I AM EVEN MORE

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While sorting through my old stuff meaning to throw away those no longer needed, I stumbled on a piece of paper which was apparently creased badly like somebody meant to throw it away but changed his mind. It was typewritten. Well, I brought it out to the table and began to read it.....
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I am even more.
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Life has been tough. A roller coaster ride through hills, mountains,
and valleys. I had been bombarded with cares and woes that I've lost
count on my fingers, toes included.
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I've lost chances. Plenty of them which could have made my life
different. I've lost people too which could have lent my existence
some joy and fun.
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I have faltered, stumbled, and fallen a dozen times. All different
from the other, not the same, but I soon discovered that everything
served the same goal of my learning.
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I fumed, cried buckets, felt sorry over lost chances, and regretted
mistakes. Many things angered me, and many more succeeded to break my heart.
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BUT..... I have realized that I can't fix everything even if I wanted to or no matter how I try. Strange but some things sorted themselves out. Divine intervention some would say. That then saved me a lot of 'huffin-and-puffin' just to bring the bad ones down. A good number I figured out myself, fortunately. Yet some do not disappear and simply stick out like a sore thorn on the side. You just have to learn to live with it. I learned that, too.
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Bruised and scarred by my own battles, (life is indeed tough, amigo) and yet here I am. Still standing. Because I have learned that I am even more. So much more.
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Somebody up there must be smiling. I guess HE meant it that way. And you know what... I'm glad that HE did. Thank you!
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Heyy.. that's my story! :-) I think it's everybody's story, too. You are even more. If you do not know it yet..... let me say this again --- You are so much more!
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God bless you.

DON'T WHITTLE YOURSELF AWAY

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I thought that I had lost Mr. Quote Man (and worried a bit there) for there weren't any quotes in my inbox for some weeks. But this morning I got one from him with a brief explanation that he had just recovered from the sick bed. Not serious but enough to get him resting as advised by his doctor.
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Now the quote...... "He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away." --Raymond Hull (1919–1985) - Canadian playwright, television screenwriter, lecturer, and author.
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Unquote.
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Does this strike you as something familiar? But before we come to that.... In a popular sense, trim would be something like trimming a bush, a hedge, or a small tree in trying to remove run-away branches or leaves which are considered unnecessary or not helpful or useless to the overall aesthetic appearance or value. It's almost the same in the human world at the work place where companies retire or fire people they consider unproductive or liabilities to the grander common objective or goal. Sad but true.
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When I was in my early teens, I remember being so insecure that I would give my allowance (a pittance compared to that of my best friend who seemed to receive a fortune from her dad everyday) ... to whoever could make me the big superstar on the school campus. But none volunteered for the job as they too were being busy trying to be one themselves. Well, high-school is just the perfect setting for the battle of insecurities from one teen to another in every time or clime.
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Hilda (not her real name) was your ordinary teenager but a notch different from the rest... in a strange kind of way. We sat in the same class so I practically had her under my microscopic sight wherever-whatever. At one time she acted like a bitch because her gang of cool chicks acted like one. Then again when she hung out with a bunch of nerds she practically borrowed books from the school library but which she never really read but held in her arms as she chatted with the nerdy bunch. When in the company of boisterous rowdy school mates she talked and laughed the loudest. She was everything you wanted her to be it seemed.
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You think that's being adaptable? Naah... she looked more like peeling off parts of herself to fit into the group she was wanting to belong to. Whether she was peeling off much or too little isn't the whole point of the story. What she was doing was trimming herself too much just to fit in or be accepted until nothing was seen left of the original to thrive, nurture, or survive. She was shaking off values which started off her young human life and throwing away the potential to be someone worthy of life. She embraced the superficial thinking that it would lead her to better things and better times. But did it or does it? She was many persons other than Hilda.
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But it's not just teenagers who do that; adults do it too. And I have learned from life that if you really need to trim out anything .... just make sure it's something you are better off without permanently. That it's loss should not diminish you but rather would transform you into your best potential. By Divine design.
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Have a great week, folks! Be blessed. Stay blessed.

