Life These Days

Been to Medical City twice since I arrived last Saturday from the province. I had my urinalysis last Sunday then had a check-up with my doctor this morning. There is still a slight infection so he gave me five more days to take antibiotics.  Saturday night, I had skin allergy, took antihistamine and it was gone.

You realize the importance of family as days pass by and each of you is living his/her life apart. It used to be when we only get to see each other when my  brother fetches or accompanies mom when she goes home or when she wants to stay with us here in the city. In between, we just have occasional calls and texts to say hello.

The past week is one of the longest times I stayed with my brother and his family. It was a novelty for me listening to his stories about work, their mission in visiting far flung areas to give donations from the municipality where he used to work,  his daily routine at the municipal hall conducting meetings and such. He said it was stressful but a somehow fulfilling job. He and some of his office mates have co-terminus stay with the previous mayor who appointed them so when local election was held last May, they were all dismissed by the present one. Sad really because he got sick when he no longer has a job to speak of.

We spoke of some relatives whose attitude towards their own flesh  and blood leave something to be desired. I guess that is quite inevitable specially when they have experienced living abroad and their lives have improved somehow. In Tagalog, we call it a little “mayabang”. But such is life I said.

We spoke of his plan to make an additional room at the house one of these days. The house is old and there are many things that need fixing too. Even our garden there has become wild with overgrown trees and ornamentals that need trimming.

I believe in the goodness of our Saviour but sometimes I think of the “what ifs” and my mind wanders. This morning, while my brother and sister-in-law were accompanied by a nurse in an ambulance going to the provincial hospital for his CT scan, I  offered rosary prayers for his health. If and when he gets well, I hope he recovers for good.

GOD works miracles. HE  is the GREATEST HEALER of all.

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Need More Inspirations

Come to think of it, I haven’t handled a book the past week except for choosing three ones which one of my nieces gave me when I had lunch at their place last Thursday. Being busy at the house in the province cleaning and fixing things, visiting my brother at the hospital every day, preparing dinner for my niece (my brother’s daughter) and me when we get home, we survived on canned goods, roasted chicken from Chooks To Go, and yes, tasting the best  “bamboo shoots” veggies cooked by my cousin in coconut cream. The best I’ve tasted in years.

And speaking of books, I want to reread this one which I found exactly three years ago. The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate is such an inspirational one. And here’ I am adding more lovely quotes from that book.

“Fear builds walls instead of bridges. I want a life of bridges, not walls.”

“Prayers are answered in ways we don’t choose. The river of grace bubbles up in unexpected places.”

“Dawn comes after the darkness, and with it the promise that what has been torn by the sea is not lost. All of life is breaking and mending, clipping and stitching, gathering tatters and sewing seams. All of life is quilted from the scraps of what once was and is no more- the places we have been, the memories we have made, the people we have known, that which has been long loved but has grown threadbare over time and can be worn no longer. We keep only pieces.

All colors, all shapes, all sizes. “All waiting to be stitched into the pattern only you can see.

“In the quiet after the storm, I hear you whisper, ‘Daughter, do not linger where you are. Take up your needle and your thread, and go see to the mending…”

“Help them to show the world that our greatness is not in things we do for ourselves, but in things we do for others. In power that channels itself into kindness, in a hand outstretched in love.”

I need more inspiration at the moment.

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A Week With My Brother

Hello friends. I’m back….finally. Seems like I’ve forgotten how to blog. Everything seems new to my eyes.

I spent a week with my brother who is still at the hospital until now. He is scheduled for a CT scan procedure tomorrow morning. I read the result of of his ultrasound but the lingo is foreign to my ears. They found cysts in his liver. Hoping and praying everything would be okay and the nodules are not malignant. It is still a long journey for him getting well and all. He has become too thin for my liking and he looks older than his real age. Besides,  his blood sugar is a bit not on the normal level. So glad though that he has a little appetite now compared to the first two weeks of his illness.

To think that I am older than him by almost five years. I gave him a brown scapular. He was teary-eyed when I placed it on his neck.

With a niece, Josef, Nissa, another niece and a cousin. Taken when we arrived at the hospital. Nissa, Josef and I went straight there when we arrived. They stayed overnight.

I remember my own ordeal ten years ago. IVs has been non-stop, his arms are full of needle marks, antibiotics and other medications are injected into the IV.

Once again I want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for my brother.  May you all be blessed.

 

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Today’s Quote

 

I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul, rejoice!

Take joy my King
In what You hear
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear.

 

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More Prayers Please

Hello friends! I may not be around for a few days. I want to help my sis-in-law take care of my brother. He is still in the hospital and they found cysts in his liver. He needs to undergo CT scan just to be sure.

I will miss reading and commenting on your posts but it can’t be helped. Another favor please. Need more prayers for Alden. Thank you very much!

 

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Sunday Is It?

Would you believe, I woke up earlier than usual at 3am. Could no longer sleep so I did the morning chores early. Imagine cooking breakfast at 4am and watering the plants at 4:30 in the morning.

Attended Sunday mass early and I was surprised to see one of my favorite priests presiding. He delivers the best homily every time I hear mass with him around. Lucky and blessed Sunday for me.

I was looking at the Memories  on FB earlier then I found this photo taken by Nissa four years ago.

I wonder what we were smiling at. Happy together, the nonna and the grandson.

HAPPY SUNDAY all.

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It Fits To A T

Got this from I Love Reading page on FB.

Oh, I mean not the T-shirt but the message. The t-shirt is so expensive.

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Weekend Musings And A Day Of Thanksgiving

Finally I’m done reading the book Pachinko and I am giving it five-stars on Goodreads. Seldom that you find a book this good. It deals with  cultures  between two nations, a  historical family saga of four generations, how they struggled in a foreign land – simply beautiful. A story of “love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty”.  A deeply engrossing novel.

Josef and I did a little gardening  this morning but we haven’t finished trimming the carabao grass. He has to go back to the dentist to have the stitches removed on his gums. He has one of his molars pulled out last week. I wonder when we will be able to finish it  because we are going home to the province this coming weekend to visit Alden.

Thank you for all your prayers. There is nothing like bombarding Heaven with such lovely prayers. I also asked my close friends and my priest friends to pray for Alden. Some offered their masses for his healing. I was able to talk to him this morning and he told me he was able to eat and sleep last night. That’s good news indeed for me. I use unli-calls for Globe lines to reach them in the province. A P20 worth is good for one day unlimited calls to all Globe users.  My youngest brother and I are using Viber calls to talk to each other. It is always nice to have online connections at home, you won’t need to pay the costly overseas calls. Viber is a helpful tool to get in touch abroad. I even use it to call my other friends who also use the Viber app.

I’m the only girl among four siblings so my brothers always consult me  when it comes to major decisions in the family.

Feeling so blessed. It’s been ten years. THANKING GOD for second chances.

 

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Thursday Blues

It seems like it is not a rainy season in our place. The sun is shining brightly and it’s hot. Angat Dam where our  water distributor Manila Water gets its supply  has further declined. The past rains in the metropolis barely added up to the water level in Angat. Water is still under scheduled distribution. It’s a good thing it is during night time that they shut it off.

I checked my stats a while ago and I was surprised to find viewers from Congo – Kinshasa, Russia and Poland. They are not regular visitors to my blog. When I blogged about the results of my laboratory, there were several spam comments on some antibiotics. I am glad there is always Akismet to filter all these spam comments.

I am still trying to find new bloggers to follow and I found some who have similar contents like I have. It feels like you have found a treasure when they talk about the things you like, topics that you are interested in and yes, book reviews.

I am also discovering some book recommendations from Goodreads which I like to find one of these days. So much to read. I have all kinds of books on several topics, YA books, fiction, adventures, some romance books, memoirs, and historical fiction. I love a bit of history in a book.

May I ask a favor from all of you? I talked to my brother, cousins and sis-in-law this morning. My brother is not yet well. I told them to come over so we could take him to the hospital here. WE NEED PRAYERS for his healing. Could you please include him in your prayers too? His name is Alden. Thank you, thank you so very much.

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Finding A Korean Book At Last

The last two or three years of my reading challenges, I was  enamored with a few books I’ve found featuring Asian authors. Since I met Nadia Hashimi, Khaled Hosseini, Amy Tan and Lisa See to name a few, I keep looking for others. Then I finally found this seemingly lovely book of  a Korean-American author.

Pachinko, is an epic historical novel following characters from Korea who eventually migrate to Japan. It is the first novel written for an adult, English-speaking audience about Japanese Korean culture. Wikipedia says that Pachinko is a type of mechanical game originating in Japan and is used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a Japanese gambling niche comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gaming.

Pachinko

It is actually my first time to read about Korean culture. I didn’t even know that Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. It is a lengthy book all of  496 pages and I’ve only finished 20% of it but I am loving the story. A deeply engrossing novel, a lovely historical fiction.  Looking forward to  reading the rest. It’s my 86th read this year and I have completed 71% of my Goodreads book challenge.

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