you weren't expecting it to be this soon. But you wrench yourself from the moment and rush through your morning as a dozen meetings await you at the office. You simply say 'Later' and head out to the car.

Life is what happens to you day after day after day. Sometimes it has nothing to do with your dreams at all. Sometimes it's just the ordinary mundane events in a day or time spent with family, friends, and people. Sometimes it's simply sitting by the shore looking out to a beautiful sunset. Sometimes it's just being you in the moment playing with your dogs. Things which many of us consider a waste of time.

That is life. That is what happens to you while you are making plans for the future.. working hard to build your dream house.. planning your next masterpiece.. building your career.. planning something.

So what's my point?

Simple. Live life with open arms embracing everything that's in it. Not focusing only on those things which you think is worthwhile or perceive it to be. Life is more than that. It is all of that! Life is the whole tapestry of you. Savor the passage of time as it ticks off in hours, days, weeks, months, years. Sing out every note in your life symphony. Dance to the beating of your own drum and not somebody else's. Reflect on the wonders of creation - try to understand the heart of your God. And importantly, have a grateful heart for the miracle that is -- you!
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Have a blessed weekend coming up ahead, folks! Make it count.

WORKING MOMS - IT'S NOT ABOUT ABILITY BUT RATHER IT'S ABOUT AVAILABILITY

2011-04-01T21:49:00.003+08:00

The times of my life. This is just one of those memories..... Wrote this some years ago. I'm bringing it here for my lady friends.. working moms in their own respective corners of the world. You're fantastic, ladies!
--------------------------------

When my three daughters were just perky kids running here and there all over the house and I, as a working mom, was working my butt off at the office, there were days when the maid would call me up and tell me that one of the kids was running a fever or the other wasn’t eating her food, or the eldest won’t go to school.

Well, in matters of illness, I’d have no second thoughts bout rushing home. My boss would have to put up with that one, like it or not. Other than that, I’d have the maid bring the errant little one to the phone and we’d talk. In this instance, the naughty little angel would spill her heart out in an endless chatter only a mother would understand .. I’d be there glued to my seat listening while the clock was ticking off the minutes like a taxi meter. Yet it was worth it all. I knew she felt better when the conversation finally ended. So did I.

I wasn’t trained to be a mother; no woman is ever prepared to become one. Even if you have seen your mother, aunts, grandmother, and lady friends do it… it’s never until you are in it yourself that you learn.

But the one great lesson I have learned is this --- be available. No matter if you’re late in the night preparing for a sales meeting the following morning, when she comes to you for whatever reason – stop what you’re doing, listen and be with her. She’s the number one person in your life --- so let her know it! Let her know how much precious she is to you.. that she is the center of your universe.. that she makes your world spin happily. Because she is!

In my case, with three daughters.. they know that they are my life -- that they are God's gift to me... that because of them I am a frantic, frenetic, basket of frazzled nerves, with a dried up purse but a happy contented working mom!! Won't have it any other way. But of course it won't harm if I had a big fat paycheck too. :-)

You can’t be Perfect Mom, but you can be Available Mom! It's just a matter of choice. And a choice like that is certainly perfect, no matter how you look at it. --------------

There's a nice weekend coming up ahead, Working Moms..... make it count! Bless you.

DO WE REALLY NEED TO GET SO WORKED UP?

2011-03-28T11:47:00.005+08:00

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This piece was sent to me by a good friend online. Sez if it would be for a lovely post. It's worthy to be quoted and posted again and again on anyone's fb page. Much to learn from it. And I've been trying to tell this to my workaholic of a daughter gazillion times over ... :-)

I now quote: (Italics are mine to stress a point)

WE ARE PEOPLE, NOT PROGRAMMED DEVICES
Speech by Chetan Bhagat at Symbiosis...

"Don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a BALANCED, SUCCESSFUL LIFE. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first.

Same is with life where health and relationships are the marble. YOUR STRIVING IS ONLY WORTH IT IF THERE IS HARMONY IN YOUR LIFE. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One thing about nurturing the spark - DON'T TAKE LIFE SERIOUSLY. Life is not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really TEMPORARY here. We are like a PRE-PAID CARD with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. DO WE REALLY NEED TO GET SO WORKED UP?

It's ok, bunk a few classes, scoring low in couple of papers, goof up a few interviews, take leave from work, Enjoy with your friends, fall in love, little fights with your loved Ones. WE ARE PEOPLE, NOT PROGRAMMED DEVICES."

"Don't be serious, BE SINCERE."

-- Unquote.
----------------
There you go. So many have been saying this before and many more will in many different ways and languages until we finally get it right. And if you've been paying close attention to that tiny voice inside, you will know that God has been saying it to you too. Don't let this messed-up-world shape you --- YOU shape the world. Make a difference while you can. And be that difference now. Know how to live.. truly live.

HAVE BRUSH - WILL PAINT

2011-03-22T16:27:00.008+08:00

Today was just one of those lazy days when nothing seems more enticing than just lounging on that comfy couch with a book. Yup taking a break from the writing. But on another thought this could also be the right moment to try something different. Any place I can put my gear is my workshop. Living room, dining room, bedroom, or garage. Haven't tried the last two though. Might try the garage and enjoy an occasional breath of fresh air at the same time. Sounds like a good idea, right?

