tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59100153717816088882024-03-06T12:01:52.254+08:00ANA GIVES THANKSGratitude gives perspective. There is something to be grateful for each and every day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-91918521350633387892011-02-11T10:16:00.000+08:002011-02-11T10:16:59.659+08:00PRAYER LINK<i>"Please pray for me. I am meeting him at 4:30."</i> <br />
<br />
When I feel the need for extraordinary strength, I have a handful of friends to call on. We send each other text messages requesting prayers for a particular problem we have, or for someone else, or just because one of us is feeling the big bad cloud of depression hanging over. We go to mass or say a prayer for each other.<br />
<br />
The above is an SMS I received just a short while ago. We have our own lives, traveling our individual roads but we know someone's got our backs.<br />
<br />
This prayer link is such a powerful tool, giving courage, hope and light. I am so lucky!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-34247585995185056372011-01-28T16:56:00.000+08:002011-01-28T16:56:24.709+08:00THAI AND FRIENDSHIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-N6m3vpPlmS0PkjW7EDwaOo0aZpO17SXcBYICvjya8gcrbp9oASX0OPKA7qi8tbiRrtiop21fX2jNCH7q0-A5ziI4Rs2fwy9mPwIyIoTkxJvpQcKM-2YpWkPlfbZmeIYCxxAwb6Ebic/s1600/thai.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-N6m3vpPlmS0PkjW7EDwaOo0aZpO17SXcBYICvjya8gcrbp9oASX0OPKA7qi8tbiRrtiop21fX2jNCH7q0-A5ziI4Rs2fwy9mPwIyIoTkxJvpQcKM-2YpWkPlfbZmeIYCxxAwb6Ebic/s320/thai.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Lunch with a really good friend today. I love that she never sugar-coats her thoughts and tells me when she thinks something is my fault, or not a good idea. She always reminds me to pray and to go out on dates and to have fun! She calls when she hasn't heard from me in some time. She's not sweet, and is marginally grumpy. She is always encouraging. She's a great mom and a great wife. We shared problems (no housekeeper for me, no nanny for her), laughed at past escapades (like chasing a husband's ex-girlfriend down!) and brainstormed about our fledgling business, proceeds of which were used to pay for today's lunch of green curry, phad thai, calamari and mango sticky rice. Great way to begin the weekend!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-73156162521113706282011-01-01T14:57:00.001+08:002011-01-01T15:07:32.136+08:00WHAT A YEARAmongst family and friends, the year 2010 was an unprecedented one of separation, enmity, illness, financial difficulty, betrayal, loss, death.<br />
I began this post some weeks ago wondering how to give thanks, for what can I give thanks?<br />
After some reflection, it came to me quite easily:<br />
I give thanks with <i>hope</i> for brighter days, with <i>faith</i> that there is a grand plan for us all, and with <i>prayer</i> to bring all that into fruition.<br />
And I give thanks that the year's episodes of bitterness and grief were liberally sprinkled with bright pinpoints of goodness: friendship, forgiveness, unity, healing, reconciliation, and love.<br />
Always, always gratitude for the love we find within ourselves and others, without which our decisions are ill-conceived, our lives unfulfilled.<br />
Here I am, on the cusp of the new year, thankful for a new beginning, for second chances.<br />
And so I welcome 2011 with some trepidation but with open arms. May you bring all the blessings we dream of.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-3473040376600644222010-12-14T23:24:00.003+08:002011-01-01T12:05:08.224+08:00PrayerThree-year old Sunshine's prayer: Thank you Papadios for not letting... <i>Mom, what's his name again?</i>... Not letting King Herod kill the Baby Jesus.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-15832064312100210122010-12-10T10:10:00.001+08:002010-12-10T10:12:25.389+08:00GRATEFUL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_7hrcVZxXedPLRy-wfPDAPTUxouZ828rvQTc_4dEIQrWcNDzv5crwUTA-QfqAgqKb1UwNr7KlVYwCgSwaGLY29xGNPYTZS6md97FTdsqiYeS58Bn845lBnZGtBwKM98l2p53Md8yUXY/s1600/My+SwankoPrint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_7hrcVZxXedPLRy-wfPDAPTUxouZ828rvQTc_4dEIQrWcNDzv5crwUTA-QfqAgqKb1UwNr7KlVYwCgSwaGLY29xGNPYTZS6md97FTdsqiYeS58Bn845lBnZGtBwKM98l2p53Md8yUXY/s320/My+SwankoPrint.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Upper row, from left: Sunbeam's cowgirl boots, Sunshine's single-wheel skate shoes, my yummy super-high heels with the pink soles, S' big-as-a-boat shoes; Lower row, from left: Sunbeam's yellow hand-me-down crocs, Sunbeam's green fake crocs.</i><br />
