Just My Time To Relax

(…after celebrating my birthday this 2013… Praise God…amen)

My daughter is now asleep.  She is so asleep that I am able to enjoy my moment.  I started turning on the television and placed one of those old movies entitled Notting Hill starred by Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in the DVD player.  I prepared my coffee, ate some dinner and just allowed myself to be while watching the film.  I admit it is so relaxing.  This is just one of those mom’s joyful silent moment.  I call it a real good opportunity and time to be just with myself.

The movie I am watching has been played over and over again in the past so I need not have that really deep thinking to analyze it.  So I tried to hop in  my computer  to encode this article. 

So what has been with me lately.  I just celebrated my 39^th birthday 2 days ago.  Something that I did not expect to really have guests in the house.  You see the last Christmas and new year’s holidays made me so busy hopping from my “mommy responsibilities” to my baby girl to being a wife to being a student plus dealtwith some concerns with my part-time / consultancy job.  I just sort of did some exhibitions with everything.  But by God’s grace I am able to do that. 

I just love this time to relax with myself and relaxing can mean doing what I love doing also that is writing.  Oh I miss so much doing this.  I miss so much jotting just anything on my computer screen.  But then,  I admit I am doing everyday other than writing the most wonderful “jobs” of a mother.  That is nurturing a baby.  Oh I love so much …more than anything in this whole world being able to love and affect in anyway I can through my baby (hehe oops other than my husband:-)).

So I think of this moment as a gift for a mom.  I just felt that when I placed my daughter on the bed I realized how I could have the rest of the time to pick up.  What are those that I would want to pick up?  A lot such as :

1.     Decide and choose to have the time for myself.

Perhaps those moments that I was so drained and tired was giving me the message already to keep in touch with myself. And I did not have that time to seriously consider  the “fancy” that I could be able to give with myself if I just allow that special time with myself ( hahahhaha now I am beginning to realize I have been stating this same thought over and over again in this article geezzz).

2.     Eat the right kinds of food

Lately I just allow myself to eat whatever there is on the fridge or whatever available food we have to cook.  I have been plunging into eating a lot of meat lately.  Though I feel trimmed physically already but it has been a concern for me when I got constipated after I delivered my baby.  So I thought eating more fibrous food and digesting or chewing my food well would greatly help and to really be more conscious with the eating the right kinds of food.

3.    My 39^th Birthday

An old friend of mine asked me once if age is an issue for me.  What he meant was that if I am comfortable when I am asked about how  old I am.  I told him that I don’t have any problem with it.  But as I age, I felt otherwise.  I seem to be uncomfortable  when asked about age.  So to help myself deal with it, I feel that writing and divulging it through my blog site.  This I feel at this time also would greatly help me deal with my sort of “insecurity”.  Another way of dealing with it is to tell myself that “age is God’s grace… age reminds me of God’s gift…my life…being alive for 39 long years”.  That is so beautiful isn’t it?  So for me being uncomfortable with it is being uncomfortable with the ONE giving it.  A denial of the generosity of God:-)...ouch...

4.     My Faith

 I was told the other day that the theme for this year – 2013 is the year of Faith.   This is an armor that I need to put on and be my shield for this year.  This is the grace that I was allowed to feel last January 1, 2013.  This is now my  guiding principle as I continue through this year.  Faith in Someone known that is God.  Faith in Him that something unknown for me may take shape and happen.  Faith that something beautiful can happen for those that simply – Believe.

5.     Self confidence

A lot of times in the past, I had an ego –based confidence.  What do I mean by that? Ego-based is mainly based on the self.  This type of confidence is self-reliant and does not acknowledge Someone higher than the self.  The self anchored on God is  courageous such that even in the midst of the many challenges and acknowledging the feeling of fear yet feels that God is the strong shield.   This is what true self-confidence is.  And in triumph one embraces humility acknowledging that God is his / her source of victory.

Truly this time for myself is one of the best moments I have.  This is just  my moment to sort of re-shine myself.  Thank you God. 