And so I painted.... the result of which you may see above.

The inspiration for this piece was provided by several landscape photos of Stephen Baird in his blog 'Nikon Sniper'.

Hope you're all having a lovely and blessed day.

AND THEN IT IS WINTER

2011-03-20T11:03:00.004+08:00

I have a good friend of many years to whom I would like to address this post. My friend woes the years gone by so quickly and wondered where it all had gone --- wishing that she could turn back the time to where she was young happy and able. But this does not concern her alone. I think the subject wraps around everybody journeying their lives respectively..... from their spring to the winter of their lives now or will be soon. This piece was quoted/posted by Tom in his blog. I liked it so much and thought how my friend should see this... why I'm bringing it here. It's a long piece but worth the read, definitely worth the read. Do take a minute .... you'll be glad you did. As I was by it.
*******************

To quote...

And then it is Winter.

You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all... And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams...

But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...
How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well... seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like...

But, here it is... my friends are retired and getting gray... they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me... but, I see the great change... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant... but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so... now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!!

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last... this I know, that when it's over... its over...Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done... things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done.

It's all in a lifetime...

So, if you're not in your winter yet... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember... and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

"Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one."

So then .....
LIVE IT WELL!
ENJOY TODAY!
DO SOMETHING FUN!
BE HAPPY! BE THANKFUL!

-- Unquote.

(This post found in http://tomkelantan.blogspot.com/)
Thanks, Tom. God bless!
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COUNTING BLESSINGS - TRY IT

2011-03-19T14:53:00.003+08:00

That must be hard to understand when your troubles mount like a huge tornado above your head. Exaggeration, of course, but it means only one thing – troubles suck. So I’m not going to heap on advice because that’s not what one needs when the going gets tough. Nor am I going to plug in that cliche ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’. We’re not going there this time; we’re going in another direction but still on the plane of troubles.

Unmistakeably trouble is on every person’s plate. No one is spared although we fight it with everything we’ve got. At times we succeed in licking it, but most times it stands there immovable like a rock. So why doesn’t it leave no matter how much we want it to-- despite the tons of prayers we throw up to God? Honestly, I don’t know. But I do know one thing from my own share or experience of it -- there’s something in there for us to learn.

This is how I understand it. Trouble, problem, struggle or whatever name it is called is not the ‘enemy’. It is a friend and like a good friend, it does everything in its power to jolt us to our right senses. It shakes us to our roots to make us see and confront our weaknesses, correct what may be corrected, and move ahead with renewed resolve and fresh new hope.

Troubles aren’t there to destroy or mess up life for us. We do that to ourselves using our fogged-up brains and wrong attitudes. Rather what it does is tell us that we need to stop-look-listen – because maybe something isn’t working anymore and may need to be changed. But we seem not to see that, instead we are quick to ‘point the finger’ at someone or something, except ourselves.

How 'bout we do things differently this time? How 'bout taking our eyes off our troubles for a bit? Let me engage you in some mental exercise. One for the heart too. So then, tick off ten things in your life that makes you happy... and I mean really happy. It's simple -- Just ten.

While you're thinking, let me show you my own list....

1. Smart, responsible, affectionate daughters
2. Adorable pets --- three dogs and one lazy fat cat
3. Writing or blogging
4. Friends, up real and too online
5. Home and house
6. Drawing and painting
7. God
8. Mini library in the living room stacked with good books
9. Tiny garden pots of blooming violets
10. CD player and a shelf of favorite music cd's

... there's more but I said ten only, didn't I? :-)

If you've done your list, observe that you will be smiling... somehow. Not only because you remembered the good times you had with each but because your heart has grown lighter – happier with every memory. The troubles you may have been feeling moments ago will then seem to be pushed far to the back – forgotten in the joys of the hour..

There’s a name to what you’re doing --- ‘counting your blessings’. If you look closely at the list you have ticked off, you will see that they are many—and if you break it down some more, it will double-up in number. See how it works? Your blessings are far more than your troubles. God made sure of that from the start.

So how then can one or two problems put you down – when you’ve got ten or twenty good things on your side working for you? Isn’t that more than enough to get you energized and recharged to get back on track again? Won’t that even spur you anew to more creative and aggressive solutions to your problems?

Doesn't that tell you that nothing much has been lost -- you still have you and your blessings. You still have God.And when you have triumphed or conquered at the end (we always do), you may even find yourself appreciating your troubles as blessings, too. Perhaps then-- that is the lesson and the reason for its existence in our lives.
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So shall we start counting blessings now? I’ll race you to it.

WINNING MEANS TURNING YOUR FACE TO THE SUN

2011-03-16T15:36:00.002+08:00

“Winning is the result of having a winner’s mind and a winning positive ‘can-do’ attitude. Winning has everything to do with being in the right place at the right time as well as being ready to grab the opportunity and take the challenge to win. Winning takes determination and persistence. And as with most things in life, it takes practice to perfect, too.” ----Anon.

