Savoring The Quiet

The raindrops linger

And I stand here….

Still.

Savoring the quiet

Of a misty morning.

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When You’re Crazy Enough To Do Something Crazy

Don’t laugh…it’s not what you think! Two nights ago (how would you categorize 3:45am…between night and morn?) I woke up to the reflection of the  full moon on my bedroom window.  Everything was bathed in soft light and I just could not resist going to the garden and gazing at the moon. I thought it was too late to go back to bed and still too early to prepare breakfast. Yes, why not, why not take the chance of taking a few shots with only the street lights and the light in our dining  area reflecting its glow at our french windows? Crazy? Well, it was another experiment that I am glad I did.

I like this actually because it turned out like a black and white picture with my gardenia shrub on the foreground.

And this came as a bonus. My Vanda blooms turned out pretty well on a dark background.

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One Small Step

Sometimes, life needs to be taken one small step at a time so you can learn to appreciate what is in front of you and look back with fondness what you left behind.

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Heart’s Whispers

March is rapidly fading into oblivion but I still look forward to tomorrow. Easter brings that lovely feeling of being reborn – a new hope, a new beginning. Easter is one of the most important feasts  in the Catholic calendar.

It’s been a quiet week, highlighted by the celebration of the Last Supper mass and watching Siete Palabras on TV. I’ve cried my eyes out the past week.  Yes, tears are just a blink away but they’re really not tears of sadness because I am lonely, they’re more of that feeling of reaching out, taking a grasp at the beauty of life  and remembering the past and such.  I do appreciate these moments of silence that Holy Week brings but  my mind is still pregnant with thoughts that I somehow wanted to share but cannot translate  into words. I’ve missed our yearly Visita Iglesia, my son has to report to work  the past two days and I don’t know how to drive so I just visited the nearby church, a few minutes away from the house.

Why do I sometimes torture myself reading something that reminds me of those days when I was having treatments – endless hospital visits, blood tests, chemotherapy and doctor visits? It just happened that the book I recently read deals on how to survive and prepare one’s self for the inevitable. There’s no telling  that no matter how careful you are, at one time in your life, a loved one or a family member becomes a victim too.  But then, the glorious moment of knowing that you will get well and having that gargantuan faith in a loving Creator is more than enough to make you feel that you are truly, truly blessed.

I had a long chat with a friend last night  and we touched on so many issues and things dear to the heart. One such subject that we never get tired of sharing is about our respective families. She has an eight-month old baby girl and I have baby Nate to talk about.  I told her that when my two kids were growing up, I didn’t notice much of their everyday development because I was working. It’s quite different though when you’ve got so much time in your hands and appreciate everything you see and even blog about it. Who knows, if blogging was in vogue thirty years ago, I might have filled up all the empty spaces allowed. I still keep their “love letters”, those small notes that I got to receive every day  taped at our bedroom door, I regret though that we were not able to save most of the pictures of their younger years. Our photo albums were destroyed by typhoon Ondoy and even if those shots were painstakingly dried and restored by my son, some pictures were blurred at the edges.

Happy Easter everyone!

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A Blessed Holy Week To All

With Christ, the heart never grows old! – Pope Francis

Have a blessed and meaningful Holy Week!

(I don’t own this pic, it was just culled from the net).

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Morning Thoughts

I sat there waiting

for the morning sunlight.

Then she came and perched atop

our bare avocado tree.

I listened to her sweet rendition -

a tweet, a song probably.

As if sensing that I was watching,

she quickly flew away.

And I was left

With a tepid cup of coffee.

Thinking -

I wish life could be this simple.

No extra baggage to carry.

Just this -

a sweet melodious song

a bird in flight

unmindful of what she left behind

but just enjoying what the morning brings

and what she can find

and discover beyond.

And I sit here

still….

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Life (My Own Quotes)

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Gift From The Sea (Part 2)

I can’t help but remember one of  my favorite books Gift From The Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh when I took shot of this wind chime that has been a part of our garden  for so many years now so I am borrowing the title of her book here.

It was  a gift from one of Nissa’s friends. It came from Palawan. When the wind blows, the shells create a sound like someone frying on a hot griddle. And this reminds me so much of  the cowrie sea shells  that I used to play with when I was a child. I actually  bought two  during one of our forays at Dapitan Arcade when I had my treatment a few years ago. Being reminded of childhood even just by a simple cowrie shell  is such a lovely feeling.  Looking at this, there are times when I want to explore the shore and look for some gifts from the sea – more shells to collect, a piece of glass with smooth edges brought about by too many times of playing hide and seek with the tide, some uniquely shaped stones to bring home.  Collecting memories of childhood is one of the best gifts that you could always find  in your heart, the times when you are ignorant of life’s broken dreams because you believed that dreams come true.