YOU ARE LIMITED BY HOW YOU SEE THE WORLD. SEEK TO GROW.

 

  (This is from the other blog but I'm bringing it here too to share with you.)

 .....

 

What's on my mind today. Well, I was sorting through my files awhile ago and saw this piece of paper with a quote on it ... halatang luma na ... written from so long ago it seems. It says and to quote ...
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"Interestingly, koi, when put in a fish bowl, will only grow up to three inches. When this same fish is placed in a large tank, it will grow to about nine inches long. In a pond koi can reach lengths of eighteen inches. Amazingly, when placed in a lake, koi can grow to three feet long. The metaphor is obvious. You are limited by how you see the world." -- Vince Poscente
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Imagine these.....................
in a fish bowl = will grow up to THREE inches;
in a large tank = will grow to about NINE inches long;
in a pond = can reach lengths of EIGHTEEN inches;
in a lake = can grow to THREE FEET long;
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Now why did I have to repeat that? Simple. It's to stress a very important point ... (and it's also for my own understanding and learning. Some lessons are worth learning again and again.) ...... which Vince Poscente summed up very well ------ 'You are limited by how you see the world.'
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He is right. If we content or restrict ourselves to just our neighborhoods, or to our towns, or to our cities, or to our tiny corners of life alone, or to the I - ME - MY - MINE of living .... that certainly gives us no room for growth. Our likes and dislikes, preferences, insights, perceptions, attitudes, habits, store of information and knowledge will be as it all were maybe ten or twenty years ago.
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But life keeps moving on; the world keeps on turning; people develop and change; systems are discovered and rediscovered every time; the beating of the drums call for progress; even Mother Nature renews herself each season. The children of our times are a far cry from the children of our forefathers and so will the children of our children be different from their fathers in their own time.
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So.... the choice is there for us to make:
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Shall we step along with life's parade........ or remain where we are and have always been since god-knows-when.
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Break down the old barriers and walls now; junk the negativity of some people (and our own negativity, too) ... and then create new bridges and new roads to an awesome life. Let us then see the world with fresh new eyes.... minds..... hearts and work towards our highest potential and become the persons God designed and meant us to be.
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And the time to start it is now. There is no eternity waiting for us in this life; what we have is today. Begin today.
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God go with you in your journey. As I pray too that He does in mine.

A COMFORT ZONE IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE BUT NOTHING EVER GROWS THERE

 

 

 

 

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Most of us don't really warm up to any kind of change.. even if it were for our better good. We much prefer to stay where we are most comfortable and familiar. Our comfort zones. We tend to shy away from the unknown, from perceived danger, from taking risks, from failing, from being hurt, from strange new faces, places, and experiences, from anything which would make us leave the safety and comfort of our box. That's right we have placed ourselves inside a box, huge or tiny, where we live.. love.. work.. play.. and die. We tell ourselves that we are happy in it but down there in our hearts we know that we're missing something. Admit it.. we long for something still.
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This void lingers persists but which sadly we seem to be ignoring.
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Then a friend comes along and tells us wonderful stories of how beautiful the world is out there... about the awesome adventures he had... the interesting people he met... the amazing opportunities which led him to better his life... the many battles he fought and yet won with strength he thought wasn't there... and finally admitting that he didn't know that he was missing so much until he took that first brave step and stepped out the door of his comfort zone... at last setting himself free! Free to be the person he longed to be and was meant to be.
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Yet we tell ourselves that it's something which happens only to special people. People who are brighter.. braver.. smarter.. talented.. and made out for success. But wait! Are we not special people, too? We each have our talents and abilities, the same things which enabled us to do what we do inside our comfort zones.
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Perhaps... maybe... all that is needed is for us to expand or stretch our horizons far beyond the four walls of our familiar lives. To nudge ourselves to become better than the persons we were yesterday. We can do that-it's possible; others have done it before us.
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But that can only come when we agree to change...  from small to bigger -- from ordinary to extraordinary -- from average to exceptional -- from blah-blah to exciting -- from fearful to freehearted. And finally one day when we have learned to use our God-given talents wisely we become the persons He designed or meant us to be. 
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Nope, this isn't empty talk. This is what we were designed to be, truly ... People of joy, heart, courage, strength, hope, success, and faith. The potential is already there. Just step up and out. Claim what belongs to you.
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Blessings, everyone! Make life matter and moments count.