That’s lifted from an article in a magazine I was reading as my hair was being pampered, softened, and beautified by a wonderful affable beautician-friend. This was my quarterly visit to her shop and the package included a manicure and pedicure, too. Most women would do this monthly but monthly I can do by myself. The thing is coming here to the parlor is more therapeutic than simply punching holes in my wallet. I leave my cares and woes outside the parlor door and simply bask in superb pampering and pleasure inside. Temporary, still it’s a good option for a mini-vacation other than a big expensive trip to Boracay Island.

My beautician-friend as she works on my hair chirps away on the latest Hollywood juicy bit in her sing-song voice like Tweety, that lovable cartoon character. But I love this Tweety and I love my friend. I knew her since she first started in this business. It was nothing like this at all. Her first shop then was small and spare. She had only one person, a cousin, who helped her with her small base of regular customers. Some days I would catch her staring out the window with thoughts lost somewhere. I knew the bills were piling up and the challenges grew bigger as life became difficult.

But this petite lady had spunk; she knew what she wanted. A year ago, she held an office job, saved a portion of her pay each month, and against the advice of family and friends left it. Thus began her journey to a dream-- her own shop. She took out a loan and added it to her small fund. With determination, perseverance, and sensible money-management, she bit-by-bit put together what she now proudly calls her ‘Beauty Haven’.

My friend came out a winner. That’s the stuff winners are made of. Winners don’t sit around sulking or moping. Neither do they fear failure or think ‘I can’t do it’, ‘It’s impossible’. Winners try to make it happen and keep on trying until it does happen! Even when the odds seem huge and insurmountable, nothing will faze a winner permanently. My friend didn’t buckle down under that load.

Yet it’s okay, too, to stop, sit, think-- looking out the window like my friend did. One will need to do that – recharge, evaluate, energize. But go back into the fight one should with renewed strength, courage, and determination. There is no easy way to do it but through the struggle. Sleepless nights, furrowed brows, ulcer pangs, time-problems, people-problems, dearth of resources — those are but a few of the challenges down that road.

My friend knew yet doggedly pursued her dream working her skills to perfection with every trial and test. She made her dream happen! She prayed that she would. She’s a winner and a happy one. You see, winners are made not born. Don’t we all love success stories!
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Be like the flower, turn your faces to the sun! :-)

LIFE IS A POT OF STEW

2011-03-11T15:17:00.004+08:00

Do you know what goes in a pot of stew? I’m not a cook.. well, I try but it comes off much tastier when somebody else does it. But I can see bits and pieces of all sorts go into it. You’ve got meat, vegetables, spices, water, etc. And it all gets mixed up together and the fire cooks it up to just right.

So is life.

We too get all bits and pieces of all sorts of things and experiences which get intertwined in our lives each day. We get knocked up and down and around in that mix which then makes us lose our bearing or hold in life. Easily we can lose ourselves in it.

But wait! It doesn’t happen for no good reason. Look hard, think hard. Every bit of what may seem ‘scrap’ to you – bits here and there – are actually lending interest to the whole of things. Get it? Those odds and ends are just the spice that livens up your life. Every different thing in that odd mix makes its own contribution to the whole effort --- life!

And what creates it into a delicious whole? Attitude – it’s the fire that cooks it up to just right. It helps us appreciate hidden beauty and truths, makes us see where true value lies, and delight in the way it all blends up to create a delicious sumptuous pot of stew –

Yes, life is a pot of stew. :-)

HAVE YOU TRIED ALONE TIME?

2011-03-09T23:31:00.003+08:00

Tell you something, for one full hour today I just did nothing. N-o-t-h-i-n-g. Didn't play music, didn't do the usual things I love doing ... researching - writing - painting - morning walk .... Just stayed still ... with myself.

So what was my point?
...
My point is this... that a person needs to have alone time. One has to tear down the curtain of the noise and bustle of daily living and of this crazy world we're in. I felt like I was being boxed in by the cares of the day and of life in general, that things were making my world smaller as it tried to squeeze me from all sides. I was losing control. So before it could come to that point I had to do something.... and something like cold turkey. Meaning just do nothing and be still.

So I just sat there on the couch... with all my senses awake... taking stock of my surroundings... feeling the moment.... but not reacting to it. Just sat there very still. Maxie my darling house dog got up on the couch and sat beside me as she always did but I ignored her. I simply looked at her and she looked back at me quite puzzled sensing something different in the moment. Then she shifted her position bringing her head closer to me, looked up at me again... still I did not respond. A few seconds passed then she placed her head on my lap and kept still... just like me.

Yeah, nothing earth shaking in that moment but there it was --- my lesson in peace and calm. Felt every knot in my tense muscles, stress and anxiety in my nerves, clouded brain cells --- all drain away just like waves that rush up to the shore and wash away the sand back to the sea.

Alone time -- that's what it does to a person. It unties the knots, clears the cobwebs in the brain, energizes, recharges, restores, heals ... and gives you the chance to pet a lovely dog whose pretty dog eyes tell you that she loves you!

