Thoughts on Cancer

Quoted from another survivor:

"One of the most important things I have learned in this healing journey is...that God will use the cancer as a tool to reverse our lives and make it better. Sometimes, it has to take cancer to give us the clarity we need to see in our lives...as I said before, it's always for something bigger and better!"

Don't Waste Your Cancer
February 15, 2006 — Fresh Words Edition
By John Piper

I write this on the eve of prostate surgery. I believe in God's power to heal—by miracle and by medicine. I believe it is right and good to pray for both kinds of healing. Cancer is not wasted when it is healed by God. He gets the glory and that is why cancer exists. So not to pray for healing may waste your cancer. But healing is not God's plan for everyone. And there are many other ways to waste your cancer. I am praying for myself and for you that we will not waste this pain.

1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.

It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. So when he strikes Job with boils (Job 2:7), Job attributes it ultimately to God (2:10) and the inspired writer agrees: "They . . comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him" (Job 42:11). If you don't believe your cancer is designed for you by God, you will waste it.

2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). "There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel" (Numbers 23:23). "The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11).

3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.

The design of God in your cancer is not to train you in the rationalistic, human calculation of odds. The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7). God's design is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:9, "We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. " The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him.

4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.

We will all die, if Jesus postpones his return. Not to think about what it will be like to leave this life and meet God is folly. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, "It is better to go to the house of mourning [a funeral] than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart." How can you lay it to heart if you won't think about it? Psalm 90:12 says, "Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Numbering your days means thinking about how few there are and that they will end. How will you get a heart of wisdom if you refuse to think about this? What a waste, if we do not think about death.

5. You will waste your cancer if you think that "beating" cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.

Satan's and God's designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God's design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. It is meant to help you say and feel, "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." And to know that therefore, "To live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 3:8; 1:21).

6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.

It is not wrong to know about cancer. Ignorance is not a virtue. But the lure to know more and more and the lack of zeal to know God more and more is symptomatic of unbelief. Cancer is meant to waken us to the reality of God. It is meant to put feeling and force behind the command, "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3). It is meant to waken us to the truth of Daniel 11:32, "The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action." It is meant to make unshakable, indestructible oak trees out of us: "His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers" (Psalm 1:2). What a waste of cancer if we read day and night about cancer and not about God.

7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.

When Epaphroditus brought the gifts to Paul sent by the Philippian church he became ill and almost died. Paul tells the Philippians, "He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill" (Philippians 2:26-27). What an amazing response! It does not say they were distressed that he was ill, but that he was distressed because they heard he was ill. That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don't waste your cancer by retreating into yourself.

8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.

Paul used this phrase in relation to those whose loved ones had died: "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). There is a grief at death. Even for the believer who dies, there is temporary loss—loss of body, and loss of loved ones here, and loss of earthly ministry. But the grief is different—it is permeated with hope. "We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). Don't waste your cancer grieving as those who don't have this hope.

9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.

Are your besetting sins as attractive as they were before you had cancer? If so you are wasting your cancer. Cancer is designed to destroy the appetite for sin. Pride, greed, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, impatience, laziness, procrastination—all these are the adversaries that cancer is meant to attack. Don't just think of battling against cancer. Also think of battling with cancer. All these things are worse enemies than cancer. Don't waste the power of cancer to crush these foes. Let the presence of eternity make the sins of time look as futile as they really are. "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" (Luke 9:25).

10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.

Christians are never anywhere by divine accident. There are reasons for why we wind up where we do. Consider what Jesus said about painful, unplanned circumstances: "They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness" (Luke 21:12 -13). So it is with cancer. This will be an opportunity to bear witness. Christ is infinitely worthy. Here is a golden opportunity to show that he is worth more than life. Don't waste it.

Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. "My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

Ten Guidelines From God

Effective Immediately, please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you.
Please, follow these 10 guidelines --

1. QUIT WORRYING:
Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST:
Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME:
Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE:
Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here. " Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME:
I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH:
I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE:
You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT:
I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND:
Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF:
As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don't ever forget......

I hope that you will be blessed by it and will share it with others.
Touch someone with your love.
Rather than focus upon the thorns of life, smell the roses and count your blessings!

Stress Management

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked,

"How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. "

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.

When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."

So, my friend, why not take a while to just simply RELAX.

Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.

Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Life is short. Enjoy it!

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
* Never buy a car you can't push.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because! Then you won't have a leg to
stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
* The second mouse gets the cheese.
* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
* A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

My Dearest Inay

"Her love blessed all our yesterdays,
in warm and gentle, special ways...
a lifelong gift, Mom's love is part
of all that's dearest to my heart."



Araceli Kamatoy Villarroel-Santos -- Special lady born on January 17, 1931 - Blessed with 6 children and 17 grandchildren...

For all the ways you've cared for me, for all the love you've shared with me, for always being there for me...
Thanks, my Inay!

For helping so much in your quiet, unselfish way, for all the prayers and sacrifices you've offered for me, for taking care of me when I was sick...
Thanks, my Inay!

For holding the family together, for bringing us closer to God, for always being so patient, forgiving and understanding of all our shortcomings...
Thanks, my Inay!

For being the greatest LOLA to all your apos, for helping raise each of them, for making each apo feel so special and loved...
Thanks, my Inay!

For being beautiful and graceful inside and out...
Thanks, my Inay!


I thank God for your love which lets us go, yet holds us close forever...

Thank you, Lord for the gift of Mama Cely, my Inay... for blessing her with 75 wonderful, colorful years.
And I pray that You, O Lord will continue to bless her with good health, peace and happiness!

I just remembered what I always say when I was small... "Mommy-ko, I love you!"

Grace For The Moment by Max Lucado

In a few moments, the day will arrive. It will roardown the track with the rising sun. The stillness ofthe dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next 12 or so hours I will be exposed to the Day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I am free to choose. And so I choose love. No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness.

Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy.
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. Iwill refuse the temptation to be cynical, the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace.
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience.
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for the moments I have to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness.
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind for such is how God treated me.

I choose goodness.
I will go without, before I take dishonest gain. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse.

I choose faithfulness.
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My spouse will not question my love. My children will never fear that their mother/father will not come home.

I choose gentleness.
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self control.
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal. I will be drunk only with joy, I will be impassioned only by my faith, I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To these, I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then when thisday is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Sharing: from Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life

In an interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, author of ThePurpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren said:

People ask me, "what is the purpose of life?" I respond, in a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act, the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one or you're getting ready to go into another one.The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy hereon earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you got to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is "my" problem, "my"issues, "my" pain. But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for you to own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, 2Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The PeacePlan - to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that thechurch had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for mylife)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, "God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better". God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

-end-

ANG AKING ANAK

Si Xandro ay aking anak na mahusay
Na aking mamahalin habang-buhay.

Siya'y nagbibigay sa akin ng tuwa at ligaya
Kahit anong mangyari, sa hirap at ginhawa.

Mapagmahal, masunurin, masipag at matiyaga
Mga katangiang kahanga-hanga.

Maunawain at mapagpatawad din ang aking anak
Sa mga pagkukulang hindi ko sinasadya.

Isang ngiti, isang halik, isang yakap na mahigpit
Pagmamahal ng isang anak, wala ng hihigit.

Ang aking anak ay madasaling bata
Marunong magpasalamat sa Diyos, ating Ama.

Ako'y nagpapasalamat sa ating Diyos Ama
Dahil sa anak kong si Xandro, isang tunay na biyaya.

3 Ribs and A Booby

that means, 3 fractured ribs and one missing booby... hehehe!

I remembered the movie Three Men and a Baby and I just had a funny thought about my 3 fractured ribs which is in the area of the surgery and radiation and came up with that "title."

from an email... No Shades of Gray

READ THIS. LET IT REALLY SINK IN. THEN CHOOSE.
John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood." Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life. "Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life." I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was rele ased from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live." "Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. He continued, "..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I t ook a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity.'" Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead." He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.Attitude, after all, is everything. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34. After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Words to Live By . . .

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day; it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it; otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

~Author Unknown~

Work like you don't need the money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
& Dance like nobody is watching.

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much.

A Tip Before Getting Married...

or A Tip to Save Your Marriage ...


only two words to remember :

SEPARATE BATHROOMS !!!

:-)

Thank You By Oprah Winfrey

I live in the space of thankfulness - and I have been rewarded a million times over for it. I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased.

That's because what you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter
what happened in my life.

