Everyday Blessings

Next year will be my first year being labelled as in my "late thirties". Oh well, We cannot run away from our age. But we can always choose to be grateful for another year given to us. As I have aged and matured, I have come to appreciate more the everyday stuff that goes on in my life. It has become my therapy to enumerate the everyday blessings that I receive especially when I feel down. These are some of the things that I thank God for whenever gloominess visits me:

1. Sleeping comfortably on my own bed beside my husband and my son
2. Knowing that my parents are in the next room sleeping and their health is well
3. Being able to sleep soundly
4. Waking up and knowing that breakfast is about to come
5. Going to the mall without the fear of bombings
6. Having a job and enjoying the company of my office mates
7. Living close near to my job and have the luxury of going home during lunch break and see my son
8. A loving husband
9. A good relationship with my in-laws
10. Have friends that count
11. Being able to go to the beach any time I want
12. Being able to worship my God without fear of being beheaded.
13. Spending time with my son and seeing him grow everyday.
14. Seeing my parents happy every time they see their grandson.
15. Having parents and siblings who love me.

These are just some of the things that I am thankful for. Sometimes, we take the everyday blessings for granted because we want so much to experience great things and achieve great things. I give random thanks every time negativity starts to creep inside my mind. Try it because it has worked on my and I am much happier compared before.

Still

Be Still Philippines. It breaks my heart to see how the biggest storm this year has chosen to hit once again Visayas. Our country is still recovering from the earthquake and here comes  "Yolanda" or "Haiyan" as known internationally. Our nation is experiencing a lot of trials and my heart bleeds watching the news lately. Images of children hungry and terrified makes me cry. What if the storm hit my city? No one is safe. Times are hard these days and I pray that Tacloban city will recover soon. I pray that the incoming storm will be much kinder. Please pray for the Philippines. And spread the word that we need food for the victims. There are thousands of them.

Still

by: Hillsong United

Hide me now

Under Your wings

Cover me

Within Your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar

I will soar with You above the storm

Father you are King over the flood

I will be still, know You are God

Find rest my soul

In Christ alone

Know His power

In quietness and trust

When the oceans rise and thunders roar

I will soar with You above the storm

Father You are king over the flood

I will be still, know You are God

Storm

Storm is coming. Be safe Philippines.

Earthquake in Visayas

     Once again, our country is experiencing trials. The crumbling of the centuries-old churches in Bohol is devastating. I cannot imagine the terror they must have felt while the 7.2 magnitude earthquake was happening. The pain of seeing the houses, hospitals, old churches and other buildings falling apart and knowing that there are people trapped inside. I saw the news last night and a son was being interviewed because his mother was trapped inside their house. He said it was so hard looking at the house and he could not do anything to get his mother out. It was so sad that his mom did not make it in spite of the help of the rescuers.

     In TV Patrol last night, the Loboc Children’s Choir sang “The Prayer” in front of the fallen old Loboc Church in Bohol. I was teary eyed watching them sing because the children embodied a mixture of sadness, hope, and love for nation. Watching them sing last night stirred in me a patriotism that I don’t usually feel.

     If you have lived in this country all your life, you will be immuned to children begging in the streets, people jaywalking, cars parked at the wrong places, the “me” first attitude of most drivers, the attitude of people working in government, the poor services that we receive, the corrupt officials who act like saints, and the everyday experiences we have that can make us say that we truly are a third world country.

     That being said, in my heart, I am still proud to be a Filipino. Because despite of all the negatives, Filipinos by nature have a heart of gold. We are hospitable and when need arises, ordinary people become heroes in their own way. We value families and friendships. We are a happy nation and it is easy for us to overcome tragedies because of our camaraderie. Most Filipinos,  Muslims and Christians, turn to God/Allah for strength and guidance and for me, that is the most important value that we Filipinos possess.

