Another Year To Be Thankful For

It’s my birthday today. And they always say, don’t count the years but the blessings that come into your life, but saying thank you is not enough.

For the times that I felt so happy, thank you.

For the days that my kids showed how much I am loved, thank you.

For those moments bonding with my little Nate and making me feel so blessed with his presence, thank you.

For my family, who’ve been so supportive of me through rough times, thank you.

For  my dear friends whose presence in my life are blessed gifts, thank you.

For the people I’ve met  along the way and blessed me with their smiles, thank you.

For lessons learned and moments cherished, thank you.

For the hard times that I felt like giving up but managed to stay sane, thank you.

For the times I laughed and cried, thank you.

But above all, THANK YOU SO MUCH LORD for the gift of life, it’s another year to be thankful for.

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Today’s Bloom

Finally, after a few months of waiting,  this dwarf kalachuchi  showed its lovely reddish pink flowers this morning. It’s also called Plumeria, Temple flower  or its most common name frangipani.

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One Sunny Afternoon

Louie, my sixteen year old nephew sent me this early this morning. It’s  a part of his artwork collections that he posted on his timeline in FB.  It’s a pencil sketch of two kids with hook and lines.  It reminds me of those serene afternoons I spent with mom going fishing during school breaks when I was in grade school and the times I spent with my cousins looking for green beetles to play with.  Another artist in the family. My younger brother is into architecture, my other nephew paints too (he’s a Fine Arts graduate) and my daughter is into arts and crafts and makes her own greeting cards complete with drawings and cut-outs. I’m truly impressed because I could not even draw a stick figure much less make something like this.

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Magic In Music

♫♪♫♪Was it something on a dream
That touch my memory
Or a picture I didn’t know I’ve seen
That made me stop and stare♪♫♪♫

There is this radio station in the AM band that I listen to every Sunday  night that plays purely 70’s music for three straight solid hours unhampered by radio ads except for an occasional station ID. The music of the 70’s is really something I really could relate to, the best kind of music, mellow touch and such. Back in the mid 70’s, I was a teenager finding her place under the sun and falling in love for the first time (did I just say that?) Oh well, there is always something that makes us a little sentimental, going back to old dreams and letting your mind wander on the might-have-beens. No regrets though because that was a part of my life that I truly enjoy reminiscing from time to time. I became a strong person because of it.

Don’t you just love listening to old favorite songs that remind you of how brave you were  in facing life’s challenges? Do you remember? Do you smile at yourself  while listening to the lovely melodies and meaningful lyrics?  Back in the 70’s, we had this phonograph and old 45 discs that you get to play over and over again until the record sounded scratchy in your ear because the needle needed changing due to constant use. Those were the days when you get to memorize  (by heart) every lyric of songs that you hear. And those were the days when keeping a journal was the “in” thing to do because you get to write all your secrets there. Ah, the joys of teenage life, the bittersweet experience of a heartbreak. And you believed that you could write tons of poems and hide  them somewhere in an old shoebox lined with a pretty gift-wrapping paper.

They’re playing Dan Fogelberg’s  Leader of the Band now. Back then, I was fascinated by someone who could really play the guitar so well,  James Taylor was a favorite too.  I attempted to learn to play the guitar  and bought every issue  of those Jingle chordbook  magazines by saving some of my meager allowance. The pin-up feature of various artists was something to look forward to.

Reminiscing and  finding joy in it. And the years are like a slide show of events that pass through a screen and you laugh and smile or even shed a tear or two. Such is life, an unending road of discoveries. Gosh, I will celebrate my birthday in exactly a week from now.  Growing old, remembering the passing years and keeping in one’s memory the joys and bliss that life brings. And always  reminding  yourself  that the life-changing events were part of the growing up years.