EXPECTATIONS YOURS AND MINE

2011-03-08T13:37:00.003+08:00

I start out with a set of expectations for every new experience coming my way. But almost always these expectations get dumped or brushed aside because something else is being formed or brought forth holding its own distinct wonder and flavor.

But if I so stubbornly held on to my expectations, it would have come out in a far different way I think. It would then be something that was according to ‘my’ wants, ‘my’ set of parameters or conditions, and ‘my’ desired results.

Where is the thrill in that? ‘Expectations’ rob the thrill off a new experience. Yes, they do. And if you’re going to say that one can’t detach himself from having expectations on anything and everything, I’ll say yes to that, but…..let those expectations be tempered with knowing that some things will happen when they happen without any help from you.

So don’t try to color it by setting down expectations, yours, for it to arrive at ‘your’ desired results. Let the new experience ride. Let it reveal to you its wonder, beauty, joy, magic, adventure, delight, wisdom, truth in its own distinct and unique way.

Let it perhaps squeeze out of you feelings which you may have forgotten or have chosen to ignore. Let it alter some old preconceived notions about things and people, perhaps make you see that perhaps you have been wrong about them after all?

Expectations are good, has its uses, but don’t let it stand in the way of wonder and learning.

HOW MUCH YOU CAN PUT INTO YOUR POT DEPENDS ON YOU

2011-03-04T12:37:00.005+08:00

Another friend here requested for this re-post. So then, here it is, fella .....
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Do you know that you, me, and everybody else are nothing but pots? Yeah, pots! Or would you prefer to be called a vase or a vessel. Whatever it is that signifies a container meant to hold something, you are it. We all are. But I would like to use the word.. pot.. for this post.

Now what do we do with that? Let me tell you what I did with mine.

I am a pot...

When I was a baby I put in all that was about being a kid. Innocense, pleasure, delight, awe, fun, birthday cakes, warm beds, doggies, and... mommy and daddy. It was great. Everything centered on me and I was everybody's priority. All I had to do was smile my cutest and throw in a tantrum or two to get them to my side pronto. That filled my baby pot.

Then I was ten. I couldn't be a baby anymore although I would have preferred to be as it seemed that mom and dad would always be coming at me to do this and do that. But school was great, had new friends, lots of fun things to do with them, was more aware of my newly found likes and dislikes. I was liking chocolate bars and cakes, coca-cola, nice teachers, field trips to museums, and always loved Sally and Susan -- my cute walking dolls. That filled my pot a notch higher.

Then they called me a teenager. Oh there was much in this new world that I never had before. I discovered that I loved pink, dresses, ladies bags and shoes, adored my first crush next door, enjoyed sketching and designing clothes, delighted in poem-writing, and wrote for the high school paper. That filled my cup two notches higher. Plus another with college that followed.

Then I found myself wearing size 7 high-heeled shoes walking it to a place which looked like an office. I discovered that I was good at making tons of reports -- weekly, monthly, annuallly -- and did some travel, lectures and trainings for new employes, reveled in office camaraderie and events and more. That brought my pot fuller almost to the brim.

Then life turned more adult. What does that mean? Marriage, children, sickness, death, disappointment, sorrow, fear, anger, betrayal, change, challenge, and all the stuff which makes an adult even wish in exasperation for the good years past. My pot now went on full and over.

So to be able to make sense out of all that I thought... I needed to do something. And fast. Or else so much would be lost. All of my history, all that made me, all for nothing if I let something like a full pot have its way.

I emptied my pot.

... and by so doing have made room for insights, perceptions, inretrospection, wisdom which I wouldn't have done being so involved in the living aspects of life. I needed to empty my pot so that new things could come in --- things which made sense of everything that I had gone through. It was there all along simply waiting in the wings for its turn to be inside my pot so that it could do its work.

This is where I believe that everything in our lives, no matter how tiny or insignificant it may be or maybe bigger than what we want it to be, is there for a reason. But reason which cannot reveal itself until or if we don't give it that needed room or space to do so.

To empty our pot makes that possible. An empty pot invites it in. And this would give us all the treasure we may want or hope to acquire. This takes us higher to a better place of self and of understanding life, people, the world, and God. That's right. Whatever we want our day or our life to be, depends on how much we are willing to empty ourselves... and make room for more blessings.

One unknown writer puts it this way....

"We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want." --- (Anon.)

How much you can put into your pot really depends on you.

God bless you.

KALEIDOSCOPE OF LIFE AND LOVE

2011-03-02T15:21:00.005+08:00

Life is a dizzying roller-coaster ride and so is love. You will never get to stay at a certain point or experience as another thread rolls-in and takes you into another rolling spin. You’ll never have time to catch your breath or breathe at all. Mine took me from joy, disappointment, fear, frustration, anger, defeat, hate, puzzlement, surprise, and again back. It ran the whole gamut of emotions of that proverbial emotional range or spectrum of love and life. ----- Do you wonder if there was a point where I wished to be and stay on forever? Or another on which I wished didn’t exist at all? Yes, to both questions.

