IT ALL STARTS FROM ..... ONE

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"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn"  

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A single acorn. And if you expand your thoughts to include......

-- one prayer can create miracles
-- one smile can create a thousand happy hearts
-- one random act of kindness can create good
-- one word of hope can dispel  a thousand doubts
-- one positive thought can create an avalanche of other positive thoughts
-- one soft gentle song can ease numberless weary minds
-- one word of thanks can warm unsuspecting hearts
-- one helping hand can restore trust in the Divine
-- one understanding heart can heal the wounds of suffering
-- one willing mind can infuse other willing minds to create change
-- one fearless stand can move others to unite for a worthy cause
-- one act of caring can help make this world a better place

.... and many more. It all starts from..... ONE!

Wishing you all a HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a very BLESSED ONE!

WHEN GOD ASKS YOU TO GROW... THEN GROW

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And now the dust is slowly settling down and we are back to our normal lives. Or trying to. Many thoughts have come to my mind throughout these past events. This particular and final episode in the life of my brother was mercifully short. This is where you get to understand how God truly is a God of mercy and love.

As I sit alone by myself I began to gather these thoughts and sorting them out to make some sense of it or discern lessons where there might be. Stuff which I've heard long ago through my Mom. And here it is again as a gentle nudge lest it be forgotten. Useful in our everyday lives I'm sure. Here they are as written by the heart......

-- life is short so don't waste time on foolishness and non-essential things. It's not a forever thing. Remember, life is a candle in the hands of the Divine.

-- laugh when the moment asks you to; in fact, have many such moments of laughter and joy. Live.. love.. laugh!

-- tell someone you love.. 'I love you' ..a thousand times each day. Say it... say it... SAY it!!!

-- treasure your FAMILY no matter their imperfections. Only a family will and can stand by you through thick and thin.

-- speak.. talk..communicate; people are not mind readers.

-- know when a moment comes whether it is your moment or not. Sometimes the event is not at all about you no matter how it may seem to be... but of someone else or of someone you love. Respond properly and accordingly.

-- Don't make room for half-hearted choices or decisions. Clarity avoids confusion or distress.

-- when God asks you to grow -- that's what you should do... GROW.

-- believe in the power of PRAYER.

-- seek and see blessings with a prayerful and grateful heart.

-- pay kindness forward. Just do it!

-- see life in its huge tapestry and not just a small thread of it. Appreciate your little corner of it and also being an integral part of the whole. Respect others who are there too.

-- God never fails. God is hope.

..... and many more.
Blessings to everyone! Have a happy week.

A HUMBLE REQUEST FOR PRAYERS

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I now have lost a brother and his family lost a husband and father. He passed last December 01 after fighting a fierce battle with cancer at Cardinal Santos Hospital. May I humbly request my friends in the blog for prayers for the eternal repose of his soul.

Thank you. Blessings to you all.



 (Won't be around for a few days. Back soon.)

WORDS DERIVE LIFE FROM THE HEART

WORDS --- They can build you up, take you down, disappoint, make you happy, hurt and sad, wonder, and too scare you. In short, words are powerful. Putting it to the test, I paid attention and listened intently when people talk to me. Indeed, words alone have no life, but derive life from the content of the heart. Goodness rooted in the heart translates itself in words one uses -- these words which fly out on virtual wings of compassion and truth. On the other hand, bad intent makes even the sweetest word ring untrue as it operates under the shadows of venom nestled in the heart. It stings hard and deep.

Be careful the words you use with young children. What you say will determine the attitudes they will be carrying with them unto their adult lives. It will influence their perception of the world and the people in it, shape beliefs of right or wrong, their relationships, work habits, ambitions and dreams, and how they would relate to their God. It will definitely define their personality and character. So be careful the words you use with them - it makes a big difference in their lives. And, will eventually redound to yours, too. 

Be careful what you speak. It can mean the world to another person. It can make or break him. Be careful what you write. It can influence great minds and poor minds alike. Both lives will be affected in some way you will never know as their minds 'wrestle' with the words or the beatings of your heart. 

