Misa De Gallo

It's Christmas Time!

Many memorable experiences comes to mind when this season comes. One of the most exciting event that I look forward to is the Misa De Gallo.

Misa de Gallo is a set of nine-consecutive early morning mass that starts on the 16th of December and ends on Christmas Eve. In the Philippines, this 4:00 am mass encourage parishioners to strengthen their belief on Christmas tradition, that became a part of Catholic Christian celebration in the archipelago.

"Simbang Gabi" which literally means "Night Masss" begins in some parishes as early as three o'clock in the morning. Attendance at the nine Masses is meant to show the believer's devotion to God as well as to heighten anticipation for the Nativity of Jesus. A popular belief is that upon the devotee's completion of the nine Masses, God will grant any special wish he makes.

 I made a lot of  special wishes and I can't say if they were granted because I completed the nine-morning masses.

I started to attend Misa de Gallo when I was young. I went with an Aunt. We left the house at two o'clock so we could have a seat inside the church. We sat in front. That made me so drowsy when the mass started at four o'clock.

I only attended the mass because of curiousity. Seems like many people talks about it. To my dismay, I found it not so very nice. What with the Latin songs that were sung and very, very long. It was just that I was obedient enough to behave and sleep and wake up and sleep discretely during the mass. The choir was composed of older people which was just right, I thought, because only old people knows the language these days.That made it even more boring to me. I couldn't wait for the mass to finish and sleep again.

Because many people goes to it, I just attended the mass again and again every year whenever some people at home would ask me. Eventually I have grown to like it. I realized how much grace one gets from attending it. I began to value it. I longed to learn the songs.

I was happy when one day our Parish Priest organized a Grand Choir which will sing during the Misa de Gallo. He obliged all the choir groups in the Parish to join. Since I was a choir member myself I was excited. Before the practice, we were given the copy of the Latin songs.

"Ah! So this was what those old women were singing." I told myself.

Unfortunately, for some reason, our group were not able to join. But I would bring the song sheets with me and sung with the choir during the mass. It saved me from sleeping and being bored.

Also, I don't go to church early so I could have a seat. I don't mind standing for more than an hour. It's a great sacrifice. But some days I bring with me a chair.

This year is different. Now I have a sure seat during mass. But I have to come early.

Because now, I am a member of the choir! At last!

Now I almost see myself as one of those old women when I was younger, torturing me with their high pitch voices that would almost break my ears.

Fortunately now our voices are better and we sing better. Unlike before when choirs only have a guitar as accompaniment, we have an almost complete instrument which wouldn't make people sleep.

 I also wished that I could sing the solo part, too. To my surprise, one night,  I was asked to sing the solo part because the soloist hasn't arrived yet and the other one had a sore throat. My performance was really great. Well, to me. Actually it was a duet. Only that, the mic was on my mouth. Someone has to sing with me or else I will forget. Boy, I thought it was easy. It 's different when you are actually singing. The congregation is giving their attention to you. Added to that, the presiding priest was the priest who organized and heads the grand choir eleven years ago. I was holding the copy of the song sheets that he gave us. I knew he would know if I would miss a note. I know he wouldn't mind. But was I anxious that he would notice my a mistake.

 Big thanks to my seatmate. He didn't know it wasn't really a solo, but a duet. *:-)

                       *******

A few days from now is Jesus' birthday, and Misa de Gallo ends.

For me, this is one special gift that I could give to God as gift, my service.

I am blessed and is continually being blessed even more than my wildest dream.

I thank God for this opportunity to love Him back, in action and not just in words.

All Souls Day!

Today, the whole Catholic church celebrates this day as the day of the souls of our dearly departed.

This happens every year. When all the world are busy with parties and games, here in my place is different. This is the time of the year that we remember our beloved who have died.

I grew up with this tradition. Trick or Treat games or Halloween Parties does not exist in my world. It only did when I was, I think, in my teens. But even then, I didn't mind of it. For me it was for the rich people.  In our place or even in our school, we don't spend this time partying.

This year,  like some other years, i went to visit the grave of my father, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.

Like I would always do, I visit three cemeteries. These are far from each other. Travel time would always be longer than the time spent in front of the graves. What I do is that, on the way I already start my prayers. I don't bring candles, I chose to buy in the cemetery so that I could help people who are selling candles there, also to save from the trouble of taking them along. Candles are heavy when many.

 These simple candles represents uniquely to each person who lights them.

My paternal grandparents

My father's elder sister

My paternal Aunts and Uncles

My paternal uncle and cousin

Paternal Aunt and cousin

My maternal grandmother

My maternal grandfather

My maternal great grandmother

My mother's brother

Wife of Rolando Odicta

My maternal uncle

My cousin.

Cousin

My father

My last stop is where my father's grave is. My whole family gathers here. My siblings with their kids meets here and pray and enjoy bonding over snacks and some native delicacies that are popularly prepared during this time.

