COUNT THE YEARS NOT BY WHAT YOU HAVE LOST BUT BY WHAT YOU HAVE GAINED

 

 

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It's always a relaxing moment seated in a quiet corner of my favorite coffee bar which my daughter and I often frequent.. and just simply 'watch the world go by', so to speak. Nobody knows me except of course for the friendly baristas who consider me and my daughter as regulars to their store. With my favorite green tea frappe paired with a delicious slice of chocolate cake time simply slips by unnoticed quite peacefully. And I love it…

Until something catches my attention and shakes up my thinking cap.

Just a table away from me sat four middle-aged ladies. Apparently long-time friends and still at it through the changes of life and time. Have gathered that much from their conversation which trickled down in my direction. Quite obviously, no doubt. Alam nyo naman din ang Pinoy.. maingay yan kapag nagkikita-kita. Ang lalakas pa ng boses, akala mo sila lang ang tao sa kwarto o sa mundo. But you can tell they were having such great fun! So then it was difficult not to hear or ignore them sounding like that. Was quite amused by it all, in fact.

They were at it for some minutes until their mood turned serious; no more banter or laughter seen or heard from them. The talk turned different. So then I turned back to my drink and cake, too, while waiting for my daughter who had to run errands inside the mall now seen teeming with people chasing after promo sales.

A few minutes went by then I suddenly heard this lady from the group speak up loud and clear:

"Eto yun at tandaan mo: Don't look at how far you have to go, look at how far you have come!"


That made me smile. I've heard that line before, spoken by someone... and read it somewhere, too.

I think sometimes such familiar lines come to us at some point in our lives when confusion and frustration assail us. Although meant to inspire or encourage us yet it does not always work that way. Because when you’re hurting you cannot understand anything else but your hurt or pain. And all that you can see is that long tough journey still stretching out ahead of you and which makes you wonder just when or where it will ever stop or end. Because it’s truly tough --- you’re hurting and crumbling under its burden, and it feels like you have reached the end of your rope.

But here’s what…..

Breathe deep. Deeply. Just breathe. Tune in on your senses. Pay attention to what it’s telling you. What does it say? It says you’re alive! With eyes that see, ears that hear and listen, nose that smells fragrance and otherwise, hands that touch and feel, legs that can walk many distances, and your sense of taste that leads you to scrumptious food which ends up having heavier numbers on the weighing scale! (Geeez I agree!)

And being alive means......…

That you have new tomorrows waiting for you... that you can try again... that you can pursue your fond dream another way... that you can build and rebuild... that you can pick yourself up each time you fall – over and over – again and again... that you can find and meet new people who will be kinder to your dreams... that you can choose what to do next... that you can learn new things and grow with it... that you can create or recreate new opportunities for yourself to work on.

Being alive means that you don’t and won’t give up. Being alive means that you are darn so good but you can also be so much better or the best. And that is the goal!

Count the years not by what you have lost but by what you have gained. Big or small. They’re all significant. No matter what people may say, you deserve your glory. And keep counting because more is yet to come. God bless you!

WORK IS NOT ALL OF LIFE. NEITHER IS LIFE JUST WORK.

Here’s a thought……..

Work is good, whatever work you do. (We need it.) But truthfully it does not need you. Because if you can't do the job, it will find somebody else who can and will. There always is a long queu... a very long one... outside the company door waiting and wanting your job. Harsh but true.

So...

Work with your very best, give it your best shot but do not let life pass you by stuck at your desk or something. -- Work is not all of life. Neither is life just work.-- There's more out there in this big wide magnificent world... there's more you can do with who you are and with your God-given talents. There are people waiting to be part of your time -- of you (your family is one). Time becomes precious in good precious friendships, communities, etc.. Enjoy it.

Most of all God didn't say that life should be spent exhausting or slaving yourself over one thing alone. He intended you to enjoy life to the fullest (there is a verse in the bible about that). And that means to experience and relish life's vast potential for beauty and good. Bask in the glory of nature, such beautiful and amazing diversity. Connect and interact with good hearts and kind souls. And remember that living those wonderful moments with your family can give you a delicious taste of heaven here on earth. That’s a most precious gift.

Grow as you should but not only with charts, statistics, reports, data, or picks and shovels, etc. Grow as God intended you to grow --- in your fullest human potential…. being a delight to the people around you…… and most of all --- a bigger delight to His heart.

So what’s keeping you? Time waits for no one. You decide. :-)

May the good Lord bless you with the choicest of blessings, friends.

 

 

CHANGE IS A NECESSARY PART OF LIFE

 

 

 

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I was at the tail-end of my usual morning walk and was nearing this middle-aged woman who looked so intent in her task of sweeping up the dirt in front of her house. She was doing quite a thorough job of sweeping going through the grounds with her broom. As much as I admired her sense of thoroughness at the job, I cringed at the possibility that she could be sweeping away the tiny minute unseen-to-the-eye creatures of the ground. 

Anyway, I slowed down my pace as curiosity got the best of me. Just as I thought-- she left no stone unturned, no stray bit safe..... even the ground seemed reduced in size with the passing of her broom.

Now can you imagine this........

if we could sweep away the debris of our lives in a similar manner? Certainly it would have to take a magic broom, of course. But have you identified the ‘debris’ cluttering your life? I’ll bet you would put in a lot of ..... bad events, situations, experiences, people, bad habits, and other things besides in that category. How about prejudice, bias, attitudes, addictions, perversions, greed, and corruption? Oh yes, the ills of the world, too. Don't you wish that we could sweep them away too, right?

Sometimes ‘junk’ of all sorts seep into our lives and chip at our values too. Small things which may seem trivial at a glance thus ofttimes ignored and unnoticed. But these very small yet unpleasant things slowly gnaw at our values like termites do on wood. Pretty soon unknowingly bits and pieces are being altered in our minds and hearts. What used to be good, whole and wholesome has become shredded, tattered, and cluttered like garbage. Eventually turning into ugly debris stored up within and taking its hold or grip on us thus influencing our everyday lives.

We move around our lives carrying this garbage not recognizing it as 'garbage'. We utter words of hate and division.... we think thoughts of bias and prejudice.... we do things which hurt our neighbor, friends, and families for no just reason or cause. We transform into monsters of negativity, ill intent, lopsided views and opinions. And the sad thing about it is feeling good about ourselves! We think we're defending our right to be heard.. but has it also crossed your mind that you could be simply defending the.....ego? Ego knows no right or wrong, no good or bad. It's goal is self-satisfaction. Period. The termites have indeed done a good job of gnawing at the wood of our character.

We do need to be aware of our internal garbage and work to sweep it up out of our lives. Determine to throw it into the bin of extinction. Tough job, I know; but at least let it be said that we did try and will persevere until every last bit of garbage is gone! We take back our true selves.... as God originally designed.

Change is an internal job. Nobody will or can do it for you. We can work at change bit by tiny bit, one step at a time, one day at a time, pulling ourselves away from the unnecessary and unpleasant comfort zones of negativity and trash.

May God bless you with His love, peace, grace to do good things for yourself and others