Embracing Sunshine's Warmth This Christmas

It used to be that there were 5 periods in a year (after January 25, 2005) when I fell into deep depression... no matter how I tried to fight it, it just sent me spiraling down without warning. Fortunately, I have learned how to bounce back easily through the years. Awareness has made me more conscious of and in touch with my emotions. I don't allow myself to go through dark periods anymore if and when I can help it.

Christmas was one of those periods.

Not this time though. Christmas this year will be bright and sunny for me.

The sun that's shining in my life now is brighter than anything I have known. Its warm rays touched my life like no other... So warm and so bright that I can hear the Christmas carols and appreciate the little light bulbs that adorn the trees AGAIN.

As one song goes, "endings are beginnings of beautiful things." But life never really stopped being beautiful, did it? I am so glad I can see its beauty once more... and that's because the sun's glow proved too bright to ignore.

Sunshine on Christmas... I can't wait.

Think of what we have and NOT of what we don't have...

Have a Great Christmas!

The Butterfly Story ~ A Lesson In Life... A Christmas Message

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it had and it could go no further.

Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.

This story has been retold so many times. But since it is Christmas season already, it pays to remind everyone that the only way to live a truly meaningful and satisfying life is by learning how to count your blessings despite the hardships, adversities and struggles that you are going through. Remember, no one is spared from them.

"I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet."

It is all a matter of attitude (the right one at that).

"If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul."

By looking at your challenges as blessings in disguise, you get to act positively and more objectively. However, if you continue to dwell on the hard knocks, wallow in self-pity and get on the blame game, not only would you NOT be able to get your act together but you will also end up with long-term deleterious effects on your mind and body.

So when the going gets rough, remember (and never forget!) that you are made of tougher stuff that can keep you going.

Think of what we have and NOT of what we don't have...

Have a Great Christmas!

Once Upon A Christmas Eve

The year was 1982. I was 15. He was 17. [Wait, doesn't that remind you of "Endless Love", the movie?] I had known him for over a year already but he started pursuing me as soon as I turned 15 in June of that same year.

Those were the days when people still listened to the radio. I remember DXGE and DXUM on the AM Band where the hopeless romantics dedicated songs for their loved ones and love wannabe's. It was some sort of a status symbol then to hear your name mentioned on air because someone wanted you to hear his or her song for you.

And then one day, I heard the DJ mention my name. I didn't move and waited with abated breath. The song was "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love" by Rita Coolidge. It was from James. He was saying goodbye at that time because I told him I was too young to entertain suitors. My Mom was my co-conspirator in evading his telephone calls.

Came Christmas Eve 1982. He had a proposition- give it a try for a week. He said, if it didn't work out then I was free to walk away on the first day of January. I thought that was fair enough. After all, his persistent telephone calls had already caught the ire of my very strict Dad. If I agreed to his offer, I would be able to control the time of his calls.

At exactly midnight, I said YES. And the rest was history. No, it didn't end on New Year 1983. The original agreement was extended indefinitely such that my Dad had to banish me to Manila for college after finding out about James.

The much coveted UP (Los Banos) admission was junked for another state university where I had an aunt who could monitor my class schedules. I was placed in a dormitory that had a 9 p.m. curfew with very strict restrictions on visitors. My Dad was so paranoid that he was in Manila to check on me almost twice a month for 5 long years.

1982 was also the year that Lionel Richie (formerly of The Commodores) released his debut solo single "Truly" which became our signature song that continues to haunt me to this day.

Even after we got married 11 years later (March 1994), Christmas was the special anniversary we never forgot to celebrate. My Dad was wrong. I did not only finish college but law school as well. James cheered me on as I went on to achieve what I wanted in life. That was 9 years of schooling and the 10th year was my Bar review class. The result of the Bar exams was released and I took my oath on the same month that I became his wife. He patiently waited until I was ready. He became the "Wind Beneath My Wings." My number one fan.

Please don't get me wrong here. I no longer dwell on the past. I don't feel pain anymore when I remember him. It is true that the pain lessens in time. It was not a perfect relationship. We had our own ups and downs. But I realize now that it was the imperfection of our relationship that made it all too perfect. 22 years and we practically grew up together. There were a lot of good memories there to last me a lifetime. And too many lessons that I have painfully learned.

PS. Guess what suddenly played on the radio as I am editing this post... our song TRULY! See Janet, love indeed transcends death.

Merry Christmas to Everyone!!!