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!

His Bike Is His Passion

When my son first asked my permission to join the Bike for Peace, I said NO. He did mention that it was going to cover the distance of 30 kilometers and that immediately sent my heart racing. My only question was, "are you going to use the highway?" He answered "yes" so I said "no!"

When I asked that question, his initial reaction was something like "duh!" Lol! It was a stupid question after all and he knew where it was leading to. He eventually shrugged his shoulder and retreated to his room.

Feeling guilty about it, I summoned him back and asked realistic (albeit more appropriate) questions like who he was biking with, what time would he leave and what time would I expect him back. His answers didn't make sense to me but at that point, I only needed a basis to reconsider my first decision. I knew how important his biking is to him and this was his first time to join a group of serious bikers.

So on November 30 (Monday, a holiday here), he left our house at 6:00 a.m. which is his usual time to go biking on weekends and holidays. As the hours passed, I had to fight the urge to send him sms asking where he was. Do you have any idea how hard it was to stop myself from worrying that morning?

I was so relieved to see him home before noon.

Before I could speak though, he proudly showed me his certificate. As I read it, I couldn't help but beam with pride.

"The bearer has proven endurance for the cause of harmony, peace and progress in our country."

It finally made sense to me. He did mention "Bike for Peace" when he asked permission but I guess I wasn't really listening. Neither did I equate or associate it with the cause that everyone here is clamoring and fighting for now. After all, he is just a 15-year-old kid.

But even 15 year olds have their own opinion. The children have seen on the news how almost 60 people have been brutally killed. My own son believes that justice has been denied to us when his father met his untimely end almost 5 years ago. This has got to stop, he said. What better way to express it than joining an activity closest to his heart! I guess this is his own little way of helping, not us, but those whose lives (and families) stand to be spared if the injustice around us finally stops.