Pathways (Haiku)

Image credit: Frail

my child, don't be scared

i'll always be here for you

i believe in you

your eyes speak volumes

i see high hopes and big dreams

let me fly with you

on those narrow paths

ahead of you, take my hand

i shall walk with you

i am here to guide

i do not seek to impose

let me be your light

don't mind what they say

take that step and don't look back

this is your journey

your heart is the key

follow what makes you happy

that's all that matters

© Bing (PinkLady) 2010

Posted for Sensational Haiku Wednesday 
Next week’s theme: Direction

A Sunshine Poem From My Daughter and Sensational Haiku Wednesday

 I came home late one night and found a cute handmade card tucked under my laptop. It was from my daughter Jazzy...

Her very touching message left me teary-eyed. Attached to the card is a poem which she wrote for me a year ago (she decided to share it with me only now). It goes like this...

SUNSHINE

It gives us light,
even in the darkest of night
It's always something to look forward to everyday
since it lights up our way.

We wake up in its sunny ray
and instantly say or think "it'll be a good day."
Living positively, as always,
as happy as can be, is what God says.

White or yellow, it's never the same
for God is the one who keeps it tame.
Even in the smallest of amount
it always makes us happy even just an ounce.

At the back of the paper where her poem was written, there was a postscript:

"Treasure this while I'm still a good teenage girl. LOL! :D I'm turning 14 already so please bear with me because it is natural for me to want to go out with friends like ahia (big bro) does [to GMall, Victoria Plaza, SM, sometimes NCCC]. Especially this summer! Love ya!!! -Jazzy-"

Kids do have a sense of humor and they can be so clever and creative if they want (or need) to. See those highlighted letters on the poem? They read: "I love you."

Oh Jazzy, I am so impressed... BUT the answer is still NO. Lol!!! Just kidding... :-* Of course, you can go out with your friends as long as I know where you are, who you are with and you keep me posted always. You're a big girl now and I trust you. You know the rules, right?

I love you too, princess!!!

SENSATIONAL HAIKU WEDNESDAY

longingly she waits

sweet melodic tune at heart

 soon he will be home...

The basics:

Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!). Traditionally about nature, we certainly don’t need to stick to that theme. In fact, we have a different theme every week!

Jenn of You know... that Blog?, thanks for hosting

Sensational Haiku Wednesday... 

Life's Little Pleasures

Life's magic is everywhere...
You just have to open your eyes a little wider
And take a closer look at the world around you.
Don't worry about where you have been.
Watch your future unfold
Filled with dreams of where you are going.
-Deanna Beisser-

As we were about to sleep one evening, 13-year-0ld Jazzy said "thank you, Ma." I asked what she was thanking me for. She replied: "For all the lessons you have taught us."

She then proceeded to tell me: "It used to break our hearts to see you crying every night. In fact, every night I prayed to God to please make you happy again. After that, I would thank Him endlessly on those evenings that I didn't see you cry. Isn't it that you taught us to be grateful for little things? But when you finally stopped crying, that was the best gift He gave to us and we couldn't thank Him enough."

10-year-old Jamie agreed and said: "That's true Mommy. We also cried whenever we saw you crying. But now we are happy because you are happy."

Jazmine added: "See, you taught us to be positive all the time... even on those times when there was no reason at all to be happy about."

I remember that dark period so well. It was then when I thought my family would never see the colors around us again. Everything was pitch black. There was total darkness. In fact, my kids' tears would flow every night as I forced them to recall what they had to be thankful for at the end of the day. I felt their pain because, like them, it was also impossible for me to see or think beyond my grief.

As our gratitude list started getting longer, we began to smile again.

Now these kids say "thank you" for the littlest favor, gesture or gift. A movie that made them feel good, a dinner treat at McDonald's (they know I already hate going there), a walk in the mall, a surprise shopping treat and other little pleasant surprises -- I always get a big hug and a "thank you."

But to be thanked for the lessons in life that they have learned from me... that is the best compliment I have ever received!


Blessings to all ,

The Birds And The Bees In The News

News of a sex scandal has rocked this country for over a week now. The scandal arose from the sex videos that were taken by a popular cosmetic surgeon/actor during his sexual trysts with unsuspecting women/girlfriends, some of whom are well known celebrities like him. He admits to owning at least 40 of such videos but claims innocence in distributing and spreading them in the internet and the DVD circuit.

So when you see this kind of controversy every night on primetime tv news, how do you explain it to your pre-teen and teenage kids? Do you tell them to stop watching the news? Or do you awkwardly attempt to explain how the birds and the bees found their way in videos and the news?

We can’t be with our kids all the time. Eventually they will have to face the world on their own. It’s not easy to let go but if we have armed them with the right ammunition to fight their future battles, we can sit back later and trust their judgment.

This scandal gave me the best opportunity to discuss with my girls about the most dreaded topic for parents, that is, sex.

In a country like ours that is ruled by old beliefs and traditional values, sex before marriage is totally unacceptable. NOT that it’s not happening here. We just don’t talk about it. Having come from a more open-minded generation, I am quite aware of what reality is.

I gave a long lecture on finishing their studies first to broaden their options. Along the way, they would be able to define the kind of man that they would want to spend the rest of their lives with. The higher they go, the higher their standards would be. But they will lose this chance if they trust the wrong person early on. By “trusting”, I meant having a boyfriend. Lol! Now isn’t that a subtle way of brainwashing?

As I always tell them, they can do something really stupid only once and that can ruin their lives forever. That includes putting their trust on the wrong person. In this world of technology, a simple kiss taken on video could mean the end of one’s future, career, relationship or marriage.

That also includes the wrong choice of friends. Friends can either make or break them. Friends can also lead them to drugs. See, isn’t that a convenient segue? That’s hitting two birds- sex and drugs- with one stone.

It’s still a long road ahead of me. After becoming a single parent, I have learned to discuss the most sensitive topics with my kids like I’m talking about the latest craze in town. I am left with no choice. If I talk in riddles, how would it get the message across? I do hope that this opportunity has not been wasted. But it will take years for me to know how they will fight their personal battles. I just hope that when that time comes, they are already fully armed with the life lessons I have instilled in them.

Blessings to all,