I Call Him "KUYA LANDO"

What I see in this photo is a "POWER OF PRAYER":-) couldn't say more:-)

  

Let me put this writing now.  I just feel that NOW is THE TIME to release this.  You see I happen to meet a man, a servant of God that has influenced and inspired me in my youth to serve God.  I promised him a year or 2 years ago to write about him from where he sent me his overwhelming resume este written lengthy biography that he submitted in one of his projects during his studies in the United States.  I started framing and summarizing everything only to end up with a computer that bogged down and what followed next was I lost everything (sorry kuya lan...peace wheheh).  I was so frustrated at first but then I just feel that I will write something as natural as recalling how he was to me when I started in my faith journey towards finding a God that has so blessed me in so many ways.

His name is Rolando Mesias. Those younger than him call him “Kuya Lando”.  He founded a Catholic Charismatic Youth Group named THE SOWERS FIELD COMMUNITY (together with a group of other young men and women back then) in 1985 at the Cathedral in Cagayan de Oro City Philippines.  Since he founded the community, he never had any employment experience (despite his desire to really join the work force) such that he focused all his energies in giving spiritual formation to many  young college students and professionals from where I was one of its fruits. 

Years have passed and this Catholic Christian Community grew in terms of memberships.  The same bore fruits of many religious vocations.  Priests and religious nuns  have grown in number through the years.  It has also formed many brothers and sisters that have gotten married and have lived good Christian lives making their families as examples to wherever they are. 

Years have passed also when “kuya Lando’s” faithfulness in his service to God was blessed with his much awaited employment as manager of a cooperative.  This same experience brought him out of the country through a scholarship at Ford Foundation.  Before he got that scholarship he got married also to a wonderful woman named Rizalee Tubac  and were blessed with three children (all boys).  Though he’s not anymore directly involved as head servant of the community since he is currently working as a General Manager to another big cooperative in Davao City, Philippines, he still maintains true and faithful to his commitment through his skills in facilitating discussions via online particularly the Facebook page of the Sowers Field Community from where I found him very active and so alive. 

Currently, our Catholic Charismatic Christian community, the Sowers Field may have struggled in so many ways yet, it is still sustained by God’s Spirit through the effort  of many committed brothers and sisters that have worked so hard for it to continue in its service to young people, professionals, married couples and their children.

If there is someone that I would want to thank God in my formation as His young servant it is this man whom I call Kuya Lando.  His dedication and him being God’s instrument in the formation of many young individuals.  It was from him that I felt being entrusted to deliver God’s message through the community’s teaching team.  It was from him that I felt appreciated for the talent that I have in writing when he asked me to post my blogs at Facebook.  He was one of those that  motivated me to continue writing positive messages.  And…I couldn’t thank him enough for his motivation and his indirect shepherding in my Catholic faith and journey with God.

Thus, I feel that Kuya LANDO has inspired so many individuals – brothers and sisters in the community to continue serving God.  Such is a BEAUTIFUL LEGACY  that this one man has contributed to us who up to this time has thrived in God’s service in so many different forms and ways.  THANK YOU SO MUCH KUYA LANDO:-) MAY YOU CONTINUE TO PROSPER IN YOUR ENDEAVORS:-) GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY …ALWAYS:-)

PS…

-          There was not a single leader in the community (sorry to say that) has driven me to maximize and exhaust my energy in God’s service in my youth other than him.  Even with his temper (wahahahah, he has his way of really motivating us to really serve God:-)…truly he has my honor and respect as a TRUE LEADER)

-          Even as I finished my writing, I feel that I have not thanked Kuya Lando enough yet I feel God has blessed him so much and beyond measure…:-)care off ko na lang kay God …whehehhhe…that’s my prayer for him and his entire family:-)

-          Kuya Lando told me ones in the past that he will write his biography… hmmm …I feel that it would be more complete than my writing.

Some Tips in Sticking with Your New Year's Resolution

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/15299/new-years-resolutions-what-tribune-bloggers-hope-to-do/

Have you experienced trying to state your new year's resolution only to end up failing?  What follows next is the guilt that you are not able to live up to it.  And say perhaps I could start again next year.  But then another year starts and you follow the same vicious cycle of failing.  And so you say "I'd rather not make any promise at all".  You get discouraged and fall in the pit until there is no more coming out...ouch...  

Tips...this is what this blog is all about...

1.  State What You Want to Resolve

Do not be afraid to state what you want to resolve about yourself.   Go ahead just create that list.  It does not matter the length.  Just simply and as lucid as you can give it a free hand writing...just write without even thinking what others would think and feel about them.

