DREAM IT - PLAN IT - WORK IT

"You will recognize  your own path when you come upon it,  because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need."  -- Jerry Gillies

That about answers the question asked me so often when among the young hopefuls I’ve interviewed for a job before. They tell me that they have so many plans, so many dreams, and yet never seem to know which one is the right one for them. Confused and bewildered they keep on hammering at a wide range of choices believing that the right one will surface and show its face and that somehow things will break and they will hit gold – but maybe or maybe not. I’m not convinced with that method.

It’s not always smart to spread yourself thinly over a wide field of prospects. It’s like using up energy and shooting wild bullets with no specific target in sight. Besides it will wear you out faster and pretty soon you will find yourself dragging your feet from one place to another. That’s a candidate for frustration and disappointment and a waste of precious time and talent – one which you can’t afford to lose.

And I have seen other young people take on a well-thought out and planned approach. These boys and girls start out with a well-defined and definite sense of self and purpose; have equipped themselves with the necessary education and training, and studied their prospects sorting out those which they believe will be a sure fit. They don’t bother with anything which does not fill the criteria they have set down. In such a way they succeed to narrow down the choices to the best of the crop. Once this has been decided then and only then do they gear up for the pursuit and journey. Armed with a clearer vision of who they are, what they have and what they hope to achieve..... amazingly the required enthusiasm energy and imagination needed to see it through springs out or bursts forth in unexplained measure and further throughout the journey would gain even greater momentum as each time the goal becomes closer to one’s view and reach.

"Start believing now that we can be who we are." --- (Anon.)

THE EYES OF THE HEART

I would like to write about this today. I look around me and at the world at large and see how much the world has got us all entrenched in things material and external. Come to think of it, people judge me for what I wear or with the choices I make, good or bad. People measure me for how much I got in the bank or how high up the corporate ladder I’ve gone. People label me for the company I keep or my choice of friends. People size me up for the glitter and glitch I have hang up on my body or to what schools I send my children to or whether my car is of the latest model.

If that be the measure I would certainly stand no chance and those who have everything that pleases the eye would make the grade. But don’t get me wrong, wealth or position serve its own uses and purposes too. And if people work hard for it, it becomes a prize or just reward for achievement.

Yet there must be much more to that.

You see, I’d like to be appreciated for who I am and not for what I have acquired for myself no matter how exquisite it may be, in physical or material terms -- Because I am definitely more than what I possess or do not possess.

This is the same gauge I use in people and life and the bigger world outside. There is more to what I see -- Positively more.

Those things which truly matter are hidden to the eye. Sometimes these things do not translate itself outwardly for some reason or another. It gets bundled up inside the person who has to tend with overwhelming odds or resistance or rejection or neglect. But it’s there quietly beating in the heart, waiting for its own true moment. And yet again because anything true and genuine cannot be muffled or stifled a hundred percent of the time all of the time, it somehow slips out in small gestures or snippets of expression too minute and often go unnoticed.

You can’t see these with the eye. Certainly cannot know how much hurt or pain or suffering is bottled up inside. Or how much good intent there is and why that person would concede to suffering. What if a person acts the way he does which may appear quite odd to others but because he seeks to protect a loved one or ease the burden of another and so does it anyway? When someone rubs you the wrong way and goes against your grain and pisses you off big time, but do you know what’s pushing him to be that way? Most people put up a lot of facades or masks or fences to hide things which they feel would not be accepted or understood by others. They build high walls to keep out other human beings who they think are out to fry them and break them down to pieces. And some pretend that they don’t need people at all – that self is sufficient and all that’s needed to live life with. More often than not, what you see in people isn’t what you get.

I see people – human beings who breathe the air I breathe, walk the roads I walk, dream the dreams I dream, play the same games I play, work the same jobs I work at, and know that we are all the same in our similarities and differences.

But the eyes of my heart can see well and better. It sees what goes on behind the facades and masks --- and understands. It can sift through the grain and pick out gems of feelings, thoughts, values, ideals, and intent. It understands that these are the things which truly matter. It knows that it is the person inside which is real and true and worthy.

It is only with the heart that one can see clearly,
for themost essential things are invisible to the eye."