This year, not like other years, is so different. It rained!  But it didn't stop me from visiting these graves.

Aside from the Holy Mass and personal prayers that I offer for them, this time of the year is a special time for me to express my love for them. These people have loved me in their own special way, too, when they were alive.

May we not wait for this time to come to treat our dearly departed special, let us remember them often in our prayers. We just don't know how they badly need our help.

                        **********************************************************

SAVE A SOUL FROM HELL IN THREE SECONDS!


Everytime you pray the prayer below, you will save a person from going to the eternal damnation. You can save sixty souls from Hell in time it takes to boil a three minute egg. Incredible, but true. Such is the power of the names of Jesus and Mary. Such is the power of Love. Many soul go to Hell because no one prays for them. Here is the prayer:

"Jesus, Mary I Love You, save souls."


Source: Read Me or Rue It

All Saints Day

Sts Perpetua & Felicity

What are saints?


Saints are holy persons. People who lived Godly lives. They are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness. They are people who are worth emulation, honored or venerated. They are exemplary model, extraordinary teacher, wonder worker or source of benevolent power, an intercessor. They led a life of detachment to material things.


Saints are people who are believed to be in heaven already. Many of them are not known to us.


There are no more than one word that can describe a saint. 

For me, saints are my inspiration. They are my guide. A great influence to me.


Today is All Saints Day, the feast of all the saints.

May we continue to be inspired by them as we remember them, not just today but in everyday of our life.

Go Diego, Go!

            Hola! I'm Diego! Ready for a rescue?

           The famous greeting of Diego, one of the famous cartoon characters of today. He is the main character hero of Go, Diego, Go!, a television series created by Chris Gifferd and Valerie Walsh, and is a spin-off of Dora the Explorer. 

           I watched one of its series from a dvd a few days ago. My five-year-old niece, Patrizhia, told me he is the cousin of Dora the Explorer. I was amazed by this boy. For me he is like the recent version of Tarzan and MacGyver, rolled into one.

            Diego has sophisticated gadgets that makes it easy for him to help people. He has a rescue camera that helps him find the things or people he is looking for. He didn't have to move to another place to look for his target, instead he just stay where he is at the time his help is called. Then he switches on his camera, turn it around and let the camera find who or what he is looking for. When he sees his target, that is the only time that he would start to move. When things gets difficult on the way, he has portable computer that he just asks or do some research. His backpack contains almost all that he needs for help.


             When things gets hard for me especially these days, I couldn't help wishing I could call Diego to help me. When I have questions, I wish he could lend me his computer so I can research for an answer to my quiry. I wish I could borrow his camera so I can see what my future holds or if my prayers will really be answered. I am so sure Diego will answer me right away when I ask him. He won't give me a silent answer. He won't give me a hard time figuring out for my self what he thinks. (Sounds familiar, huh!)

             But of course we know Diego is just a man's creation. He doesn't really exist.

             There is someone who is more than Diego, Tarzan or MacGyver.

              Someone who is so real.

          

Back Subject

Just recently I bought dvd tapes of Winnie the Pooh, Barney, and Dora. No, its not for my nieces, its for me. Well, of course, for them too. Our cable subscription was cut and I used to watch Dora the Explorer with them as I was fixing myself for my trip to work every morning. I really liked watching cartoons and I've been watching more of it lately.

Yeah... talk about life's issues. My back subject. Actually I have many. These are the things I missed during my childhood. Things I was deprived of. Some of it I have solved and there are still that are hidden and some started to surface only now.

I love barbie dolls. When I was a child it cost a fortune. Now it cost almost a coin. (My exaggeration. The immitations, of course.) I mean, i can now afford it.

Recently I saw my high school classmate making  Barbie cakes. I really liked it but it's awkward now to have it for me especially on my birthday. What I did was to order it for my nieces. In a way I was doing it for myself, too. It's a good thing I have more than two nieces. I have more chances of ordering another. In fact I couldn't seem to wait for the next birthday of my another niece so I can have another Barbie cake.

                                                          My first Barbie cake.

This brings to mind my past resolved issues also. I used to walk home from school. On the way, I would pass a bakery. I salivate when I see an egg pie displayed. I would save my allowance for a week so I could buy an egg pie on Friday. I then ate it secretly alone in my room.

I really wanted to eat in a restaurant but obviously I could not. This made me swear to myself that when I have a job, I will buy as much egg pies as I want and eat in all the restaurants in the city.

Yes indeed, when I had my job, I ate as much egg pies as I want, and also leche flan, until it started to trigger my ashma so I had to stop eating it. I have also eaten in all of the restaurants in the city. Every family occasions like birthdays and blow outs, I held it in a restaurant. With a strick budget, of course. Sometimes, before going there, I would tell my family what is the food already and no one should order more. Thank God there were few restaurants in our place that time. Today, there are many restaurants. Some had even closed without me visiting them.