Don’t you just love the sound of the wind and the sea when you place a cowrie shell  close to your ear?

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Sede Vacante

I am sad, I would surely miss the smiling face of Pope Benedict XVI. He will no longer be seen in public starting today. Last night, I watched the live feature of the final  public Papal Audience on television and his message made me cry but it inspired me so much.

“I commend all of you, with great affection, to his loving care, asking him to strengthen you in the hope which opens our hearts to the fullness of life that he alone can give. To you and your families, I impart my blessing. Thank you!”

I am praying that he would be in good health and will continue to pray for the whole Catholic Church and the world. I also pray that the College of Cardinals who will be choosing the next Pope  will be guided by the Holy Spirit and that the conclave will be a success. News say that our very own Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle is a strong contender. He is the second youngest cardinal among the  117 cardinals who are qualified to choose a new Pope.

Even his Pontifex at Twitter will no longer be updated unless the new elected Pope would continue posting inspirational messages and prayers.

Here is a stunning picture  of St.Peter’s Square shared by Vatican Radio -English Version taken last night by AP,  with less than 24 hours left in the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. And I thought, the moon shines in splendor just as much as in Rome, giving an uncanny feeling that I am closer to the place.

I am also sharing some of his  inspiring  messages on Twitter.

We can be certain that a believer is never alone. God is the solid rock upon which we build our lives and his love is always faithful.

Offer everything you do to the Lord, ask his help in all the circumstances of daily life and remember that he is always beside you.

Everyone’s life of faith has times of light, but also times of darkness. If you want to walk in the light, let the word of God be your guide.

We do not possess the truth, the truth possesses us. Christ, who is the truth, takes us by the hand.

In this Year of Faith, may every Christian rediscover the beauty of being reborn in the love of God and living as his true children.

If we have love for our neighbor, we will find the face of Christ in the poor, the weak, the sick and the suffering.

I like this best,  he said that he is “not stepping down to travel or go to receptions. I will continue to be dedicated to the Lord.”  We will miss you Pope Benedict!

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Beyond

We stand here encompassed by winter; the barren trees with their fallen leaves, the silent riverbed. Nothing is more certain in life or nature than death. We accept it as the way of things. Perhaps we are able because we have faith in spring. Yet somehow it seems different to us when death comes early. Much as we might bemoan an early winter, we feel robbed of something due. We feel cheated. Sometimes we rage. And sometimes we blame. And in doing so, we say to God, “My will be done, not Thine,” and we forget about the promise of spring. In the cold of our soul’s winter, we bury our hearts. And when we wonder why it is dark and why we feel alone. and we risk spending so much of our lives occupied with our loss and what we have not, that we forget the beauty of what is and what we still have. And this is sometimes, the greater loss. – richard paul evans

A week ago, I cried at the loss of an online friend who has been a part of my life for the past five years or so. We have known each other exchanging comments and views at our Multiply sites  learning life’s angst and lovely dreams of tomorrow.  Bella was so supportive of me when I underwent chemotherapy around the time we were so active at Multiply. We formed a close group, some of whom I eventually met personally.  Even then, she always said that she had a delicate health, she came home from a teaching job in Thailand  and enjoyed gardening and writing about her thoughts on family life, gardening, love of music and anything that we could touch under the sun. You might wonder, is an online friendship possible?  YES, it is. My only regret is that, I only talked to her once, over the phone, a surprise call which she appreciated very much.  Reading the outpouring of grief and offer of prayers on her wall at Facebook, I realized that when you are not afraid to reach out to people, those same friends would remember you with fondness and love.

Life is short. We always say  that and it is more felt when we lose someone dear to us, the feeling of loneliness is so acute that you recall your own pain and you cry silent tears of goodbye.  Then you begin to see at some inspired moment that you are lucky you’re still alive, well and kicking as they say. You begin to see that life is a life of second chances. You begin to appreciate the things that you somehow take for granted because they are always there at an easy reach.

What makes one happy?  Friends give us that feeling of being special,  more so when they appreciate what we do and what we share. And no matter what mundane things we do, there is always that feeling of joy because our friends accept us as we are and  give us words of encouragement to go on. Happiness depends on our outlook in life. We could choose to be in misery or always to be happy, because in the end, happiness is a choice.

Life is short, value it. Happiness is sometimes fleeting, grab it. Trite as it may sound, the blue sky is just behind the clouds.

 

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