Hello Again

I would have loved to add  more pictures here but I am saving on space for future blog posts. According to WordPress, I have consumed 68% of my allowed limit so I just used two of my other blogs for some updates.

My camera was silent for a few months  (no pics taken, no pics uploaded except for some previous shots) but I have it fixed finally three weeks ago. Yesterday, I tried taking a few shots of the sparse flowers growing in our garden before the one month warranty expires in a week. It’s working well, thank God!  Take a look at our garden, I just posted some pictures there and updated my photography blog too.

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Today’s Quote

..the uncanny similarity of words/messages I’ve read today…

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When The Leaves Stop Falling

That’s  right, I am just borrowing the title from a book I have just read.

Have you ever chosen a book because the title and the book cover make you smile and make you remember something deep, memories that you treasure in your heart? I did just that, three days ago. In between re-reading inspirational and uplifting books for the season of Lent, I managed to find a lovely book by Kelly Moran. It is my first time to read a book from this author. Inspiring romance books are not really my cup of tea but I got curious that it received mostly five stars on Goodreads.  An easy read, amazing and heartwarming tale of  friendship, family relationships,  and getting on with life despite all the setbacks, finding love and meaning  in the end.  I don’t normally post a book review when I blog about a certain book that I’ve enjoyed reading, it’s for you to find out.

A friend once told me that when a book makes you cry then it must really be good. I love the poetic style of the author, the play with words  – I can almost imagine those intense moments, I can almost touch the pages of the family albums and commune with nature  the way it was told in the story. It’s actually one of my best reads so far for my 2015 reading challenge.  And as usual, I had my journal ready to write some quotes that I liked.

Don’t let the past get in the way of the now.

How many times has the past hindered us from making decisions in our life? How many times have we let the past rule our present life?  Learning to let go and learning to move on might not be that easy but sometimes we just have to do it for our peace of mind.

Home is where they love you and care for you. Home is where you go back to when there’s nothing left and you want to find peace again.

What a difference a moment can make.

Speaking of the 50 books I wanted to read this year, with no particular author in mind and no particular book on my list, I have just finished 12. Next in line though are memoirs and the books I have of Mary Oliver.  I want to reread Randy Pausch’ The Last Lecture, it inspired me when I was undergoing chemotherapy. I want to get reacquainted again with Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie. My former surgical oncologist saw a copy I read at the hospital when I underwent surgery more than five years ago and he said it was a good book so I gave him a copy. My cardiologist who was a very caring doctor too saw my pile  and told me I had good choices of books to read. I gave him one too. They are both doctors so they could relate to what ALS is all about.

I just love books. The solitary hours are more meaningful when books take you to places you’ve never been, people you’ve never met and a world probably more interesting than your own.

When the leaves stop falling, you find love.

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Back To Blogging

I guess my hands still smell of paint and varnish.

Ah, it was a long weekend but our scheduled painting job for the roof is finally finished. They were also able to paint our concrete fence the other day.  I love the “gentle peach” look of the latter.  The roof was done in Spanish red. Next weekend, when it’s my son’s days off again, we will retouch the  steel grills attached to it.  I repainted our grotto and the surrounding wall and had a grand time retouching our concrete garden chairs and table as well. Mom is amazed that I could also use a  paint brush…haha.  She hasn’t seen me before on my knees doing some hard job of repainting. She is always appreciative of everything saying “wow, ang ganda”. Josef retouched our two gates and made finishing touches on our dining set. I still have another DIY project to do. I have three rattan baskets that I need to clean. I am thinking of applying the same clear varnish to make it presentable. I do occasionally use them as fruit  and bread baskets. These remind me of those times that we used to visit Dapitan Arcade and tried searching for some home decor which are locally made but are export overruns.  When one is lucky enough, you can find cheap rattan accessories, table accent pieces and cute catch-all boxes which you could embellish with ribbons and such.

I have missed reading other blogs for the past four days, still trying to catch up and finish a book I have started a few days ago.  It’s the 29th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution today and they only declared no classes. Poor commuters and office workers are stuck in heavy traffic right now because of a few people joining  a rally  occupying the southbound lane of EDSA. They used to declare this day as a special non-working holiday, I wonder why it’s only classes which were suspended. The kids now don’t even know the meaning of the EDSA revolution.  They could never duplicate what happened in February  1986, they could never replicate the millions of people who went to EDSA  with one common goal – to oust a tyrant leader. It seems today, each has her/his own personal agenda.  Gone are  the  times when commemorating such event was a happy affair.

