Archive for the ‘Dose of Inspiration’ Category
Friday, May 30th, 2008
I don’t really join emailing groups. I just don’t like my inbox cluttered with emails I can’t read. But I am a member of one email group for years now. I don’t mind the emails because it contains free books. I love receiving free books, especially the newly-released ones. Anyway, an ebook buddy of mine sent an email to the group with pictures that will make us smile. I chose two to share with you…
A smile can do wonders to your disposition. And it can make a difference to the person you bestowed it upon.
Did the photos made you smile like it did to me? 
Happy Friday everyone!
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank you’, it will be enough.
~ Meister Eckhart
I often say “Thank You!” after a meal, when I wake up, when I grab an opportunity, when I receive money, when everybody’s home already…
I may not say a full prayer but I think He knows already what I wanted to say.
How often do you say thank you?
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
Do you know the value of time?
To understand the value of a year ask a student who failed in a subject.
To understand the value of a month ask a woman who gave a premature birth.
To understand the value of a week ask an editor of a weekly magazine.
To understand the value of an hour ask a man who is waiting for his girlfriend.
To understand the value of a minute ask a man who missed his flight.
To understand the value of a second ask a man who just survived a hit and run.
To understand the value of a millisecond ask a silver medalist at the Olympics.
I saw this in another blog and immediately thought how I value time so much. Losing two family members made me value time more than ever. Whereas before I love spending time alone or with friends rather than with my family, now I would rather stay at home on a weekend to hang out with my siblings.
Time is important to me. How about you, how do you treat time?
Friday, May 23rd, 2008
A couple of hours ago, around 3am today, my sister and I were watching a show called Cheaters. I don’t know if you’ve come across this show but as the title suggests, it is about cheating on partners. The show goes like this… a person feeling something wrong with his/her partner (boyfriend, live-in partner, husband) asks the host of the show, an investigator, to do some surveillance. And when they are absolutely sure that the partner is cheating, caught in the act that is, then confrontation follows.
At one confrontation, the woman who was caught in the act with her lover, was really bursting with anger. She was angry with her boyfriend for bringing the tv cameras with him and confronting her about the affair. Do you know what happened? She went away with her lover! Unrepentant over what she was caught doing. Tsk tsk.
While watching the show, two things were running in my mind. First, is it legal to show on national tv the scenes caught on the surveillance camera? Remember, they are not doing anything illegal, illicit maybe but nothing illegal. Second, can you really solve anything with a confrontation? If you confronted your partner, with the tv cameras in tow, will it make him/her do the right thing?
At one point, with another case, the man was shown having sex with her other woman inside his car. It was blurred, of course. But you can make out what they’re doing. Then during the confrontation, the face of the woman was shown. She was clearly shocked that the man had a live-in partner all along. She is also a victim yet she was portrayed as a villain in that segment.
The point of this post is, personally, I believe confrontations will not solve anything. Based on my experience, it just incites more anger. If you can, try to calm down first and then talk things out with the one you are angry with. Wait for the right time. If you must confront the person right away, do not bring someone with you. A third person can only add to the anger and confusion. It must be between you and the person you are angry with alone.
And you know what, the other person, the lover, the third party, could also be a victim. You just never know.
Sunday, May 18th, 2008
The most touching gestures a friend can do are those that are done out of the blue. Done out of concern. A friend recently gave me unsolicited advice about money matters. She just didn’t know how much I appreciated it. I didn’t have to ask her about it. Just out of the blue, she gave me a lot of tips on how to maximize my monthly income.
Then, another friend gave me an advice about being single and giving time for oneself. Sobrang na-touch talaga ako. She thought she offended me with her messages but in all honesty, I appreciated everything she wrote.
And then I had a chat with my ate. I told her my health concerns and it was very comforting to know that there is someone who is willing to stay with you if and when the time comes that you’ll need her.
I know my friends are concerned about my being still single. I am nearing 30 and have no boyfriend at the moment. I am not concerned but they are telling me that I should be. I want to have a baby and being a little bit on the heavy side, friends are telling me I might have a hard time getting pregnant. Plus I have health issues to deal with… Another friend is quite concerned when I told her that I am now working at home, freelance, doing consultancy and blogging full-time.
Well, let me just tell you guys that I appreciate everything. Every little thing. I may not be very vocal about it, I may not be able to return messages and comments right away, but rest assured that I read every comment, email and messages you send.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Happy weekend everyone!
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008
Here in the Philippines, we call our grandmothers as lola, nanay, mamang, nana… I call my maternal grandma as Mama, while I call my paternal grandma as Nanay. I love both of them dearly but I am closer to Mama. I grew up at the ancestral house with my two grand-aunts and mama. Although I lived at Mama’s house for quite sometime when I was growing up, my parents never forgot that it was their obligation to take care of me and provide for my basic needs.
Unlike what I saw from the news magazine The Correspondents a while ago. They featured three grandmothers who are taking care of their grandchildren left by their mothers. The three stories are heartbreaking. One grandmother, already in her senior year, is taking care of 5 little kids, the eldest being 12 years old. The kids were left by her 2 daughters who never went back to see their kids or even send money for their basic needs. The grandmother had to salvage some things from the garbage and then sell it to be able to buy rice to feed the kids. But it will have to take her a week before she can sell the junk. In the meantime, she asks neighbors for some rice. The plate of rice together with a spoonful of bagoong (shrimp paste) is shared by the grandmother and the 5 kids. If that didn’t break your heart…
I cannot imagine those women leaving their kids, much more to their mothers who should have been enjoying a worry-free life in their old age. Grandparents should be taken cared of, not the other way around. The lolas featured in The Correspondents should have been enjoying life because they have already paid their dues, so to speak. They already did their part and should be relaxing and playing with the kids and enjoying their retirement. A 70-year-old lady who is also sick should never be made to work in the fields.
It just broke my heart watching the old ladies. I am a lola’s girl. I was thinking the whole time that what if that’s my lola, crying and looking like her spirit is already broken because of too many hardships in life…
Saturday, May 10th, 2008
MOTHERHOOD… IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Time is running out for my friend.
We are sitting at lunch when she casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of “starting a family.” What she means is that her biological clock has begun its countdown and she is considering the prospect of motherhood.
“We’re taking a survey,” she says, half jokingly. “Do you think I should have a baby?”
“It will change your life,” I say carefully.
“I know,” she says. “No more sleeping in on Saturdays, no more spontaneous vacations…”
But that is not what I mean at all.
I look at my friend, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of childbirth heal, but that becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will be forever vulnerable.
I consider warning her that she will never read a newspaper again without asking “What if that had been my child?” That every plane crash, every fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will look at the mothers and wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.
I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think she should know that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will immediately reduce her to the primitive level. That a slightly urgent call of “Mom!” will cause her to drop her best crystal without a moment’s hesitation.
I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might successfully arrange for child care, but one day she will be waiting to go into an important business meeting, and she will think about her baby’s sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure he is all right.
I want my friend to know that everyday routine decisions will no longer be routine. That a visit to Mc Donald’s and a five year old boy’s desire to go to the men’s room rather than the women’s room will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that danger may be lurking in the rest room.
I want her to know that however decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive friend, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not so much to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish his.
I want her to know that a cesarean scar or stretch marks will become badges of honor.
My friend’s relationship with her husband will change, but not in the ways she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is always careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his son. I think she should know that she will fall in love with her husband again for reasons she would never have imagined.
I wish my modern friend could sense the bond she will feel with other women throughout history who have tried desperately to stop war and prejudice and drunk driving.
I want to describe to my friend the exhilaration of seeing your son learn to hit a baseball. I want to capture for her the laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real that it hurts.
My friend’s quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes.
“You’ll never regret it,” I say finally.
by Dale Hanson Bourke
Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
Life is full of uncertainties.