When bad times roll I literally gnash my teeth in utter confusion, anger, resentment, frustration, and despair. Things just happen in a fast clip that I’d wish so hard for the world to stop turning and let me off. It was just too much for a frail solitary vulnerable figure, which was me, to catch. Here’s a sample. Ever met the male version of ‘Delilah’? I did and I foolishly played the role of trusting ‘Samson’ to his devious portrayal of ‘Delilah’. He promised me the moon and the stars but I ended up colliding with an asteroid instead! Or -- maybe this. ‘Been through a crisis when someone dear is so ill and needs to be rushed to the hospital but nobody's there to help you at all? Who ever invented fair-weather relatives and friends huh?!! Or try this, know what it’s like to have somebody ‘steal’ your ideas, blatantly get the credit for it, and moved up the corporate ladder with nary a bit of shame in his evil soul? It sucks, doesn’t it? It sure does and you can only find it here in this seething vicious man-made corporate jungle.

So my mind was forming the idea that all these was all there is to life and love. It’s just one painful journey to another. Nothing more. But I was wrong because you know what, some unknown force from out of nowhere seemed to mercifully slow down my world, calmed the treacherous waters of my pain, parted the dreary clouds of suffering and let the glorious sunshine through. How? Know this feeling of ‘butterflies’ in your stomach when someone looks at you and there in his eyes you see yourself as the Queen of Roses – his? Remember how it feels to hold a new-born baby in your arms – yours? Felt deeply that gratitude and relief on finding one, a stranger to start with, but who turned-out to be your staunch friend in pain and sorrow? Are you familiar with the joy happiness and excitement welling-up inside you and rising to your throat almost choking you --- Because you just bagged a million-dollar deal for your boss and made them all deliriously ecstatic over it? All wonderful, isn’t it? In the midst of it all, you begin to think “Gosh, somebody up there must like me after all!” Then you cry wishing so hard that you could stay in this well of happiness forever and more.

But it isn’t like that at all. That’s what Mom would always tell me. -----“Ellen, you’ll get it all, not just one or two. Not simply happy, not always sad. You’ll have the full spectrum - the whole journey - the complete KALEIDOSCOPE of life….and love --- Maybe joyful and colorful in one, pain and sorrow in another. But everything every bit that happens to you good or bad comes with the sole intention of creating transforming turning you into that person, that very special person, you were meant to be. By God's design.”

Yeah, by God's design. When everything else fails, He comes to the rescue. But ...also He designed everything tailor-made to fit you and your uniqueness and temperament. All is for the purpose to complete the huge tapestry of life --- your life. Hard to understand that sometimes. But it will be for your well being to learn to.

(This is a re-post from several years ago. A good friend needs to see this... requested it.)

LIFE'S RIPPLES BUFFETING THE CALM SEA OF LIFE

2011-02-27T14:02:00.003+08:00

----- I'm writing this for a good friend ...

life is not as bad as you may think it is. I'm addressing this also to those who are feeling miserable and dejected about life, someone or something this very moment. You feel that you've lost it all. Trials, life's unpopular trials. So much I'd like to say to you just to tell you that all is not lost, that life is worth another try, that nothing can put you down because nothing really can. But you must try, at least try to look at the brighter side of things. Nothing in this life is totally good or totally bad.. or all good or all bad. There's a bit of each. Like what the Chinese say... it's the Yin and Yang of life and living. One balances the other and vice versa. You can't have steak everyday -- sometimes the food is just not to your taste or liking. But you learn to take both sensibly. We get heroes in our midst and villains too. We get sunshine and rain and it falls on both the rich and the poor. We get good times and bad times. We have money in our wallets and sometimes not. Maybe it's so that our egos don't get blown up out of proportion.

So then what do you do?

You stand tall. Life's troubles may knock you down - kick your butt - bruise or scar you - shake you up big time - upset your cart - or make your dreams come crumbling down but.... you must pick yourself up, shake off the dust, and start walking.. walking tall. Because that's who you are --- strong, brave, tough as steel, determined, persevering, and armed with big hope and steady faith. That's how God made you to be.

The best thing you can do with that is to extract or squeeze out the lessons for your good learning. Life is one big university and we're all here to learn. That's why it's there --- for your learning. No other, not to hurt you or make you feel insignificant, not to hurt you mentally emotionally spiritually. Far from that. Because God won't do anything to hurt His dear beloved children. But... He will train and discipline you if He thinks you're getting off the track. Sometimes He must protect you from yourself. Now all you have to do is take heed - pay attention - and learn well. These ripples which disturb the calm of your life are only but ripples and they cannot hurt you.. if you won't let them! Be that wonderful person you were meant to be in the first place. And one more thing, let God help you.

Have a blessed weekend, everyone. God bless. -----

TO BE STRONG MEANS LEARNING TO GROW-GIVE-RECEIVE-LEARN

2011-02-23T11:52:00.008+08:00

I remember this from long ago at the workplace. A colleague was feeling so smug bout his sales achievement over this other employee who didn't fare so well but was a good man and friend. Irked as I was by his attitude I restrained myself as it seemed none of my business on that issue. But I thought one better with the inten...t to prick his over-sized balloon. (Oh yes, I can do that too...:-)) To make a long story short, I typed something in huge size letters and printed it on bond paper... and hung it up on my cork board in my cubicle but made sure that it was facing the door. No one could ever miss that even if simply walking by my spot.

