Pixies & Stardust

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  • A Happy Birthday to Me (:

    No candle to blow (but we got a yummy moist choco cake from Conti’s it was heavenly and sinful at the same time!!), no gifts to tear open, no party hats, no sumptuous dinner but it didn’t make it less special. It went by like my previous days… another blessed day. (: Aside from the SMS alert I get from time to time, Thursday, June 20, went by like what a normal Thursday would be for me – go to work, pick up sister after work, and cold dinner. Okay, honestly, I have this nagging scene in my head of me eating cold dinner with only my sister and it seems to want to make me feel self-pity.  Maybe last year I would, but this time I don’t because that’s how it’s always been every Thursday and Friday night, cold dinner for us since we get home later than everyone else, nothing new, nothing to fret about, all’s well. We got edible and healthy food on the table and that’s what matters to me! ((: I’m just always glad to be home after a long day at work. :P

    So it was my birthday, and society dictates that one should be made to feel extra-special and be showered with attention on his/her birthday or that there should be a birthday treat or a party, even a birthday holiday. Nothing wrong with that, nothing bad about that, I like to have those – but the absence of them doesn’t make my birthday any less special. Gone were the days where I envision surprises for me each year on my birthday, which never came (Friends, I am still undecided whether I will be happy about that… hahaha).  Don’t get me wrong, I STILL LOVE SURPRISES! *hint hint* just that I will not be sulking or feeling bad if I don’t get one on my birthday, only that. (:  Because right now, I am overly grateful, God has surprised me more than I could have asked for, every day! And I feel loved and special, every day! Every day I wasn’t living up to God’s standard, I struggle (especially when I am behind the wheel, my goodness! Horns & tail out! Yun fork na lang kulang!!! And I thank God He never permitted me to have the fork, the damage it could have done!.).  Yet every single day, He looks after me, guides me, embraces me, loves me. The extra attention, the extra time from people who greeted me, they were greatly appreciated and were bonuses to an already blessed life. ♥

    I will have to especially thank and mention a very dear friend, for asking me about my birthday wish, you were the only one who did!!! and for doing more than just greet me but went the extra effort to have a conversation with me… Gino!!! thank you… (:  We all know how busy you can get AND you remembered before the day ended! :P

    Well, I have to correct myself, having that extra time and attention from people that matter does make it feel a little more special. :D

  • The Gift of Time

    I used to feel bad seeing my friends and majority of people around me caught up and busy with work, leisure, dining out, traveling, I felt I’m missing so much of life.

    I check Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and see all these places, food, travels and party posts it made me feel jealous and I ask myself, ‘what am I doing with my life?’

    Now, I understand and see the wonderful gift of time that God has provided me.  For giving me this much time to enjoy His Word, to do things for Him, to be there for people who need me.  I will not be deceived.  I am living my life to its fullest whenever I spend it with and for the Lord. (:

  • Shifting Focus

    Cos really, it’s not Brazil that is the goal – it’s the maturing of my faith.  It’s not getting on that plane and arriving there – it’s the journey from the moment of yes to the moment of least resistance, total surrender and acceptance of His will… so I won’t let this monster of “I want to go to Rio” eat me up again and derail me from seeing the real, bigger picture.  Yes, God said I should be clear with my destination – destination = goal and it is every Christian’s goal to run the race and win the prize that is – heaven. (:

  • Faith, Hope, Love

    Photo source: The Healing Diaries

    Turn not aside, discouraged one;
    Stir up your gift, pursue your goal;
    In God’s own time you’ll see Him work;
    He’ll give you hope and lift your soul.

    – D. DeHaan

    Faith generates love.  Love feeds faith.

    – Heard on 09.12.12

    And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

    1 Corinthians 13:13

  • Words that Tugged at My Heartstrings

    Image

    “It’s just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life.” ~ Bill

    “… We accept the love we think we deserve.” ~ Bill

    “Not everyone has a sob story, Charlie, and even if they do, it’s no excuse.” ~ Charlie’s Dad

    “I just think it’s bad when a boy looks at a girl & thinks that the way he sees the girl is better than the girl actually is.”  ~ Charlie

    “I don’t know if it’s better to be close w/ your daughter or make sure that she has a better life than you do.” ~ Charlie

    “I feel great! I really mean it. I have to remember this for the next time I’m having a terrible week.”  ~ Charlie

    “She really did look sad, and I wished I could have made her feel better, but sometimes, I guess you just can’t.” ~ Charlie (on Sam)

    “But because things change. And friends leave. And life doesn’t stop for anybody.”  ~ Charlie

    “every person has to live for his or her own life and then make the choice to share it with other people. Maybe that is what makes people ‘participate.’” ~ Charlie

    “Because I guess we all forget sometimes. And I think everyone is special in their own way.” ~ Charlie

    “She wasn’t bitter. She was sad, though. But it was a hopeful kind of sad. The kind of sad that just takes time.” ~ Charlie (on Sam)

    “You can’t just sit there & put everybody’s lives ahead of yours & think that counts as love. You just can’t. You have to do things.” ~ Sam (talking to Charlie)

    “I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.” ~ Charlie

    “And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn’t really change the fact that you have what you have.” ~ Charlie

    “Maybe it’s good to put things in perspective, but sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there… Because it’s okay to feel things. And be who you are about them.” ~ Charlie

    “Please believe that things are good with me, and even when they’re not, they will be soon enough.” ~ Charlie

  • Angels & Messages

    Few days back, I struggled with my desire to attend the World Youth Day next year at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The desire was overtaken by anxiety over the amount of money I need to have for the trip.  It came to a point where I consider to just let go of the idea of being there.  And throughout that struggle, I never prayed about it.  The Lord reminded me to do so, through a friend, heaven-sent.  Sheila asked me to pray about it, for His will. When it is in His will, He will make a way for me.  How easily I forgot about all His providence.  This is a wonderful thing I have, to trust Him and see Him personally work a miracle, a big one IMO.  And day after day, from the night I prayed, I continuously got messages about trust and obedience, of trusting Him even when it doesn’t make any sense, of Elijah’s story and what the Bible say about money.