We’ll never know when our time is up until it’s over.
So take many pictures…
Laugh much…
Take time to look up at the stars…
Sing loudly…
Feel the cold wind…
Smile a lot…
and
Love like you’ve never been hurt before.
Think about it 
Have a great weekend everyone!
Saturday, April 26th, 2008
From the author: It can be easy to let yourself fall into the trap of worrying about money. We must learn to trust that God will take care of us, and provide for us, just as He takes care of the birds of the air.
Money has always been the problem of so many of us. We may have enough but admit it, you still worry about using up most of it. Am I right?
I am a worrier. I worry about every little thing concerning my family. I give it up to Him when it becomes too much for me. But it is a vicious cycle. I start worrying again when I wake up. I am ashamed to admit it but that’s how I am. And then I will realize that He will not give me anything I could not tackle head on. That includes financial woes.
I find inspirations such as the cartoon above a reminder to constantly be strong against all the obstacles I encounter in life. And not to fall into the trap of worrying again and again about money. Easier said than done, I know. But I will do my best to trust in Him and surrender everything to Him.
At the end of the day, I know I can only worry and do so much.
Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend! God bless!
*Credits:Cartoon by Joyful ‘Toons
Saturday, March 29th, 2008
I was talking to a friend of mine about the scripture tags on my sidebar about a week ago. We really love the messages of the scripture tags and personally, it reminds me of Him. Last night, my sister and I tinkered with her blog. She also want the same scripture tag on her sidebar.
Around 3am, we were talking about how boring most Catholic blogs are. When I learned about Christian Women Online, I was not really keen on joining because as the name suggests, it is for Christian women. But when I read their site, I was inspired. I love how practical the posts are. Nothing too preachy there. I love how they tackle the scriptures and apply it to ordinary lives. So I joined. Visit their site and you’d know what I am talking about.
I just wish there are Catholic sites like CWO catering to women and that is not too preachy. I love Bo Sanchez’ blog. I read it. Again, not too preachy. I am sure there are a lot of Catholics like me who are searching for inspiring blogs like the CWO.
You know sites like these?
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
I need to forgive this friend of mine who betrayed my trust a couple of months ago. It hurt a lot because he is the last person I’d think of betraying me. Unfortunately, it was a miscalculation. I trusted someone for almost 16 years now, and then in an instant, because of money, he betrayed my trust. And I’m not even talking about a fat sum here…
The money is unimportant. The trust issue is what really hurts. I just couldn’t believe he’d pull something like this. I know I should just forget it. But it’s really hard.
I do hope that more prayers this Holy Week and the coming weeks would mean a lighter heart for me. And gradual forgiveness.
I found this when I keyed in the word “forgiving” in a search engine…
An individual exercise in forgiveness:
- Write down with pen and paper all of the things that you have done wrong. It is imperative that you write. Word processing is not the same.
- Read the list.
- Now say “I did the best that I could with the knowledge that I had at the time. I now forgive myself and go free.”
- Destroy (burn or shred) the list.
- Repeat the exercise for each of the other people who have hurt you.
- Now begin anew to live your life without the burden of unforgiving pain - it is unnecessary suffering.
Forgive yourself for assuming you are not worthy of love, happiness and joy.
You are worthy of love.
You are worthy of happiness.
You are worthy of joy.
Stop judging yourself. Have the strength and courage to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Be kind and loving to yourself. Practice holding a positive vision for yourself. Make choices that support you in moving forward in your life.
It is all about choices.
Choose to forgive yourself and then move forward and let go of your past. Live for today and enjoy the journey of life itself.
*Thank you… http://www.positive-way.com/forgiven.htm
Saturday, March 15th, 2008
Have you ever lost someone you love and wanted one more conversation, one more chance to make up for the time when you thought they would be here forever? If so, then you know you can go your whole life collecting days, and none will outweigh the one wish you had back.
What if you got it back?
~An excerpt from Mitch Albom’s For One More Day
Filed under Dose of Inspiration 