Someone wrote a nice quote which in essence says - 

'Be wary of what comes out of the mouth as it would always spring from the heart. The content of the heart determines the genuine quality of words spoken.' 

IT’S SELF-LESS – NOT SELF-MORE

And do you know why? 

Because they give of their hearts, with their hearts. While the rest of us hang on fiercely to it and everything else which we think give us meaning in life or to our existence. We go to every extent to save it, protect it, prosper it, commemorate it, and marking it 'mine'. But nothing can do that. The stuff we gather through life is just stuff and will be left behind when it's time for us to go. Why don't we instead make this journey worthwhile? Why not try to create places in the hearts of others where we will be remembered not for what we have, but for what we are in the heart. Why not put aside race, color, or creed and the big social divide, just simply connect or reach out with our basic good which has been there all along just waiting to be called forth to do its job. God put it there, but we keep forgetting. 

We also forget that life as in love isn't until given away to serve the greater good. We limit ourselves by thinking 'inward' all of the time. When the biggest potential, adventure, joy, wonder, miracle, and blessing is 'outward'. The flow of life is ... outward not inward, self-less not self-more, giving not keeping, sharing not hoarding .... these are the stuff heaven allows and truly blesses abundantly. 

Flowers in the hands of an old wrinkled simple man is the true meaning of life. This is the key to open the gates of heaven. 

KALEIDOSCOPE

I like this....... 'Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope- a slight change, all patterns alter.' -- Susan Salzberg

Slight change -- huge impact. That's the goal. Specially if life is giving you such a tough time. Another word for it is incremental changes. Small vigorous measures which can greatly resonate within and without of your life. You see, it's like marbles placed in a glass. Try moving one or two or several and watch the rest remaining inside the glass shift, adjust, adapt to the space created. Or try throwing a pebble into a placid stream and notice the ripples created by the pebble when it hits the surface. The water shifts, moves, adjusts. It's not its old self anymore. Something has changed it. The same thing with life when you try to inject some measure of change. It moves old thoughts and habits, shakes up comfort zones, stirs up long forgotten passions and dreams. You are never the same again. Life has changed. And this moves you forward steadily towards your desired goal.

Try it. Shake up your kaleidoscope of life and living. Make it sparkle and shine even more. You can do it with small steps but steadily. There is power in small.

Have a blessed day! God bless.

GOD OF ALL COMFORT

Haven't posted in here in a long while. Here's one now which I am bringing here from the other blog the point of which is to solicit prayers for someone. Please read on. And thank you.

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My friend (won't tell her name) bemoans the difficult life she lives. To her it seems like life is nothing but one struggle after another. She eats trials for breakfast... strife for lunch... and misery for dinner. She's up to here with the turbulence of a misery blotched existence. To quote her.

Gosh, that does sound so gloomy and depressing. I sat there listening to all her woes; she needed to get it off her system or I would guess she would explode. But she's still here standing and waking up every morning maybe without the smile that we should be giving the start of the day.. but she's up just the same. To face her battles once more I suppose.

That's courage, whether she knows it or not. And maybe somewhere there inside her small frame is a tiny spark of hope... maybe still believing that someday she will find relief to all her troubles. She won't tell me,  but when I see her look out afar with her sad eyes I can sense the faint ripple of hope in those otherwise sweet brown eyes.

Because she believes in God. She prays maybe harder than we do. Probably shedding buckets of tears alongside it. But she prays.  I love her for that, admire her even more.

This brings to mind a beautiful song by songwriter Thomas A. Dorsey in 1932....

"Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand;

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;

Through the storm, through the night,

Lead me on to the light

Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home."

You know in truth, we're all so much like my friend at some point or another.

May I request you to include a tiny prayer for her... and for every person on this planet who is going through the same challenges and troubles of life... for us all...  to put their hands and our hands in the Lord's --- "The God Of All Comfort".

Blessings and do have a truly blessed day.