THINGS CAN EITHER MAKE OR BREAK YOU - BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOU

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Look hard into your day because you just might find or get your gold. I can say that because, more often than not, I truly find my inspiration which immensely feed the writing each time each day.
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Like this quote which I saw this morning.............. "Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny." -- C.S. Lewis
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Don't you think this quote is the story of most everybody's life?
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Hardships .. it befalls each one of us ordinary people in our ordinary lives in our ordinary days. That's as old as the ancient ruins of Greece... as old as time. It comes to us in different shapes, sizes, predicament, inconvenience, discomfort and it minds not whether we like it or not. It just goes ahead and does what it does best... hurt us.
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That can be a big ouch or a small one and a pain in the butt (pardon the expression) or a heartache. You will groan, whine, hiss, complain, bang your head against the wall, kick the furniture and end up with a broken leg, cry oceans of tears to drown yourself in, or jump from the highest mountain but you wouldn't because, as you stop to think, that can hurt bigger than your whining. Besides the tallest mountains are in Pampanga, Batangas, or Tagaytay and before you can reach your destination miles and hours away you would have met your future love in the bus you're riding and so together head back home for a nice date! Or get married! Destiny! End of story.
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The nicest part though (not just meeting the love of your life) is having the power to turn things around to your advantage or favor. Yes, you are far more stronger than you think you are.
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But... that would depend on your responses to your situation. The situation can either make or break you.... but it all depends on you! Really, it all depends on you.
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You know the drill..... work harder, take positive attitude and action, push yourself to greatness, be creative and resourceful, hope bigger, pray harder, think-think-think, be fearless, seek the counsel of the wise, be mentored in the right direction, persevere, believe in your own strengths, build on who you are and what you have. Remind yourself not to let your hardships define you but rather to let it shape you into your biggest and brightest potential.
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That may sound tough but truth is.... you're tougher than tough. That is by God's design.
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May God bless you with the wisdom to see yourself as He designed you to be.... His obra maestra!

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God bless you.

 

SUNRISE --- BREATH OF LIFE

 

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Words are not enough to express its beauty.

Let these pictures speak for themselves.

(Big thanks to the internet and to the wonderful people who photographed these outstanding pieces.)

OUR LIVES ARE OUR MESSAGE TO THE WORLD

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"My life is my message". 

 Mahatma Gandhi

Short. Concise. Powerful.

So how are we living our lives. Do we stop to wonder? Because in those lines of Mahatma Gandhi it's telling us that our lives hold the power to teach... to influence... to shape the world... Maybe we think that's only the turf of the wealthy, of the positioned privilege, or of brilliant minds to wield this power. Maybe....  maybe not.

Perhaps the difference lies in that they nudge themselves to speak out their minds. Their lives are recorded with events of pushing themselves hard over a cause...... or stepping in where fools fear to tread..... or crossing boundaries..... or making fools of themselves over an unpopular yet worthy subject. It could spell success or on the other hand failure, but either way they have made their point and impact on a world standing by. That's power; that's influence.

We can, too. Maybe not in the same grand or grander manner or scale but certainly we can achieve that same stand of power for positive change. If we at best try to live our lives in the highest standard we can make of it in all the areas of our mundane lives...... we will be creating fertile ground on which positivity can build on.

Yes, we can do this in our small or which others may call ordinary lives step by step, one day at a time, and through incremental changes in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Incremental meaning small steady consistent improvements or making small and consistent progress toward a desired goal.   As we live our lives day by day in that mold and mode we become more and more entrenched in the act of becoming good-of doing good. By walking our talk we send out the message of power, of a can-do-it attitude, of being one with the Divine purpose of our lives ----  that of being our highest potential for good. Because truly our highest good is God's intent for our lives.

Think that we have only one chance to do it. We may never get another one. Only a cat has nine lives, or maybe not.