-- Antonie de Sainte Exupery

(The picture here is courtesy of Malen, my youngest daughter, who took it with her phone cam. The subject is Maxie, our pet dog.)

YOU SEE BUT ARE YOU LOOKING -- YOU HEAR BUT ARE YOU LISTENING

There is nothing so frustrating as to be ignored or misunderstood. But funny we always are and do with each other. As I go about my life and business I’m often told that it’s all that I must do – mind my own business and leave others with theirs.

Are you sure that’s smart? Are you sure that’s compassionate? Are you sure that’s what being human is all about?

Smart is smart when you know that everything a person does stands connected to his neighbor or to the next person beside him, stranger or not. You can’t just go around brandishing your brand of living, speech, or behavior not caring who gets bumped or knocked down by your shadow as you pass it by. The day or moment, or on a larger scale as the world, does not center on you --- alone. It is composed of zillions of other creatures of life which share the center stage with you. They too matter as you do. They’ve got their own stories to tell and deserve to be heard. They’ve got their own ambitions or dreams and deserve to pursue it. They’ve got their desires, passions, and love and deserve to feel or express it. They’ve got their own share of sorrows and pain and deserve to be comforted and cared for. They are so much you – as you are so much them. Understanding this is being smart.

‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ So you think that a miserable-looking man in ragged clothes dirty mien, roaming the streets begging for a penny does not concern you. Or a middle-aged guy looking out through the bars of his lonely cell is his just reward and that makes you feel safe. Or when thousands go hungry in a country far away is the fault of their lousy government and not yours. Or that the pedophile pouncing on young innocent victims is alright just as long as he doesn’t swoop down on your territory or your own brood. Oh but that concerns you – everything that is wrong whether it touches you directly or not – will concern you because it has the potential to hurt or harm you. But you have the power to change things if you want to. You may not be the government with all the resources in your hands nor a billionaire who can send off plane loads of food to Africa but you are you with your one voice, pair of hands, and a mind and heart that thinks and feels rightly when the time is come for it. You can with your one voice try to shift the eyes of the world to the plight of your poor world neighbors. You can point your finger to the instruments of evil threatening our families, communities, and the world. You can pack food and clothes and give it to the poor man on the street. It won’t take much to show compassion for another human being. All it takes is a mind and a heart which cares… truly cares.

If you think that you are given life to do as you wish, the answer is no. Yes, we do mind our days with jobs we work at from 9 to 5 24/7, get married, raise families, send children to school but that’s not all there is to life and living. There’s more entwined there because you stand connected to the world outside too that will surely engage your fullest capacity, ability, or talent if you look hard and listen well. And that does not simply operate in your own small circle of family or close friends although it can begin there. It’s a huge expanse which covers your community, to people you’ve never seen before in your whole life, and to the world at large. One voice or one small step or one lighted candle can lead to bigger and better things for a greater number of people.

Do what you can with what you are and what you have to shape lives, to bring hope, to tell your brothers regardless of race, color or creed that you see and are looking, that you hear and are listening. That is what being human is all about. And may you be blessed a hundredfold for it.

TODAY'S POTPOURRI OF THOUGHTS

Sometimes on some days I can work up a good piece for writing. But then again at some other times I work out not just one but several inspirations for writing. Thus you’ll see that I have posts wherein several thoughts are gathered after every favored quote listed. Why do I use quotes? It helps crystallize the idea forming in my mind. And where there are several ideas all wanting to be written, I need those quotes to get it all sorted out properly. Then writing becomes easy. Give it a try; I know that others have already. So then let's get this rolling. :-)

---------------------------

"The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else." -- E. E. Cummings

I had this frustration every time an aunt or uncle and family friends would come up to me in our family reunions and wonder why I am not this or that, like everybody else. They wonder why I am not a doctor or a lawyer or a businesswoman like my cousins before me or are into right now. Know what I’d do with that? I’d look them in the eye and say ‘I have my own interests and inclinations and doing quite well with it, thank you’ --- And my mom, who could overhear the chat (wherever she was in the room. Weird lols), would simply nod and smile in my direction. Well, at least she was on my side.

