Tuesday, September 6, 2011

MY MOTHER WILL SURELY GO TO HEAVEN


 Mother will surely go to heaven no doubt about it tell you why

My mother will turn 76 this September 11,2011 and she will celebrate it at home because she could not go any farther than 40kms distance. My father will miss her,  he is so dependent on my mom since his stroke.

I am no different,  while recuperating from brain surgeries, she has to keep an eye on me otherwise I will play too much and strain myself. I am not even allowed to go out on the street by myself, she is my constant companion and help. You see we cannot live without mother. From my father down to her youngest son whom she still personally mind when around the house and my two sisters when visiting.  You could imagine if the other three siblings from the Philippines would finally come over, she will be very busy with all the grandkids in tow. She frequently watch all of them in Skype and Facebook missing them so much. Back then she has been a superwoman making home for seven children without a helper while my father worked hard to feed, clothe and educate us all.

Mother’s Outstanding Virtues

·  My mom is a mother you wish you have. She is kind, gentle, loving, understanding, honest, patient, generous and witty. She has the purest and kindest heart sans of malice and deceit. A very prayerful person who will just cry and seek God’s counsel first when things are overwhelming before doing an action. She never blasphemed nor lay low in serving God even in the most trying times of our lives. I call her holy mother at home when she is preaching non stop and in defense of people who are hurting her feelings says God will deal with them not her.  

·         A faithful wife who is an epitome of goodness.  Father must be so lucky and blessed to the max and so are we. She can sew nice dresses (a dressmaker) making all our uniforms and Sunday clothes, cut our hair when small, cook good food, her cleaning is spotless.  There is not much she cannot do, never run out of energy.
  • sharp and witty. Never had the college education she long because money is tight. My grandfather was killed in a cross fire in World war II, she did self study through reading voraciously. I inherited from her my flair in writing and to father my eloquence in speaking,  to both the  nice handwriting.

·         Very generous. There are mornings that I would see beggars and street kids eating breakfast and bathing in our then well pump in the ground, soon after she will give them our old clothes (you will see the street beggars wearing our old school uniforms while peddling and asking alms every now and then). During Christmas time, she will make one or two grocery bags depends on how much she can spare to give to the poorest family she knows in the neighbourhood anonymously. That is when we were young, now she’s thinking big, wants to donate more dollars.

Mother is an average simple woman with a big heart and strong faith in God.  A gem in our life and a priceless gift from heaven, a good wife, mother, friend, auntie and grandmother. I call her St. Clare her name is Clarita, our strongest prayer warrior in the family.

Happy Birthday Mother! All of us your children will not fail your good thoughts and deeds, to continue what you have started and taught us. You teach by example and touched the life of everyone around you, thank you for the unending love and care. Please live longer,  the world around you still needs you.

With no doubt at all,  my Mother will surely go to heaven, a 110%!


God bless my mother;
All I am or hope to be
I owe to her.
(Abraham Lincoln)

CLARE'S ANGEL'S (in Auckland) sisters fe and pinky and myself
(not in the photo) rezie and rissa, bros lito and jojo

Saturday, September 3, 2011

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!


I have two wonderful dads and I would like to honor them not by just mere words but with good deeds for the rest of my life. My real father is still with me his name is Romeo and my other dad went home to God already last 2003 because of illness. His name is Artemio and they are both dashing in their early days and yes cool.

1st Sunday of September – Father’s Day in New Zealand

September 4 is Father’s day here in New Zealand. Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea share the same date. Feb 23 in Russia, March 19 Spain, 2nd Sunday of May in Romania, 1st Sunday of June in Switzerland, 3rd Sunday of May Tonga, 3rd Sunday of June U.K.,U.S., France and Canada to mention a few.   Father’s day was invented in America in 1908 honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds and men’s influence in society specially fathers. Father’s day complements Mother’s Day celebration honoring mothers.

My Real Father 

I have a father who is kind, thoughtful, responsible, loving, generous and cheerful. I will run out of nice virtues to tell for he is that good. Downside, well he’s been @#$%$#^&^%$#@*! and #@#%^&^%$#@!@#$ ha ha.  In brief he’s got the loving imperfections like mine you will just simply ignore and dismiss.  Ah and one more he is a good cook and he loves his food even now at his condition.

A Close Brush To Death

Father had a massive stroke last Nov. 2009, he was given a 50% chance of survival, we were told to be ready. A mild stroke followed  and another hospitalization soon after. Amazingly by God’s grace he survived, but his illness left him semi- paralyzed dependent on us close family members for mobility and daily survival. How my heart would bleed and squeeze the life out of my body seeing him in so much pain and hurts. I myself just got out of my brain operations and recuperating, it is pretty tough. We are being stretched to the limit and mother have a heart condition, I was in utter desperation.  

In helpless resignation I soaked myself in prayer, my only weapon to survive. As I attended one Sunday service in my rehab sessions God speaks in my heart the  bible verse was read and hit me straight away:  

“My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest
when you are weak. I am most happy then
to be proud of my weaknesses in order to
feel the protection of christ’s power over me.
For when I am weak then I am strong”
(2 Cor 12:9-10)


Charming grace is at work again,  there was an adrenalin surge and felt the energy flowing through my mind and body. I was so spiritually recharged that I can’t stop smiling and thanking God. I trusted that He will be in control of the situation no matter what and as always God never fails. That was over two years now, father is catching up with his health slowly but with renewed gusto in life, I am picking up my lost time, mother’s heart is not a problem anymore, they are both 76.

Our Great Healer, Comforter and Provider used  my families, relatives, friends, churchmates and even strangers with words and acts of kindness that melts our hearts and sustained us in our dark times, what an awesome God!