Making this life work will enable us to say alongside Mahatma Gandhi that .... "My life is my message".

Have a great day, friends. Live your power! God bless you and your loved ones.

POSITIVITY - IT'S A WINNER ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT

"Life is a grand  party where no one gets to meet the host or stay to the end."  --- Robert Brault 

A very positive and optimistic point of view on life which I honestly don't get to hear often. But we do know by experience that life is everything but a grand ball. And yet, it can be the grand party you may wish it to be if you so choose it. Just a matter of attitude and a huge dose of positive thinking. That's what it said in a book I had recently read.

Life is tough as we hear it often said and as often as we have been told about it. Consequently we get to experience it ourselves as we get down to the real thing in our respective lives. While many would groan and whine going through the fire, there are some amazingly who would simply dance through the flames. And what may be the difference there? Yes, you're right, it's attitude... a positive attitude towards life.

And as I have learned, a positive attitude springs from a positive mind. But how does one describe a positive mind? I think it's one that believes in possibilities, in potential, in hope, in faith, and in believing that there is ONE up there who cares what happens to you down here. So if HE CARES, what could hold you or us back from anything good?!

An ounce of positivity is a pound of _________. So you fill in the blanks according to what positivity did for you. Maybe somebody out there needs to hear it. :-) Pass the positivity around. It's a winner any way you look at it.

(Thanks, Mr. Quote Man, for the quote. And thanks to the internet for the wonderful images.)

Blessings, everyone!

SHINE WITH YOUR LIGHT

I liked this right after having stumbled upon it in a book recently. Just had to bring it here so that I could come back to it again and again. To quote -

"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!"  -- Anne Frank (Germany)

Unquote.

I think that's a good reminder of who we are. We are not meant to live mediocre lives but were meant to live outstanding lives. We are each given a talent by which God expects us to put to good use. And this putting to good use should not only benefit the self but should contribute to the well-being of the other or others. I think that is just what we are supposed to do.

We were designed for a life that should shine with who we are with our God-given talents. To shine does not necessarily have to mean being on the center stage of achievement or drama or grandiose trappings or show. That could be nice but isn't the only way. I believe that there are a diversity of ways to shine as there are many different talents God has poured upon each and every person.

Here's another quote I like too:

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."  -- Romans 12:6-8

The trick I believe is to discover what yours is. Because truly you can be great, you can love amazingly, you can accomplish wonderful things, and you definitely have potential. That, incidentally, is by God's design.

So shine with your light.

COUNTING BLESSINGS - TRY IT

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.

LIVE LIFE WITH YOUR BEST

Images came to life one day as I sat by the window looking out to a dull day. That of a young girl in high school and a best friend who saw herself as insignificant incompetent. That of an office-mate who didn't think that he could deserve a promotion. That of a niece who thought herself to be a loser. But all three were good at some talent or skill. I remember them so well.

Then came one day when.......

---Dina was pushed by her English teacher to join a campus essay contest. She came out besting the best. She was sent off to represent the school in a national competition; won that.
---James was sent by his boss to handle a project at their provincial branch office. He improved their sales dramatically within a year. He became the manager of that branch.
---Leah was asked by an uncle to assist in an NGO sponsored community activity for street children. The children adored her. She later headed similar community activities and became known for her highly-rated organizational skills and efficiency.

Sometimes we don't get to know our potential nor see the spark of genius within our selves. Sometimes we need a little push from someone who sees us for what we are.. one who sees our genius or potential. And when that happens, it now becomes our responsibility to let it shine even so much more. There can no longer be an excuse for not letting our star shine and shine even brighter. We should aspire to do what we do best at anytime, any place, with whoever is sent us, with every opportunity that knocks on our doors. We should be who we are constantly consistently unbendingly uncompromisingly... regardless... because that's who and what we are. The best is our yardstick. The goal is to live life with our best.

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest until good be better and better best."
-- Mother Goose rhyme

CHOICES - MAKE IT GOOD

It's a sunny morning. I can choose to be irritated by it -- or go outside and enjoy the blessings of a lovely day. Anything and everything in life has choices attached to it. Choices. Therein lies the potential for both good and bad. My grandma would always say 'be careful what you pray for - it might come true'. In the same vein, I say now ---- 'be careful what you choose - the wrong one could make you lose your smile'. :-) Choices - make it good.