Here comes Mr. Smug, placed his short fat arms atop my cubicle wall and made to say something when his eyes caught my cork board. And .... he turned round, left without saying a word. Some said that he changed. But I never got the chance to know or see that cos he never passed my way again. :-)

What did I write? It was something I remembered from long ago; don't even remember who wrote it. But it sure sent home the message.....

"The final criteria is never whether one is strong or weak but whether one is ----- GROWING... LEARNING... GIVING... and RECEIVING."

We should always remember that. We're not here to show off or be so mean to others. We're here to make the best of ourselves as God originally planned. That means to be worthy to be with Him in our final home and destination at the end of our life journey. And you know that WORTHY is the highest compliment that can be accorded a person..... even in this life.

OLDER MAKES YOU COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS MORE

2011-02-20T11:56:00.003+08:00

------- My best friend said this to me --- "The nicest thing about getting older is that you begin to see what truly matters... the things that do and the things that don't."

She's right as she does things so differently now as compared to those early days of youth. So what are those? Eat food that are more healthier and nutritious. No to junk food. Go to the movies with or without company and enjoy it just as much. Simple pleasures, simple tastes, simple needs. Spend time with people you would consider treasures. You waste no time with jerks. Not just pray only when problems assail you... but rather talk to God all the time... small things, big things, happy, sad, everything. And always with a grateful heart. Try not to dwell on misery disappointment frustration failure cos it's all passing. Life is short so why waste it living in misery. These unpleasant things when finally understood so well, you realize, don't define you. But what you do with it WILL define you.

Yet.....

ofttimes age is not appreciated nor given its due credit. So many of us can't quite see beyond the exterior - failing eyes, weak gait, sag or bulge where there wasn't before, white hair, failed hearing, clothes that no longer fit, or perceived slowness of the mind.

Sadder that some families would rather move their old folks to homes for the elderly or leave them to fend for themselves old and alone.. or rant and rage that it costs them a fortune minding their health issues and care... or laugh at them for their perceived uselessness stupidity and weakness. It's appalling to see and hear that from the very children who were nurtured from birth to independence by their mothers and fathers... parents who gave their lives so that their children could have theirs.

But I'd like to think that this is more the exception rather than the rule. We love our families, we love our parents, and we keep them with us for as long as we can through thick and thin, through highs and lows, through all the seasons of life.

As my good friend further says from the standpoint of age.... "You see all and learn to count your blessings."

God bless you.

SUFFERING IS A TOOL ONE OF MANY TO HIGHER GROUND

2011-02-16T14:22:00.007+08:00

---------- She asked 'why do I need to suffer?'

I was thinking of ignoring the question and just smile, shrug my shoulders, and move on to another subject. But her eyes told me differently. What and why I do not know and neither would I ask. There are places that one must not tread on, even in friendships.

I don't have the answer to that nor pretend to know. But others perhaps could as gleaned from own experience. That enough can be quite confusing, let alone leave you wondering. Because I once asked that same question long ago and I got gazillions of answers to it. Yet each was sufficient to its own. I now understand. And now have added mine to that same pot.

Nobody likes to suffer. It's one word in the dictionary that people wished wasn't there. Everybody knows that suffering changes lives, like it or not. But we know too that when one suffers it most definitely is caused by something or someone.

Hers was caused by someone. That much I can say.

The one who suffers may think that everything is lost, that the world gave up on her, that misery is her company for the rest of her life. I beg to disagree to that. Suffering as bad as it may seem or look to anyone is not hopeless. Fact is, it holds a promise somewhere there just waiting to be uncovered or revealed. But one has to look very hard to see it or better yet with steel bravery seek it out. Because when you do --- a thousand doors begin to unlock, windows fling wide open, and your soul soars to higher grounds.

the blind tenor ----- andrea bocelli
blind and deaf ----- helen keller
deaf composer ----- ludwig van beethoven
and many others more lived that promise.

The person who caused the suffering won't, as you may perhaps think otherwise, go scot-free. How is this? In the deep of the night when everything is quiet his soul goes to work. It begins to gnaw at his conscience. Oh yes, it's still there but he just tries to ignore it or push it aside or bury it at the far bottom. Unfortunately conscience is something you can't extinguish delete or eliminate yourself. In some it may take awhile or longer, but definitely it will do what it was set out to do. Outwardly the person may live a life seemingly unperturbed by his misdeeds but that's just a facade. One that would soon break down as he constantly day by day struggles with keeping a lie he fiercely adheres to and warding off truth arrows seeking to pierce his armor.

That isn't all it is yet because one day he will have to contend with someone coming forward with the truth, or someone who will look him straight in the eye and say -- 'Enough!'. Or as Judas must have felt when he caused Jesus' suffering, the burden of misery and guilt would now fall upon his head.