I also love playing a keyboard. I told myself that even if I am already old when I can afford to buy one, I will still buy for my own. So my first big purchase was a portable Yamaha keyboard. It cost my first Christmas Bonus.

I wanted to have my own guitar, too. It must be a Yamaha classical guitar. It can be included in my budget but it has become my less priority. But I promised myself I will buy one before I die. Fortunately, God must have been generous enough to have contacted a Marsian and have it delivered to me.

I also wanted to treat my family for a vacation in Boracay. I really saved for that. I brought them twice. I remembered I reminding them more than once to pray the Rosary on their way. When we met in the island, they told me, they prayed so much that the van broke down and they had to wait for another van to continue their travel. But I told them, it was because they were praying so much that the malfunctioning brake of the van was safely discovered that they were saved from an accident.

Doing these things just made me happy. Really happy. I felt fulfilled and whole and healed. While I was those things and for my family, I was doing it for myself.
 
Now, there were times my siblings would throw me jokes like;

"Why do you no longer treat us to a restaurant? You earn more now? When are you going to treat us to Boracay again?"

"Stop dreaming guys." I said. "I have finished my back subjects."

"I’m on my way to my graduation day".

Brisk Walking

Starting the run with a pose

I joined a fun run for a cause last early Sunday morning. It was entitled "Dalagan Para sa Katigulangan" (Running for the Aged). The proceeds will go to the Home for the Aged.

It was not the person who invited me, but the cause for the said activity, was really the reason that made me decided to join the run. I went with my two officemates and a friend. It was my first time to run and walked three kilometers long, and with a new pace. I mean, faster than I do ever since I started walking as an exercise. When I was young, my reason for walking was budget. I walked home from school everyday. It is no longer now. I have to walk because I need to. For health reason.  I prefer walking than brisk walking because I want to avoid perspiring even if I know it is necessary to sweat. Silly me. Also, I hate having short of breath and I do so when I walk fast. So I would walk with my own slower pace.

But that day, I felt different. We run slowly at first and brisk walked all the way to  the finish line. To my surprise, I didn't feel any short of breath. I sweat a lot. I felt good. I enjoyed walking with the pace of the sexy woman beside me who is a decade older than me.

I was inspired by her. She's half a century old and could walk faster than I do. Most woman I see of her age doesn't look as fit as her.  I told myself, when I reach this woman's age, I want to be as sexy and healthy as she is, mind and body.

It was not merely water that I sweat while walking. I sweated all the negative energies that was stored in my body for months now. It was an answered prayer to me. It took that event to make me realized a lot of things which I have momentarily forgotten.

My mission, my dreams, my spiritual and physical health and etc., but most importantly my focus.

It really troubled me and made me felt bad a few weeks ago.  One time I even wondered what is my purpose here on earth. Why do I meet all these people now? Why do I do what I do now. Why I am here?  ... and et se te ra...

Alas! It was just as easy as that. Sweating it out!

And yes....! To achieve even half of the things the woman I run with, I have to take action. I have to move higher or level up. To do more that I usually do. Take more risk. Be lazy no more. Avoid delays but take action.

To start with, I decided to walk again the next weekend. This time it will be

BRISK WALKING!

  ---- even without  a cause....!

  ---- even alone....!

Ralph, Neil, Sandra, Bea after the race.

One thing I didn't write. These ladies were the FIRST --- to the last.

Failure Isn't God's Rejection but God's Redirection

This is a blog post from a famous writer and preacher more than a year ago. Tonight, I read half of it again. Even if I know the story. I just want to read it again and again and be inspired again and again. Just like tonight.

This articles was really helpful to me. I didn't put this in a folder in my email. I deliberately retained this in my inbox so I would be reminded always and be able to read it easily.

I felt the need for me to read this now.

The story is about how eagles train their babies to fly. For me it was so cruel. If I would be the child, I would really hate my mother to death. She seems to have no feeling at all. It's like I am not her child. We suddenly became strangers from each other. So with my father. They treat me so unjustly. After treating me so kind and tenderly, all of a sudden they become like monsters. Exposing me to danger and almost killed me!

The story ends like this:

They cry out, “Mommy, why are you killing us? What have we done?” But they barely are able to catch their breath, when Mommy pushes them out again.

This death-defying, terrifying ordeal is repeated seven to eight times until the Eaglets get the message—and start flapping their wings.

       Soon, they’re soaring on top of the clouds with their proud parents beside them.     
      
This is exactly what happens when God teaches us how to fly. But I am forgetting about it.

 I am scared. I thought I know how to fly already. I thought I was brave. I thought I can face the consequences of my decision. But I think I'm starting to regret it.

I feel sad. I feel rejected again. I am hurt. I know, I am doing this for a better cause. However for now, I just wanted to grieve with my decision.

Did I make the wrong choice? Did I make the wrong decision?