"Say thank you!" Those words from my friend and mentor Maya Angelou turned my life around. One day about ten years ago, I was sitting in my bathroom with the door closed and the toilet lid down, booing and
ahooing on the phone so uncontrollably that I was incoherent.

"Stop it! Stop it right now and say thank you!" Maya chided. "But - you don't understand," I sobbed. To this day, I can't remember what it was that had me so far gone, which only proves the point Maya was trying to make. "I do understand," she told me. "I want to hear you say it now. Out loud. 'Thank you.'"

Tentatively, I repeated it:
"Thank you - but what am I saying thank you for?"

"You're saying thank you," Maya said, "because your faith is so strong that you don't doubt that whatever the problem, you'll get through it.

You're saying thank you because you know that even in the eye of the storm, God has put a rainbow in the clouds. You're saying thank you because you know there's no problem created that can compare to the Creator of all things. Say thank you!"

So I did - and still do. Only now I do it every day.

I kept a gratitude journal, as Sarah Ban Breathnach suggests in Simple Abundance, listing at least five things that I'm grateful for. My list includes small pleasures: the feel of Kentucky bluegrass under my feet (like damp silk); a walk in the woods with all nine of my dogs and my cocker spaniel Sophie trying to keep up; cooking fried green tomatoes with Stedman and
eating them while they're hot; reading a good book and knowing another awaits.

My thank-you list also includes things too important to take for granted:
an "okay" mammogram, friends who love me, 15 years at the same job (and loving it more than the first day I started), a chance to share my vision for a better life, staying centered, having financial security. I won't kid you, having money for all the things I want is a blessing. But as I look back over my journals, which I've kept since I was 15 years old, 99 percent of what brought me real joy had nothing to do with money. (It had a lot to do with food, however.)

It's not easy being grateful all the time. But it's when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you:

PERSPECTIVE. Just knowing you have that daily list to complete allows you to look at your day differently, with an awareness of every sweet gesture and kind thought passed your way. When you learn to say thank you, you see the world anew. And as Meister Eckhart so eloquently stated:

"If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is 'Thank you', that would suffice."

Google Earth

A new discovery of ours and a favorite past time is going around the world via the Google Earth site. You can view satellite photos of the earth, the countries and zoom in to see certain cities and its famous landmarks, streets, mountains, volcanoes, etc.

I looked for places I know about or have been to and marked them. Specially, around Paris, I marked the places we went to while they are still fresh in my memory (we went in 2004) so that I will have a map I can always refer to and be able to remember all these places.

Since I am so forgetful already and have lapses in my memory (due to my most used excuse - chemobrain, heeheehee), I have to do all these things, like even this blog to be able to remember things for myself and also for Xandro.

A Day in the Country is Worth a Month in Town

Raffy, Xandro and I just spent the weekend in Tali Beach. We left at about 3PM Saturday afternoon, stopped by the gas station in SLEX and arrived in Tali at about 7:30 PM. Time seems slower and I finally was able to watch the DVD of Coach Carter after a month or so of buying the DVD. I immediately feel energized by the FRESH air, a priceless feeling, indeed.

As long as there is a long weekend, we try to go out-of-town. I also enjoy the drive to Tali or any long drive for that matter... being together in the car with my "two bulobuboys" using the time to make kuwento-kuwento without the distractions of TV, school work, etc.

Just being with my family, in the quiet, peaceful and restful Tali is pure joy for me. These are my simple joys talaga... Away from the "noise" of living in the city.

Thanks to the generosity of Shaho Mark and Mayan, we are able to get away for a few days and stay at their warm and cozy house in Tali.

The waves were once again strong just like the last time we were there. This time of the year, rainy season, the sea is most of the time rough. I enjoy just watching the waves move towards the shore and listening and feeling the splash of the waves plus the sea breeze gently blowing away the stresses/worries in my mind. All I can think of is how awesome God is and His creations.

We left Sunday afternoon, at about 3PM and got back just in time for the 7PM Mass at the church near our place.

I am always grateful for the chance to be able to go out-of-town, no matter how brief it may be.

I thank God for protecting us, providing for us and for being present in our lives!

Truly, a day in the country is worth a month in town.... 'till our next out-of-town trip....

