BEING AWESOME IS SUCCESS

 

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"Success comes in a lot of ways, but it doesn't come with money and it doesn't come with fame. It comes from having a meaning in your life, doing what you love and being passionate about what you do. That's having a life of success. When you have the ability to do what you love, love what you do and have the ability to impact people. That's having a life of success. That's what having a life of meaning is." ---- Tim Tebow

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Often we associate success with big bank accounts, huge mansions, flashy and expensive cars, impressive roll of connections, heaps of titles to a name, being on the society pages of the daily papers, the namedropping of famous names-celebrities-personalities, and all the curious trappings of wealth ---- all spell m-o-n-e-y and f-a-m-e. That's been fed into our brains by the media, by our schools, by our friends and peers, even by our parents. Everything that we try to do is measured against that list. If we don't make it on that list, we are immediately labeled 'failed'.
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Oh those things are not bad in itself; they also have their uses. What is sad is that some make them the only measure of success. That's being short-sighted. It's not seeing the whole of life and the people in it as a huge landscape and panorama of diversity of brilliance and talent,... and awesomeness.
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Life is awesome. Surely there are so many ways we can live that awesomeness and be successful at it. There is and can be no one label or tag for success. Anyone who lends his or her talent or gift to better other lives.........  or anyone who displays with authentic wisdom and clarity the magnificence of our God...........  or any effort, big or small, which gives life its awesome meaning is  ----  success!! That, for the record, tops anything and everything on my list.
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God bless you! Be awesome.
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Tidbit:
(Tim Tebow, whose birthplace is Makati City, Philippines, is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). Is known for sharing his Christian faith with fans and in clinics, hospitals, market places, schools, and orphanages.)

NO SUCH THING AS READY --- THERE IS ONLY NOW

 

http://ellen-inretrospect.blogspot.com/2015/05/no-such-thing-as-ready-there-is-only-now.html

Remember there is no better time than the present.

SPRINGS THAT NEVER DRY UP.

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"Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.” ----- Pearl Buck (1892 – 1973)
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It is a beautiful place to be. I keep returning to it.
I'm sure you have yours, too. Connect with it.
Hugs to you all!
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(Here's a piece written long ago, May 28, 2012 to be exact, for someone back then who needed to know that being alone need not be lonely.) 

. It’s not all the time that I want company, or listen to the noise of endless banter, or watch the chaotic human parade of other people’s lives. It’s vexing to the mind, is wearying to the heart, and tires the soul down. It leads to confusion and troubling vibrations in the air turning my world upside down. It’s startling how all these can touch your own sphere of life and leave you so drained by it all.
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Sometimes … I simply want to be alone. To be there in the my own moment just being - To feel the soft breeze on my face – To feel the warmth of the sun on my skin – To hear birds chirping on the trees – To feel the waters under my feet walking by the seashore – To touch the petal of a flower – To watch the sun go down on the horizon – To let the rain touch my skin – To write my dreams on clouds of flight – To be still - To hear my heartbeat.
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Sometimes I simply want to be that little child on God’s lap. I remember those times when I told Him .................. about how Peter and Jane have hurt me in school ----- to ask him to make Billy the Bully a good boy so that he won’t bother me again when I walk by his house ---------- to tell my mom and dad to please know why I cry when they leave for the office ----------- to tell Him how bad I feel because Santa Claus didn’t give me a puppy for Christmas --------- to ask Him to make grandpa well again so that we could play--------- to thank Him for letting Mom cook my favorite spaghetti with huge meatballs every Saturday!!
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Sometimes I simply want to be with my thoughts – thinking of the past and the things it has left me with – thinking of the present and how it’s forming my tomorrows – wondering what my tomorrows will be like or when I will be finally gone.
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Sometimes I simply want to BE – seeing my flaws, mistakes, imperfections – seeing how fragile and vulnerable I truly am – looking at my limitations, my borders, my walls – and yet understanding that I too have my own strengths, potential, and the power to dream. That everything there, good or bad, has shaped who I am. That all that I was, is, and will be is the story of my life.
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Sometimes I simply want to be here – with nothing – doing nothing – yet loving everything.
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Learn to treasure your alone moments. Do not be afraid. It's a precious gift, too!