I know what I should do.

Change focus.

Focus on Jesus!

But I can't do it yet. Maybe starting tomorrow.

When I decide to start flying again and follow God's redirection.

INRI

          "Is INRI his name?"

           I heard a little girl asked her mother after Sunday mass as we passed by the statue of Jesus crucified. These letters are found on the cross above Jesus' head.

            Instinctively, I motioned to look back to answer her when I realized I don't exactly know the meaning of it. I continued to go on my way out and started to ask my self. What answer could have I told the child? Would it be right?

            I decided to make a detour and proceeded back to the Sacristy and ask the priest what is "INRI". He said it means "the Nazarene, the king of the Jews".

            I remember when I was a child, I was wondering why they called him Jesus when INRI is on top of His head. Someone told me that was the spelling of Jesus during His time. Someone also told me the meaning of it is Jesus.

             As a child I accepted those meanings and stopped wondering. Until I started attending catechism. I have learned that those meanings were wrong. But I was no longer interested about its exact meaning. It wasn't important to me anymore. What was more important was how I slowly knew Jesus himself in my heart.

              To me, He wasn't just a Nazarene or a carpenter's son. Aside from being my GOD, I can name Him a lot.To mention some; He is my father; my brother, my best friend, my lover, my companion, my comforter, my saviour, my deliverer, my listener, my encourager, my hope, my shock absorber, my doctor, my financial adviser, my alarm clock and many others.

             He is my Superman! And when I am with Him, I become a Superwoman!

             To you, what is INRI? Who is INRI!?

esCaPe

      Been having a bad day for a couple of days now. Today I woke up feeling not bad but not alright. I don't like going to office anymore. It scares me. I wish it's time for me to resign already. I want to escape and get away from my mistake.  I want to go somewhere where I can find something to solve my problem... and others' problem. I wanted to help but I can't 'cause its obvious that I must be helped yet.

      I'm depressed. I wanted to sleep. I want to stay in solitude. Be silent and yes, eventually cry. But no. I decided against it. Instead I chose to be silent in being noisy. Huh?! I chose to give even if I almost have nothing to give. I went to visit a wake after office instead of being silent in a place.

       I was talking to God the whole day.  Asking Him to fix my misdeed. Give me courage to face the consequence of my misdeed.
      
        Thanks for my prayer warriors.. they are a great help.

        tomorrow I wish to wake up hopeful again...

 

gArBage tRucK

"Gosh! Not again!....It seems like this truck is hunting me."

This happens almost every morning as I walk my way to church. I can't help being impatient. Why is this truck still around on the street in this time of the morning? It should have already finished collecting garbage on the street. Obviously, the people started their work late again.

Actually, what irritates me is the thought that I am fresh and clean in the morning and I am going to walk in the street racing with this garbage truck. Yes, its as good as that since they are stopping on every corner to collect garbage. You could just imagine the smell and the air that surrounds me whenever I pass by them and then when it would pass by me. What I do is to stop breathing and walk faster and pray that the wind would stop blowing or transfer to the other side of the street.

This happened in my previous residence in the neighboring province. Now I live in my hometown. I forgot about it already until I met this truck again while walking to church one morning.

 "Lord, what are you trying to tell me today?" I prayed. Then I started to reflect.

There are not just a few times when  I was also a garbage. Someone that make others' days bad smelling by hurting them through my words and actions. The smell of the garbage is nothing compared to the times that I would offend God and be a beautiful and sexy sinner. (Just making it sound nicer..... than the garbage, of course.)

Jesus as a garbage truck collects all these sins by reminding me about my misdeed and telling me it is time to go back to Him thru the sacrament of reconciliation. He has already paid for all my sins many, many years ago. Every day in the Eucharist I am reminded of this act of Jesus.

From the house, I am clean. On the way I get soaked with the bad air from the garbage truck. When I reach the church, it is then that I will be taking a bath again of God's forgiveness and blessings that will makes me real clean.
 
                   
"Remove my sin and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow." 
Psalm 51:07

oBediEnce

Staying home one day, I blindly grab a Bible Story book for me to read with my five-year old niece. I was expecting to make my niece learn new things, but it was the other way around. Actually, the story didn't interest her but me instead.

The book I got was volume 3 and the story was about the Israelites journey to the promise land. The story started after they had crossed the red sea. It was a new discovery for me. I mean, what I recently read I never heard before. I thought Moses wasn't able to go to the promised land because he killed someone when he was younger. Maybe it was one of the reason. But no. The main reason he wasn't able to go to the Canaan was because of disobedience to God. Well, in the first place, killing someone is also disobedience.

It happened this way. The Israelites were impatient again and started to complain about not having water. It would have been better for them to have stayed in Egypt where they have enough supply even for their animals. It was the same old story, the same old complaint. Just as soon as things began to go wrong, they wished they were back in Egypt, and were ready to blame Moses for all their troubles.