Motherhood

Motherhood is always a blessing. My baby has had cough and cold for the past four days. I took him to the doctor yesterday because his cough seems to be worse. It was a good thing we went yesterday instead of waiting until Saturday to have him checked. It turned out that he might have asthma. I am thankful that a cousin of mine lent us his nebulizer. It was my first time to operate it and at first,  baby cannot stop crying. After two sessions of nebulizing, baby started to get the hang of it and just allowed himself to breathe through the mask. Of course, every now and then, he grabs the mask and wants to eat it.Lol.

 Even though we did not sleep well last night, I find motherhood fulfilling in spite of situations like these. I am still on leave today to monitor his condition. He needs to be on the nebulizer every four hours and I want to be the one to do it to make sure it is done right. I also want to prepare his antibiotic myself to make sure it is the right dosage. I could not trust completely to let the nanny do it without my parents in the house. My parents are out of town so I made a decision to just avail of my vacation leave to be with my baby.

I still have a lot to learn about being a mother. I am grateful to other mothers who share their experiences with me. No matter how many articles I read about parenting, nothing beats experience:)

Born This Way

A friend posted on Facebook stating an opinion about the lyrics of the song “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga, “I am what I am” by Gloria Gaynor, and “Love me for what I am” by The Carpenters.

(To quote): “There’s a song before by The Carpenters that goes, “You’ve got to love me for what I am for simply being me.” And then Gloria Gaynor sang, “I am what I am and what I am needs no excuses.” It ain’t much different form Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”

They’re self-centered and selfish; expecting others to take you for  who you are, period. Not even a hint of wanting to change for the better.

People with this mindset expect people to bend over for them, to just accept them and how they talk, to embrace them in the midst of their tantrums, to “love me for what I am” because “I am what I am...” and “I was born this way.”

Truth:  Jesus loves you for who you are – a sinner. But He did not accept you and love you and die for you and rise for you for you to stay the same. Jesus came to bring change -  a transformation -  from the inside out, for the better.

The moment you settle for being who you are, then you negate Christ’s finished work on the Cross.

Let Him love you for who you are but allow Him to transform you and make you a better person. Because truth is, yes, you were born that way but you don’t have to stay that way.” (Unquote)

I have been caught singing “Born this Way” and “Love me for what I am” a few times. I do not know the whole lyrics of the song. I just know the chorus. After reading my friend’s post, I have come to realize that he actually has a point. Of course we have to accept and love ourselves first because I personally believe that it will be hard for us to accept and love others when don’t accept and love ourselves.

I kind of agree when Lady Gaga says:

There's nothin' wrong with lovin' who you are
She said, 'cause He made you perfect, babe
So hold your head up, girl and you you'll go far
Listen to me when I say

I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way, born this way

These days where so much emphasis is made on physical beauty, weight, height, skin color, hair style, clothes, shoes, and other temporary and material things, it is easy to feel unattractive. So much promotion is made on liposuction, botox, and other beautifications done by doctors. I like the highlighted lyrics where Lady Gaga says God makes no mistakes and we are perfect the way we are. If she is talking about the physical aspect, then I completely agree with her. However, if she is also talking about our attitude then I agree with my friend’s observation. Lady Gaga says there ain’t no other way because she was born this way. But people do change and can change for the better.

Ooh, there ain't no other way, baby, I was born this way
Baby, I was born this way

It is not wise for us to think that we cannot change because we are born this way. Yes, we may have inherited some not so nice characteristics, but those can be changed for the better. An introvert person can be an extrovert in the future and vice versa.

I am glad to have read my friend’s post. Sometimes it’s also nice to understand the songs that we sing. It made me “google” the lyrics of the song and tried to decipher what the song meantJ

Quotes

“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” 

― Mother Teresa

Have a Happy Weekend Everyone. Hope you'll spend it with your family and help promote world peace:) 

Zamboanga Crisis

     I cannot understand what goes on in the minds of terrorists. Why do they continually use violence to get what they want? When a member of their own family accidentally gets killed, they react as if they have never killed an innocent civilian. They simply do not have any respect to other human beings. Their mindset is selfish and futile.