THE BRIGHTEST WISDOM FROM UNEXPECTED SOURCES

 

  

 

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I suppose that we all go through dull moments in life. That moment or day when you don't feel that so-called twinkle in your eye or the spring in your step. When not even the nice gentle breeze blowing into your day would make you feel serenely refreshed and energized. When a good book you immensely enjoyed reading just the other day isn't anymore. When a cone of ice cream is just a cone of ice cream.
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So.... you pick up the remote and indifferently switch through the channels on TV hoping that something would catch your eye and inject your disinclination-to-motion with a strong dose of perk-me-up. Nope, that didn't work.
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At this point, I was ready to allow the dull day its full reign in my turf having given up all options for a brighter day.
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And then she came.....
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.....brown fur with a tinge of black here and there, black wet nose, intelligent black eyes, a tail wagging feverishly, and laid her snout on my lap. But the prettiest thing was when she gave me her half-smile. Not a full smile, as humans do, but a half-smile lighting up the left side of her pretty face. Not a crooked half-smile either.. or the so-called sneer a human being is very good at... but a sweet pretty half-smile! (It still puzzles me how she manages to do that!) But it said everything!.. even more than words a human could ever say to another on such a spiritless languid moment. Then she bounded up the couch and snuggled close to me..... looked up into my unbelieving eyes like saying.... 'It's okay, it's just a dull day; this too will pass.' And Maxie settled peacefully by my side.
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She was right --- the dull moment passed.
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Sometimes in life we get the brightest wisdom from unexpected sources. If only we would pay attention.
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When perchance a dull day happens to you.... open up your senses, tune in to your surroundings, notice every detail of life around you, forget about yourself. Then you will begin to see awesome beauty and meaning into your day..... and life.
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Blessings are not choosy about time and day --- it comes anytime to a welcoming heart.
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God bless you.
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(That's Maxie in the photo with my youngest daughter.)

THREE FAVORITE THINGS AND MORE

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When the muses are quiet and no inspiration pushes the pen or laptop keys.... or when some days are lonely... or when saddled with cares and woes... or when days are even boring... I turn to three favorite things. One, I go out to the garage and have a nice chat with my three dogs -- Lucky, Buddy, and the new addition Scruffy. (There's a fourth one Maxie but she prefers napping on the couch in the living room.) Or.... two, I get myself a cup of yummy ice cream (if there happens to be one inside the freezer), sit on the couch and watch my favorite show on TV. If nada on the ice cream thing, a peanut butter sandwich takes its place with a glass of iced tea... and eyes still glued on the TV screen. Or..... three, my daughter and I go out to the mall to watch a good movie or have our favorite frappe at Starbucks. And...... Oh by the way, also squeezed in-between those three are the one-and-a-thousand details of things we usually do around the house. Plus.... the different roles a mother plays to her children regardless of their age. Plus.... the things done for 'me-time'... listen to music, paint, read a good book, sew a bag from an old pair of jeans, call up a friend, sort through old files for some hidden 'gold' to feed the writing, etc.
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Now I almost forgot this. After listing down the I, Me, My, Mine of being human and was set to move to the next thing to write ---- I remembered this >> Plus..... this precious life nurturing-connection.... Being still to acknowledge God's presence in my life. The wonders of His Magnificent God-ship. Those should be etched in the heart for nobody would last a day or a second without Him. All that we are -- our brilliance, intellect, talents, wealth, beauty, successes, achievements, acquisitions, titles, positions, or greatness -- everything comes from His goodness, love, compassion, and mercy. Gifts from His divine heart. The magnificent I AM. Thus if I have the 'me-time'.... this one's called the 'HIS-time'.
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Now why am I telling you this? Because I have learned something very important which I'd like to share with you. It is this........
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"Look only to the good. Look only to what you have, to what God has given you. Do not let your eyes come to rest upon any other thing but the blessings and peace of Christ. Do not fix your gaze upon the negatives, upon the past or the future. Remember, your life is hid with me. By now you know that I can be trusted and that I have all your affairs in My hands. Not one thing escapes My attention." --- God
(Yes, those lines are from the book 'Good Morning... God')
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Nice, aye? Give it a try. You might like it, too. Furthermore you will soon discover that trusting God gives you more time to be you.. with your life... with your gifts.... with your God.
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God bless you!

NO MAN IS EVER SUFFICIENT TO HIMSELF

Lest some of you might think that I have left the blog world,  the answer is no. Just been busy with things. Here's something from the other blog which I thought to bring here for friends. Together we can learn from this beautiful quote.

