Farewell to the old… Bring in the new

I would be remiss without a post to close 2011. What a turbulent year it was. Globally, locally and maybe even personally. I guess life is just running true to form: the only thing constant is CHANGE. The way these may have happened may have been chaotic or silent, but Someone Up There had everything planned.

Yes, too much celebration and gift giving can strike a guilty chord or two considering thousands of lives were lost because of typhoon Sendong. We really have to strop ignoring warning signs where Mother Nature is concerned. Could such tragedy have been avoided if people heeded calls to evacuate? Perhaps, perhaps not. God just has a way of making a point even if we ignore them initially.

It’s relatively quiet in the neighborhood. In the years past, our next-door neighbor would be blasting away all manner of firecrackers, enough to bust my eardrums. But any booming sounds now are distant sounding. That’s a comfort. Eldest nephew asked his mother why we have no fireworks this year. We can celebrate in peace, his mom replied. Better to bet on the lottery than to waste money on firecrackers. At least if you don’t win in the lotto, your money would have gone to charity. With firecrackers, you run the risk of losing your fingers.

Everyone is actually tired and we might hit the sack and wake up near midnight to welcome 2012. Wow, how the years fly. And so many changes in our lives… people coming and going. New experiences. A different level of heartache and pain. Disappointments. But a lot of bright things to look forward to as well.

We look back to learn from our mistakes and victories. It’s necessary to become a better person. To become stronger and ready to meet new challenges.

More than anything, I am grateful for good health and the miracle that is life. There are so many thoughts running around my head. So many things waiting in the new year. Will I be ready for them? Am a stronger, whole, and anticipating what is yet to come?

Through everything that has happened in my life this last year, it is a great comfort to know I am loved. That God has been so generous with his wide open arms so I can burrow in them in laughter and in tears. Every triumph, no matter how small, I know is His doing. And even when so many questions are still begging for answers, I know there is a season for everything.

To all the people who have touched my life, I pray you will be blessed a thousandfold and whatever your dreams,   you will achieve them. Thank you for the inspiration because you have all taught me I have so much to be grateful for…

 

Grateful For Small Blessings

I look out the window on this rain-drenched day. The narra tree that stirs my senses with its sweet scented flowers during summer is bare. there are a handful of golden leaves, remnants of its verdant days the months past.

I try to imagine its tiny yellow flowers that make me smile in the middle of a windy but blistering day.

I picture in my mind standing beneath the lofty tree, a shower of petals raining upon me. I smile at the silly thought. Why does a simple act that others may think foolish, feel so right?

Night is falling fast. It is, after all, December. The days are shorter, the nights longer. No one counted on rains to dampen the Christmas spirit. But more than the shopping, the wrapping, the merry-making, Christmas holds a deeper meaning.

Is there no other way to demonstrate love except through gifts? Are we being more compassionate, loving, generous, if we shower people around us with material things?

I set aside last Saturday to give someone a much-needed reprieve from what is turning out to be a hellish existence. I had things to do but they seemed insignificant compared to that simple act of giving my time to someone who needs it but will never ask.

And while I could have earned more had I stayed home to finish my work, the experience was far more rewarding and fulfilling. Time is truly precious when we value it most. A stroke of the hand, a light hug, mirthful laughter. The comfort it brings is priceless.

There is much to be grateful for. Sometimes, we just don’t see them because blessings are not always grand. And we need to be still, to empty our minds of worldly thoughts, to recognize and appreciate them.

Abuse comes in many forms. The wounds and welts will heal. But words leave such a deep mark. As do negligence and apathy.

On a few occasions, I have been at the receiving end of meanness, too. Sometimes, even when I thought I was over it, the pain lingers, the memory remains. But they are nothing compared to the horrors I recently heard. It was all bottled up inside a heart that struggled against bursting. So it is the mind that took the blow and that which must suffer.

I pray things will get better. I pray hope will prevail. And love will overcome. And I thank the Lord for all small blessings I do not recognize and have taken for granted.