So I went on to be me. It may not suit their expectations of grandeur success or opulence but this was me, I would tell myself and which I had to remind myself lots of times because there was seemingly no let-up on their assault on my individuality. Mom would always remind me that --- ”we aren’t made into one mold; each is a separate unique creation – and that whatever we do with ourselves and with the talent given us whether it be as an astronaut or a lowly sales clerk – would still be worthy. Do not belittle a person’s honest effort. She stressed that one should only be true to one’s self and that one must be loyal to his or her passion in life. Because doing what you love best is what gives genuine satisfaction. And that is essential to true living. Success is not about what you have done but in what you are happy and content about inside you.”

“It’s important not to define yourself by what you are, but by who you are.”

This line I heard in a home movie long ago. It’s easy to know WHAT we are, right? – A doctor, truck driver, judge, cop, teacher, street sweeper, CEO, inventor, scientist, parent, son or daughter, and many more. It’s a profession or an occupation and we do things naturally required of us in those roles we play in life, individually or collectively.

But WHO we are is the tough question that we also must deal with. Who are we as a person? What makes us tick or not tick? What do we do with life’s crazy things posed to us at some point or another? What values form our thoughts and feelings and which define our relationships in our tiny spaces or with the bigger world outside?

As a competent surgeon for instance, the WHAT in me would make me do an operation with astounding success as expected of my surgical competence of course. But in another case, when it comes to telling the family that a procedure would be a high risk one for the patient, the WHO in me would tell me to say it gently, with careful sensitivity and consideration for the feelings of the much beleaguered family.

Thus I would think that the WHAT is rather clinical in approach; the WHO – much human and humane.

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." -- Alvin Toffler

That is simply what life is all about. We must do a lot of learning in our journey through life but there is never enough time to do it because Life is short. Too short to learn everything there is to learn. But if life should mean anything at all, it should be how well we do these three things ---

LEARN. We are taught our new skills, new principles to serve as road map in our transactions, new information and abilities to enhance our enjoyment of life and living… of people and the world of things around us. Still there is so much more to learn. The well never runs dry.

UNLEARN. Useless mind sets, thoughts, ideas, perceptions which don’t do us any good at all - These things which mess up our life or have outlived their time or even stand in the way of our progress maturity growth and development -- should be but definitely destroyed and annihilated permanently.

RELEARN. Those things which lessons we still haven’t fully understood or grasped will never go away but keep repeating itself. Ever wonder why life keeps throwing back at us the same problems and people we’d rather do without? Well, it does that until we get its message clearly, until the idea pierce our dumb heads and numb hearts, or until we see truth and not the illusions we’d rather see and believe.

Well, this is all for now… today’s potpourri of thoughts, more next time. Bye for a bit.

FAITH IS WHERE THE BIGGEST BATTLES ARE FOUGHT

I need not go far to write bout this subject. This is right on my turf. It’s not that I have become an expert in this. Rather that I have fought so many battles on its front. If I were to sum up the whole of my life I would do it in just one word --- FAITH. Because that’s what it was then, is now, and always will be tomorrow and thereafter. It is how I connect with people, family, do my job, and manage myself. And I look to the universe believing that it would do what is best for me arranging the odds and ends of my blotched life so that it would make some sense to me at least.

Now you probably wonder, if faith is already there so then where would the battles be fought in all that?

The battles fought are in trying to keep the faith.

Those times when the pricks and thorns of life hit us at every turn, when people we trust suddenly are unkind and betray us, when we stand correct and yet still be misunderstood, when we are beaten down on the ground and nobody stops to pick us up, when we lose our fortunes homes family and then friends suddenly are nowhere to be found, when opportunities are nil and we stand on flimsy chances, when our health fails us and strength slowly ebbs away, or when our own thread of faith slips away and we begin losing faith in self --- these are the battles where faith is put to the test. Or maybe it should be said this way --- these are the battles where a person is put to the test. Sometimes when things get so rough and tough and there’s nothing or no one in sight to help us stay on track… faith fizzles out. That’s when we need a good boost quick. And where will it come from? From that tiny voice from within which says that all is not lost. And that all that’s needed is to set our gaze unto heaven and there we will find help and refuge. Yes, it’s that steady flame of faith – the mustard seed of faith just waiting to be summoned to the fore of our lives.

