Mothers: tomorrow's sunrises of hope and promise

She secretly hopes a tank of oxygen is one of her gifts.

Through the years she has hollered, said and prayed, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, grant me patience!" 1,245,187 times.

Her hands have hung diapers on pulley clotheslines, sterilized bottles, carried babies from the third-floor apartment, ironed sunsuits and proudly pushed baby buggies.

She has peeled more potatoes than six marines on K.P. duty.

Her hair has been set in steel curlers, permed, rinsed with Nestle's coloring capsules, and styled in pageboys, the poodle look and the beehive hairdo; been permed again and turned silver.

The "parlor" was where she entertained company, the "pantry" held the groceries, the "icebox" held a pint of ice cream, and the "wringer washing machine" was hers to use on Tuesday.

She has earned her nursing degree through measles, chicken pox, mumps, pneumonia, polio, TB, fevers, stitches, flu, fractured arms and broken hearts.

At one time or another her closet held housedresses, feathered hats, white gloves, skirts with short hemlines and with long hemlines, pants suits, billowy dresses of chiffon, sheath dresses, a Sunday coat and the Christmas toys she ordered from the Sears catalog.

Her heart has known the ecstasy of a man's love, the joy of children, the heartbreak of their mistakes, the warmth of life's friendships, the celebration of weddings, the magnificent blessings of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Who can count the floors she scrubbed, the dinners she cooked, the birthday gifts she wrapped, the spelling words she listened to, the bedtime stories she read, the excuses she heard, the prayers she whispered to God each day?

Her arms have rocked generations of babies. Her hands have prepared countless "favorite" dishes. Her knees have knelt in prayer time and time again for those she loved. Her mouth has kissed owwies that hurt. Her back has bent to bathe dirty cowboys, pick up teens' clothes, gather flowers from her garden and grow old.

She has journeyed through life with its tears and laughter, watching yesterday's sunsets become tomorrow's sunrises of hope and promise. Because of her and the man who took her hand, family life and love continue through the generations.

When a mother blows out 75 candles, blessed are they who surround her with their love.

On a lighter note

Break-ups are always painful if you ever care about each other. Both people are often wounded, and hurt each other with emotional reactions. But break-ups can reveal more about our heart and fears if we let the Spirit instruct us through the painful times. In my experience, when I'm hurting most is when the Spirit draws near to give comfort and insight.

We never know how things will work out. All we can really do is act the best we can in our particular circumstances. Remember that what lies in store for us isn't always that which we immediately hope for.

We can't dictate terms and expectations from God. His blessings probably exceed the little concerns we're struggling for. You may not be able to change the situation, but you can always try to grow through the challenges you're experiencing. It has more to do with HOW you handle the situation than how it turns out.

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.

On Hamsters and on Wheels

Have you stopped to watch a hamster running on a wheel? Have you found yourself thinking what’s going on in that tiny head of his?

Where is he going? Why is he running? Why does he not just get off and stop… to see… his glass prison.

I think I answered my own question.

We all run on our "wheels" to have that sense of direction, of movement.

Maybe, just maybe, I could pick up my mask and wear it again. I could take out my rose-tinted glasses and pretend with all the other hamsters that I’m headed somewhere.

Headed to greener pastures?

Maybe.

It’s time to slow down, to stop thinking and just be. I have to let it all go. I need to let my life flow and unravel.

I need to just be.

Is life a big “choose your own adventure” book? Turn to page 65 to either meet your doom or stumble upon another dilemma.

I think so.

It’s all laid out.

Every word and every letter, all written in ink, printed for you to read. Everything is just waiting to be uncovered.

The book is just waiting for you to decide and to turn the page.

Who's in your front row?

Life is a theater, so invite your audience carefully --- not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives.

There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a DISTANCE.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships or friendships. Observe the relationship around you.

Pay close attention.

Which ones live and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?

When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse?

Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know or appreciate you?

The more you see quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you... the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.

Remember that the people we hang with will have an impact on both our lives and our income. And so, we must be careful to choose the people we hang out with, as well as the information with which we feed our minds. We should not share our dreams with negative people, nor feed them with negative thoughts.

So, who's in your front row?

What will you remember of me?

I mean, when I’m gone, what will you remember of me?

Will it be the same as I remember of you? Will you remember my laugh or my tears? My joy or my anger?

Will you write a tribute to my love or a scandal of my failings?

What will someone remember of you?

Time can ease the painful parts, but nothing erases the empty spaces. Live NOW as you dream of... for there is no tomorrow that is worth losing today.

