Breathless Beauty

 

Hold your breath, the world unfolds,

In silver whispers, tales retold.

Pause the rush, feel the weight,

Life’s a song we can’t recreate.

Every moment, pure and bright,

A flicker caught in morning light.

Hush the noise, still the sound,

Beauty blooms all around.

Air is thin, yet life’s so deep,

Secrets linger where we leap.

Every breath a spark, a chance,

To catch the rhythm, join the dance.

So hold it close, then let it fly,

This fragile breath, a soft goodbye.

In each heartbeat, wild and free—

Life’s a gift, a mystery.

A pocketful of sunshine and 

Poetry Prompt:

Life As It Is

 

Life as it is—a beautiful mess, a patchwork of sorrow, love, and rest.

A pocketful of sunshine and 

In Hindsight...

Image by Broquart Photography

It has been a beautiful life...

TRULY BEAUTIFUL!

It's not all about wealth.

It's not about what you have.

It's not about the size of your house.

Or the brand of your car.

It's not about the beautiful things you own.

It's not about your title or 

the brand of your clothes, bags and shoes.

Life is all about finding

PEACE OF MIND...

Learning to love unconditionally...

Giving without expecting anything in return...

Life is about finding your worth

and knowing you are ENOUGH...

Life is about the relationships you have formed,

the lives you have touched...

Life is about being content with what you have

and finding happiness in what you do...

Life is about KNOWING that you love what you do

and that you are where your heart is...

Life is about learning the lessons 

that each heartbreak taught you...

Life is about the people around you 

and knowing that you have served them well...

Life is about making the people you love HAPPY that you are in their lives...

Life is all about Faith, Hope, Strength, Courage and Wisdom...

It's all about Love... Contentment... Peace...

Life is finding meaning and making a difference in your own little way...

Life is all about Living and Loving and Coping...

Life is PERFECT the way things are...

And that is why LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!

☀️☀️☀️

Thank you, Lord, for everything. 

A pocketful of sunshine to you all! 

The Quest

Image by Helen Korpak on Flickr

an insatiable urge

this enigmatic quest 

a calling i cannot digest

profound yearning

gnaws at my core

until i can bear no more

yet this voice i hear

speaks softly like a song

whispering where i belong

a journey of sacred voyage

to the hills yonder and far beyond

i see no drifter nor vagabond

© Bing Yap [PinkLady] 2014

A pocketful of sunshine and 

Posted for Poets United Mid Week Motif ~ Hunger

Remembering James… 9 Years Later...

JAMES LAO YAP (JIMMY)

September 11, 1965 - January 25, 2005

I can’t believe how fast time flies. Today, we commemorate the 9th year of our loss. It all seems like yesterday- the panic, the frantic search, the grief, the anger and bitterness, the confusion, that excruciating inner pain… They are still clear in my mind. 

9 years ago, our world was covered in darkness. A dark nebula hovered above us- day by day, week by week, month by month that turned into years. 

But we (my kids and I) refused to live in murky existence. One day at a time, we took baby steps towards finding the Light again. We resolved that our own lives were not going to end miserably. We decided that having each other was more than enough blessing to keep us going. And so, our journey towards the path of gratitude began…

Yes, it’s true. Happiness is a choice. For us, it was a decision we had to make each day of our existence until such time that it became a habit. The last 9 years have opened our eyes even to the smallest manna from heaven. In everything, we learned to give thanks. Because now we know, everything that happens- whether good or bad- HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

December 2013

Back in 2007

A pocketful of sunshine and 

The First Fully Automated Election Experience

Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) Machine

May 10, 2010- Everyone was jittery. After all, this was the first time that the country was holding fully automated elections. I went around the polling places of Kidapawan City (my assigned area) not long after they opened. The throng of people impressed me. There were already long queues outside the clustered precincts.

 Early morning scene at a polling place in Kidapawan City.

 Rain didn't stop the people from casting their votes.

