Hello Everyone!!!

I just came back from a very B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L and Awe-inspiring Mission in Jamaica (I will share a bit about it in another blog). It was really a perfect timing for thanksgiving as I am reminded of the many blessings that I so often take for granted. Sometimes, we need to look through the needs of others to appreciate the things that we have.

Today, I wish to remind myself of at least 5 blessings that I am thankful for.

1.  My Well-Functioning Senses. In the last 5 days, I think I have never really felt more blessed to have my 5 senses working perfectly. (Though I do have slight hearing impairment every now and then. LOL.) I am thankful that I am able to See the blend of colors of the leaves during Fall or the charming smiles of everyone I meet; Smell the freshness of the air or the scent of the flowers during Spring; Listen to the words of affirmation from my loved ones; Taste my mom's delicious Adobo (a famous Filipino dish); and Feel the warmth of the hugs of my family and friends.  

2. My Job that Pays. More often than not, I would count my job as one of my big blessings in life. As it has afforded me the means to assist my family through the years, it has also helped me share my blessings to others who are in need. Even if work gets challenging and exhausting sometimes, I know I got to get up each morning knowing that I work not only for my own needs. Someone else relies on me. My blessings will bless others too.

3. My Passions. Without my passions, life would be like dragging myself through the daily mundane routine. I'd be a silly robot more likely! My passions fuel my goals and actions and, therefore, I feel more alive, more human!

4. My Home, My Shelter. A home is not just a structure to me. More importantly, my home is my family - my refuge and my strength. A lot of the people I met recently had been abandoned by their family and left to the care of people who are not even related to them. It just made me appreciate the blessing of having my family with me all this time. And I refuse to imagine my life without my family. 

5. My Gift of Life. Though I may not live a perfect life, I believe that I am called to lead a great life of constant hurdles over challenges, of standing up from countless falls and of loving more and paying forward. My life is like God's Little Paradise here on Earth for me. He filled it with so many wonderful things. 

I have never appreciated my life more until after my recent mission with the poor.

Thank God that it is not too late for me to behold all these blessings!

Challenge for you: Name at least 3 things that you are thankful for. I am so sure you have way more than 3! :D

Off to Find More Stories of Love. BRB!

Hello Friends!!!

I will be offline here for 5 days to do yet another milestone in my life!

I am excited to share with you all more beautiful inspiring stories from a place in the Caribbean where Love, Peace and Joy abound! I look forward to see smiles and meet kind, resilient and passionate souls there!

Talk to you soon! Xoxo!

A New Serenity Prayer (the Funny version) by Fr. James Martin, SJ

A friend shared this to me the other day. I found this to be funny yet downright honest and direct. Just thought of sharing this with you here.

----

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the people I cannot change,
which is pretty much everyone,
since I’m clearly not you, God.
At least not the last time I checked.

And while you’re at it, God,
please give me the courage
to change what I need to change about myself,
which is frankly a lot, since, once again,
I’m not you, which means I’m not perfect.
It’s better for me to focus on changing myself
than to worry about changing other people,
who, as you’ll no doubt remember me saying,
I can’t change anyway.

Finally, give me the wisdom to just shut up
whenever I think that I’m clearly smarter
than everyone else in the room,
that no one knows what they’re talking about except me,
or that I alone have all the answers.

Basically, God,
grant me the wisdom
to remember that I’m
not you.

Amen

Sweet Love from Home

"I think you will fulfill my childhood dream for me, Love." My mom told me one night when we were talking about something that we were praying for. 

"Why didn't you do it when you were younger then, Ma?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Because when your father died, I had resolved to serve you, my children first before going out of my own home to serve other people."

That kinda hit me really hard. True enough, I have quite often thought of going to places to make a difference and I have completely forgotten that my primary mission is right where I am now, in my own home. This is just one of those conversations that I enjoy having with my wise 59-year-old mother. 

As always, my Mama has been my source of simple joys but recently she has made me realize how much blessed I am to have her and the rest of my family in my life. SO blessed! And because of my chronic forgetfulness, I need to be reminded every now and then. 

Everyday I get to experience first hand what self-giving love is. Mama does my laundry even if I am very much able to do it. Boo! What a shame! I know! She makes sure I got my umbrella on my bag, not to forget the biscuits too for my snacks. She waits for me to go home from work so we could have dinner together. And when she opens the door for me, I could see the excitement in her face as I kiss her. Priceless.

I see the same love from my Ate. My oldest sister wakes up at 5 am daily to cook breakfast for us. She would also prepare a sandwich for me and remind me thru text so I do not forget it. One time, she brought me with her to get the groceries. I knew then how hard it is to carry all those heavy bags of goods all by herself. With the piercing cold weather here, it just makes it all worse to commute. 