Faith is never lost. Because faith, I believe, is always there inside the person. But alas man is more often unable to summon faith when and where needed. Always it’s a struggle with rousing that tiny bit. Maybe it’s because we have so little confidence in our selves or we don’t trust our fellowmen enough. Maybe we’ve been wired to believe only those things we can see, touch, and hear. Maybe we don’t fully understand our God? Maybe we aren’t truly convinced that He can do something with so little? Sometimes even with nothing at all. Are we not often coaxed to muster up faith even the size of a mustard seed? That shouldn’t be hard to do, right? It’s only a teeny weenie size of faith and not a huge dramatic portion to bring forth our prayed for desires hopes or dreams. It must have been us being referred to with these words ‘O ye of little faith’ –thus spoken in utter frustration but by a very patient God. Wow, He sure loves us so much to put up with our foolishness and stupidity.

I am that stupid fool too but I have learned through my battles that I can’t live without faith --- Can’t go around disbelieving, not trusting, not hoping nor ignorant of possibilities that could happen anywhere anytime with anyone or anything that’s out there just waiting to be tapped or called forth to serve its purpose in my life. Faith is here simply within me in the core of self lit like a small candle in the dark… steadfast in its glow, unbending undimmed. It’s all up to me then to bring it forth and make it shine. So can you.

So then let it shine --- in all of our days, on everything we touch with our own lives, with every little word that comes out of our mouths, or every new thought born in our brains. Let Faith illuminate the space or every nook and cranny of our being… drench our souls with its sweet fragrance. Henceforth let’s make this faith ours – and a worthy offering to a patient loving merciful God.

THIS ONE's FOR JIGYASA

THE TAG OF EIGHT's
It's a tag game and I've been tagged by good friend Jigyasa. :-) I'd like to do this especially for her.

EIGHT THINGS I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT

1. WRITING - since that day my tiny contribution got published in the Rotary Club Newsletter, I was hooked for good.
2. MORNING WALKS - frees my mind of toxic thoughts and memories as I release them to the wind and to the universe that it do what it thinks is best for them.
3. NATURE - Ah for peace and tranquility!
4. MUSIC - It’s a feel-good feeling.
5. TOTE BAG - Versatile, spacious, and sturdy. Goes anywhere with me.
6. HOME - Is where my heart is!
7. FRIENDSHIP - Good ones are treasures worth keeping.
8. TRAVELING - It’s the journey which I enjoy most.
9. SKETCHING - Someday I’ll have the four walls of my room filled up with sketches. Then the dining room…. And the living room… And etc……. LOLS!

:-) Sorry, couldn’t stick to just 8.

EIGHT THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE

Hmmm, let me think…

1. Have done the tour of Central Europe with my husband.
2. Wrote articles for a woman’s magazine published nationwide.
3. Raised god-fearing, responsible, well-mannered, and talented children.
4. Bought my own car.
5. Learned to drive.
6. Build a bigger home for my daughters.
7. Go on a trip to Hawaii with my girls.
8. Contribute to Gawad Kalinga to build a home for the homeless poor.
   
9. A secret dream I’m not ready to divulge yet. :-)

Oh gee, can't stick to 8 again. lols! So it’s the last four which I hope will materialize in good time. By the grace of God.

EIGHT THINGS I SAY OFTEN

1. ‘No kidding!’
2. ‘C’mon!’
3. ‘Hi!’
4. ‘Take care’
5. ‘So delighted…’
6. ‘You make me smile’
7. ‘God bless you and your family’
8. ‘Blessings to you!’

EIGHT BOOKS I’VE READ RECENTLY

Just 8?!! But you know it’s not always that good books are done by famous authors. Sometimes one can get lucky in finding a gem of a book by some unknown writer.

1. Laugh Again (Charles R. Swindol)
2. A 2^nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul (Canfield – Hansen)
3. Today Can Be The Best Day of Your Life (Sala)
4. Good Morning God (Steinke)
5. Notes To Myself (Hugh Pratner)
6. The Alchemist (Coelho)
7. The Reader’s Digest Condensed Books
8. and still counting!