<br />
Never in my wildest dreams could I have cooked up the idea of of the comfort and joy of our little family.<br />
<br />
Happy Thanksgiving.<br />
<br />
*Forgot to post this entry on Thanksgiving!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-22072691524923768122010-12-09T22:14:00.001+08:002010-12-09T22:15:02.812+08:00NICE KIDS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4CgKX-95J3_Q4qtq29n4O0Pi1F4Xxybz6LBSuHnrD0UKVR2dsI9CY7gCw4jaZHS5mcpSkIedGJTbTNKL-_K25msmxT8oUlcfrvY04TTxOEMaBN00vf1jSX7MRFMsH-GyzwFZR4Rknj0/s1600/down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4CgKX-95J3_Q4qtq29n4O0Pi1F4Xxybz6LBSuHnrD0UKVR2dsI9CY7gCw4jaZHS5mcpSkIedGJTbTNKL-_K25msmxT8oUlcfrvY04TTxOEMaBN00vf1jSX7MRFMsH-GyzwFZR4Rknj0/s320/down.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Our neighbors have really nice kids who are a few years older than Sunshine and Sunbeam but always take the time to greet and play with them.<br />
Several weeks ago, they were the only ones left in the playground but they were having a blast taking turns on the bike: one would ride while the other one would pull on a length of rope attached to the bike.<br />
They had fun running around, I had fun watching them, and they were exhausted afterwards and got ready for bed with minimal whining.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-39684666926556328952010-12-09T21:57:00.000+08:002010-12-09T21:57:34.398+08:00MELT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UVxY8jl-QM0BUmHzAQNPzMW1kwCeqobItE1xpi-h-wApmtIKW7Z3yJA-51Uh2clBWa4pYjeaipvKe-IQZrppnfk-OGgoM7gNwxN2O9_PyS9DjPJ274I5dtZD9lhi-CzE8qa4OTV7KrI/s1600/f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UVxY8jl-QM0BUmHzAQNPzMW1kwCeqobItE1xpi-h-wApmtIKW7Z3yJA-51Uh2clBWa4pYjeaipvKe-IQZrppnfk-OGgoM7gNwxN2O9_PyS9DjPJ274I5dtZD9lhi-CzE8qa4OTV7KrI/s320/f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Both kids were running through the department store, touching everything in sight. One announced she had to go poopoo. Ran through the floor to buy a pack of wipes, made it to the bathroom but right outside she saw a car she wanted to drive and refused to go to the potty. So we left. After two minutes, he announced that he had to go poopoo. We made it back to the bathroom in time, and then they were off again, pulling toys off shelves to show me they wanted to buy it for this friend or that cousin. They were tugging opposite ways on their harnesses and then Sunbeam runs up behind me, tugs my shirt and says softly, shyly, "Love you, Mom."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-21267592642600924192010-11-30T22:29:00.034+08:002010-12-01T10:51:37.253+08:00A CURVE BALL<i>Openness, acceptance & non-judgment can bring love to anyone - Deepak Chopra</i><br />
I received some painful, shocking news today. It doesn't affect me directly, I am but on the fringes, but it concerns a family very close to my, to our, hearts.<br />
How do you handle a life-changing event, unforeseen, and completely uncontrollable?<br />
<i>"We are a team, and this is our mission."</i> These are unprecedented fighting words of peace and unity and love.<br />
When the ball's in your court and there are tough decisions to be made, you can waver and continue undecided or you can take the more difficult paths of love and reconciliation, stand your ground and carry through in faith and prayer.<br />
Thank you Papadios for this courageous woman, whose strength and determination and pure love are a quiet example of what it means to be woman, wife, mother, and true Christian in the 21st century. She is an inspiration, a reminder that all you really do need is love.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-25271996670571861782010-11-25T10:24:00.007+08:002010-11-25T11:13:06.186+08:00READING BUG<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwNQaKLmynyxkJ16AX3L2qn9Ca6RjTWd2iHf2xY5xEOcdlTQrSZqdYZpuwRDYfQVj_cDMv6bP6Jc9nSxVVzHyLeK2WzxYiwNG209nggIY7LjQo8rGH4I1E87ykX1ZK024IvxcErKe6lo/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwNQaKLmynyxkJ16AX3L2qn9Ca6RjTWd2iHf2xY5xEOcdlTQrSZqdYZpuwRDYfQVj_cDMv6bP6Jc9nSxVVzHyLeK2WzxYiwNG209nggIY7LjQo8rGH4I1E87ykX1ZK024IvxcErKe6lo/s320/photo.JPG" width="237" /></a></div>I've always been an avid bookworm: reading books over meals, late into the night, in the shower (!), on the throne, pretty much anywhere except in a moving car (I get horribly sick). I much prefer to read than to talk.<br />