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Why Do Things Go Wrong When You’re Trying To Do What Is Right?

I just have to share this. Another lovely blog post from my favorite author Richard Paul Evans and since he is an online friend at Facebook, I have the privilege of being updated with all his writings. It is a true story about his Christmas Box Foundation which helps abused and neglected children. The Christmas Box is the first novel that he wrote, rejected several times but when he self-published it, that was the start of his being noticed by readers. It is his personal story. He wrote it as a private expression of love for his two young daughters. It was not the first book I read though because I only found a copy years later. I guess that when you have something to say, say it and never mind if nobody listens or nobody reads it.

Sometimes,I ask myself the same questions and oftentimes too, there is no answer and the easiest way is to give up. There will always be another option than the latter though, that of trying again and never losing faith that eventually, each will fall into place.  I believe that nothing is impossible with God, one kneels down in prayer and if we listen enough, He has the answer. He puts life back into proper perspective and we should not be blind to His call.

More than four years ago, I wrote about how it seems that when we move forward, there would always be something that hinders us but we have to go on making another step. Here’s the full texts of my earlier post:

TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK

Life is a dance. Sometimes, it is a harmonious fluid movement. We are in sync with the music, utterly attuned to the dance steps, well synchronized with the motion – two steps forward, one step back. Others may lead and others may follow. It is a mad dash to a world of perfect twists and turns, but the journey is not one long road to success and happiness. One wrong move, one wrong turn, one missed step would spell disaster.

We are constantly seeking perfection and excellence in everything we do but there is really nothing perfect in this world that we live in. Life is a meaningless pursuit without challenge. They say that the journeys walked in solitude are always the most remembered. There is something we always learn along the uneven pathways and the most profound events in our lives do not end with the six o-clock news and the setting sun.

Sometimes, I am amused by other people’s reaction upon learning that I have colon cancer and their usual question is “Are you really undergoing chemotherapy? You are looking good“. “Thank you“, I say. My big question is, how should one act and how should one look if you are diagnosed with this kind of ailment? True, it is a life-changing situation but I never think of it as a major setback. I believe that God won’t give us problems that we can’t bear. The agonizing moments that I have endured during the last few months have drawn me closer to God. God has been profoundly real to me, opening my eyes to the realization that not everyone  is privileged to endure even just a tiny prick from what He suffered on the cross. Martin Luther King aptly put it this way, “beneath and above the shifting sands of time, the uncertainties that darken our days, and the vicissitudes that cloud our nights is a wise and loving God“.

Life is a dance, and when we falter in our steps, God is there to do the rest.

(Just clink the link if you want to read RPE’s blog post).

 

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Busy Weekend

I am sure it would be a really busy weekend for us here. We are planning to have our roof repainted starting tomorrow (maybe for about three days) if the two painters would be coming in.  Our neighbor who had his house recently done referred me to the workers who did it and graciously made a list of what materials we will need. Early this morning I went to the hardware store where I usually get materials for our house repairs and such.  It is nice to haggle a bit and talk to the proprietor of the store.  Construction materials have certainly gone up.  I got a good discount compared to the prices of paints  and paints brushes which we previously inquired at the hardware section of a big mall here in our area.

Two years ago, my son and I repainted the walls of our bedrooms and parts of the dining area and kitchen. We just didn’t touch on the ceiling because the cornices have a different hue than the rest of the wall. Maybe if there is still time and if it fits the budget, I will have the ceiling retouched too. I enjoyed  learning how to use a roller brush with a ready-mix paint. I have to search a previous post here to get the exact shade of the colors  that we used before.  This morning, I saw a can of clear furniture varnish  and bought one and a small paint brush that I could use. Our dining set is  made of narra wood so I thought of retouching  and varnishing the chairs after cleaning them with soap and water. Mom said they are as good as new.  I could not tackle varnishing the table because I could not lift the glass on my own.  DIY is lots of fun if you don’t mind aching backs, dirty nails and fingers in the process.

I am looking forward to seeing Nate again tomorrow. They are coming over for a visit and Mom is excited to see him. I told my daughter to bring some food so I won’t have to labour in the kitchen for long.  A busy weekend with the family too.

Have a nice and blessed weekend everyone!

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Today’s Quote

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Life With Mom (Part 5)

The other night we just had dinner when Mom got my eyeglasses, perched it on her nose and said “lumalabo na paningin ko” meaning that her eyesight is getting poor. I laughed not because of what she said but she clearly forgot that she was wearing her own pair. So I told her that was mine, she looked at me, smiled and said, “sinusubukan ko lang, nawawala yung salamin ko” (she is just trying if it fits because hers is missing….hahaha). I removed both pairs from her eyes and told her that she was wearing it all along. She scratched her head and said sometimes she becomes forgetful.