EIGHT SONGS I COULD LISTEN TO OVER AND OVER

1. Smile (Tony Bennett)
2. She Believes In Me (Kenny Rogers)
3. How Can I Not Love You (song from the movie ‘Anna and the King’)
4. Feelings (Morris Albert)
5. Vincent (Don McLean)
6. You Needed Me (Anne Murray)
7. The Way You Look Tonight (Michael Buble)
8. Through The Years (Kenny Rogers)

And more, like That’s All I Ask Of You (from the movie ‘Phantom of the Opera’), Fixing a Broken Heart (Indecent Obsession), Don’t Fade Away (Scott Russel), Honesty (Billy Joel). Oh yes lots more!!

EIGHT THINGS THAT ATTRACT ME TO MY BEST FRIENDS

I'd rather talk about ‘what I like in my best friends’, then it would be those traits which I see and admire in their character and person --

1. Honesty in work and relationships
2. Sincerity - says what he means, means what he says
3. Transparency – wears no mask or pretenses
4. Respecter of all people
5. Broadminded towards life’s craziness and surprises
6. Good listening and conversational skills
7. Unprejudiced by any culture, race, or religion
8. Sense of humor -- can laugh even at self

Cause if asked bout ‘what do my best friends like in me’ – Lols I’d rather that this question be answered by them!

Thanks for tagging me, Jigyasa. 'Had fun doing it! As for passing on the tag, I think that this has visited my friends already. So then, anyone feel free to take this up when the mood strikes you. It's a good fun game! :-D

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL WORLD OUT THERE

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."

Although I’ve heard it (It's by Robert Frost) thousands of times before and lived that experience at numerous times in my life, still those lines stick out like a tree amidst a flat meadow of grass and stones. You just can’t miss it!

Life goes on – mercifully it does.

You know, I’m glad that the sun continues to rise at dawn even if in other parts of my world fortunes are tumbling down or houses are robbed clean. It’s also a great feeling of rain on my face even if my neighbor just lost his precious car to a mortgage and many lives are eaten up by cancer. It makes me smile every time that I see the cherubic face of a newborn child even if people elsewhere are burying a parent, husband, son, relative, or a friend. And I still tend to my tiny garden every morning even if the daily news tells of bombings, shootings, coup de tats, killings, scandals, divorces, floods, pestilence, and drought.

Life goes on – mercifully it does.

You know something else too, I will be sad, angry, unhappy, miserable, frustrated, disappointed, afraid, cheated, betrayed, will suffer, and what else be added to that heap life throws at us… but I will not linger in that sorry state. It might break me and crush me to the ground, or hurt me deep and leave me with scars to show for it – yes it might. But it cannot destroy me or what I stand for to myself. No, because I know that those things don’t stay there forever. But it’s there for a reason. When it has exhausted itself, done its work and is satisfied that I have learned my life lessons well, it will move on and head for another human being another life. It moves on with the same bag of tools because Life is -- a teacher too.

And I will continue to hope, trust, have faith, believe in a constant and merciful God, build dreams anew, pursue destiny, seek new learning, create new passions, conquer new horizons, and maybe learn to reinvent myself too. Who says a person can’t?!

My life will continue to turn even if the rest of the world wrestles with issues and burdens and continues to fight big silly wars. Life goes on – mercifully it does.

And to the rest of you out there going through tough times in your life, acknowledge those pains and trials – cry if you must but only for awhile - Because you will soon discover that precious time waits for no one Oh No! And that life will move on with or without you. So gather yourself and decide --whether to move on along with life or stay behind in the company of your own misery. It’s your choice. But listen, it’s a beautiful world out there and with enough opportunities adventure blessings and joy for everyone, so then why not grab some for YOU? I think that’s what God would rather that you do too.

MY SPRING HAS COME AT LAST!

While sitting in an empty garage one early evening with the gorgeous full moon above and stars glittering like diamonds up in the clear night sky… thoughts came traipsing into my mind helped along by a gentle cool night wind--- Just the perfect setting indeed. Without further ado, let’s tick off just quite a few here.

-----There was this plan to make an out of town trip to Tagaytay City where one of the country’s active volcanoes -- Taal volcano – can be found. The volcano sits smugly and unperturbed in the middle of a serene lake in full view, scary but magnificent -- Takes one’s breath away. I would love to sit at a good vantage point overlooking the lake and alongside a well-packed picnic basket with my three daughters as company. Well, their boyfriends are welcome too. Lols

-----Another thought wrested my attention away from that ideal scene –it’s the continuance of the project of compiling the writings in book form. But I think I’m getting there having already printed one year’s writings. I wanted this for my daughters as a memento. It’s something I wish that my mom did for me. She gave me wonderful and precious pearls of wisdom which helped me in my life journey. But all that was left for me were those which I could remember in my growing up years. Much of her wisdom was lost through time and forgetfulness.