     Watching the news about what is happening in Zamboanga angers me. It pains me to see innocent civilians young and old running away from their homes to seek refuge. It enrages me to see that they have used citizens of that beautiful city as human shields and did not even spare toddlers. Don’t they want a peaceful life? Why do they blame everything on our government? Yes, our government is not perfect but I believe the current administration is far less corrupt than the previous one. And I believe that they are doing their best to solve the many, many problems of our country. Six years is not enough to fix corruption in the Philippines. A six year term is simply too short for an honest leader but sadly too long for a corrupt one.

     I wish terrorists would have an open mind and realize that using violence to get what they want will only get them nowhere. I wish they would have a lot of conscience and see that they are hurting innocent families. Children losing their parents, parents losing their child, businesses falling apart and all the unnecessary killings only paralyze our country. I wish they would have the heart to love our country and respect one another’s religious beliefs. I am not really aware of the root cause of their hate as I seldom watch the news. But one thing I know, whatever they are fighting for, it does not justify them using innocent victims as their shields. It does not justify them disrupting the lives of the people of Zamboanga City. It does not justify the pain, the hardship, the loss, the terror our fellow Filipinos are experiencing right now because of what the MNLF are doing.

     Please pray for Zamboanga City. Pray for Mindanao. Pray for the Philippines. 

Blessings

The message during worship service yesterday was all about “Blessings”. Our speaker talked about us receiving blessings everyday and we should learn to see that blessings come in so many forms. Most of the things that bother us are actually blessings. When we wake up on a Monday morning and feel lazy getting up for work, that is a blessing because it means we have a job. Most people do not have one. When we complain that we have a lot of dishes to wash, that is a blessing because it means we have food that caused our dishes to be dirty. When we have noisy children in the house and we could not rest, that is a blessing because one day, those noises will fade because all children grow up and will eventually have their own lives to live. When our parents discipline us, that is a blessing because that means they love us. Orphans wish they have parents to love them. Everyday is a blessing. We just have to open our eyes and see that inspite of all the chaos, God is always with us.

I want to share the lyrics of a beautiful song sung by Laura Story. The song speaks about blessings in disguise. Hope you’ll have the time to listen to this beautiful song. Have a great week aheadJ

"Blessings"

Lyrics to a song by Laura Story

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Baby Scare

     I felt really horrible yesterday. I go home every lunch break to nurse my little one and my new routine since mixed feeding is that after feeding, my baby falls asleep and I leave him in the middle of the bed with pillows around him and I would prepare his formula for his afternoon feeding. I want to be the only one preparing his milk to make sure that it is sanitized.  I would be gone only for a few minutes. Yesterday, while I was preparing his milk, I heard him cry and his nanny immediately rushed to our room to comfort him. I thought he just woke up from his sleep and cried because no one was around. I knew something was not right because his cry was louder than usual. I ran to our room and asked his nanny if he fell and she said yes. She found my son lying sideways on the floor. I felt like a terrible mom for leaving him alone.  I should have realized that my son is already 7 months old and pillows will no longer protect him from his movements.

     I immediately asked opinions from friends who are in the medical field. All of them said that if there are no danger signs, my baby is fine. Danger signs are vomiting, nosebleed, no energy, always sleeping, and non-stop crying. I should also observe his behaviour for 24 hours. Thank God that my son do not have the danger signs. As soon as I carried him yesterday, he stopped crying and started smiling. While I was at work, I kept in touch with his nanny to monitor his behaviour. I am really grateful that he is ok. I promised myself that this will be the last time he will fall off the bed. I would never leave him alone again on the bed. 