My nieces, well, they both have been very tolerating to me. LOL. Even though in their young adolescent stage they hate being babied, they would still let me hug and kiss them so many times in a day. Like a thousand times! Of course, not without seeing their eyeballs roll or lips curl out of annoyance. But then they are very understanding and accepting of my love language. LOL.

As for my 2 other siblings, I could only wish we could be together again soon! 

Oh, I just can't help but thank God for each one of them! :D

P.S. Make sure to show your Dad, Mom or siblings your love for them in every chance you get or just simply say "Thank You!" :)

our nightly bonding

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Photo credit to WIKIA

Were you one of those little girls who once dreamed of living in the enchanting world of a Disney Princess? 

Well, I was! I bet many of us are familiar with at least 1 Disney Princess in our lifetime.

I, for one, have a few favorites. I somehow see myself in them. 

Who doesn't know about the most coveted Cinderella's glass slippers? I suppose every girl would like to be in Cinderella's shoes, literally! She is by far the most popular of all the Disney Princesses. From her story, you can learn about the virtues of Compassion as well as Kindness and Humility despite people's cruelty. Not to forget that it is cool to be friends with little rats. LOL. Cinderella taught me that "what is meant to be will always find a way."

Ariel's character points me to my ardent, free-spirited personality. Like her, I have this zest for adventure, never scared of trying something for the first time, say, jumping out of a plane to dive carelessly in the sky maybe? (of course with my parachute and red lipstick on. Wink.). Fueled by a strong desire, I can go chasing after my dreams and I am often unstoppable. I do not mind going beyond my comfort zone to explore new and wider horizons. 

Anna is that playful, cheerful and innocent girl who holds on to her happy childhood memories. She reaches out to the people she loves and braves the cold to look for her sister to be reconciled with her. This movie is my 2nd favorite because it reminded me that there is more to love than just the sheer romance and fleeting emotions. It highlights that kind of love that forgives and moves one to seek the good of the other person over his own. 

Plus, I will never forget this movie because I got (or forced) my whole team to watch it with me. LOL.

Of all the Disney Characters, I could relate the most with Mulan.

Mulan represents the modern day empowered women. The movie brings us back to the days when gender equality was a struggle for women. Thankfully, society has learned to honor and respect strong-willed, independent women over the years. I mean, I had learned how to use screw drivers, hammer and hand saw. I assemble my own IKEA cabinet and drawers. Not that I refuse help at all. I would welcome anyone's kindness. 

Nevertheless, I know most Disney movies popularized the typical "damsel in distress" scenario. And maybe, I am not that kind of Princess. As much as I have my ladylike, gentle nature, I feel that I am also entitled to pursue and stand up for what I strongly believe in as opposed to just waiting to be helped or defended all the time. 

Moreover, Mulan's taking the place of her father to protect him is much like my love for my family. I think that my taking on a bit of masculine personality was because of the role that I had to play in the family since my father's death. I needed to be strong and brave for them, even though, deep inside, I get a bit shaky and fragile sometimes. But Yes, I will also do everything to protect my loved ones. 

Lastly, like Mulan's quest for her self-worth, I, too, am in constant search for my place in this world. I wish to make a difference in my own little way. :D

How about you, which Disney Princess can you closely identify with and why? :D

This is a Collaboration Project of Dee and myself. 

I Just want to say "Thank You!"

It was Wednesday last week when Toronto experienced long hours of relentless heavy rain and strong winds. 

I remember it was raining the whole day, I was looking through my window from the 34th floor of our office building in downtown and I could barely see anything outside. There was zero visibility. All I can see was the gloomy and shady  atmosphere that took over that day.  

The following Thursday morning, a bright sunny sky greeted me. I summoned myself to work, as usual. I was walking in a brisk pace to catch the next bus when suddenly I noticed the wonderful blend of colors on the ground. I could not help but to stop and look around. Leaves of different shapes and shades, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow and Green were scattered everywhere. "What a charming vista the rain storm had left us with?!" I told myself. To me, it was a Beautiful Mess.

The fallen, scattered leaves reminded me of myself after a storm that I recently experienced. The time when I had allowed my conflicting and arbitrary emotions to rule over me. And as I was in the thick of things, I, too had zero visibility of the people around me. I admit my emotions had gotten the best of me and I lost myself to them.  

Nevertheless, in all those times of my emotional chaos, people who love me stayed and waited on for me.

And today, I just wish to send my love back to all of them.

Thank you for your patience and unconditional love! Thank You for seeing a Beautiful Mess in me! <3