The PPCRV desks in polling places were a welcome relief for people who had no idea at all which precinct they belonged to. Those desks were manned by volunteers, some of whom were still too young to vote but were determined to make a difference in their own little way.

An early morning huddle at a PPCRV volunteers' desk.

They were early for a reason... they didn't know where to go, that's why.

I wonder if this ambulance became useful that day but it was a relief to see one nearby.

After going around several polling places, my next stop was the Kidapawan City Hall. I stood in awe in front of the huge structure. Even the parking lot was impressively large with nice landscaping.

Kidapawan City Hall's pretty facade

The City Board of Canvassers (CBOC) convened at the Session Hall at around mid-day for the initialization process . They reconvened at 6:00 p.m. to await the transmission of results. But since the voting was extended until 7 p.m., transmission was also delayed. I was blessed with 2 hours of sleep that evening before my cellphone started ringing. That was my cue to rush back to the session hall.

 The screen inside the session hall showed the transmission status of each polling place in Kidapawan  City.

Except for technical glitches on two PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) machines in my area, the counting and canvassing went smoothly well. Two days later, the winning candidates in the city were proclaimed. My client's proclamation as new governor of the province was made soon after.

May 12, 2010 - When I finally got home, my son excitedly narrated his own experiences as a PPCRV volunteer here in Davao City. I felt a sense of pride as I listened, knowing how big and important a role the PPCRV played to ensure the success of the first automated elections in the country. Although I was away, we were in touch through sms during the entire process. That's short of saying I was constantly checking on him, worrying about the worst that could happen while he made his rounds.


 May 15, 2010 (Saturday) - As I promised my kids, we had a belated Mothers' Day celebration. Dinner treat at one of their favorite restaurants and a movie date (the super hilarious local movie entitled "Here Comes The Bride") at the cinema. We all went home with big smiles on our faces.

May 18, 2010 - 8 days after the local and national elections, all 12 senators have already been proclaimed. Hopefully, the proclamation of the apparent winner in the presidential race will also happen soon so we could all move on.

Today - It has been 19 days since the first fully automated elections here but it was one experience that my son and i will share forever. We have our I.D.'s to remind us that we both served important roles in this historic democratic process of the country.

Mabuhay ang lahat ng Pilipino!

Sunshine In Her Ravaged Soul

 

 She lay on the bed, her eyes closed as if sleeping

I didn't mean to wake her 

But when she heard my voice

She forced a smile as if to reassure me

That she was okay.

I was there to visit her

But she was first to ask how I was doing

I meant to ask but she carried on

And I ended up blabbering

About my new job and my new life.

She gave a hearty laugh at my jokes

She was her usual bubbly self

We talked about her treatment

And how she is looking forward to next month

When we need to fulfill our work commitment

She apologized that she cannot join us

You see, we have an important meeting tomorrow

I assured her that we, her friends, will take care of it

She smiled and showed contentment

Then excitedly discussed again our forthcoming assignment.

I went there with a heavy heart

Scared, knowing how cancer has ravaged her delicate body

She has fought well and is fighting still

Every time I see her she speaks with pride

About all the new medications she has tried.

It's radiation this time, she said

You see, lesions were found on her spine

She finds it funny how she always took her legs for granted

Realizing her folly only after

Her limbs went numb.

I blew her a kiss before I left  

And she blew one back at me

Upon seeing this exchange

Her mom beamed with pride

In her heart, she knows her child will be alright

I couldn't help but smile 

The visit was not what I expected it to be

She left no room for pity

She is embracing all of life

Or what remains of it

She is like the sun 

Whose rays brightly glow

Amidst the dark clouds

That try to hide its glory

Truly a sight to behold

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your heart.

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens."
-Carl Jung-

It was in Cebu City where I found this gem of a book. There must have been more than a thousand books in Fully Booked but I had no intention of buying anything because it has been ages since I last finished a book.

As always, I looked for the "inspirational" section and found it on the second floor. Then I saw a book that had a funny but interesting title - "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams And Reaching Your Destiny" by Robin S. Sharma.