-----Then my thoughts skipped to another. Where am I at now? --A question that popped in so suddenly. And it was here that my rambling thoughts finally stayed.

Yes, so where am I now?

Nature is an imitation of life. Don’t we all know that? As it changes with every season, so does life. I understand that the glorious season of spring has come upon us now as winter with its cold has gone.

I can lay claim to that winter of my life too which was gleaned from the previous blog written (several if I may say so myself). The winter of misery, despair, cold isolation, desolation, loneliness, anguish, sadness, and grief which my family and I went through some months ago.

But... allow me to say this too…

That I can now lay claim to spring which has settled into our lives bringing with it new hopes, strength, courage, faith, and of being fearless and confident in treading new ground to the unfamiliar future.

This wondrous spring of our lives as seen in the laughter and smiles of my family, in the twinkle in my girls’ eyes, in the hopeful plans they make for tomorrows, in their fresh thrust at work, in the continuing expression of support and encouragement from good friends (they never left us), in the renewed ability to enjoy the simple joys of each day, in the increased wisdom of letting go and letting God.My spring has come at last!!

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant:
If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

-- Anne Bradstreet

THIRD MONTH AFTER DECEMBER OF 2007

For those who have been following my blog, this I tell you guys keeps my pen feverishly working overtime – thank you for being there and making it all worthwhile, you all know what happened in December last year. My family lost a husband and father to diabetes complications. He was only 63.

Life indeed is not a bed of roses no matter how hard you work at it to make it so. Yes, you may get comfy and content sometimes happy for awhile but round the corner life will rear its ugly head seize you down and try to keep you there.

Is that a pessimistic view of life I’m taking? Not really. I’ve written so much on positivity and a can-do attitude towards life that being pessimistic so suddenly is quite absurd. But it is a realistic view of life ---as presented by life itself.

If indeed life isn’t a ‘bed of roses’, where therefore shall I plant my --- Rose Garden?

If life does not promise me joy and happiness, where therefore shall I search or go looking for that?

There hasn’t been many a time in the history of this old lady here (yea, I’ll be 62 in June) where I would wish to stay forever in utter bliss. To make a long story short, the rough beaten path or the so-called road less traveled (not the book) was the one laid out for me to journey through. I’ve got scars to show for having gone that way – in the mind, heart, and soul.

And another one, this time a bigger one, bruised me deep last December.

Looking back at all that transpired then now pins my heart down with a heaviness ---one which I think would take awhile to lift off and cast away. But they say that part of healing is going back to the pain, come to terms with it and then resolutely move towards bringing that chapter of one’s life to a close.

Going back to those difficult times of our lives always brings tears to our eyes—my eyes. My family and I miss many things of the family we once were with him. It was not a perfect family we knew that, in fact it had more rugged hills or steep mountains or deep valleys which took us careening wildly after every bout with it… but it was a family, our family. So when we saw the trend he was taking with his health condition which took him in and out of hospitals at short intervals through that year, we sensed a foreboding that something rough and tough was waiting up ahead. I was scared for my family.

And it came. It began in November and ended in his final days of December. He died on December 9 and we buried him on the 14^th.

With him gone, a void took his place in our life – an empty space, an empty place… and

… a new set of FIRSTS.

• Our first Christmas without him
• Our first New Year celebration without him
• Celebrating his birthday without him
• Our first weekend bonding without him
• Our first Family birthdays to be celebrated without him
• Our first Palm Sunday without him with his usual purchase of a blessed palm frond
• Our first Bisita Iglesia on Maundy Thursday without him leading the prayers with us
• Our first Easter Sunday without him in church with us
• Our first summer without him
• My first wedding anniversary without him
• And several more FIRSTS as life moves us along without him

But as a wise God has so arranged it magnificently… I have found my seeds now for my Rose Garden. Oh yes, it’s there on that list of firsts.