Well, for someone who once couldn't go a day without devouring several chapters, if not an entire book, I realized that the past few years were filled to the brim with being married, raising kids, trying to run a household, trying to make money, endless surfing online, and the iPad... pretty much everything except reading. I've recently just started once again and it's a relief and a comfort to hold a good book in my hands: the anticipation of the world awaiting within, the feel of the pages, the cover design, and the smell! The smell of books (and magazines) should be bottled and sold!<br />
Growing up, there was just a handful of bookstores in Manila, and these stocked more office supplies than books. My mom would lug home dozens of paperbacks each time she travelled, and that's how I met Anne Shirley, Ramona and Beezus, Judy Blume, Enid Blyton (The Naughtiest Girl in School, Famous Five!), Laura Ingalls, and countless others.<br />
Thankfully, it's much easier to come by good reading material in Manila these days. There is a second-hand bookstore close to us. It's tucked into the corner of a decades-old grocery. A tiny place with books on shelves, stacked on the floor, overflowing out into the aisle. It's no <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/">Strand</a>, or <a href="http://www.threelives.com/">Three Lives</a>, but it does get a surprisingly good selection of children's books. The kids know they get unlimited treats there as long as I deem the books are suitably educational, and entertaining but not silly (I try to steer away from character books).<br />
Yesterday though, it was my turn. One of my favorite <a href="http://adifferentbookstore.com/">booknooks</a> was on sale, so N and I walked over after <a href="http://anagivesthanks.blogspot.com/2010/11/matrimonial-conclusions.html">lunch</a> and I picked up a stack of books for myself: favorite authors, some new ones, a parenting book highly recommended by N, and one that I haven't decided whether to keep or to give Ninong M.<br />
What a blessing, to find and be able to afford these treats! I can't wait to burrow down in my cozy armchair with these. And hopefully it's the push I need to get out of this reading slump.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-40685099708174680592010-11-24T17:39:00.003+08:002010-11-25T09:29:35.072+08:00MATRIMONIAL CONCLUSIONS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDg_4euqvO_cSBZY0P67HuCU0PytjGvE-v6diPXsniCTsKgFkvxgrZAao8hwSzYurLBvR5efA_m3BoyWKwQlH18kDZDAwNxE7rC-DYSoUVQvLcmPzkolPRIWMvFQhDtZtEuNGL-tUmgwU/s1600/bunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDg_4euqvO_cSBZY0P67HuCU0PytjGvE-v6diPXsniCTsKgFkvxgrZAao8hwSzYurLBvR5efA_m3BoyWKwQlH18kDZDAwNxE7rC-DYSoUVQvLcmPzkolPRIWMvFQhDtZtEuNGL-tUmgwU/s320/bunch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Home becomes a zoo each evening when S comes home. The kids (and dog) are so excited to see him and it gets pretty wild in our tiny flat. Any calm which I had managed to restore after their afternoon in the playground is erased by his arrival, and somehow these little people find their second wind and turn into individual monsoons. Exhausted as I usually am, it's a lot of fun to watch S join in the fray, alternately shielding himself from their agitated approaches (they're like affectionate battering rams) and chasing them for the dreaded tickle attack. It's loud, but these are happy, irreplaceable noises of home and family.<br />
Today I had lunch with N, someone I can always count on for sympathy and wise words, during which we discussed being married vs. being single vs. being separated at our age of nearing-forty.<br />
And over our shared slice of key lime pie, we concluded that being married takes work and care, but that playing tic-tac-toe (hers), coming home to dinner (mine) and happy voices shouting, "Mommy!" (ours)... these are things to be grateful for everyday.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-76775257767669243722010-11-23T10:34:00.005+08:002010-11-24T17:40:59.455+08:00COUNTING BLESSINGSSometimes family is not composed of people bound by blood or law but by <a href="http://anagivesthanks.blogspot.com/2010/07/beautiful-women.html">the bond of laughter and tears</a>.<br />
In the past months, I have been witness to upheavals and tumultuous events in the lives of K and I who are like family to me. The pain they are going through is incredible. Friends are unable to fix circumstances but we can walk through it with them and even cry with them.<br />
