Happy New Year!

May the year 2010 lead us along the road to recovery, open its doors to a new hope, good health, gratitude, love and peace as 2009 closes the gates to failures, greed, ingratitude and sufferings.


A blessed New Year to you and to all in your home... Cheers to 2010!!!

The Best Gift He Ever Had

In one of my early posts, I wrote about my friend Ron, who just retired from work and few days later he was diagnosed of having esophageal cancer. Guess what? in less than a year later, after going through series of chemotherapy and radiation and surgery last August, he finally gained his health back. And just two days before Christmas, he got the most wonderful gift he'd ever wanted. His latest PET and CT scans and all three doctors confirmed the good report— he is  free of cancer! That's just barely four months after his surgery. Isn't it amazing? God really works in many wonderful ways. In our conversation this morning, he could not thank God enough for giving him his life back. He said that he was never a religious person but what he went through really made him realized how God really works and how He listens to prayers. Ron said that he had never prayed more than he did when he was going through his ordeal. Everyday he is a witness to how God works miracles through his doctors, friends and all who care about him.

I was weeping with gratitude and overcome with every emotion imaginable as I was listening to Ron talk about his plan for his second life. I cannot describe the happiness he feels for the gift of life.

He still has to have his hormone dosage tested in a few weeks, and twice a year check-ups to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned. It's by no means over and there are no guarantees in life. But he chooses to look at all of this is good and if the statistics are right, then things are in his favor that he will stay cancer free for years to come. He's grateful to taste the food again, smell the tree, feel the warmth of the fire, and see the new year as the time he conquers this disease!

One day at a time, one step at a time, I am so thankful for Ron to be alive...
 
Merry Christmas & all things wonderful in 2010 to all!

The Gift Of Forgiveness

Last night, I read a quote that made me pause for a while and inspired me to write this post:

"Bitterness and an unforgiving spirit can be likened to you taking poison and expecting that someone else would die from the effect. Forgiveness is about setting the prisoner in your heart free only to discover that all along, you had been the real prisoner." I realized I need to do a better job of letting go and just forgive. After all, I have not been good at forgiving others, not very well.

Since early childhood I've been taught not to bear grudges against my fellow men; that I should always be willing to forgive those who had caused me pain cause this is what God commanded us, as Christians. The first quote I memorized by heart and mind from grade school is "To err is human, to forgive is Divine." Later in life did I learn that it is easily said than done.

And how do you forgive someone who doesn't bother to ask forgiveness and the worst part is, the person doesn't even care that he hurt you and you spent many sleepless nights feeling upset, wandering how some people could be so insensitive and not realize the extent of their action. It's hard to forgive somebody who caused you pain, so much more to give it to someone who is not asking for it.

So I read the quote again. Then I realized that all those times that I was stubborn and not willing to forgive, I had been the real prisoner. It was I who was trapped, I wasn't hurting anyone else by not getting past the situation that occurred long ago. And I thought about why I hadn't forgiven sooner.

And it came down to courage. I'm not as fearless as I thought I was. I have so many excuses. All the things I mentioned don't make me strong inside, it's all external junk that I really don't need. I need to be strong, and just forgive, no Ifs no Buts. I need to have the courage to get rid of all the excuses and move forward, just forgive and forget.

That's what I wish for you this holiday season. I hope you'll take some time and give yourself a gift of forgiveness. Whatever is holding you back from forgiving, remember, you are the prisoner, and not the person you have not forgiven. The key to your freedom is in your hand...

For The Love Of Golf

AFTER a long MEDIA SPOTLIGHT that’s made coverage of other big scandals this year look like a town council meeting, Tiger Woods finally issued a statement on Friday saying, “I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf.”
“I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused many people, most of all my wife and children,” Tiger said at his Web site. “What’s most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing.”

The reason for an “indefinite break as,” Tiger said, “I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.”

Definitely, Tiger’s latest statement and the circumstances surrounding it will be examined and debated in the days and weeks ahead with great zeal. An infinite theories will be hatched and debunked. And the media  frenzy will rage on. I would imagine more people who wants to take a 60 seconds to fame will take advantage of the situation and strike while the iron is hot.

As a very avid golf fan, I have a simple response to Tiger’s statement and his desire to call a timeout: OK.

Tiger is my favorite golfer. I don't watch golf tournament on tv unless Tiger is playing. I am so frustrated to know about his infidelity but it has nothing to do with the sport he played so well and dominated that made me love and admire him so much. Besides I understand the pressures he must have to overcome being  as successful as he is.

I am his big fan and I will forever admire him as a transformative figure in golf. I will definitely root for him now, as well as his wife, Elin, and their children. I root for marriages. They’re not easy for anyone and harder for many. I also root for families, especially children, who have the most to lose when moms and dads fracture.

And I will root for golf.

I'm sure it's still a long road to travel for Tiger Woods. But like any other scandals of the rich & famous in the past, this too will come to pass. He does need sometime or however long it takes to get something worked out. He shouldn't worry about bouncing all the way back (as an endorsement force), as sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards said. "The one thing we know is that when a ball drops from 15 feet when it bounces back up, it's only going to rise to 12 feet."

It's been said that while golf will never be the same in the Tiger era—especially since the Tiger golf economy may implode like the U.S. financial system did a year ago—it will survive as a game and professional sport. Golf made Tiger; he didn’t make golf. He just made it thrilling, heroic and much, much richer.

The luster may be gone, the money may dry up, the TV ratings may tank—which is all very sad and detrimental to the livelihoods of many people—but the game that made Tiger is still a great game. This scandal, and any future scandals, can’t change that.

My love & passion for golf will always be the same...