As usual, Moses and Aaron would turn to God for help. Of course, the Lord would always be there to help them out. The Lord told Moses to gather the people in an assembly and speak on a rock before their eyes and the water will come out.  I supposed because of the stubborness of the Israelites, Moses got impatient and angry that He forgot the Lord's instruction. So he smote the rock twice and the water gushed forth.

The Lord got angry. He told Moses how he disobeyed His instruction. As punishment, he and Aaron were not permitted to enter into the promised land. The two were very sad. After all that they have been through. The trials that they have endured. The very long journey that they have travelled. It was Moses' greatest dream to bring to the promised land the Israelites himself. He tried to talk about it again to God but he was snubbed. Moses and Aaron died before the people journeyed to Canaan and they were led by Joshua.

With what I read, I was reminded of how important it is for the Lord that we obey Him. He was so strict that even Moses, His faithful servant, He didn't spare. But the Lord still love them. He didn't blame them from failing to understand but for failing to believe and obey.

The same is true in our present life. We may be forgiven from all our sins, but the consequences or the corresponding punishment of what we did, we are not free.

Hence, it is important to "Always obey the Lord and you will be happy. If you are stubborn, you will be ruined."  Prov 28:14

Stubborness can ruin us. The longer it takes us to do what God wants us to do, the further we get away from what he wants.

God's words are a message to obey, not just hear.

"It is obedience which gives merit to all our actions and renders them pleasing to God" 
----St. Vincent de Paul.

Simple Lessons

I didn’t report for work today. I have sore eyes. Times like this, I can’t help feeling happy too. I get to spend time for myself. Although it’s uncomfortable. But I get to have a very valid reason to stop working and rest. 

Another person that is happy I am sick is my sister. She gets to go out and attend to her other daughter’s need and leave her youngest daughter with me.

Hmmm… sounds like I still have work…. a nanny.  

Well, at least for this moment I have no work and get to write. Keri is asleep. She just had her first day at a Day Care center today. She was excited showing me her work and told me what they had done. Of course, less her mischief. Like throwing away her own food and demanding her classmates’ food which ended her not eating anything with her snack.  On the way home, my sister told her it was not right to ask for her classmates’ food and promised her they would bring snacks like them the next day.  

My three-year old niece has a lot to learn and her lesson starts now, and the lessons will continue and won’t stop as long as she lives.

…. And so with mine…

Lessons I learned in a lot of different ways. Hard and easy way,  funny and corny way, victorious and embarrassing way.

                                 ~~~~~~~

My cousin died several weeks ago. I have written about her in my previous blog, Hair Rebonding.

I was happy she has finally rested. I didn’t cry over her death but the way she died. I was a little bit envious and wished I would leave life like she did, that is, leaving  with Jesus on her side.

On her burial, I took it upon myself to be the official photographer and videower (it’s my unique description for someone who takes video footage). I have a digital camera on my left hand (lent by a cousin) and an N70 cellphone on my right. I have taken videos on two family burials and I learned that, when taking videos, I must move my cellphone slowly so that when it is viewed on the big screen, the viewers won’t get dizzy. Unfortunately, one thing I haven’t mastered yet. The clicking of ‘pause’ and ‘continue’ key.  There were moments when I forgot to press the ‘pause’ key or didn’t press it well, that the coverage went on with my shoes, grasses and roads as the view. There was also an important moment when I thought I was taking videos already when in fact I forgot to press ‘continue’.

The next time I have to be a videower, I have to watch these keys carefully.

                                   ~~~~~~

Everytime we eat fruits, I and my sister throw the seeds in the small improvised pots I made and let it grow. One time, we noticed a lot of young plants sprouting in one of our pots and we could no longer recognize what it is since we have thrown more than one kind of seeds in the pot. We waited for it to grow more but still we could not recognize it. Until one time, it occurred to me to ask my mother. And, Hola! She recognized it as Papaya.

I was so eager to grow a malunggay tree. I was so excited when two grew out of the four seeds that we hid under the soil. One plant was growing faster than the other one. When my mother visited I proudly showed it to her. She laughed. The higher plant was not a malunggay tree but just one of the weeds in the forest.

I planted an eggplant last year and it was only last two months ago that I finally get to eat its fruit. I was happy to notice one eggplant sprouted in one of our pots. One day my neighbor told me it was a tobacco.  I was surprised how I got it. She said maybe the birds dropped it there. So that is why it hasn’t grown a flower for a long time.

The next time I had a problem recognizing my plants, I know whom to ask.

                                  ~~~~~

I recall last week, I just put a friend in a lion’s den. Well that is how I would want to describe it. In my desire to help others, I made her do something that placed her in a situation where she was hurt and I felt guilty. Actually it was an honest mistake on my part because I wasn’t told of what is the appropriate thing to do on one particular job.  I was already forgiven but the guilt still lingered until I discovered I haven’t forgiven myself yet.  On my knees and in the presence of God I prayed for the grace to forgive myself and be at peace.