Anyway, in the midst of all this, those two friends, plus another, threw at me the age-old cliche: Count your blessings. They repeated, with voices raised: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. So I cried with K, went home and yes, I counted my blessings: <a href="http://anagivesthanks.blogspot.com/2010/03/groceries.html">this</a> and most especially <a href="http://anagivesthanks.blogspot.com/2010/04/8-years.html">this</a>.<br />
Thank you, Papadios!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-1053751104889457522010-11-18T05:07:00.002+08:002010-11-18T05:08:19.964+08:00BETROTHEDStanding in line in the crowded grocery, Sunshine stands up in the grocery cart, throws his arms around my neck, gives me a dozen slobbery kisses and announces loudly: Can I marry you when I grow up?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-29061477906503651792010-10-10T11:11:00.004+08:002010-10-12T13:05:28.257+08:00GRATEFUL THOUGHT BUBBLE #2During Sunday Mass at Mary the Queen. Unfortunately I didn't get the priest's name, but he spoke about gratitude and thanksgiving.<br /><br />"To be grateful is to have faith."<br /><br />What a beautiful thought. Simple clarity in these often murky waters.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-49185324472918254192010-08-11T09:47:00.000+08:002010-08-11T09:48:17.896+08:00GRATEFUL THOUGHT BUBBLE #1“We're not grateful because we're happy.<br />We're happy because we're grateful.”<br />~ Brother David Stendl-RastUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-81720443222946772542010-07-08T10:59:00.005+08:002010-07-08T11:06:52.746+08:00BEAUTIFUL WOMENToday I am grateful for the presence of beautiful women in my life. I saw some of them for <a href="http://www.peoplespalacethai.com/">dinner</a> last night. They are intelligent, funny, beautiful on the inside and gorgeous on the outside. We reminisce, argue politics, gossip, and always always find the laughable side to our problems.<br />They are a large part of my childhood and adolescence, and being with them is always like coming home.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-11873134560934009342010-04-20T13:14:00.005+08:002010-11-23T10:34:22.662+08:008 YEARSEIGHT! 8 years, 2 kids, one dog, two fish, one turtle, same spouse.<br />
Just celebrated over a delicious dinner at Mamou and S is now snoring away beside me, knocked out after consuming the entire bottle of wine (save for my one glass).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-15694300661420238132010-04-19T00:46:00.036+08:002010-11-23T10:22:52.321+08:00CHANGING OF THE GUARD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVY77hyPIp0axAOH1-RQu7vcRI5PvL8y5nlEHgKakiditQEZrHDX9Bh1z5IKmnx5cciws0bq9OGq-SwByhuzVmBnIABHL6t1qv7GBieUmQAtQ0gJ3kpQz-5FvmDF0BpfiTm1PMuD1l2ck/s1600/nana+obit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVY77hyPIp0axAOH1-RQu7vcRI5PvL8y5nlEHgKakiditQEZrHDX9Bh1z5IKmnx5cciws0bq9OGq-SwByhuzVmBnIABHL6t1qv7GBieUmQAtQ0gJ3kpQz-5FvmDF0BpfiTm1PMuD1l2ck/s320/nana+obit.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461675436951366914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQhSV_0DoeZ4NmzL5JYmlw79cLg5XC7q3EmNAYVMbCtOL5SsE-qmNEZn208IGQ_db09Av8xggshUMG5iuOR1DZnYe0pC0vqTqZmKIOa76h9eRdCc4bfebqy9ZsDN3qjWpFY627_9pVEg/s400/nana.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 174px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">From left: Nana at my wedding (she was nearly 91 years old here); mushing somewhere in Europe (she loved dogs); Nana looking down at my newborn sister in her arms (at 62 years).</span><br />
<br />
I hate eulogies and am deathly afraid of speaking in public, but if I were to give my Nana's eulogy, it would go something like this:<br />
98 years. Wow. That's 9 kids, 26 grandkids, and 16 great grandkids. Not to mention 2 world wars, and countless inventions of things we take for granted today. Despite the years behind her, my Nana always looked decades younger than her actual age. She was the most beautiful woman I know. If you asked her to reveal her fountain of youth, she would probably tell you it's her nightly application of <a href="http://www.ponds.com/ProductView.aspx?ProdId=4">Pond's Cold Cream</a>, lemon only.<br />
If you asked me, I would tell you her youthful beauty was due to her ability and decision to approach every potential problem with equanimity and humor. She had an uncanny ability to remain unfazed by pretty much anyone or anything, and she always had a quick retort for the most sarcastic of comments.<br />