She is temporarily staying with us, haven’t seen her for the last six months and my younger brother brought her here last Sunday. She insists she’s not yet “ulyanin” (loosely translated that means having Alzheimer’s disease….seriously). She is turning 86 in two months. I suggested that she stay with us for a few months but she insisted that she won’t be able to exercise when she is here.  In her language, exercise means sweeping the yard of endless dried leaves every morning, playing cards with some of our older relatives, planting some vegetables near the house, walking around our place in the province to look at what tree is bearing fruit  or what should need trimming.

Sometimes I wonder, I’d be so much blessed if I could reach her age still hale and hearty with just joint pains and sometimes elevated blood pressure. My brother said as long as she eats well, there is nothing to worry about.

Oh, she still watches  her precious evening soap operas on television 🙂  As she is short of hearing (her right ear can’t distinguish sounds now)  I have to set it a little louder for her to hear.

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Loving Silence

When life seems a little hard to bear

Surrender to the quiet

And listen to the hush of the wind.

There –

You’ll find peace.

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Make Our Hearts Like Yours

The Catholic church celebrates Ash Wednesday today, 18 February and it is the official start of Lent, the beginning of our Lenten journey. I attended the 6am mass at St. Jude Parish,  a beautiful celebration of reminding us what the season of Lent means, what the  ashes symbolize.We are encouraged to attend mass in order to begin the Lenten season with proper reflection, conversion and repentance. It is a day of fasting and abstinence. Fasting means restricting the food we eat and the number of meals and the size of it while Abstinence is abstaining from eating meat.The imposition of ashes is a reminder of our sinfulness and unworthiness, it is a renewal of our commitment to follow Jesus and acknowledging the sacrifice He had made for our salvation.  I think next to the Christmas blogs that I write every year, my Lent posts come close. I would like to share a post that I wrote four years ago because I think the message is never too old to appreciate and remember. I particularly like the beautiful Lenten reflection I found on EWTN entitled What To Give Up.

Give up complaining – focus on gratitude

Give up pessimism – become an optimist

Give up harsh judgments – think kindly thoughts

Give up worry – trust Divine Providence

Give up discouragement – be full of hope

Give up bitterness – turn to forgiveness

Give up hatred  – return good for evil

Give up negativism – be positive

Give up anger – be more patient

Give up pettiness – become mature

Give up jealousy – pray for trust

Give up gossiping – control your tongue

Give up sin – turn to virtue

Give up giving up – hang in there.

Beautiful, isn’t it? And you might say, it is easier said than done, after all we are just human, capable of making repetitious mistakes, capable of abandoning good deeds  and choosing the easy way out, more focused on material things that make life easier, or so we think. But everyday of our lives we are given the chance to do something good for others if not for our selves.  I remember the time when I was in the hospital almost six years ago, it was my first time to undergo chemotherapy. I was expecting that just like the rest of the patients at the Ambulatory Care Unit at the hospital, I would lose my hair but the chemotherapy nurse assured me that I won’t . I was apprehensive at first, who wouldn’t be, but  I gave up the thought of going bald and I was elated and grateful that chemo drugs for colon cancer treatments do not result to that grim scenario. That’s a small miracle  for me. God must be thinking , I don’t trust Him enough.

We are sometimes too quick to judge other people. The thing is, we must look at our own inadequacies first. Unless we know what makes them the way they are, we are not in any position to pass  harsh judgment.  Think kindly thoughts and think positively.  Trust in Divine Providence, give up worry. How often do we feel anxious  about everything in our lives?   We are endlessly worrying because we want everything to be perfect but this is not a perfect world. If it is, we won’t need friends or our neighbors or our families even,  to make us smile.  Benjamin Franklin said, “Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. keep in the sunlight.”

Give up discouragement, be full of hope. I’d like to think that’s something I got lots of. Giving up hope is like giving up life.  When you  are  confronted by  a life changing situation, hope is a precious commodity that you cling to.  No matter how painful your situation might be, you can and you will survive it as long as you don’t lose that thin thread of hope. Sometimes, trials are really just blessings in disguise. They are God’s way of telling us to trust Him, always.

It is not easy to forgive when you are full of  hatred and bitterness. Let  us not plant hatred in our hearts because in the first place, we are the ones greatly affected. Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

What better life this would be if only we can follow these simple steps. Happiness is the simple thought of trying not to give up, just hang in there.

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