It wasn't the beautiful cover that caught my attention but my favorite author's comment: "A captivating story that teaches as it delights.- Paulo Coelho"

So I checked the synopsis on the back cover, which read:

"Here is the story of Julian Mantle, a superstar lawyer whose out-of-balance lifestyle leads him to a near-fatal heart attack in a packed courtroom. His physical collapse brings him into a spiritual crisis that forces him to confront the condition of his life. Hoping to find happiness and fulfillment, he embarks upon an extraordinary odyssey to an ancient culture, where he discovers a powerful system to release the potential of his mind, body and soul and learns to live with passion, purpose and peace..."

That did it. With no second thoughts, I went straight to the cashier.

This is the story of a man whose old life mirrored mine (my old life, that is). I can perfectly relate to these words in describing that existence:

"My many years in the conservative legal world, doing the same things every day with the same people who thought the same thoughts every day had filled my cup to the brim..."

"I couldn't remember the last time I had read a book that didn't deal with law. The profession was my life. I began to realize that the sterile world I had grown accustomed to had dulled my creativity and limited my vision."

"To be really honest with you, most days I wish I could just stay under the covers. It would be so much better than facing the traffic, the angry clients, the aggressive opponents and the ceaseless flow of negative influences. It all makes me feel so tired."

This was exactly the same realization that led me to leave the only world I have known in my entire professional life. I am no superstar lawyer with a flamboyant lifestyle and exaggerated courtroom theatrics, like this book's protagonist. But then, I would still have easily ended up just like him - "He collapsed right in the middle of a packed courtroom" - as the spark of life in me started to flicker.

No new principles were taught in this book. In fact, they would all be familiar to you if you have read books on self-help and spirituality in the past. But what made it unique was the way Robin S. Sharma crafted his tale, weaving therein the age-old teachings on living a simple life with greater balance, strength, courage and abundance of joy, and making that story linger in the minds of his readers.

Here are some of my favorite quotes (lessons) from this book:


"It is only when you have mastered the art of loving yourself that you can truly love others. It's only when you have opened your own heart that you can touch the hearts of others."


"We might not be able to control the weather or the traffic or the moods of all those around us. But, we most certainly can control our attitude towards these events. We all have the power to determine what we will think about in any given moment. This ability is part of what makes us human."


"An event that appears to be a tragedy to one might reveal the seeds of unlimited opportunity to another. What really separates people who are habitually upbeat and optimistic from those who are consistently miserable is how the circumstances of life are interpreted and processed."


"No matter what happens to you in your life, you alone have the capacity to choose your response to it. When you form the habit of searching for the positive in every circumstance, your life will move into its highest dimensions."


"There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only opportunities to grow, learn and advance along the road of self-mastery. From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher."

"How can you really know the joy of being on the summit of the mountain unless you have first visited the lowest valley?"

Happy New Year!

New journeys await you. Decisions lie ahead, wondering...
what you will do... where you will go...
how you will choose when the choices are yours.

Remember that good decisions come back to bless you, over and over again.
Work for the ability to choose wisely, to prosper, to succeed.
Listen with your heart as well as your head, to the glimmers of truth that provide advice and inspiration.
And let those truths take you to beautiful places.

Touch the sky, and in your reach,
Believe, Achieve and Aspire.


I hope your tomorrows take you to the summit of your goals,
and your joys take you even higher.

Life's Magical Moments

The truly magical moments in life
are those special times that seem to happen
when we least expect them, but need them the most.
If you are willing to let positive things
randomly occur in your life,
unique situations will happen
precisely when the time is right.

Call it destiny... or fate...
or anything else you want to name it --
that's the magic I am talking about.
It's those "out of the blue" moments,
like falling helplessly in love
when you vowed never to again,
getting a second chance
when you've already had three,
or finding out someone cares about you
the way you care about them.

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.
Give your smile away to the people you meet
and watch your future unfold
filled with dreams of where you are going.


By: Deanna Beisser,
Author of "What Tomorrow Will Bring"

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!