My other siblings all seven of us are sharing the same sentiments,  the love and respect for our Father. Loving and serving him is loving and serving God. It is a command no one can refuse (Exo 20:12) “Honor your father and mother so that you may live long in the land of the Lord” that is a tall order

My Other Dad Is Truly Special

Dad raised good sons well. I am truly blessed for my husband he is God sent. I was loved and cared more than I can imagine. Memories of Dad and mom warmed me,  how I love my in-laws, brother, sisters and aunt like my own flesh and blood. Thank you Dad for the happy memories and love you gave me.

Men out there, what makes a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise and treat one with love and respect. Whether you are stepfathers, uncles, friends and grandfathers, Happy Father’s Day!


Father's best shot with son-in-law, myself and mother (partly hidden) Christmas 2010
All happy and healthy 

Monday, August 15, 2011

Fighting The Impossible, Yes It's Possible!


For Me Fighting the Impossible Worked True

I am currently fighting the tumour in my brain that might bring me down anytime now or who knows on when it will catch up on  me.  I maybe in a hopeless situation you would say that no one would trade their dear life with my one even for a million dollar lottery win, ooops, I haven’t win anything yet, ha ha. But I tell you getting my life back out of the impossible for nearly three years now can never be exchanged for any big time time lottery winning ever. Why because life is so precious more than money,  you would fight to preserve it  longer if  possible. But others who succumbed to eternal life,  my dear close friends who had the same illness  and gone now are blessed with something else, may they rest in peace. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts his ways are not our ways I have already resigned my life in his hands,  (Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God”) now I am fully rejuvenated so comforting.

Realization that hits me

I do not at all understand the mystery of grace –
 only that it meets us where we are
but does not leave us where it found us
(Anne Lamott)

·         When tragedy hits hard and steal your days, just breathe, pray, resisting can sap your strength for the fight. Over the years the wonderful grace of God meets you anywhere, everywhere. Whether in New Zealand or back home in the Philippines or elsewhere, where the will of God leads you , the grace of God will keep you. I was never abandoned been through a lot am still standing fine.

·   When you hit rock bottom always somebody, something comes along to lift you up, it is God’s providence. Family, friends, church mates, acquaintances brings help tangible and intangible they are priceless. Loving thoughts and prayers that energizes  your weary soul.  

·   When in the brink of death nothing really matters but your relationship with God. Every after consciousness from major big operations, I had three from spinal to brain. You are hooked up with all the breathing gadgets from head to toe, you can’t move, speak, only your eyes are moving. But your brain is fully conscious, if you have weak relationship with God, you will give in to life. With faith that He is by your side no matter what,  you feel secured, at ease,  no matter how big is the pain you’ll get by.  Anyway you can’t do anything, everything is beyond your control, you will just be drifting in and out of consciousness. Then waking up I am so thankful I am still able to see the sunrise out of my room window, feels surreal.   

Springing Back to Life Catching Up with My Lost Time

I am a picture of health today, good form, healthy appetite, with a profound sanity. The illness I thought that would bring me down brought tremendous blessings to me, my family and friends. I maybe carrying the illness till it gets tired of me and flee away (it still lingers)  but one thing is for sure it may weakened my bones and slowed me but it will never beat me and crushed my spirit.

Catching up with my lost time actually it is just a well deserved rest for two years, been working hard for almost 32 years, started young (am a workaholic). A break from stress at work, no waking up at dawn running for my train to the city job rain or shine, snowing, hail or gale, cyclone, hurricane or earthquake, I was spared.

You will still say, no thanks, but that’s not all, the beautiful  thing is that I was made to ponder seriously in life and had a beautiful awakening. Just by merely communicating intimately with God through prayers, studying and following his words of wisdom for my own protection and comfort, I was made whole again. He is always at work in my life, never stopping, I am in awe for every gift of life everyday.

What have I missed and lost overtime?

1.      Do I missed seeing my other families, relatives, friends and acquaintances? In the flesh yes, but I do get to see and talk to them at Skype regularly even thousand miles apart. I have my email, yahoo messenger and Facebook, thank God for the technology.  I can talk to them at the internet anytime as frequent as I can.

2.      The socials and active lifestyle – I am through partying, do not smoke nor drink, so I am fine. Thinking more now on how can I be an effective homemaker inspite of my limited capacity thrills me more than going out,  love to pamper my household.

3.      Hanging out with friends and people – silence is golden to me these days, I love reading, writing my simple articles, blogging. I have found an interesting sharper profound sanity, God cannot be outdone I am enjoying the solitude.

4.      Earning big bucks? – reality check the more I earn the greater is my need and cannot get enough. When I was emptied providence comes and help poured in.  I do not know how but as always grace comes along and we were never lacking at least on basics. I was disciplined and stripped of a lot of unnecessary luxuries I can live without. Sometimes less is more.

5.      Shopping and modern gadgets – yeah my husband and I missed hitting the shops and keeping up with the toys for big boys, but realized how blessed we are in New Zealand others are in dire hardships. You simply cannot spend much at the thought of other people in need it is cruel.
  
Practically I am still living a charmed life, pampered by my love ones family and all. I am giving back to God my lost time of being alone with Him much longer in all my conscious hours. It is never too late, whatever good I do for you and anyone else with all truth and sincerity, I am doing it all for my one true God who made me fight the impossible and bring the good out of my  worst circumstances. With Him all things are possible I need not fear the future, I am all set for many many years of service to the world.

Wonderful life ahead everyone!


My churchmates and bible study group, my lifeline