Sometimes God breaks our spirit to save our soul . . . . .

Sometimes He breaks our hearts to make us whole . . . . .

Sometimes He sends us pain so we can be stronger . . . . .

Sometimes He sends us failure so we can be humble . . . . .

Sometimes He sends us illness so we can take better care of ourselves . . . . .

Sometimes He takes everything away from us so we can learn the value of everything we have . . . . .

Pabasa is a Filipino tradition that is practiced every Holy Week.  It is done by singing the life story of Jesus Christ as told in the Bible.  They will sing the entire booklet non-stop from Maundy Thursday until Good Friday.

Every year since I don’t know when, Jeff participates in the said tradition.  He sings along with the elderly in our neighborhood.  That’s him in white.  Some children are there too.  The Pabasa started this afternoon and will continuously go on until tomorrow.

It’s Maundy Thursday.  Time to reflect, people . . . . .

Our Daily Bread for today . . . . .

The Other Side of Thank You
(Love) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil. – 1Corinthians13:5

A baby gift came to a young couple who were new parents. They were grateful for the present, so the mom picked up a thank-you card, wrote a nice note and got it ready to send.

Somehow it got buried in an avalanche of paperwork and was never mailed – and the thank-you was forgotten. The gift givers waited, but no acknowledgment came.

A rift developed as one family thought the thank-you had been given, while the other thought the lack of a thank-you was a snub. This inadvertent failure to send a card left the gift giver feeling slighted, unappreciated and neglected.

Among the most important words we can speak are the two words, ‘Thank you’. And while it is vital to be grateful, there’s another side of thank you. If we bestow a gift on another, we should do so out of a motive that doesn’t expect anything, even a thank you, in return. True love gives with no expectations.

Love, as described in 1Corinthians13:4, ‘suffers long and is kind’ and is never self-seeking. Love keeps no record of wrongs – even if someone forgets to thank us for a kindness. The other side of thank you is a pure heart that reflects God’s perfect love for us. – Dave Branon

I want the love that always sweetly bears, Whate’er my Father’s hand may choose to send;
I want the love that patiently endures, The wrongs that come from enemy or friend. – Anon.

True love has no strings attached.

(Also read: 1Corinthians13, Ezekiel16-17, James3)

Here’s another one of the oldies, people.  A heartbreaking story of what a parent can do for his/her child.

My mom only had one eye. I hated her. She was such an embarrassment. She cooked for students & teachers to support the family. There was this one day during elementary school when my mom came to say hello to me. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school one of my classmates said, ‘Eeeww! Your mom only has one eye!’

I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom to just disappear. I confronted her that day and said, ‘If you’re only gonna make me a laughing stock, why don’t you just die?’

My mom did not respond . . . . .

I didn’t even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings. I wanted out of that house and have nothing to do with her. So I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad to study, then I got married. I bought a house of my own. I had kids of my own. I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts. Then one day, my mother came to visit me. She hadn’t seen me in years and she didn’t even meet her grandchildren.

When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, ‘How dare you come to my house and scare my children! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!’

And to this, my mother quietly answered, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address’, and she disappeared out of sight. One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house so I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity.

My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

My dearest son,

I think of you all the time. I’m sorry that I came to your house and scared your children. I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I’m sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up. You see . . . . . when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.

With all my love to you,
Your mother

image from: Paul Henri

Another great story to make our day, people!  Have a great time reading

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. “Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present.”

image from: Opening your windows

This poem came to my email inbox back in 2001, few weeks after the 9-11 attack in America.  It said that this poem is dedicated to all the victims of the September 11 suicide attack.  I believe, though, that this also applies to all of us who were not victims of the 9-11.  So people, reflect on and review your life to see how well things are going . . . . .

If I knew it would be the last time
That I’d see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
And pray the Lord your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
That I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
And call you back for more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
So I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
To stop and say ‘I love you’,
Instead of assuming you would know I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I’m sure you’ll have so many more,
So I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there’s always tomorrow
To make up for an oversight,
And we always get a second chance
To make everything just right.