Happy Holidays

     Ho! Ho! Ho! from the Philippines. Exactly on September 1, I officially heard my first Christmas Carol being played on television. This is one of the reasons why it is more fun in the Philippines. Where else can you see Christmas decorations being put up and being sold as early as September? It has been this way in our country for years and it may seem silly celebrating Christmas four months early, I actually like it. Hearing Christmas carols throws me back my childhood years. It helps me look forward to the many holidays of December. Also, most people seem happier during the yuletide season. Maybe because it’s a time for all kinds of reunions.  It is one of those occasions where friends and families take the time to gather together and just enjoy the bond . And I guess because 13^th month pay and bonuses are given during this timeJ Advance Happy Holidays EveryoneJ

Mixed Feeding

My baby is seven months today and he officially had his first formula. After six months of breastfeeding and pumping, my milk stash finally caught up and I have no choice but to supplement with formula. I am happy that I reached my goal of giving him only breastmilk for six months. My original goal was actually only three months because I had to consider going back to work. I was not expecting I could stretch it to six months. For that, I am gratefulJ

I bought the small can of NAN HA2 for my baby. Most mommies I know are using S-26 but I have read somewhere that S-26 contains a lot of sugar. I am hoping that my baby will not have any bad reactions to my chosen formula.

I am not yet ready to give up breastfeeding. I love our breastfeeding sessions because it’s a special kind of bonding between mother and child. I think I have to start eating more clam soup once again to increase my milk supply and hopefully I may not have to supplement with formulaJ

A Day at the Beach

We finally took our 6-month old to the beach for the first time. We left the house around 5:30 in the morning and our baby knew that we were going out because he was squealing with delight. The cross to the other island took only about ten minutes. Our baby was curiously looking around and I bet he was wondering why there’s so much water around him.

We arrived at Paradise Island around 6:15 AM and there were only few customers because it was still early. We wanted to be early to avoid the crowd and of course to be able to enjoy the beach with fewer people and the sun still skin friendly. We fed baby first before taking him to the beach.

The first time our baby’s feet touched the water, he seemed a little frightened and he clung to me like he was afraid of falling. But when we slowly submerged him and his body started to adapt the cold water, he seemed comfortable yet still curious. After a while, he started to kick in the water: a sign that he’s enjoying himself.

After his swim, we washed him with fresh water and put on fresh clothes. It took only seconds before he fell peacefully into dreamland.

I am excited to take him again to the beachJ

Another Long Weekend

Happy Friday bloggers. At last, the last long weekend of August is coming. Our country celebrates National Heroes Day on August 25. Since the said date falls on a Sunday, our President declared 26^th a special non-working holiday. My family is planning to go either to the beach or a mountain resort since my dad will be turning 21 on the 27^th. My husband and I will treat him for his birthday. I know that they will have a good time whether it’s going to be the beach or mountain resort because our almost 7 month old son is coming along. This trip will be my son’s first outdoor activity. I am hoping it would be the beach because he can interact with water. I have noticed that he likes taking a bath. I am really excited to see my son squeal with delight.

Philippine Storm

Philippines once again has been hit by storm that affected the lives of so many of our citizens in the Luzon area. Work and classes have been suspended since Monday. We see on television how the streets seem like rivers running wild. I even saw one lady still on her rooftop and being swept by water. She has not been found until now.

In times like these, we see many Filipinos sacrificing their time, money, and effort to help those in need. Filipinos do step up during times of crisis. In spite of the bad image of Filipinos being lazy, corrupt, undisciplined among other things, I am proud that there are still more Filipinos who are hardworking, honest, decent, persistent and holds true to their values. I am also proud that Filipinos are one of the happiest people in the world. If you watch the Philippine news, even if tragedy has struck, when they see the television camera rolling, they smile and wave and it seems that they are just laughing out the tragedy that struck them. That is amazing for me.

It saddens me though that most of our politicians’ greed destroy the good values that Filipinos “were” known for. I say “were” because it seems that most of the Philippines “glory days” were in the past. Corruption destroys the trust of the people and corruption just begets corruption.