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"We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity. We cannot remain looking inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet..." ----  (Stephen Hawking)
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Allow me some thoughts on this....
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We are so often told that life is all about us. And that is what media, business, schools, entertainment etc is doing to us. Yes but to a certain point. Then we must learn to shed off the -  'I'  'ME'  'MY'  'MINE'  - of living. The lessons become very difficult now because habits die hard.
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Lest we forget, our job on this planet is no longer to live for ourselves alone.  We live for others too if we want a better world and planet.  We stand connected like it or not. What we each do, good or bad, will definitely affect the next guy or people down the line and beyond ... as it also will affect our environment.. our world.
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So it behooves us to better our selves to enable us to serve others and the world with the best of who we are and what we have. If we can do it in a grander scale so much better for the world... but the little that we do in our everyday lives and even if it's for just one person.... will suffice as long as the noble intent is there.  Small is big when the motive is for the better good or for the greater number of people you can reach.
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God himself says..... to 'love one another'.  Am I my brother's keeper? Yes! Because we were not created to live solitary lives,  by Divine design. We need each other.  No man is sufficient to himself.  Even Mother Nature needs our human care and nurturing. That is how God created the world each dependent on the other .... to co-exist in peace and harmony .... being blessed and blessing one another with blessings received.  Let us remember who we are and our Divine purpose.
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God bless you!!
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(Thanks to the internet for this lovely image.)

LIFE IS A PROCESS, THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS

I'm bringing this here for a dear old friend....

 

 

LIFE IS A PROCESS                                      

... and that takes time.
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If there is anything which test my patience it is going through a process. Any process whatever its size, shape or form, or for whatever reason is not going to get a big smile from me. I hate long queues, government offices, clinics or hospitals, ticket booths, or any waiting line created just because somebody behind the window up ahead is sorting out papers, signatures, and your reasons for being in line. 
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I stand there fidgeting I summon up in my mind diverse things to say, brilliant angry stuff, to rouse guilt on the person who is taking all of eternity to get to me. And then finally I get to the window... and there looking at the person working on my papers I feel every mental and physical muscle and energy in my body suddenly drain out of me and drop to the ground. I watch the person leaf through the sheets, punch something on the computer keys; seek out a particular rubber stamp on her desk; leave the window to seek out somebody whose signature should be on it; return to the window again and then push the papers out to me pointing at a dotted line with a pen. I sign-receive my copy, and I’m off. Relieved, not so much happy, but relieved releasing a big resigned sigh to the Universe that incidentally sees it all and is rolling on the floor laughing. 
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Life is a process. Whether it is giving birth, getting married or a divorce, having your hair fixed at the salon, driving somewhere in your car, cooking for dinner tonight, learning in school or college, holding meetings in the boardroom, sweeping the yard, getting a health check at the clinic, arranging funerals, flying to some country, taking a bath, paying your bills, and more. There are no short cuts. In life when you go through strife struggles or challenges, you simply go through it albeit reluctantly resentfully grudgingly fearfully lazily tearfully but, this I tell you, there is neither an easy way out nor escape for you to grab on. You might want to pull at your hair, gnash your teeth, rev up your ugliest horrifying snarl at anyone or anything hoping to scare it away, but you still have to go through it just the same. And that’s final.
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But....... 
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Mind what you think through the long process. Those thoughts which simmer or seethe through your brain will determine the end result you desire. Be kinder, more compassionate, understanding, observant, patient, perceptive, insightful, and open to learning whatever there is to learn from the challenge. You just can’t beat the process; it will roll out just as it should and not minding whoever you are or whatever you do. Time is there to support life.

It’s there for a reason which I am inclined to believe is by God’s design. And God’s intent, as I understand it, is always to make us grow. Therefore GROW ...we shall!
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God bless you.

SO THAT MANY WILL UNDERSTAND - Haiyan/Yolanda super storm aftermath

 

One more BRAVO to the person who wrote this fantastic post!! Thank you, Jerome Christopher Hernandez. Ah but there's many out there still writing something like this. Keep it all coming, brothers and sisters, because many need to understand. And those who get to read this, please share.

A post by Jerome Christopher Hernández 

To quote.

This calamity, this disaster, is the worst of its kind in the WORLD. It might just be the strongest, most destructive typhoon in the history of human civilization. Any country who would experience this would be dealt upon a great blow.

Now, please consider these:

1.) The Philippines is a third-world country. The country's entire Air Force owns only three working C130 (cargo) planes. Only three! And it's supposed to serve a country of 100-million citizens! So are they too slow in delivering relief goods, medical equipment, personnel, etc.? But of course! Let us understand that they are limited by the resources that they have. I could imagine how eager our military/government personnel are to help!