So then while the one who suffers may have learned to cope and move on perhaps to bigger and brighter things, the one who caused the suffering would be journeying to his own destruction. 'Whatsoever you shall sow.... so shall you reap."

Suffering, as seen through the eyes of God, is not an abomination nor a perceived punishment as many may wont to or customarily believe. It's simply a tool, one of many, to work God's purpose... to lift one up to higher ground of hope, faith, courage, glory or splendor. Like gold is passed through fire to come out shining, one must go through some pain to get to the place of joy and happiness. But take heed and pay close attention and learn.

We will never know God's thoughts and ways. But all that we need to do is trust in His work in our lives. It behooves us to understand this well for our peace and joy.

So to my friend and your question, why not try to have a good chat with your God -- He'll help you figure that out. He always does magnificently. God bless you. ----------

A FAMILY IS WHO AND WHAT THEY ARE FOR YOU FOR A REASON, BY GOD'S DESIGN

2011-02-13T13:12:00.004+08:00

None in the world or in life can compare to a FAMILY. So I don't understand why still some of us seem to hate our families so much. Why? Is it because they are not what you want them to be? or expect them to be? is it because they are not pretty nor wealthy nor educated nor well-positioned .. or whatever else you think they should be for you?

Sorry to disappoint you but truth is we never really get the family we may want. Because God does not always give us what we want. But He does give us what we need.

And what is it that we need?

True Humility ---- to avoid pride or egotism or narcissism.
Good Perspective ---- to avoid putting down our priorities on the unessential
Unflagging Hope ---- to trust in our abilities to survive and achieve goals and dreams
Steady Faith ---- to fall back on when life gets tough and tougher
Common Sense ---- to see and recognize our gold... in life, in things, in people
Courage ---- to be who we are when the world aims to turn us into clones & zombies

And who else can teach, show, or remind us of all that? By being just who they are, our families (they may know this or not) become the reservoir from which we pluck out all the good stuff for our own learning. That is ..... if we are paying close attention.

God gave us our families not just for the visible roles that they are tasked to play in our lives but to serve the purpose God intended to serve the bigger picture of our existence. A family is who and what they are.......... by God's design.

May God's grace and blessing pour out on all families here in Blogspot and out there in the world. Love your families. They're not perfect, true. But they are what you need.

THE HABIT OF VERY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

2011-02-08T11:06:00.005+08:00

A nephew online asked me this question --- " Tita (aunt), so what's the habit of very successful people?" --

The answer? --- It's being able to get up every time you fall.

Everybody has a dream tucked up somewhere there in the mind and heart. Big dreams, small dreams, big goals, small goals, big ambitions, small ambitions. It's all beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you that it's just a waste of time because there's no guarantee that you may get it or even come close, or so they think. Although I could agree on that 'no guarantee' bit because indeed there's plenty of obstacles or hurdles to conquer, sometimes can be quite overwhelming and might make you want to give up, and the unpleasant unexpected can rear its ugly head down the road... thus may affect decisions or actions. But we've read a lot bout other people's success stories, haven't we, and do know what the common denominator was or is --- It's being able to get up every time you fall.

Thomas Edison failed a thousand times. I'm not saying we would. What am saying is he tried a thousand times before finally coming to one that really worked. In essence that is what will happen with the rest of us... stumble and fall 10 maybe 20 times to say the least, but we're expected to pick ourselves up 10 or 20 times too and start all over again -- and perhaps for another round maybe of falling and getting up again. But get up we must. That's the trick that gets the dream.

The same trick that would get you your dream job or position, career or profession, medals, awards, titles, recognition. Name it, you can have it. Use the trick. ------------

Somebody said this, to quote.....

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." Unquote.

COURAGE IS A QUIET VOICE SOMETIMES

2011-02-07T20:08:00.004+08:00

------ Who hasn't passed through tough times? Maybe someone out there is going through one right now. Hard as it may be to listen to family and good friends' well-meaning efforts to help you... lending their own faith, strength and courage, it still behooves you to listen and listen well. When in the midst of pain we can't usually think straight. So we need others to think for us. Oh yes, sometimes we need to do that. We should learn to borrow their minds in lieu of our fuzzy brains. They say that it's easier to size things up when you're outside the issue and being objective about it. That's what they can do for you. At least listen.

That being said, we know that Life is tough. God himself said that but He did promise that He would be with us through it all. So understanding that very well will help you deal with life's challenges in better form. You will begin to find the courage you thought no longer existed. But wait a sec, don't expect courage to come blazing away a clear smooth path for you to tread on. It doesn't usually happen that way. Sometimes courage comes in so quietly you'd miss it if you weren't paying close attention. Sometimes it's just a small voice inside nudging you to try one more time. Try one more time, one more hope, one more faith, one more prayer, one more day. ----------

TO COMPLETE OR COMPLEMENT ANOTHER

2011-02-04T20:14:00.006+08:00

Was reading this book sometime back (Insignificant one, by a not yet famous writer who could be one day. Who can tell.) and one line struck me, spoken by one female character 'I love you because you complete me.' Nice huh? Aww so romantic..

