When People Leave

A lot of times we feel hurt when people leave us. I feel that way a lot of times. But I've come to discover that sometimes God allows these things to happen for us to remember that we shouldn't put our trust solely on people. Because whether we like it or not, the people we love will leave - may it be by a will of their own or because of circumstances beyond our control.

I guess the best thing we can do about it is pray and trust in the Lord. The Lord will take care of our loved ones and He will take care of us.

Giving During Christmas

I live near Redemptorist Church and believe me Christmas time is not exactly a good time of the year to live here. The church bell rings at 6am everyday and as Christmas slowly approaches, more and more beggars and mendicants crowd the church grounds - it's actually scary.

Anyway this makes me think, is it right then to give all these beggars gifts? There is an existing anti-mendicancy law but seems to me that these groups of beggars have become a ploy. It's sad really because I do feel for most of these people.

I decided to give to one of the local day cares here instead - Mother of Perpetual Help Daycare. Sometimes I give to the many that have positioned themselves on different sides of the street as you try to catch a jeepney ride, but somehow it just doesn't seem right anymore.

Jesus did say that when you give to the least of your brethren, you're doing so to Me and I do believe that and I do try to give as much as I can but right now in situations like these, I'm a little confused too.

The Meaning Of Christmas

Everyone's getting ready to celebrate Christmas. Decorations are up. Christmas carols fill the air. Shoppers are all abuzz trying to find that perfect gift for their loved ones.

But really I do hope we don't forget the real meaning of Christmas. When Jesus Christ was sent to us from above. Born in a manger, even the angels sang of His birth.

It's amazing to think the God loves us so much that He was willing to take human form and be as lowly as low can get. Imagine being born in a manger nonetheless.

Let us always be grateful for Christmas.

(image from Catholicshopper.com)

Count Your Blessings

Everyday we face different problems. Sometimes we get pleasant surprises, but more often than not we grumble about life and how life is unfair to us particularly. What makes a Christian different? It's when we count our blessings. When we realize how blessed we are even in the face of adversity, we are different from the world. When we realize we have so much to be thankful for, that is when we are set apart.

I make it a point every night to thank God for every little thing. That way when I go to sleep I'm grateful instead of miserable. When I remember all the small blessings, it never fails to make me feel better. It makes me feel that God is watching over me. That even in all my troubles, God is there watching and taking care of me and my family.

Trying times

It is indeed trying times where I'm working right now. We need to hit target and I find myself praying for that as well. And I even think the company's no good. The company doesn't really provide for the employees' needs. Not all of it anyway. They give us a ride to the office but basically that's it. When possible, the company doesn't provide premium pay and even stifles on things like Christmas parties and bonuses.

Anyway enough of my complaining. I'm still grateful I still have a job here, though how bad I may think my situation is, I know there are a lot of people who are worse off and I am truly blessed to have what I have. So I thank God for this job and this company. I do hope things get better for us, but I also do hope the company achieves its goals for the year.

God's Timing

We were just in Manila for 3 days and just came back to Cebu late last night. God's timing is always right because had we stayed just one night longer, we would have been unfortunate enough to witness the Hotel Stand-off in Manila or Manila Coup d'etat that's been plaguing the news all day today. We visited Makati yesterday and passed by the Manila Peninsula on our way back to our hotel. God certainly heard our prayers and kept us safe.

He not only averted us from the actual incident, He also made sure we won't be anywhere near that mess. I especially appreciate this as I had to accompany 2 children and my grandmother there. God is indeed merciful, and He is watching over us. We are truly blessed with His timing.

Praying For Safety

We're going on a long trip today and I just pray to God for safety and guidance. I'm going to be with two children and I just hope we'll be fine.

Learning To Be Patient

I love my daughter dearly but sometimes her mood swings just get on my nerves. I don't understand... one minute she's happily playing and the next she's off to a corner suddenly in a very sour mood. I often pray for patience and sometimes I think this is the way God tries to teach me. By giving me an opportunity to be patient. I learned that from "Evan Almighty." Sometimes I wish there were easier ways to learn

An Open Letter To Cebu Redemptorist Church-Goers

I live right behind Redemptorist Church Cebu and often when there is a mass held in the church, often this is every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday - always without question, a traffic will ensue. Church-goers park all over the place to the extent that the road leading in and out of the church is left with only one lane.

This gets even worse when people start to exit the church right after the mass. I would think that when people come from church or mass, they'd be a lot more considerate and giving and patient. But my goodness, the traffic is just horrendous. Everybody tries to leave all at the same time and the roads are clogged for 30 minutes max. It becomes very difficult for everyone to pass by the Redemptorist church road at these times.

We've often had to walk home when this happens. I personally don't mind walking but isn't this a bad reflection on the faith that church-goers profess? Can't there be a more organized way to handle this?

Answered Prayers

I used to be a very avid Christian, going to church more than once a week - attending praise and worship meetings, prayer meetings and others. As I grew older though I found that I get so busy that sometimes I feel I don't even have time to pray.

On the flip side though, becuase life has become so difficult often when I'm caught between a rock and a hard place I end up praying a lot. I wonder if God takes offense in that? I sure hope not. I try to be consistent with prayer. In fact, I make it a routine with my daughter to pray every night before we got to sleep.

I'm glad at least that she learn the value of prayer, even if it does become a routine. I felt very glad when just the other day there was this black out and the entire city had no electricity. She said that she would pray to God for the electricity to come back on. It didn't come back on until the next day but she still said that God answered her prayer and gave us electricity.

Feeling Blessed In The Midst Of A Storm?

We experienced a storm recently and it was pretty challenging. Seeing everybody panic, I admit I was worried too. We seldom see God's glory in stuff like this that seem bad at the time. But as I saw people around me becoming more distressed about their families and how they were to get home, I was glad I wasn't really that worried (well I was worried about other things but) I was sure that my kid was okay and that we'll be okay. I guess I have God to thank for that.