Embracing This Life

At some point in our lives, we will encounter experience that will change us forever. Every experience affects us in some way. The resulting effects can be too small to be relevant, but there are those that can change our lives drastically. Some are good, bad, or a combination of both. To some extent, it might lead us to do drastic decisions in order to adjust or adapt to those changes. A few days after New Year I had that life altering moment. Because of that situation I was in, I found myself re-evaluating my life and my priorities. I realized that I had been caught up and very busy living for the future that I failed to recognize the loopholes and flaws of the present. The way I live my life has always been guided by the principle that, if you realized you're not living the life you've planned, instead of being panicked, consider it to be a blessing in disguise. You may discover that by losing what you thought you wanted, instead you find freedom and have a chance to be more happy. No matter how old we get, life still serves us up unexpected challenges that cause age old reactions or opportunities to look beyond the map, and see the territory ahead. Upon closer examination, I recognized that I had been living my life racing through the countryside of my existence, failing to treasure some of the sweet, subtle nuances and gems along the way. Having said that,there will be changes in this site from this day on. Part of my plan is to write a post on a regular basis capturing not just extraordinary moments of life but all the things that truly makes life colorful, exciting and challenging. I won't wait till I have big things to talk about. I will also start writing about my new experiences at work, my interaction with people. I've had many life experiences. The most important lesson I've learned from them is to keep growing and moving forward. Nothing in life is permanent so regardless of what w've been through or what awaits in the future, the most important thing is to keep standing on our feet and not to lose our way and never stop loving! As my favorite quote goes: "A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave." Through it all, I came to understand the true PhD of life is the one who learns to be nimble, adept, unattached to outcomes and all greased with a healthy sense of humor.

Things That I Am Grateful For

Last Sunday, the homily of our Parish priest really touched me. He said something that really made me reflect and ponder about my life. He told us to take a few minutes to examine ourselves and count our blessings, I've heard this many times, but I was surprised that it means a lot more to me now than ever before. We left the church after Mass, but I had this intense feeling inside of me that I need to share.

In what I considered the most empowering feelings, this morning during my reflection, I journeyed back down memory to the time of my childhood. In that image a wonderfully exuberant, radiant, joyous little creature leaped and bounded through great fields and forests of green, growing things. She danced through skies, clouds, oceans and through fields of pure energy. My heart was filled to bursting with love and connection to this erupting, joyful creature...I was just so inspired I don't know where to start to count my blessings and thank God for all this life has given me. I realized that I have so many more blessings this year alone that I really have to thank God for. Usually we thank Him for all the good things that happened in our life. We don't count trials, frustrations and failures as something to thank for.
Here, I count my blessings:

I thank God for a Happy childhood
I thank God for my parents, grandparents and the life and love they gave me & the nurturing and guidance all these years.
I thank God for my brother and sisters, they are my source of support
I thank God for my Friends (they are so many)
I thank God for my teachers and professors for my education
I thank God for the not-so-good people, they inspired me not to be like them
I thank God for the good people I met, they inspired me to do good
I thank God for the friendship of Fr. Nonito, he reinforced my feeling that I am very special in the eyes of God, and that He wants me to be happy
I thank God for the friendship of Fr. Louie, he made me acknowledged my needs as a human being, and that as human I am sinful but is not a hindrance to my relationship with God
I thank God for Fr. James, he showed me the world where I learned to count even my smallest blessings
I thank God for the experiences, trials and failures, they guided me to the way I live my life now
I thank God for finally coming here to the States, now I have the best of both worlds
I thank God for Rey, for the love we shared, the life we had and all the lessons learned
I thank God for John, I've discovered how strong and firm I become
I thank God for the criticisms, they keep me grounded and aware that I am not perfect and I never will be.
I thank God for every morning, I have the chance to be a better person than I was yesterday
I thank God for those who gave me the privilege to help them, they gave me chance to do my responsibilities
I thank God for all those who helped me, they constantly remind me of my needs for others
I thank God for all the places I've been to, they showed me what a wonderful world we live in.
I thank God for Michelle and Rhea, for their love and devotion and for always being my best friends.
And most of all, I thank God, for His constant love and protection I always depend on, for keeping my faith inspite of some questions in my heart. I know there are more things I need to thank Him for and I thank Him for all of those...

And I thank you for sharing to you my blessings by reading this blog. Share your blessings too, you don't know whose heart you will inspire today!



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