What's most important is that God loves me and accepts me with all my warts and flaws.

                                   ~~~~~

Lessons… for sure there is more to come. 

I am still under construction, and God’s way of building me is through lessons.

I just need a humble heart and willingness to learn.

                               

Moringa

I was hooked on Moringa!

Yes! One reason why I haven’t been writing lately. (Another one was my cousin's death)

But who is Moringa, anyway?

Actually it should not be “who” but “it”.

Moringa is a plant. Moringa Oleifiera is the real name.  The scientific name for Malunggay.

Malunggay is considered to be a complete food because of the amount of vitamins and minerals it contains. It is one of the richest source of essential nutrients often lacking in people’s diet. Some call it a miracle plant. It’s tiny leaves is capable of saving millions of lives. It could practically wipe out malnutrition in the planet.

An officemate taught me how make malunggay capsules years back. It was only recently that I decided to make my own when I found an abundant supply in our office backyard.

One task I have decided to do in my lifetime is to make and give love to my loved ones. But lately, I noticed that I haven't been doing good in this area. I was glad I met Moringa. Making malunggay capsule requires a lot of patient but I enjoyed it. I took it as making love while making the capsule and giving love as I distributed the capsules. It's a good thing that they already know how great malunggay is that they really appreciated it. Most of all its for free.

I have searched online, watched videos and read blogs. One great thing I found out about Malunggay is that it is rich in Calcium and Iron which is most needed by women, especially mothers. It is also rich in Vitamin A which is vital for our sight. After eating for just a month, malunggay has saved me from wearing  eye glasses. It has also saved me from dysmenorrhea.

One thing that caught my attention then was that, Moringa grows abundantly in tropical and sub-tropical regions like ours. Ironically, this is also where malnutrition and famine exist. It is so unfortunate that most people in the place doesn’t know about how amazing this tree is.

Hence, I now take this as an obligation to inform everyone I know about this amazing creation of God.

God doesn't make junks.... and it's always free!

Malunggay is one proof for that.

                                                            * * *
Click this to know how I made malunggay capsule.

                                                            * * *

Some facts about Malunggay

Fresh Leaves                                                   Dried Leaves

Gram for gram, fresh leaves contain about

 4 times the Vitamin A of Carrots                     10 times the Vitamin A of Carrots

 7 times the Vitamin C of Oranges                    1/2 the Vitamin C of Oranges

4 times the Calcium of milk                              17 times the Calcium of milk

3 times the Potassium of Bananas                     15 times the Potassium of

                                                                                Bananas

3/4 the Iron of Spinach                                   25 times the Iron of Spinach

3 times the Protein of Yugort                            9  times the Protein of Yogurt

Source: treesforlife.org

DELAYS

Have you experienced delays in your life? Lately? Today?

How do you take it?
 
I lined up before an Automated Teller Machine to withdraw this morning. There were three people before me. Well, actually it was only two, but the other woman stood ahead of me and I just let her. There were two ATM, anyway. While I was standing there waiting, I started to get a little bit impatient.  I noticed that the other woman seemed to be withdrawing big amount because she kept on repeating her transactions. I started to think of leaving. But I thought that I have already waited and I will just waste my time if I leave. So I continued to wait until it was my turn.
 
After office, I dropped by the supermarket. I was in a hurry. I know that it will close in an hour. In the counter, the cashier have just already finished entering my groceries when the lights went off, including the computer. Obviously the store doesn't have a UPS (uninterrupted power supply). My groceries which have already been packed were taken out to be entered in the computer again.  To my dismay, the computer keyboard didn't worked so I have to transfer to another cashier. And so I put back all my groceries to the cart.
 
It was already my turn when the lights went off again. It was so disgusting. How dare this supermarket have no UPS! I started to get impatient. My thought was to leave my grocery and go home. I hesitated for a while. Then I heard some cashiers and baggers complaining about going home late this time. That made me decide to leave. I thought maybe, I made the employees happy that they had less customer to attend to and so they could to go home early. I bet they were thankful to see me leaving even if they have to put back to the shelf all that I have taken. 

Outside, all kinds of vehicles seems to be in chaos. There is traffic. Many people were on the street side. As I got nearer, I noticed most of them were supermarket employees. They were all trying to get a tricycle. Unfortunately, when you are alone, no tricycle driver would be willing to give you a ride. I decided to walk home instead.

I was thankful for the chance to walk which gave me some time to reflect on what have happened to me today. To know what God was trying to teach me with those incidents.

Not all delays are bad, and not all delays are good either. To some, it occurs for a reasons, no matter how natural it could be. To some, it just happens unnoticed.


Today, to me, delays were sweet moments were I was able to commune with God. The chance where I was able to hear Him telling me a lot of things like, to keep still, be patient. Take time and relax.