Seeds of…

• Family
• Closeness
• Love
• Faith
• Strength
• Hope
• Resilience
• Grit
• Spirit
• Laughter
• Courage
• Guts
• Compassion
• Kindness
• Care
• Bond
• Friendship
• Loyalty
• Devotion
• And even more new seeds are sprouting with each day, I can see.

This month, the third month after December, my Rose Garden will be planted. I have all the seeds I need and even more. One day soon those precious seeds nurtured and loved will transform into gorgeous blossoms of life and living. And from these my happiness will grow.

May God bless my Rose Garden.

TODAY'S MEANDERING THOUGHTS

There is something that I want to do now. Just to let the thoughts out what it thinks it wants without hindrance of any kind. Meaning –free-flow the thoughts. Like a person who's meandering down life's roadpicking up lots of forget-me-nots, not the flora and fauna song, but what we call our memories and experiences. So then let’s get this moving along.
---------------------------

"Believe, when you are most unhappy,that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain." -Helen Keller

Ah, this is not one for the I-ME-MY-MINE individuals of the universe. Because this is a mind set that thinks outward to others not inward to self --- are more likely to put others’ interest or welfare first above self. Must admit it though that this rare human form is now certified endangered specie like the whale, dugong, and tiger of the animal kingdom. Did I just hear someone say ‘that’s true’? And that we live now in a claustrophobic material self-centered society and world? Really?!

"Pay no attention to what the critics say;
no statue has ever been erected to a critic." -Jean Sibelius

Oh let’s be kind, they should be thanked for saving ‘talented’ people from a myopic vision of seeing their achievement, accomplishment, and success from the standpoint of I-Me-My. And on the other side of that spectrum, the ‘social butterflies’ or ‘pretenders’ are divested of their pretenses, posturing, and therefore revealed as to who they truly are. A genuine critic owes no allegiance to anyone or to the tyranny of money. He does what he does (maybe) because he believes in something and if that something be good, then lucky are its ‘victims’. It’s always a blessing to be told one’s mistakes and be pushed to change or improve. That is, if one can handle that.

Time is like a river You cannot touch the same water twice Because the flow that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of life. –Anon.

I keep telling myself this everyday. Today is all that we humans have. Everything in our today was placed there for certain definite reasons -- But certainly for our betterment, enjoyment, and growth. Even if today is perceived to be bland, boring, uneventful, and unproductive sometimes – you can’t really say that it is truly that. Because by some Divine purpose (and I know this to be true), the blessings sent us are often wrapped up in those ordinary-dull-dreary-barren-idle things of our day. And Somebody wise up there calls us to extract those gems from within, so start digging, brother!!

"Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, will be possible for you to sublimate them". -- Salvador Dali

It’s like saying that we will always be making mistakes in life. Very TRUE! --Won’t argue that. But one thing is clear too – that we are essentially to toss it over in our minds a hundred times over until we see where it can best serve us. Mistakes are meant to help us change; we are not supposed to correct mistakes, says Mr. Dali. It’s US we should be correcting. Maybe… we should thank our mistakes for showing us the path to improvement --- use it to better our selves with.

"Life is not always what one wants it to be,
but to make the best of it as it is,
is the only way of being happy." -Jennie Jerome Churchill

This should be everybody’s song …’to make the best of it as it is’. So no matter what you have there on your tray of life, work with that. Who knows, you may be getting a better deal than the other guy sitting next to you. Sift through the odds and ends, maybe a miracle is hidden somewhere. There always is, you know.

"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes." -- Hugh Downs

Wear your attitude everyday. A good affirmative positive can-do attitude that will take you through the day over the humps-and-bumps, the steep mountains-and-deep ravines, the walls-and-blocks, the difficult situations and people, and god knows what else. Your attitude is you. Only You can make the difference between happy or sad. Be happy!

"A year from now you will wish you had started today."   - Karen Lamb     

Don’t ever make room for the Ifs and If Only’s. You’ll only end up as worse as or much worse than when you started. Remember ‘time waits for no one’… and today is all that you really have because as the famous line goes.. ‘Tomorrow is just a dream’; it may or may not come. So what then are you waiting for? Begin now.

------------------------------------

Okay, that’s about it for now. More later.