2.  State time to do them 

Stating the particular time or date that you would do them would greatly help.  That would mean having the time frame for implementations.  

3.  Do it

Ooops... I almost forgot this part.  Simply do it.  You have to or nothing happens with your plans or what you want to resolve.

4.  Evaluate

Check, assess, look back if you are able to do what you stated or met the time frame, deadline (however you call it).  In this manner you are able to see if you are really true to what you wrote or if you are able to commit with what you stated from the very beginning.

5.  Pray

Our acknowledgement that we are not alone and the realization of our weakness should bring us down our knees and pray.  I remember in one of those desolate moments I had, I came across this line in one of the vehicles "Prayer changes it all".

Please note that life is not a black and white thing.  Same as with the things that you want to resolve with yourself.  Some attempts may not reap the positive result you so desire.  Well you don't punish yourself for that.  Meaning...do not be so rigid so that when you fail you immediately judge yourself a failure.  We do learn from mistakes.  it has always been my inspiration looking back with that monk priest (Fr. Savio...if I am not mistaken of the Benedictine Monastery in Malaybalay City - Bukidnon) that I heard in one of his homilies that stated "there is no such thing as mistakes in life...only lessons to be learned".  We fall, we learn, we rise...over and over again.

Another thing that we should see in this process is that ...we are NOT ALONE.  This should be our constant reminder.  Man's effort alone can be futile.  We are weak by flesh and in a lot of ways.  They say "the spirit is willing but the body is weak".  That is why we need SOMEONE higher than us and is over and above human nature that has surpassed human struggles and sufferings.  We need God to accompany us in our journey.  Christ has won the battle of human weakness through the cross.  Thus, who can best accompany us except that ONE MAN that has surpassed it all.

Lastly...do you really, really want to deal with yourself through your list of new year's resolution?  Again, I would like to highlight this ....PRAYER...Just get down on your knees and pray...This is not something antique that I am telling you.  This one is the greatest hope that brings real and true joy we are looking for this new year...

GOD BLESS US ALL...HAPPY NEW YEAR:-)

New Year's Resolution...Do I Believe in This?

http://calconews.com/2012/12/27/happy-new-year-pictures-images-and-wallpapers-2013/

New year's resolution...do I believe in this?  Hmmm let me discuss further before I will tell you my answer...  I have run through several individuals on television stating their new year's resolution or what they would want to change for the coming year.  They were something that would resolve the self from what that they missed to do for the previous year/s.  This is something so beautiful for anyone to do.  What better way to start a year by "cleaning up" our life's clutters.

So... I need not discuss be so strenuous with my discussion...I do believe in it.  But...I would want it better to make it a daily resolve.  You know why?  

Let me give you an illustration.  I live with my husband 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 12 months in a year.  There were lots of strains in between.  Living in the same house and waiting for the end of the year to change, reconcile or resolve for the better would be something more stressful for me.  I have lots of things to attend with in the house and outside.  Everything entails focus.  I am the type of person that can hardly focus if there are concerns and issues that are not resolved.  They bother me and the worst part of it is that it hits up to the heart level.  I can't live with that.  I can't live a life faking what I truly feel.

Really I taught myself several times not  to allow the heart to feel them so that I could just try to let it pass, fake that the person or persons do not exist, pass by them, work and just do things and just let the day pass.  But they are not really me.  They are not the "Dang" I know inside.  What I know about myself is that I am totally transparent and honest with my feelings (Please don't get me wrong...to be honest does not mean for me that I can just shout at any person that i get angry with because of that honesty...search for my blog on Emotional Intelligence in this site:-) ).  It does help for me to immediately attend with how I feel such that I am able to talk with for example my husband and tell him about what I honestly feel.  There was never a time that they were not expressed.  That is how it is between us.  

That is why starting the year 2013 does not have to pressure me with having the New Year's Resolution since every single day is like ... a New Year.  That is what Christianity  taught me.  And I should say...anyone of us that excitedly waited and celebrated ...Christmas...may start considering ...living daily with that the same resolve... 

Christ...Christmas...Christians...Do they ring anything...this New Year?

Happy New Year of 2013...Cheers...Toast...God bless us all:-)