There will always be another day
To say ‘I love you’,
And certainly there’s another chance
To say our ‘Anything I can do?’

But just in case I might be wrong,
And today is all I get,
I’d like to say how much I love you
And I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
Young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
You get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you’re waiting for tomorrow,
Why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
You’ll surely regret the day,
That you didn’t take that extra time
For a smile, a hug or a kiss
And you were too busy to grant someone
What turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
And whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
And that you’ll always hold them dear.

Take time to say ‘I’m sorry’,
‘Please forgive me’, ‘Thank you’, or ‘It’s okay’
And if tomorrow never comes,
You’ll have no regrets about today.

NOTE:  Upon googling for the author, I found out that there are different versions of this poem and that there are different people who claim to have written this, so I don’t know whom to give credit to.
image from: Yonick’s profile at Zedge

Our Daily Bread today . . . . .

The Bug Zoo
The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer. - Proverbs30:25

A bug zoo in Philadelphia with more than 100,000 live insects entertain 75,000 visitors a year. The Insectarium’s founder and proprietor says, ‘I’ve got a million more bugs still in storage.’ He points to boxes, cookie tins and other containers piled floor-to-ceiling, filled with dead bugs from around the globe. Movies, holograms, microscopes and games keep people of all ages occupied. There’s even a scale to weigh yourself in ladybugs, fireflies and other creatures.

In Proverbs30, a wise man named Agur also showcases insects and other small creatures. He calls them small but very wise.

Look at the ant. He’s weak, but his Creator has taught him to use whatever strength he has to prepare for the future. Consider the locust. He has no king, but when his numbers multiply, God has taught him how to line up and move as one. Look at the spider. He too is a lowly creature, but by using the ability God gives him, he rises to high places.

Do you sometimes feel small and insignificant like an insect? When you do, remember that God showcases His wisdom and greatness through even the smallest things. That’s because His ’strength is made perfect in weakness’ (2Cor.12:9). - Mart De Haan

Inadequate but mighty - How strange, yet wholly true;
Weak men endued with power, The Lord’s blest work shall do. - Bosch

God’s wisdome is given to those who humbly ask Him for it.

(Also read: Proverbs30:24-28, Psalms126-128, 1Corinthians10:19-33)

This one is from my collection again. This goes out to the people who think they have made the right choices, but in reality, they are just one of the people described below. This is true for the younger earthlings who can’t tell right from wrong, reality from fantasy and real love from infatuation. Try to understand what is written here, then reflect. Is it really love you’re clinging to right now . . . . ?

Somebody once told me that ‘Finding the right person is very hard and very wrong. It is best to be the right person for the one you love and start from there. You’ll always end up disappointed when you set standards and define a ‘right person’ for you. And don’t rush things . . . . . ‘coz somewhere somehow, God is preparing somebody for you’.

It’s really hard to say goodbye though, but you can’t make it any better by just pretending you still have the same feelings. Try to let go and give yourself a chance to live life to the fullest. Give yourself a chance to grow and give your heart a much needed attention. Then you will find that you have made the right decision and you made it all by yourself. More frequently than not, we all act in a hypocritical manner for some reason.

We call it love when we can’t leave someone and see them crying as we try to let go. We are wrong, it’s just pity.

We call it love when we’re too attached and think that losing the one we love will somehow make us weak and unable to face the storms of life. We misunderstood, it’s just that we’re too much dependent to them.

We call it love when we give our whole life to them, the wholeness of us and imagined that if they leave, no one would accept us and our past. We are mistaken, it’s just insecurity.

But no matter what the definition is, the truth still remains that love isn’t something you can buy nor beg. It is real and existing. You can’t touch it but you can feel it in your heart. You can’t find it, but it will knock before you when you least expect it to come. It can make you the happiest soul in heaven, but don’t forget that it also can make you the most miserable person in the whole galaxy.

image from: Public Domain Images