2.) In Tacloban, out of around 200-plus police officers, only twenty of them reported for duty the day after the storm. Yes, 20! The couple of hundred others cannot be reached or found. Most likely, they're attending to their own families who are themselves victims of this tragic calamity. Heck, they might even be dead as well! So are they too slow to respond? But of course! What is it that you cannot understand there?

3.) Most, if not all, commercial flights to and from Tacloban have been cancelled in the first few days after the storm. The airport isn't safe to land on due to the absence of radar, lights and other essential facilities. How can the replacement government personnel go to their assignments quickly? How can you go to Tacloban to volunteer and lend your own two hands? Even if you wanted to, you just cannot go to Tacloban. And that's the CAPITAL CITY of Leyte! What about the smaller towns in remote islands? How do you get all the help to these places instantly? Consider, too, that the roads are clogged with debris, carcasses and cadavers! It's a logistical nightmare! So, is help too slow to arrive? Unfortunately, yes! How is it humanly possible not to be slow? Enlighten me if you know how, please!

This is a very extraordinary situation. Hurricane Katrina knocked the US down, and it took a while before they stood up again. The super strong earthquake paralyzed Japan, and it took a while before everything normalized. These are the two wealthiest countries in the world. They have the most equipped, most advanced military in the planet.

We are the Philippines: a third-world country with a military who calls an old US Coast Guard patrol vessel as its biggest, strongest warship! So before any of us dares to blame the government, think hard. I'm not saying that we must stop criticizing. But if we are to criticize, may it be constructive, and having considered the entire picture. And most importantly, it must be criticism that's bundled with an alternative solution! If your mortal human brain cannot conceive of a better, doable way to address the problems at hand, your criticism, sadly, is worth manure.

Let us all pray to God almighty for the strength to endure this extraordinary tragedy.

There's no Batman. Just us. As one Filipino people.

Unquote. 

FOLLOW THE HELP HAPPENING -- On Haiyan/Yolanda

I am bringing this here from the other blog because this is something I feel strongly about and would like to share with those who would care to stop awhile and listen. :-)

WHAT'S ON THE NEWS TODAY? (Haiyan-Yolanda)

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WHAT'S ON THE NEWS TODAY?  (Haiyan-Yolanda)

Okay, somebody said on TV  that help is there. So then let's see the action.....

Show the help happening. Show the helpers.

- the clearing of roads
- the aid trucks, ships, and planes
- the medical teams and centers
- the power lines being restored
- the water supply
- the temporary shelters built
- the kitchen soups
- the transportation facilities
- the communication lines restored
- the security measures in place
- the dead buried
- the packing of relief goods
- the individuals and groups with their donations
- the priests and religious groups ministering to the flock
- the global community reaching out to help
- and much more....

You say it's just starting. That's right! So we follow the help happening from day one of help happening. We would like to see...  we would like to know... We would like to appreciate and thank the helpers and the help.  We would like to cry in great joy and applaud.

We already know about the 'why' of this horrible catastrophe. And it's very sad. We'll never be the same again as individuals, as a people, as a community, as a nation.  And I think we have learned our lessons, too.

But please Stop replaying the tears, the anguish, the misery...  we feel their pain. We do! But please do not try to overkill the images. It's like rubbing salt on an open wound. That truly hurts deep.

Now show us the --- what,  when,  where,  who,  and  how of its
solution... restoration... rebuilding... recovery... the efforts to rise from a very very horrible fate.

Show us the spirit of ---  hope,  faith,  prayer, compassion, brotherhood,  courage, unity, generosity, the national and global community separately and collectively towards a singular cause, the basic goodness of man ........... show us the spirit of life!  Show us GOD at work!

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

I'm bringing this here from the other  blog  for a dear friend. Maybe now you'll try checking out the other blog, too, lazy-fingers  :-) :-)

 BEHIND A NAME IS A HISTORY SO LEARN

 

 

 

This, when I found it, pushed me to thinking........

To quote:

"You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird. So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing -- that's what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something." -- Richard Feynman

Unquote.

Precious knowledge more often than not pass us by simply because all we know of them are their names and are content with that. Often we fail, at least, to try learning so much more about it. What's in a name? Plenty I must say. Behind a name is a history... the who, what, when, where, why, and how of its creation. That applies to both living and non-living things. How well do we know? And, if I may add, how well do we know our God, too?

Indeed, there is a ... "..difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something."

Relish today and squeeze out all learning from it.
Learn... unlearn... relearn.
God bless you!