(Pictures here were taken by Amchit with her cellphone.)

WHAT'S A SUNDIAL IN THE SHADE

Never think that you can't. Just because you see somebody shining brilliantly in what he does, it does not mean that you can't do just as well if not better with your own. Maybe the problem is - you haven't given it a big try. I say Big because there are admittedly small tries, feeble tries, fearful tries, and indifferent tries. What you get depends on how much you put in. Make that your first and only rule.

Humility is good. But again there is false humility, misplaced humility, fake humility, and proud humility. The genuine kind is one that honestly knows his own capacity for greatness alongside his limitations. But the latter does not worry him at all because he understands that it is not his inadequacies which define him as a person but his strength to be the best of what he can be and with this do the good he wants to see in the world.

Ordinary maybe but sometimes there lies within a miracle waiting to be born. A miracle when someone does an ordinary thing extraordinarily. And the world applauds. Never underestimate ordinary -- within its cover is potential.

So then.....

"Hide not your talents, they for use were made.
What's a sun dial in the shade?"
-- Benjamin Franklin

GROW WHEREVER YOU ARE WITH WHO YOU ARE

It is quite easy to be content with what you have become and with your own stack of experience or knowledge. And even easier to boldly think that you know everything there is to know and that nothing else will and can surprise you now. Maybe -- or maybe not. But I think it's not how far you or we have gone up the ladder of knowledge or fame or stature that makes the real score. Not really. Because I have seen men of high position, wealth, or education make big and bigger fools of themselves with something or someone lesser than themselves. Not so much of why but rather of how they did that to themselves.

----- How often do we hear of an unknown inconsequential person steal the thunder from a much more famed intellentual or personality by the sheer strength of his argument or presentation? And that isn't because he had more talent or was much more brilliant than the other. It was imply because this insignificant person did his homework, studied harder, and was determined to learn all there was to learn and more about the subject in question. He apparently didn't stop where others already have. He wasn't contented with what he had, no matter how sufficient it may appear to be, and doggedly strove or explored more ways to make it even better if not the best. His goal may not be perfection but definitely he aimed for excellence. By the way, somebody once told me that perfection is a dead-end, meaning no growth. No more.

----- In contrast to that, we see our man of stature stopping where he was made content by his achievements or personal gain.

----- To sum it up, our inconsequential hero continued to grow where our famed intellectual stood smugly on status quo. So it isn't very hard to see that growth, wherever and whoever you are in your life with whatever you have, will undoubtedly take you quicker to your goal and win you the coveted prize. You see, it's not really what you have accumulated in your head or how big and full your pockebook is, or of the absence of one or the other or both. Nope. Rather what defines you is whether you continue to grow regardless of your situation or circumstance. Then by this you become unstoppable. And that is how man made his first flight to the moon - discovered new horizons - broke sound barriers - created new wonder drugs - or rose from rags to riches where it was once thought to be impossible.

----- "It matters little where a man may be at this moment; the point is whether he is growing." - George MacDonald

WANT A CAREER, GIRL? - WELL THEN, GO FOR IT!

Unlike our moms & grandmoms before us, more women now are in careers. That's okay, very okay. Because a woman is a man's equal even in the workplace. She, given the same training, is equal to the task and may even shine brighter. She can hold her own, be brilliant, be tough. and too brings to the job this special something God gave to women -- a nurturing heart.

So you see, the only difference is --
she wears high heels! :-)

POTENTIAL - THAT'S WHAT WE ALL HAVE

The greatest crime in the world is not developing your potential. When you do what you do best, you are helping not only yourself, but the world." -- Roger Williams

How does that look to you? Mr. Williams believes that in every person lies ‘potential’ -- A potential that should work not only for you but for others or the larger world as well. Beautiful, isn’t it? Let me tell you a story.