Don't wait until someone has to pack up your life to wish you had lived it differently. It was a lesson hard learned, but one I cannot forget as I box up the lifetime that was mine.

It is our daily task... to create a safe harbor for ourselves and our loved ones, where peace and warmth and love and caring are the treasures we shall bring with us into today. Whatever your memories are, however you have stashed them in your being, remember you can create new ones anytime you wish. You merely have to begin, and that journey begins with a simple HELLO.

Perhaps life does require a goodbye or two, but I like to think there are more hellos than goodbyes; and I think there are, if only we will look! The hellos are right here, in the bits and pieces that lie scattered on the bed and in the dresser drawers.

Goodbye?

Yes, it is goodbye to the way we love each other, but never to the love we share. I can no longer hug you or blow you a kiss across the room, but always, always, I can love you. Whether it is wearing your ring or singing your favorite song, I will remember. You are a part of my life, a moment of magic that still sings in the quiet spaces of my heart.

What will I choose, out of all these trinkets and gadgets and boxes of boxes of treasured trash?

I choose it all.

I claim it all as mine, the good, the sad, the difficult, the painful, the magical. I cannot choose a single piece, for it is the tapestry that it all weaves that is my life. You simply are and forever will be, a part of who I am. I choose which part and place you occupy, but always you are with me.

Thank you, God for giving me life. It hasn't always been the best gift I could dream of, but it has never been boring! You gave me life, and I cherish the part you walked with me. My footsteps are my own, but I know you are beside me.

Our arms may be empty, but the boxes are full and so is the heart. It began with a HELLO and so it shall begin again, with another HELLO.

Thanks for the life.

On the whole, it's not too bad... I love you.

Merry-go-Round

I've made my mistakes.

I've had my ups and downs, my ins and outs, and definately my share of bad breaks. BUT when it's all said and done…

I'll raise a glass over my head and swear to God it's all been fun.

Sometimes I think I am not paying as much attention as I have to while I’m living my life. I know there are more important things than money, success, new cars, and all the material stuff I strive for. I should be enjoying my time here on earth with family, friends, and just plain making a difference in everyone's lives as much as I can.

I don't have to kill myself over work... of course I need to earn my bread each day but now that I actually think about it... why waste most of my precious time over something I’m gonna lose anyway?

You might say that I’m a dreamer, that there's a big and gaping hole in the way I think. You might say, "You can lose friends and family as much as you can lose your job."

You're wrong.

I can always find a job. The next one might not pay as much but it's still somewhere I could get my daily sustenance. With friends and family, it's different.

It's true that hearts can be broken, friendships forgotten... but (if you watched Meet Joe Black this will sound familiar) despite the pain and the abandonment, there is always a happy place you could go back to in your mind.

There you'll find a place full of pretty pictures; pictures you could take even when you're gone from this world.

Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved.

The real milestones are less prepossessing.

They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave…

Our lives are measured by these…And if we can only learn to open our eyes, we have a handful.

Find Me Soon

My name is Marvin.

I'm a senior supervisor at People Support Inc.

I go to the gym every after shift --- at least I used to. I have an amazing partner --- at least I used to. And I have a best friend.

6780 building is just a place somewhere in the world, somewhere in Makati to be exact. Maybe it's a lot like your world, maybe it's nothing like it.

But if you look closer, you might see someone like you.

Someone trying to find their way. Someone trying to find their place. Someone trying to find their self.

Sometimes it seems like you are the only one in the world who's struggling, who's frustrated, unsatisfied, barely getting by.

But that feeling's a lie.

And if you just hold on, just find the courage to face it all for another day, someone or something will find you and make it all okay.

Because we all need a little help sometimes --- someone to help us hear the music in their world, to remind us that it won't always be this way.

That someone is out there.

And that someone will find you.

My Little Walled Heart

I built walls around myself, tight, closed in walls, so it's like a real small room.

And I put in a door to my small room that I lived in. And every now and then I allowed someone to come in and stay for a time.

Once I let them come in it meant that they had a piece of my heart. That for that time I cared for them and loved them.

During that time they had the power to make me happy and they had the power to make me sad. But, after a while, I would make them leave my small room. And once they exited they were gone. They no longer held their power to bring me joy and they no longer had the power to sadden me.

It was done.

Complete.

Of course I allowed some to simply stay. They came and they didn't leave. I didn't want them too. I enjoyed having them in my little walled in heart and I wanted them to stay. These people made things good for me. They added to me. And I cared for them. They brought me laughter and tears. They fill in the walls around my heart with happiness and love.

I want them there. I want them in my heart for always.

I care about these people so very much and I know I always will.