Nana was for a time my roommate, living in my mom's house after our Dodo died. During that time, she was the loudest champion of S, who was my boyfriend then. I'd come home in the wee hours, and she would open an eye and comment on the lateness of the hour or ask where we had gone. When we got married, she was as thrilled as a bride and as beautiful as one.<br />
From Nana, I got a birthmark on my thigh in the shape of a seahorse, my love of books and all things canine, the unequaled pleasure of munching while feasting on a good book, and, I think, some measure of her emotional detachment and ability to let things just pass by. I may look like her, but her elegant beauty really was unparalleled.<br />
Despite her age, I held a secret hope for a miracle: that she would stand up and walk and just be with us like she used to. To think that I will never again enter a room and see her reading one of her romance novels or watching a sappy movie, that I will no longer hear her laughter or feel her gentle hand in mine or hear her from the next bed say, "Gute nacht"... it was inevitable and yet it is inconceivable. The rest of my life will be peppered with memories of this last grandparent who was such a bright light in my life.<br />
And now, we have one more of us resting in peace, yet another angel in heaven watching over us.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQhSV_0DoeZ4NmzL5JYmlw79cLg5XC7q3EmNAYVMbCtOL5SsE-qmNEZn208IGQ_db09Av8xggshUMG5iuOR1DZnYe0pC0vqTqZmKIOa76h9eRdCc4bfebqy9ZsDN3qjWpFY627_9pVEg/s1600/nana.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-16362248486161958452010-04-14T23:42:00.007+08:002010-04-14T23:51:53.212+08:00SICKSunbeam had been sick since Thursday, possibly since Wednesday but it was so hot, I thought she was warm due to the weather. Anyway, sick with fever ranging from 40.2 down to 38+. She was happy and active between fevers and medicines would bring the fever down after about half an hour or so.<br />On Saturday, no fever for several hours, so I thought she was ok and decided not to take her to the doctor. I was able to speak with the pediatrician and she warned me that a trip to the emergency room was a possibility if she was no longer active and happy. Of course, as soon as the clinics closed, she was hot again, and was getting more lethargic. I gave her some medicine and the next bout of fever came too soon after to give some more. She got weaker and only wanted to sleep. So my only recourse, other than the hospital, was a quick, intense prayer to <a href="http://anagivesthanks.blogspot.com/2010/03/baba.html">Baba</a> to please take care of her great grandchild. Well, in ten minutes, her fever broke. After an hour, it was completely gone. The next morning, she had a low 38+ fever which went away with some paracetamol. And since then, nothing. Thanks, Baba!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-40545309828952494742010-04-10T22:15:00.007+08:002010-04-10T23:24:24.404+08:00$$$!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIYDmHMSMC6FYsRBrfkcc_iyGaKy3cW8Yt2QydCfm1HwMG5IsV1RlfpHqZQKaMyBQWushb8MX5mH6IsRkne5-6N1CURF82rX66LwwWCGbgHM8hwq_EngnOayI1IJjGSgKyFzIN7UxpCs/s1600/dollars.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 147px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIYDmHMSMC6FYsRBrfkcc_iyGaKy3cW8Yt2QydCfm1HwMG5IsV1RlfpHqZQKaMyBQWushb8MX5mH6IsRkne5-6N1CURF82rX66LwwWCGbgHM8hwq_EngnOayI1IJjGSgKyFzIN7UxpCs/s400/dollars.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458524791614710962" /></a>This evening, I cleaned out my ratty red wallet, transferring everything to an old but barely used one. I tried to slip a card into one of the card pockets, but it wouldn't go through, despite forceful wiggling. After several minutes, I stuck my fingers inside and felt a piece of paper. I pulled it out: a neatly folded, crisp $100 bill.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-48244022025424947572010-04-09T21:52:00.005+08:002010-04-10T23:14:27.788+08:00TOUGH GRATITUDESometimes gratitude is difficult. I try to give thanks daily but there are some days when I'm so worn out physically and emotionally that it's a stretch to find something to be thankful for.<br />Like today. Sunbeam has been sick but quite active and cranky. The heat has been incredible. It was difficult getting anything done when holding Sunbeam with one arm and juggling Sunshine's questions and attempts to take over the computer.