My friend though, who isn’t in my regular company of crazy loony passionate life-loving ladies, likes to call it ‘crap’ (a favorite expression to her). She has a 17 year old son who is close to dropping out of high school – skipping classes, bumming around with odd friends, and defying authority – that she expects him to end up a big pathetic good-for-nothing bum for life. She has two other children who are doing quite well on their own and she’s so pleased with that, obviously.

I’ve met the kid on occasional visits to their home. Yeah, he does look strange with his odd-looking clothes, tattoo on his arm, and spiked orange-streaked hair. But you know what – he’s good at the computer! So I took the chance and asked him to work out something for me with my project. There I sat with him for two straight hours as he taught me the intricacies of that particular software which befuddled my brains before I met him. At the end of the session, I looked him in the eye (beautiful eyes like his mom) and told him ‘You’re good!’ He smiled and there I saw a hint of a glimmer in his eye – a very pleased and happy glimmer.

Back in my house, I couldn’t take the kid out of my mind.

While I was there sitting beside him at the computer as he went through the process of setting up my project, I noticed how clear he was in his instructions and teaching – that he didn’t miss a point which he thought I should understand and learn well. He firmly engaged me in the learning by making me do some tasks while he watched. Truth is, I was enjoying the whole thing, it was fantastic, in fact! He was a good teacher and apparently knew his stuff well.

So I had an idea.

On that weekend, Sunday to be exact, I invited his mother to lunch at a favorite restaurant at the mall. It was the place to go for a perfect plate of ‘seafood pasta’. Indeed. We emptied our plates savored every bit and ended up quite sated and content. Of course a good meal is always punctuated with a good hot cup of coffee—cappuccino for me natur’ly.

Midway through my coffee, I asked ‘How’s Raul?’

‘As usual he didn’t come home last night. Some gig somewhere at a friend’s house’ She muttered exasperated under her breath.

‘You know, he did well with my project. The kid knows so much more than you give him credit for.’ I said quite frankly as I put my cup down.

‘Indeed!’ She replied shrugging her shoulders and sipped her coffee.

Now if there is something which easily gets my goat - it’s a parent who does NOT appreciate her child or children. You see, there’s so much good forming in those young minds to start with (God made sure of that) and if given the chance will develop and mature into something so grand and amazing. But it has to be helped along – Now who else to do that but one’s mother or father. Parents! Funny but we often lose sight of our main role in our children’s lives -- to shape or mold them to their fullest potential. We are stewards of our children. Our function is to lead them to discover their true selves – their best selves and armed with it allow them to carve out their own niche in this world. Our expectations for our children should be aligned to this and not be dictated by our own selfish hopes motives and dreams. Our children are not extensions of ourselves. We shouldn’t expect them to make our old forgotten dreams come true or live them for us. It’s unfair to impose or heap this burden on their young shoulders. If any dreams should come true now that they’re much older – it should be theirs.

‘Now you listen, and listen well.’ I said to her firmly and pointedly. Although caught by surprise (I could see), she sensed that I was serious and so slowly put down her coffee and gave me her full attention. Well, I thought, there’s hope for this mother yet.

“Your son is not what he appears to be, believe me. But he just does not know how to put that across to you because you have already pre-judged him -- You believe he is no good because he acts differently apart from your other children. This makes him think that you don’t love him at all… that you’re playing favorites.

C’mon, give him a break. See him in a different light. Believe in his potential and help him bring it out to the fore. Help him with something he can believe in and make something out of. Lead him to things which will hone and develop his God-given talents. Help him get back on track again and confidently show to the world that he’s not the odd man out but the best man in.

No one else can do that for him – not his friends, not even his teachers. It’s you who can. So get yourself down to the task pronto… before you lose him, truly lose him one day.”

She was about to say something but then her phone rang. She answered it, and while the other end was talking I could guess, she took a brief look at me... stayed in that moment for a second….. Then loud enough for me to hear she spoke…

“Wait for me, Raul. We have something to talk about. Hey, how does pizza sound to you?”

Then she smiled, put down her phone, and turned to me “Garlic & cheese pizza - his favorite!” and brushing away a tear whispered…...

“Thank you” And headed straight for Pizza Hut across the hall.