Archive for August, 2007

Don’t give up…

{ August 20, 2007 @ 2:46 pm } · { sunny side up }
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These are not my own words… but words shared to me by a friend. I want to share these words with you too… for I know that there are certain moments in our lives when we just feel like letting it all go and quitting everything once and for all… just so we won’t be hurt once more.  

But hey, don’t many always say… there are reasons behind everything that happens in our lives? Perhaps one reason is… we were born for a much higher purpose…. and if we dont keep our foundations strong enough, we may not be able to soar as high as we want.

So… Don’t give up…..

One day I decided to quit… I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality. .. I wanted to quit my life. So, I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

“God”, I asked, “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”

His answer surprised me…: “Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes”, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light, I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

He said. “In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.

But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quite.” He said. “Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. ..But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots.

Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.”

He asked me. “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots”. “I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.” “Don’t compare yourself to others.” He said. “The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.” “Your time will come”, God said to me. “You will rise high”

“How high should I rise?” – I asked.

“How high will the bamboo rise?” – He asked in return.

“As high as it can?” – I questioned.

“Yes.” He said, “Give me glory by rising as high as you can.”

I left the forest and brought back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. Never, Never, Never Give up.

Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.

Don’t tell the Lord how big the problem is; tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

When One Is Abandoned…

{ August 8, 2007 @ 1:54 pm } · { stern face stuff }
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It has been at least 23 years since my father left our family for a better life for him. The first year after he left, we would receive recorded cassette tapes of his messages and songs he would sing and record for us. I would remember listening to his tapes over and over, just so I wouldn’t miss him so much. But after the second year, we have heard nothing about him up until a few months ago while I was surfing the internet to assist my daughter in her assignment, I came upon his name and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I saw his website and with trepidation I clicked on it and on my computer screen flashed his pictures of his business, the places he has been and lo and behold…. the daughter he so proudly claims to have. 

How often we have heard of people talking about parents who would always rally behind their children no matter what the odds. They would go the extent of sacrificing just so that their children will be spared the pain and difficulty. With the number of weddings I coordinate in a year, the number of marriages that get broken is even doubled. With every one couple who commit to stay together, somewhere there are at least four couples who finally decide to go their separate ways. Relationships between couples end anytime. But as a mother, I can never begin to understand how a parent could just leave his family like a useless discarded item… to pursue one’s ambition and happiness is by all means something we must all do for ourselves….  but to abandon your children, who in the first place didn’t ask to be born to this world, is a crime. For such a selfish act can leave dire consequences, deep wounds, broken dreams and, hurting souls.  

Ok, we as human beings, setting aside our responsibilities as husbands, wives, parents or whatever, have every right to decide to go for, what we feel should make us happy. True. But just one thing to ask, if you’re a spouse and a parent, and you feel that you cant stand the sight of your wife/husband or your children any longer, then by all means end the relationship with them in a clear and acceptable way. Talk to your children. They may not understand it at first but eventually they will learn to accept.  Your children will become grown ups in time and surely they would have learned the wisdom to understand your decision. End it with them. That is more courageous and your family will respect you for it.

Don’t be a coward and run away leaving your children hanging. And as with the case of my own father, have the pompousness and arrogant nerve to flaunt his “new adorable family” in the internet for the entire world to see.  

In a world where belonging is as essential as the air we breathe, an abandoned child harbors the misconstrued feeling that he has to assert himself at all times to belong and be loved, to seek the approval of others for his personal fulfillment and happiness… for in his mind, if his own parents can reject and forsake him, then how much more those people whom he just meets along life’s highway and whom he is practically a stranger and a nobody to…         

Time off…

{ August 8, 2007 @ 1:31 pm } · { Mirror Image }
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Every once in a while, I get this notion of going on a sabbatical… time off from everything I’m doing and everyone else outside the family circle… well not really everyone maybe just people I don’t want to be in contact with yet. The stress and pressure that comes with what I do just makes me crave for time alone. Don’t get me wrong though… I love what I do… and I’m passionate about it. Perhaps that’s the very reason why I would really require time off to recharge my batteries so I wouldn’t end up burned out and hating my work.

One time, I asked my “sistah-friend Sabrina if it was “OK” to be out of circulation for a few weeks to maybe a month and she couldn’t seem to believe I even asked about it. Well maybe because for starters she knows I have a jam-packed schedule of projects lined up till the end of this year.

A close friend who just became a scuba enthusiast after an invitation fun dive has been teasing me and bragging about her newly discovered wonders of the sea…. aaaah I could almost feel the silky feel of the ocean on my skin…. ooooohhhh And I have been having this on-the-shelf as of the moment, planned trip out of the country since April. But had I gone I would have left behind panic stricken clients who wouldn’t be appeased until they see me in person and just within their reach and I’m pretty sure if I had pushed thru in spite of their woes, I would be spending more than half of my holiday just talking on the phone with them. So my long awaited vacations had to be forgone.

But now, looking at my schedule for the next 4 months I could feel the insistent need in my bones to have this trip whether down the bottom of the sea or fly out of the country. I need to retreat and recharge so I can come back and bring with me renewed vigor, fresh ideas and yes…. life.

I need more talk time with my God as well. This daughter of His needs a father’s soothing words and enlightenment. I couldn’t actually find a quiet place in this noisy city to talk straight with Him without interruptions.

There are things I need to check with my “self” too. This body needs fresh air to replace the stale air we breathe here in the metropolis. At least for a moment I wouldn’t want to hear the honking of car horns, screeching tires on the highway, ringing of the phones, beeping of messages, buzzing of alarms and incessant chatter of people around me. I just want to hear the music played by the orchestra of God’s creations and my own heartbeat. This mind needs to be cleared of downloaded viruses and unwanted files.

Now, the more I’m thinking about this needed break… the more the idea appeals to me! Hhhhmm I think next month is definitely the best time! Ciao!

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