But I don't buy that. What if something happened and the relationship went pfft and the fella went off to Alaska or to the moon or ran off with another girl... then what does that make of you? That makes you incomplete? Meaning you can no longer function as a normal human being without him? That you become less than whole because a part of you is with the other? Oh okay, maybe I'm taking that quite literally but kidding aside am just stressing a point. Because I think that's not a good line to use.. even if it were simply meant to tickle a lovestruck heart, yours or the other's.

Have you ever thought about this... that You can't let or allow anyone to define you or your life for whatever reason, not even for love. Dependence on another is okay to a certain extent maybe but certainly not when it takes away a part of you or even just a teeny weeny bit of you, or so you romantically think.

Complete may not be the right word here. Because complete may indeed fill up a void but it's not necessarily by or with love. Rather try using the word complement. Complement does not take away; rather it adds itself to another in such a loving understanding magnanimous manner, capacity and intent.

Someone said this, to quote.....

"Never say that someone completes you. We have to feel whole even when we are by ourselves, for needing a person is not love but dependency. Wanting a person to become a part of your life is the best reason for having them. So rather than search for the someone who will complete you, wait for the person that will complement your completeness." Unquote.

LISTENING and SILENCE

2011-02-02T11:34:00.004+08:00

This is interesting >>>> "The word LISTEN contains the same letters as the word SILENT." (Anon.)

Listening and silence are two words which we seem to be quite incapable of doing. Well, more often than not, it seems. It is like we need a lot of noise or busyness or activity or distractions around us to function. But.. What is wrong with silence.. isn't it just the perfect setting to come to terms with self and to make sense of the world outside? To get to the core of things one needs to peel off the frills and unnecessary superficial layers that hide the truth or gems within. And noise does a very good job of blocking from us what we should be seeing in truth and honesty.

Silence too makes listening possible and easier. And maybe that's why both contain the same letters because they are twin siblings hard to take apart. One can't exist without the other. -------

HAPPINESS FROM WITHIN

2011-01-21T11:27:00.003+08:00

A dear ole friend at lunch asked me this --- "I'm not happy. Are you?"

Are you happy? A question asked of anybody everybody at one time or another. So we get lots of answers to that from friends, people, books, videos, music, movies. We try to provide our own answers too. That usually helps us coast along through our days or on the other hand leave us even more confused and weary.

Well, I have learned through my own life journey that happiness of the good kind does not come from outside of your turf. Rather it's right there in your hand... waiting to be created nurtured expanded enlarged and blazing out to the bigger world outside if you let it. In short, you draw from within and not without if you want to be happy. You'll struggle with that, of course, because humans (that's you and me and others) have this myopic penchant for misery, rather selfish if you look hard at it. Misery attracts attention and humans love attention, of any kind. We're babies pretending to be adults.

So to be happy, you have to be quite creative at it. You like flowers, so don't wait for someone to bring you a bouquet or an occasion to buy some. Get them from the flower shop. You love peace and quiet, so go find a space in the house where you can sit or read a book without interruption. You love nature, so go for an early morning walk and commune with the lovely sunrise, chirping birds, and a gentle breeze on your face. Or take out your canvass and brush and paint it. You love coffee, so go fix yourself one - bring it to the table and sip slowly feeling the warmth embrace your whole being.

Happiness are the moments that take your breath away.

FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY

2011-01-17T13:54:00.006+08:00

I like this quote; saw it just today >>>

"Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer." -- Barbara Kingslover

Reminds me of someone who said to me months ago.....'Huy, mahirap mag-facebook o blog, kelangan smart ka at sasakay ka sa trend dito.' - (Not easy doing blogs or facebook. You've got to be smart and ride on its trend bandwagon.)

Yah think?? Whatever one says here, I believe, comes from one's history and that makes sense. A person thinks-speaks-acts according to, dictated by, and gathered from his past - his personal history and experience - observations insights and beliefs - which shaped and continually shapes him. Everybody has a story to tell. Be it light, heavy, sad, scary, silly, naughty or nice. Everybody has something to say. You've got to be your own authentic self. What is essential perhaps is to learn how to say it right... so that people don't walk away embarrassed, disgusted, offended, belittled, diminished or turned off by your piece. But instead will stop stay and listen to your stories of true joy, faith, hope, love, courage, comradeship, learning, positivity and inspiration.

The world has enough wars to keep it busy. We don't need to add up to those things which only serve to destroy peace and harmony, within and without. The rule of the universe is not to tear people down but rather to build them up. You alone can best figure out how.

A LIFE TO THE FULLEST

2011-01-12T10:29:00.004+08:00

Why do we chain themselves to old worn mind sets, of severe thoughts that serve only to cramp our style and enjoyment of a full life. And you may ask 'what is meant by a full life?'

-- Simple. It only means that we see and acknowledge our blessings, recognize its Giver, realize our God-given spark, know and still like who we are and where we are at. Because as difficult as that may sound, that's what God intended our life to be. May not be a perfect life but it's ours. We and all that we stand for is the vehicle by which we grow, learn and become the person God meant us to be. That's what we're supposed to do. And it's there so that we may live life to the fullest.