Simple Joys

We enjoy going out-of-town and just spending time together as a family, with family. The fresh air isn't too bad too. Moments like these are the ones I treasure the most and are the ones that bring me so much joy and peace... It truly gives me some kind of "HIGH," a natural high talaga. I am so blessed to have a loving husband and son who make me laugh (and mad, annoyed, etc. hehehe)... but more of making me laugh of course. Being with family and loved ones are treasured moments indeed.

HUGGA-DUGGA !

"Hugga-dugga, Hugga-dugga" and "Kichee-kichee muna" and I'm all energized after smothering Xandro with hugs and kisses. From when he was a baby up to now, I always feel better with hugs and kisses from Xandro. And kichee-kichees and chmelly-chmelly of his kaching-ching and lakatetek (no matter how achim) is so charap-charap and very energizing. But now, he is starting to complain a bit with all my smothering.... I know, soon, I won't be able to do much of my kichee-kichees and hugga-duggas... For now, I will cherish each moment I can still do these things (with minimal objections from X). :-)

Some Free Time

Oftentimes, I think being a full time mom and homemaker gives me more free time to relax and watch dvd's while exercising on a stationary bike. But can you believe that I have piles of dvd's that I have not been able to watch. I've been busy helping Chiara with designing her flyer and business card for her cookie business... it was a lot of hard work but I really enjoy doing those creative stuff... it's not really work for me but more of therapy. Anyway, last Wednesday was Xandro's dance number in school during the Pagbasa at Pagbigkas contest. Xandro danced well but more than the dancing, I am proud of his being able to practise for this and get up on stage. Because of the practise, he gets out an hour later and we still have to do HW pa. Sometimes, I feel it's too much HW and there's no time to spend relaxing with the family, enjoying time together.

After the program, I stayed in school na lang and waited for his dismissal time. The program finished about 11:30 AM, I had lunch in the GS cafeteria then walked to the college chapel for the 12:30 PM Mass. Going to mass has always been an uplifting experience for me. I miss being able to go to mass everyday or at least more than just on Sundays. Last Wed. reminded me of the importance of really spending quiet time with the Lord and how much HE brings me peace and joy amidst the stresses of each day. I want to be more regular in my prayer time na talaga... Help me, Lord.

Ok, gotta go now and call some HMO's.....

Wait, I just remembered.. I wanted to share other expressions Xandro and I say... "Guten Nayten (2X), Nayten Guten (2X)" We say this together with our funny accent before going to sleep.

Baboo!

A Sharing (1)

While reading the Word Among Us Daily Meditations for August, Raffy pointed out this paragraph to me ...

It's not too hard for God to soften a hard heart, to warm a cold one, to restore a broken one, or to breathe life into an unresponsive one. In fact, this is something God loves to do! We have only to ask. No special prayers are necessary. Simple words, spoken quietly, even silently, are sufficient. It's that easy, because God is so good.

Truly, God is so good! He is always faithful to me even if I am unfaithful at times. Despite my not being very regular in my prayer time, He is always there waiting for me to talk to HIM. Thank you, Lord! You are my rock and my salvation!

Silly Expressions

Xandro has created silly expressions since a few years back and I took note of them.

1. Eshembody, cookin-jare
2. Caution wave
3. Ebonstablish
4. ta-un-ne-nah (several times with a tune)
5. daishie
6. bibayshkiboo
7. hungca-hungca
8. unang baitang !
9. queen medici!
10. murhur !!
11. milabu and milabudu
12. mimichu and mimichudu

These are expressions only Xandro and I share and understand. Silly and funny moments we have when we say these expressions. Typing and saying it in my head makes me smile already.
He is truly a blessing and God's most precious gift to Papa and me.

First Time Blogger

This is my very first post in this blog site. Hmmmmm, what to write about???

Oh yeah, the reason for this blog is for me to remember thoughts, ideas, lessons, reflections, etc. that come to mind and be able to go back and read them. And maybe when Xandro grows up, he can always go to this site and know more about his "crazy" Inay.

I have so many things going on in my head.... thank God I am still sane. But if you ask Raffy and Xandro, I think they would say otherwise. Hehehe!

I have been so forgetful already! Grabe! I can't believe how bad it can be. I need to and I want to remember all the moments I share with my family and friends, the trips we have and any little "kababawans" I experience.

So, here goes the beginning of this blogging thing...