To just let Him do His thing.
 


                                                        *****




 ---"GOD'S WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS, HIS THOUGHTS ARE NOT OUR THOUGHTS"---




                                                         *****

Delays are also a chance to see the beauty of God's creation like this one.

Sea Water

When you were a child, did you do this, too?

This act of my niece, Christine Anne, made me recall a story of a little boy playing by the seashore. He dug a small well in the sand and took water from the sea and filled it. While he was doing so, a man asked him. "What are you doing?

The boy answered, "I am putting all the water in the sea to this well."

I laughed at this story. I find it funny 'cause there are times that I think and behave like this little boy, too. The sad thing is, I don't even notice it sometimes.

I would only believe on what I think and won't listen to others.

Sometime I even forget to use my common sense, or worse, forget I have one.

Indeed there are a lot of impossible things in this world.
Like, yes, literally putting all the water in the sea in a well. Like getting healthy without watching what we eat. Like losing weight without observing a diet and exercise.

  Like wishing our prayers be granted without having faith. Like going to heaven with only faith and prayers without good works.

There is an old adage that says; "If you can't beat them, join them". 
This words reminds me of my one behavior with God. When I pray on something and feels that God does not approve, this adage help me deal with my emotions. 

Having short of breath is one thing I hate. Of course, I have ashma.  If I fight with God and insist my will, I will definitely have a short of breath, so what I would do is to just obey.  I would tell myself, "Bea, you can never beat God, so why not join God, huh?"
 
Indeed we can never put all the sea water in a well, so why not just leave it there!

Let us be contented with where we are and with what we are.
Let us focus on what we have and not on what we do not have.
Let us want what we have and not those that we do not have.
Let us live in the present and not in the future or past.

 To be truly at ease with all that you are and all that you have, this is contentment.

******


If the only prayer you said in your whole life is  "thank you",  that would suffice -- Meister Eckhart

******

GROWN UP

One early morning I received an SMS from a friend. He was asking a prayer for his product presentation in front of possible clients.  I didn’t help myself from smiling and I said to myself, “Now it’s his turn.”

I answered back to him what he told me when I was in his shoes.

Years back I also asked this friend for a prayer. I would be playing the guitar during a prayer vigil in a retreat seminar. What he texted back struck me.

He said,” Manang Betty, you have been playing the guitar for years, and now you will only play for an hour. Don’t worry. You can handle it”.

A cyberfriend  also told me I don’t need luck, I have lots of it.

Boy, they have so much trust in me, than I am on myself!  They seem to know me that much.

I felt good and inspired with what they said and my guitar concert went very well.

What they said also brought me to my senses and I was recently reminded of it again.

It is alright to ask God’s help in everything that I do but, but sometimes I can’t help becoming like a baby. I get used to crawling and forget that I can already stand on my own.

Sometimes, I lose confidence with myself.  I forget I already know things. I get pessimistic.  I focus on my weaknesses. I focus on negative things which makes me feel afraid and forget about trusting myself.

And it would take other people to make me see that, hey, I have grown up.

This is true with my relationship with God.

Sometimes I become so worried about myself being so bad I might end up in hell. 

I would sometimes think that whatever bad things that happened to my life is caused by my mistakes and wrong decisions and hence, I am going to suffer for the rest of my life.

I get paranoid.

Thank God for these kinds of friends. Made me realize  that I am a child of God and that He is crazy, and desperately in love with me that He would make everything well for me.  

Isn’t it great having that kind of a crazy God?

Well, he doesn’t know I’m crazier in love with Him, than He does for me…! 

Hmmm….. I think it is more like the other way around…..! *:-))))

God Bless You!

                                                            --- --- ---

*Manang, is a local name for an elder sister.

 

Hair Rebonding

How else do you take care of your hair?  

Hair Rebonding  is the latest and the most popular technique used today that transforms  unmanageable wavy and curly locks to a set of glossy, straight tresses having an appearance of a layer of black satin. It is the dream of all stylish women to have beautiful hair. Hair Rebonding change this dream to a reality. This is one of the most happening fashion trend followed by the girls of the present generation that does not exclude me.

I went to a beauty parlor yesterday to have my hair rebonded. Though it was already in my budget, but upon hearing how much it would cost me, I suddenly felt guilty.  

For days now, I have been thinking about my sick cousin.  It really pained me when during the time that she needed financial support, I wasn’t able to help her. My grandmother was also in the ICU at that time and I had to help my mother for her financial needs. My guilt came from the thought of spending that big amount for myself and not being able to help my cousin. Hence, I ended up having my hair relaxed and cellophaned. It cost me half of the price of hair rebonding.

I and my siblings went to visit my cousin this weekend.  She is so different now. She used to be so healthy, chubby, alive, and jolly. Now she is skin and bones. Weak and sad. Her face glowed upon seeing us. She just came out from a week hospital confinement. She should have gone under the knife but since the doctor didn’t promise her a good chance after, she decided to go home and wait on God’s will for her life. She is ready to die.