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I Miss Baby Nate

I miss my “apo”   so much that I decided to have some hard copies of his studio portraits which Nissa sent me yesterday.  So right after  doing our monthly groceries, off I went to Picture City bringing my external hard drive along. I have all of the 25 shots printed with three pictures enlarged.  Had to kill time for at least an hour before they were ready so I visited  one of my favorite jaunts, Booksale. And what a lovely surprise to see another copy of the beloved classic A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I was in college when   got acquainted with Francie Nolan, the main character in the story.  A few years ago, I bought a copy of my own but lost it during typhoon Ondoy.  I guess it’s about time to reacquaint myself with this lovely book.

Wow, you can just imagine my excitement when I saw the pictures and decided right there and then to find frames for the three enlarged ones and two small shots of Nate, the Little Genius  sitting besides two encyclopedia while holding  a pair of eyeglasses. One of the sales clerks at Robinson’s’ Store helped  me find  frames  and mount the pictures.  Had a good laugh when he said, “his face is familiar, is he a model ma’am?”  “I’ve been here before”, I said, “when I bought a picture frame a few months ago and you assisted me”.  He smiled. Sometimes, I do enjoy conversing with sales clerks and cashiers while waiting for my turn to be served. And of course, I was elated  that they find the pictures of Nate lovely.  His face now occupies a major portion of our shelves where I display family pics. That’s how proud Nonna is.  How can a little tyke brings so much joy  and lots of smiles?

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My Wish For You Today

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We’re One With You Cebu And Bohol

It was such a shocking news. Early this morning, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake  brought damage to Cebu and Bohol. It’s a good thing that it is a holiday today  and the students are safe from  collapsed school buildings adjacent to century old churches  which are main tourist attractions in the area.  I just could not imagine that the places my daughter was raving about during her honeymoon two years ago are now in rubbles.

We are one with you Cebu, Bohol and all the other provinces that were hit by the earthquake. We are praying for your safety.

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A Simple Prayer 11

Lord, heal our land.

Heal us from the hurts of witnessing natural calamities

that destroy our sense of peace and safety.

Heal us from the insecurities that we feel every day as we go along life’s journey.

Give us enough faith to face everything.

We all know, Your love for us will always sustain.

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Don’t Just Fly, Soar

Mar M, a friend who is based in San Diego posted several pictures of seagulls on his wall  at Facebook captioning most of them with quotes from the lovely book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. I asked him if I could borrow one and he said yes. So here it is, a lovely picture of a seagull that truly reminds me of Jonathan, a fable about flight, life and having wings to soar to the sky. The book is about self-perfection and doing something one might think impossible  but with practice and grace, one can do it.  Those same quotes are heavily underlined in my little book of Richard Bach.

“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding. Find out what you already know and you will see the way to fly.”

“You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”

I remember those days when I started blogging here at WordPress, more than four years ago. I never knew that I could last this long in the blogging world and finally meeting online friends who share a bit of themselves like I do. During the early years, I didn’t care about stats and followers because all I wanted was to keep a blog and it took me almost a year to add something to my very first entry here and  a few tries  before I settled to this  theme which I am still using until now.  It’s been one long ride of happy thoughts, ramblings some times or just spur-of-the-moment  string of words that need to be written somehow. Needing to share and hoping to inspire others,  drawing strength from the knowledge that despite all the setbacks and ugly realities of life,  I learn something new every day and blessings come pouring in.

I still believe in dreams.  As I have said before in my earlier posts, dreams never end  just because you have experienced something life-threatening. Sometimes, in your moment of weakness, you ask, “What have I done to deserve all this?” and the echo gets back to you.  There are always roadblocks in our life and there will always be moments that you feel so abandoned and unloved but the times in between the dark hours are shining pots of gold.

Dream. Believe. Soar.  There will always  be a new  life, a new hope and a new beginning. Learn the art of flying.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Infinite

I love the sea although  it was quite sometime since I visited one. Gazing at the distant horizon, I am always in awe of the one great Hand who created it. There is always that feeling of peace inside my sometimes troubled heart every time  I see something like this.

And William Blake described it beautifully  when he said:  “To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.”

To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/infinity.html#rS6YXiIGAmAdRXAJ.99

To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/infinity.html#rS6YXiIGAmAdRXAJ.99

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