    To share some of the messages I got:

    9.24.12

    Sometimes, I will allow circumstances to cut down your resources.  Some go through hardship, poverty, and brokenness. Some lose relationships. Some lose their loved ones. And when your resources are down, that’s when you look at me—and become open to my intervention.
    Remember: The place of desperation is also the place of deliverance, your deliverance!

    9.27.12

    I operate in the area of the impossible. If you want to find me, operate in the area of the impossible as well. If you work with what’s possible, you may not need me. But if you work with what’s impossible, you will be forced to look up to me.

    10.1.12

    Money’s great to have, but it’s important to remember where it came from.
    Deuteronomy 8:17-18
    “He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.”

    God will always provide what you need to accomplish what he’s set before you.

    Thank YOU so much Father for such great love.  This is a journey for me.  I cannot guarantee that I will not doubt but I am always grateful and in awe of how He has time and again called me back and pushed away all doubts from me.

    Jeremiah 29:13
    You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

    Let us be vigilant, never tiring, in seeking Him and His will for us.  And to listen when He reveals things to us.  Sometimes I fall short in the listening because in the middle of the asking and seeking I have created in my mind the reply I wanted and when I get something not aligned with what I have in mind, there is the tendency to shrug off the message.  Yet the Lord has His ways and He replies to our asking and seeking, and to find Him is to have an open heart and open ears ready to listen, trust and obey Him.  For He has great plans for all of us and we are all put here for a purpose He has assigned to each one of us.  No one is without one.

    Isaiah 55:8-9
    “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

    Romans 8:28
    And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

    Jeremiah 29:11

    For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

    In all things, let us remember LOVE.  That our Father in Heaven loves us so and nothing in this world can separate us from that.

    Romans 8:38-39
    For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    -a child in awe of You-

  • Thank You so much Lord for loving me… PRICELESS!

    Isaiah 41:10

    “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

    Jeremiah 29:11-13

    For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

    Romans 8:37

    In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

  • What Is The Point?

    The point in waiting is to enjoy
    To love and worship God
    In every act of your life
    Including the waiting.
    And in the waiting
    Remember His nature
    That He is the Giver of every perfect gift
    That He desires to lavish you with such treasures
    Treasures that are worth the wait
    Solely because He is in them.
    Rest in this:
    He is going to give you
    Exactly what you need
    At exactly the time you need it.
    That is reason to smile
    That is reason to breathe easy
    And rest in Him.
    Let go of “when” and “if”
    Because His way
    Are so much higher than yours.
    His thoughts
    Beyond what you could ever fathom
    Because He loves you
    Oh, how He loves you.
    And that is the point of your entire existence
    To experience His presence
    His love
    Inside every moment
    Especially in the waiting.

    – Josiah Schwartz

  • Sunscreen & Other Matters of Life

    Mary Schmich’s “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” was published in the Chicago Tribune as a column on June 1, 1997. In her introduction to the column, she described it as the commencement address she would give if she were asked to give one.

    Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97. Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience… I will dispense this advice now

    Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh, nevermind, you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

    Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real toubles in life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday

    Do one thing everyday that scares you.

    Sing.

    Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

    Floss.

    Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
    yourself.

    Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you suceed in doing this, tell me how.

    Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

    Stretch.

    Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives; some of the most interesting 40 year old’s I know still don’t.

    Get plenty of calcium.

    Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

    Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40. Maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

    Enjoy your body, use it every way you can… don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it… it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

    Dance… even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

    Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

    Do NOT read beauty magazines they will only make you feel UGLY.

    Brother and sister together we’ll make it through. Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there. I know you’ve been hurting, but I’ve been waiting to be there for you. And I’ll be there just helping you out whenever I can.

    Get to know your parents, you never know when they might be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future

    Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

    Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

    Travel.

    Accept certain inalienable truths. Prices will rise, Politicians will philander, you too will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

    Respect your elders.

    Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

    Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re 40, it will look 85.

    Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia; dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

    But trust me on the sunscreen.

    **The Title Sunscreen and Other Matters Of Life was the title of the essay I got to read during my freshman days in UP Manila.

  • What The Lily Taught Me

    Last Wednesday, I got a Stargazer from the flower market on my way to work.  It’s a flower I’ve always wanted to have beside me, cos of it’s wonderful color and fragrance.  Little did I know I’d be reminded so much by this lily.  More than just appreciating how lovely they are and how nice they smell, they reminded me of life’s brevity, God’s glory, God’s providence, and His amazing grace.

    As I see a bud opens up, I’m reminded of Matthew 6:28-31.  Why worry?  See the beautiful flowers in the field, even in the short span of their life, how pretty the Lord has dressed them without them toiling that even Solomon was never dressed as lovely as them.   How much more, then, that God will provide for us?  It also showed me how these fragile creatures never hold back in showing off their beauty to bring glory to their Maker.

    Today, one of the lily has withered and it reminded me of life’s brevity; that beauty is fleeting, what is important is to praise God (Proverbs 31:30); of God’s faithfulness in the frailty of this life (Isaiah 40:8);  and the will of the Lord. (James 4:13-16).

    It is in the little things, even the tiny flower that springs up from a crack in the pavement, that teaches us the greatest lessons.  Often, it is in the things we take for granted.  So always keep your eyes, ears and heart open, cos our Father is always speaking to us. (: