Friendship And Blessings

Out of the blue, a friend who arrived home from San Antonio about a month ago called me up and said she is coming over for a chat.  Of course,I was elated.  Who wouldn’t be? The last time we saw each other was sometime in October 2014. she said her package has arrived and she brought all these gifts for the family. She even gave some cash to Mommy when she found out that Mom is having her birthday on Wednesday.

Two hours of updating on each other’s lives although we always chat on  Messenger in between.  She brought with her a dozen pocketbooks, baking chocolates, Spam, Skittles and M & M for Nate, a box of Pringles and two hardbound copies of two of my favorite authors Mary Oliver and Richard Paul Evans. Upstream is Mary Oliver’s latest book while The Mistletoe Secret was published last November.  To own such copies, priceless. This is my third book  of Mary Oliver, the first two are books of poems while this one are essays she wrote.  I’ve collected several books  of Richard Evans.  His latest will be out in the market in May.

Celebrating friendship – the smiles, the laughter, the serious talk about life itself, the many, many things that make friendship beautiful. This is the only time that she is free because she has come home for good and has many things to do.  Who says online friends are not real?  We used to be online friends at the Catholic site on Facebook where I am one of the admins. it started with just a few chats in  a group which my priest friend, our chief administrator created. We saw each other several times in the past. Every time she comes home, we make it a point to see each other. This is one of those blessed days to renew friendship. Just so happy.

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A Blessing Indeed

This morning I received another copy of the cute Irish Blessings book that I lost back in 2009 from the same friend who gave me the first one.  He sent it via a courier.

And these are just some of them, wishes and prayers that bring a smile when I read them.

May the good saints protect you

And bless you today

And may trouble ignore you

Each step of the way.

May your troubles be less

And your blessings be more

And nothing but happiness

Come through your door.

With the first light of sun –

Bless you

When the long day is done –

Bless you

In your smiles and your tears –

Bless you

Through each day of your years –

Bless you.

 Blessings to each one of you who read this.

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Blessings

It’s a little windy outside but just perfect for the second night of Simbang Gabi. The Gospel speaks of the genealogy of Jesus.  There is really no perfect family.  The flaws are there, glaring at you at times  but you learn to accept them in your life.  We often make mistakes but our families  are  there to support us. We often encounter failures but our families are there to lift us up.   Most of the time we are unlovable but still our families love us.

Family and genetics play a big role on how are lives are shaped. When we speak of families, it’s not just the family we were born  to but also those friends who consider us as their own.   They say that blood is thicker than water but it is not always the case. There are times when our closest friends act as our families too.  The beauty of a positive family relationship lies  in the   way we were taught by our elders,  how respect  is inculcated in each one of us. The way we think, act, and feel are greatly influenced by our family.

Nabuhay ang Diyos para maging anak tayo ng Diyos. This is one emphasis I learned from the mass tonight.  God was born for us so we could be children of God.  It may be hard to understand. As baptized Christians, we are now a part of  the genealogy of  Christ.

I’ve checked my dashboard lately and I only have 28% left of my allowed space. Sigh 😦  Maybe I shouldn’t be posting more pictures so I can utilize it well.  Most of my latest photos posted here are downsized  from their original higher  resolutions. This is my 1,890th post by the way and I am glad I’ve reached  a total of 443,307 as I write this.   It is hard to build a number of visits when you are not blogging every day.  and it is also quite hard to think of  varied subjects to write about.  I value every comment and like you post on my blog.   I also consider them as blessings to my blogging journey.  I am  also glad to have found more  online friends lately.  You may visit my new blog if you have time and consider following it too. It’s called Dreams Never End. It is a little different from this one because almost  every post is accompanied by a photo.

Salamat.

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The Hour Of Soft Light

The garden is bathed in soft light and glistening with raindrops while the sun is slowly showing its face.

I could smell the delicate scent of the Calamansi flowers (they seemed to have blossomed overnight) mingled with the aroma of basil and oregano. It’s one of those times when you want to linger with a hot cup of coffee on the side. It’s one of those times when nature seems to say, “it’s a beautiful day, enjoy it”. It’s a big YES.

We experienced a worse thunderstorm yesterday afternoon causing  massive brownouts in our area. Just imagine four hours of fanning yourself like crazy and  not even knowing what to do because even reading felt so uncomfortable.  It was an agony alright. The whole street had lights on but each house had none. Mom repeatedly asked if it has different connection and I said yes.

I received a big surprise this morning when Josef gave me my Intellicare card from JP Morgan and Chase. It’s part of the benefits that they have as regular employees. I am glad since going to the doctor or to the hospital for check-up is now covered by this medical health care.  Thank God for blessings.

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Blessed

Waking up early  to a cold morning

Feeling the dawn’s kiss on your cheeks

And the stars make the darkness bright

What a blessing!

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It’s World Cancer Day

I am borrowing a photo from gettyimages. Today, February 4 is World Cancer Day. Some people who haven’t even encountered the word (yes, it is just a word) would ignore reading this.  I am happy and thankful  to be in remission for almost seven years now. God is good, I know.

I am happy that some readers who are in the same boat like I was several years ago find inspiration through this blog, sharing their plights and requesting for prayers and advice on how to cope with cancer.  I am happy that they are also open enough to share their stories.  I am oftentimes grateful that until now, my blog posts on being a cancer patient and cancer survivor still get the most views.  Being able to help in my own little way is just so wonderful.

Please join me in praying for those who are suffering because of cancer. It sucks but it is not the end of the world. I am also praying for those who are in remission like me. I thank God for second chances at life. I thank God for life’s blessings.

 

 

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Celebrating My 59th Year

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