<br />But last night, Sunshine slept without a nappy and I actually got up every 3 hours to bring him to the potty. Despite my disturbed rest and Sunbeam's fever, I actually did get some work done today. And I had some leftover yummy cocoa cookies (hazelnut and Lindt mint).<br />Sometimes I have to think hard to find the smallest things to be grateful for, but there is always something.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-75563555450944511332010-04-07T22:21:00.003+08:002010-04-07T22:25:43.193+08:00OLD FRIENDSAn old friend contacted me. She needs some work done and was wondering if I'd be interested. Wonderful to catch up with her, and grateful for the opportunity to flex my wings.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-66493557973997381262010-04-07T15:16:00.005+08:002010-04-07T15:41:02.091+08:00ASK, AND YOU SHALL RECEIVEThis has always been one of my favorite Bible passages:<br />Matthew 7:7-11<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:<br />For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.<br />Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?<br />Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?<br />If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?</span><br /><br />Yesterday I was caught between a rock and a hard place, or between two bills that had to be paid immediately. They were not large amounts, but my funds have been extra tight recently. So I prayed and asked God to send me money. I told him I didn't know how, but these had to be paid, and to please help me.<br />After praying, I called Bill #1 to find out the exact amount that had to be paid. They asked me to call back because the bill was being prepared. I called back and twice they asked me to call again. The third or fourth time I called, the woman finally told me that she had prepared the bill but couldn't find it, and would I mind just settling the bill at some future date.<br />God answered, and in the most unexpected way.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-82015968143268149702010-04-04T10:41:00.011+08:002010-11-18T04:46:14.917+08:00HAPPY EASTER!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkvEaaiuWa0_VUOvykFZeOJ_y_h1gS5pq9Qj_WOaFx86Vr60jA8lkEAVq6j0rGSwpm0mlKGjHUO_q1VD3byk8F7A9bTIpAIrU8msFq8ZqPmZ4n6Vu27xr_sM7QYHHY8sVaSilR_MxbhA/s1600/P1050732.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkvEaaiuWa0_VUOvykFZeOJ_y_h1gS5pq9Qj_WOaFx86Vr60jA8lkEAVq6j0rGSwpm0mlKGjHUO_q1VD3byk8F7A9bTIpAIrU8msFq8ZqPmZ4n6Vu27xr_sM7QYHHY8sVaSilR_MxbhA/s400/P1050732.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457321343800704594" /></a>My food loving family did not have the traditional egg hunt. No pastel colored shells for this bunch! The kids hunted for <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.filipinovegetarianrecipe.com/wordpress/2007/04/17/salted-egg-or-itlog-na-maalat-making.htm">itlog na maalat</a></span>, balut and Mary Grace cheese rolls!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-53284014688215751672010-04-04T10:41:00.010+08:002010-04-07T19:54:19.312+08:00HAPPY EASTER!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8LzSUik5mwa0JNY3fDeQqXHZZyP6f3BdPepo2qbvbuhh9FaauPQGWW4Bqm4kjg6vjNtnSb4upiPdaDSkxSQ5vNeFlg9u9oziMqvYUJE8a11dzjdJjeBiroe27MG4qR8ViPBtEGiA83s/s1600/myrons.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8LzSUik5mwa0JNY3fDeQqXHZZyP6f3BdPepo2qbvbuhh9FaauPQGWW4Bqm4kjg6vjNtnSb4upiPdaDSkxSQ5vNeFlg9u9oziMqvYUJE8a11dzjdJjeBiroe27MG4qR8ViPBtEGiA83s/s400/myrons.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457320694964565890" /></a>We heard the Easter Vigil Mass this evening. So Lent is officially over. Time for dessert!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910015371781608888.post-31626455377189837822010-04-04T10:40:00.009+08:002010-11-25T15:28:13.563+08:00SNAPS #2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qXLKi80SoRbHXslOkNaAoZMPz5LaR91x-BHZ7b1mbxAEBcLmkw1r3mXmh5urDXxoecAX6QZ7XGw9vLvlKlvaslWhwVJHt7EJqhJcIWDjHhKFkVtiT7iBXDsY1X_qeeKDp_zdiEEiWUU/s1600/P1050596.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457318915420629826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qXLKi80SoRbHXslOkNaAoZMPz5LaR91x-BHZ7b1mbxAEBcLmkw1r3mXmh5urDXxoecAX6QZ7XGw9vLvlKlvaslWhwVJHt7EJqhJcIWDjHhKFkVtiT7iBXDsY1X_qeeKDp_zdiEEiWUU/s400/P1050596.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Good Friday sunset by the Bay.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0