 

 

 

Taking away hope

Do we, as humans, have the right to take away hope from another? In my heart I know whatever happens to each one of us is God’s will. He has everything planned out for his creations. And while we may not understand His ways, in the end something good will always come out of it.

When a person has been struggling for years, in despair, and falling into a dark pit, must we push them farther away or do everything possible to draw them into light?

What if by some miracle, even a momentary one, the person begins to see hope and clings to it, does anyone have the right to dash that hope away saying it is too late and for naught?

There is no individual who is perfect in this world, even while God created us in His image, which is perfection. But He affords us every opportunity and provides us with the talent, resources, intelligence to work towards becoming like Him. And that is the journey that we call life.

Humans, as imperfect as they are, may lose their way. But that is not to say they can never find their way back, especially when guided by another. And that perhaps is the challenge to every person — let it be the good deed we perform every day. Bring hope to someone who believes there is none.

It is so much easier to wallow in the negative… to think certain things are impossible to achieve… to believe we are useless and can never amount to anything more.

Even during the most trying times, if we can rise above that belief, then God will surely make things POSSIBLE.

To kill hope inside one’s heart is the most cruel thing, even if it is just a flicker. Because even the smallest flame can be stoked, with love and patience.

It is easier to pound heaven’s doors asking to take away our burdens, than praying for strength to be able to carry a seemingly endless load until it brings us where we have become better individuals.

I cannot imagine snatching hope, however small, from someone who is just beginning to see it again. And it breaks my heart to know there are people who can.

 

Tickling the senses

I should have been more mindful of the time when it first hit me.

It was like a switch had been turned on to release the scent of flowers, which is now permeating the whole house. And it is 11 o’clock in the evening.

The fragrance is so hard to ignore and I was finally tempted to go outside and check the source.

This morning I noticed so many buds on the kamuning tree by the gate so it was just a matter of time when they bloomed.

The time was apparently tonight.

Armed with a flashlight, I trained it on the tree and had to gasp at the sight. The tree was filled with kamuning flowers in clusters of white, trying valiantly to shine in the dark. It was made more magical by the moon, almost full, shining over it.

It was a magnificent sight. An inspiring one. And a vision that made me smile and sigh and give thanks.

The past two weeks have been helter skelter for me. And I am just so grateful to be able to enjoy this moment when I finally hit my stride again.

Friday was a sorrowful shocker and I have yet to find the words to express the grief that I have been feeling. Perhaps, tomorrow will be the right time.

But tonight, I am just amazed that I can be kept company by tiny white flowers that have come in full force not only to tickle my senses but to shake me awake and to enjoy life.

I look forward to greeting a new day with the sunshine streaming inside the window, the scent of flowers wafting through the window and the sight of hundreds of tiny petals clumped together in beauty.

 

Easter Moon

It’s not full yet, but already Luna is a big, radiant orb illuminating the night sky. Such a comforting presence.

Yesterday, it wasn’t even dark yet and the moon was a presence not to be missed. It’s the kind that makes you want to stretch out your hands and reach out, as if seemingly possible to grab a huge, shining ball and hold it close to your heart.

Tonight I had alone time with Luna. She was beautiful. And even when dark clouds shrouded it briefly, its allure held me captive. It was not total darkness, but when it took cover behind grey clouds, there was a hint of sadness. At the same time, hope and expectation filled my heart. I knew she was there in spite the curtain of fluffy clouds.

Summer days are upon as and the heat is near sizzling. But the climate has really gone berserk because early in the morning it is chilly and snuggling under the covers is so pleasant.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. A readying of the things to come for Jesus. The 40 days of Lent is nearing its end. Ample time for reflection of how we’ve been living our lives. Are we better people? Have we made the most of life? Are we closer to our purpose as children of God?

Yes, they may be profound questions but their answers can be quite simple. If only we can be true to ourselves. Life is only complicated because we make it.

LOVE. It all boils down to that. Jesus will suffer and give His life because God loves us. He is paying for our sins. Can we at least show him our love by not bearing down on his cross more?

I look forward to the Easter Moon. Because it holds the promise of a new life. Of an eternal life. It is God’s presence in our lives manifested through the endless beauty of a radiance in the night sky.