My cousin is younger than me, and I pity her. She could not enjoy her life to the full. She has been suffering so much now.

Her word’s continue to linger in my mind until now.  She said; “ If I only knew this thing would happen to me, I would have taken good care of my body. Now I tell my sister to stop eating the food that I have been eating or we were fond to eat. “  She said she recalls the time when I visited their place and I brought my own water with me. Now she understands why.

I remember when we were young, one thing I would look forward to spend weekends in their place is eating dried fish.  It was like in every meal there is dried fish and I would eat a lot. At home, we eat dried fish once in a blue moon and just little. In them, I eat as much as I want.

She recalls that when she had a job, she made a budget for junk foods, another budget for canned foods and drink soft drinks (soda) in almost every meal. These were the food that she would only dreamt of eating when she was younger. She drink less water, too.

I remember my officemate telling me not to have a hair rebonded because it’s expensive maintaining it. You have to spend a monthly treatment in order to maintain its fullness and shine.  But it’s worth it. 

In order to have good health, our body needs special treatment, too, not monthly but daily.  It is also` expensive but it’s worth it.

Today I am thankful  that during our younger days, my mother could only afford to give us transportation allowance to school, hence, I couldn’t buy the food that I wanted which were mostly junk foods. My father was a fruit lover, too. I remember how he would make delicious milk and avocado mix for us. It would then be our viand.  We don’t miss eating almost all kinds of local fruits in season.  Well, except expensive fruits like grapes, durian, mangoestin, apple and etc. When I got a job, I bought all those fruits that I missed and ate as much as I want. 

It was my father who influenced me to eat fruits but due to financial constraints when I was younger, I am not able to eat so much. (My father died when I was eleven years old).  

Some time ago, I was on an on-the-job training in another branch, I was having lunch with one of my officemates when someone  noticed her eating grapes and apple. She said; “starting today I will make it a point to eat fruits every day like Bea”. I was surprised to hear that. I didn’t think she would seriously take what I shared to her.

I feel sad to note that most younger people that I know today are not aware of the importance of eating plant foods. They are used to eating little or not at all of it. I would tell them then, “when you reach my age, you will feel the need to eat plant food and would eat all kinds that you can see, even the kind that you hate to eat now”.  I can’t really stand not to speak out whenever I see my friends or officemates not eating fruits and vegies. It’s a good thing that in my new work assignment now, I am surrounded by older and health conscious officemates. I get to eat many kinds of plant foods.

I don’t really have a healthy body, but I am striving to have one. 

I have not a good hair but I am spending to have a good one.

For me, taking care of our body is a lifetime obligation not only to ourselves but also to God. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We need to take care of our body, just as well as our soul.   

  

Spending for hair rebonding  is a short-term investment. 

Spending for our health is a lifetime investment.

Where would you want to invest?  

 Choose your pick.

Photo shot by the real "Anin" - J-anne Nina

  

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Try Bo Sanchez'52 Healing Habits - How to Transform Your Health, in Body and Soul, One Simple and Powerful Habit at a Time! 



God Bless You!

New Breed of True Millionaires

Do you want to be a millionaire? I do. I desperately do!

It has been my dream to become a philanthropist. I always pray that God will make me an instrument to bless many people.

There were times when I passed by a Lotto outlet, I would start dreaming of what I am going to do with my winnings.  If I buy tickets and didn’t win, I would say, maybe having a lot of money won’t be good for me. Maybe pride and selfishness will engulf me and make me forget my dreams making me a very bad and unhappy person.Of course, how will I even win when I don't even buy the tickets.

I believe I cannot give what I do not have. I have to make a way to have millions so I can help as much as I want.  I have started my little way years back. Other step I do, I’m sharing it here.

I got this prayer that I pray every day  from the book  8 Secrets of the Truly Rich by Bo Sanchez. He is one of my great mentors.  I have already been experiencing some of the benefits of this prayer. Though honestly I am still far far away from becoming a millionaire. 

It’s up to you if you would want to join us.

God’s New Breed of True Millionaire’s Prayer.

Today, I ask You to bless me so that I may become a blessing.

Lord, I commit myself to enrich others.

But because I cannot give what I do not have,

I commit myself to become rich.

I commit myself to serve You and to serve the poor with my wealth.

Today, I open myself to the abundance of Your universe.

                 Use me as Your channel of love.                      .

Give me the ability to create wealth that will bless the world

Increase my financial wisdom and expand my territories.

I place my life in Your hands. Amen.

To be a member of  God’s New Breed of Millionaires, one has to pray this prayer daily aside from, of course, doing something to  make this dream come true.

To start becoming a millionaire, join Bo Sanchez Truly Rich Club where you get a lot of dose of wisdom and gain financial wealth and spiritual abundance.