I hope and pray that those affected by the storm will not lose hope and continue to embrace Filipino values. 

Company Uniform

Uniform is one way of indentifying what company, school or organization you belong to. It is one way of showcasing a company’s professionalism. It identifies us from other organizations. Wearing a proper uniform helps in creating a positive impression from customers. It also promotes discipline for the employees because uniforms have standards that one should follow. Standards like pairing the uniform with appropriate shoes, making sure the uniform is clean and tidy. Wearing of uniform also  takes away the pressure of having to choose what to wear everyday.

In our company, I am grateful that we are provided with uniforms. Our human resource always reminds us that we are being judged by our appearance when we deal with customers. They make sure that our uniforms are presentable and that we are wearing shoes with heels. I have no problem with that. I actually agree that we should wear our uniforms presentably.

However, I just have some thoughts on the kind of uniforms we are wearing. First, our company only requires and provides uniforms for women. Our company is an agricultural company so most of our employees are farm based. What I don’t understand is that they are so strict with the ladies but our men can wear whatever they want. In my three year stay with the company, not once did I see a memo describing how the men should wear their office clothes.  Most of them wear round necked T-Shirts and rubber shoes. I just can’t get the point why they are so strict especially on women’s shoes. Should not the uniforms also be appropriate with the company’s environment? For those in the farm areas, I pity that they have to wear heels and the men could wear rubber shoes and t-shirts.

Couldn’t we just wear shirt jacket uniforms? And just wear formal flats for comfort? I’m sure more will want that.

First Solid Food

                My baby started eating solids two days ago. Since we currently have avocados, I gave him one bite sized avocado. I mashed it and diluted it with breastmilk. He loved it. He is being fed three times a day. Tomorrow, I will introduce mashed potato. I have been advised to introduce solids one at a time around 4-7 days interval before introducing another food. This is to know if the baby has allergic reactions to the foods introduced.

                He still has colds and his antibiotics will end tomorrow. He was immunized yesterday and he lost weight because one of the effects of antibiotics is frequent bowel movement. He also could not nurse properly because there are times that he has to breathe through his mouth. I hope he will get better soon so that he will gain more weight.

Under the Weather

I have colds for the past two days. Yesterday, I started to get feverish and started feeling the symptoms of flu coming in. My son caught my virus and he is now on medication. He cannot sleep well because of his clogged nose. Last night, my husband was also feverish. It’s a good thing that tomorrow is a holiday because we can get more sleep. I think our immune system weakened because of lack of sleep and being occasionally hit by a drizzle of rain.

We are supposed to go to the farm tomorrow but I guess, the three of us will have to stay home.

Happy long weekend everyoneJ

August Holidays

I love the month of August because aside from being the birth month of my Dad, It also has a lot of holidays. Ther e is a holiday every week in August and what a great gift to have the opportunity to enjoy more free time with our loved ones.

The following holidays are as follows:

August 9                                              Eidul-Fitar

August 16                                            Kadayawan Festival

August 21                                            Ninoy Aquino Day

August 25 (moved to 26)              National Heroes Day

Our schedule is packed with plans. I’m not sure of the execution though. We are planning to go to the beach with our 6 month old. We are also planning to have an overnight stay at Eden Mountain Resort.  Those are just plans and hoping that they will push through. So many times, our nap cravings just screams so loud that when we are at home, we just want to hang out and be lazy. LolJ

The Bible

The Bible: A Beautiful Story That Could Touch Your Heart

This is another story sent to me by a friend. I have heard this story before from one of the messages delivered in church. This is a simple story but the meaning is great. Hope you enjoy and learn from what this story. Have a great weekend everyone:)

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.

Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat Disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?", and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse,

Matt 7:11: "And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? I trust you enjoyed this. Pass it on to others. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for...

IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'S BECAUSE IT IS BETTER PACKED THAT WAY! ALWAYS APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS; THEY USUALLY LEAD YOU TO ATTACHMENTS!