He still moves stones

It was one of those lazy hazy Sunday where you stayed in bed the whole day. I took the opportunity to read a 'Note from Max Lucado' on Strength.

An example of faith was found on the walls of a concentration camp. On it a prisoner had carved the words:

I believe in the sun, even though it doesn't shine,
I believe in love, even when it isn't shown,
I believe in God, even when he doesn't speak.

I try to imagine the person who etched those words. I try to envision his skeletal hand gripping the broken glass or stone that cut into the wall. I try to imagine his eyes squinting through the darkness as he carved each letter.

What hand could have seen good in such horror?
There is only one answer: Eyes that chose to see the unseen.

Don't Quit

I just finished my classes for the day and decided it's time for some poetry. Edgar Guest wrote a beautiful poem about not quitting. When times are tough, take heart and believe that everything will be alright.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit - rest if you must,
but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about when he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow - you may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering man;
often the struggler has given up when he might have captured the victor's cup;
and he learned too late when the night came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out - the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and when you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar;
so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - it's when things seem worst,
you must not quit.

A tough tuesday

Today was judgement day so to speak at work. I'm glad I managed to express all that's in my heart. Just wish things didnt have to go down this way. Perhaps there are no coincidences in life; that things had to happen this way in order for me to move on. It makes me question - Are coincidences in our life part of our destiny?

I remember reading a short but interesting story that pretty much sums up this question.

There was an old man who had a dream one night that he would be protected from a ravaging storm that would engulf his whole village.

The next day, as expected, a terrible storm came to his region. The first day a neighbor of his offered help for him to flee – help that he denied since he was sure God was going to help him.
The second day, when he had to take refuge in the second floor of his house given that the waters had taken over all of the first floor, a rescue team came to his house and offered him to get out of there – help that he again refused given that God had promised him to get out of there.
The third day came a helicopter to rescue him but he was adamant that God was going to save him.
Not long after he drowned and died. Once in heaven he complained to God: “why didn’t you help me as you promised?”
To which God replied: ” I sent your neighbor, a rescue squad and even a helicopter to which you simply declined!”

Things are written, but you need to be attentive to the signs that constantly try to remind you that life wishes you to be “saved”. And salvation is the path that leads you to your dream, your fulfillment in this life.

Hope

Today, my mind is on Hope. The dictionary defines hope as a tendency of the spirit to consider something as probable. Hope is expectation of and desire of receiving; refraining from despair and capability of not giving up.

In Christian philosophy, 'Hope' is one of the theological virtues associated with salvation. Lack of hope may give place to despair or cynicism.

I place my trust in Hope that all will go as I expect it to this coming week. That there will be no endings, only new beginning.

Ancient Greek philosophy tells an interesting story about Hope. In one of the classic myths of the Creation, one of the gods, furious at the fact that Prometheus stole fire and in doing so gave men their independence, sends Pandora to marry her brother Epimetheus. Pandora brings along a box, which she is forbidden to open. However, just as happens to Eve in the Christian myth, her curiosity gets the better of her: she raises the lid to see what is inside, and at this moment all the troubles of the world spill out and spread all over the Earth. Only one thing remains inside: Hope, the only arm to combat the misfortune that has scattered throughout the world.

I dream of you

Today I woke up with a heavy heart. I've not had a dream of Ron since my last birthday. It's almost a year now. Last night he came into my dream...gave me a big hug and spoke to me. I'm thinking why now...after almost a year. What do you want me to know?
Sadly, with the memory I have, I can't recall my conversation with him but I can remember his tight hug and what it felt like. The look on his gorgeous face and his cheeky smile as he looked at me.

This morning I couldn't help myself and I browse through Ron's sisters' photos and came across the latest adorable shots of his niece and his godson. Can't believe they have grown so much and Ron has not been a part of their lives since his passing.

I haven't cried so long for you, Ron. Today I cried. I'm thinking it must be so hard for them for not having you in their lives. Life passes without you in it.
Let me pretend that I never lost you, that I don't long for your touch. I will forever keep you in the pocket of my mind, in the depths of my soul. But I'm begging you for my sanity...
Teach me; let me, let go.

Morning Read

It's a Monday morning...I braved through traffic to get to work bright and early though I'm feeling a tad unwell.

Anyhow, I'm spending my time reading not for pleasure but more for my personal development & also for work. So started reading this article on "the Strength of Media Impact" and discovered that a research conducted by Herrett-Skjellum & Allen in 1996 pointed out that media may be especially strong for the heaviest media users. They argued that television's heaviest viewers (compared to the lightest viewers) are almost twice as likely to hold sexist attitudes.

So spend more time reading and less on tv....

Love your path

After lunch is my favourite time to spend reading leisurely on short stories & phrases, etc, cos it's so much harder to get back to work immediately.

Today I read something that reflect what I've been thinking constantly. It's about the path I have chosen.

The path begins with a crossroads. There you can stop and think what direction to follow. But don’t spend too much time thinking or you’ll never leave the spot. Reflect a lot on the choices that lie ahead, but once you have taken the first step, forget the crossroads for ever or else you will always torture yourself with the useless question: “did I take the right path?”

Honor your path. It was your choice, your decision, and just as you respect the ground you step on, that ground will respect your feet. Always do what is best to conserve and keep your path and it will do the same for you.

Love your path. Without this, nothing makes any sense.

Chester: The Polar Bear

Monday is always a day where we try our best to get back into the rhythm of the working week. Today is especially hard for me cos I had to work during the weekend so I had no recovery time.

I took a break from my work this afternoon and was browsing through amazing Nat Geo shots of animals. They always look so graceful and polished when they appear on the covers of Nat Geo. I wonder why??

That's when I came across Chester: the terribly adorable Polar Bear. Now, he/she is not actually named Chester but I'm gonna name him/her Chester cos he/she does look like an adorable 'Chester' to me & this is my post so I can call this polar bear whatever I wish.
Chester looks so peaceful and I wish I could cuddle up with Chester especially on a cold and rainy day like today.

I was intrigued with Chester and decided a little research is needed to understand 'Chester' and other similar ones.
I discovered that 'Chester' is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak bear, which is approximately the same size.

The 'Chesters' of the world are natives within the Arctic circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. Male 'chesters' weighs around 350–680 kg (770–1,500 lb) while an adult female is about half that size.
They are huge beyond words, maybe wanting to cuddle them is not a good idea after all, I could be crushed to death.

The polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species, with 8 of the 19 polar bear subpopulations in decline. So if we are not careful with global warming; the beautiful, graceful 'Chesters' may become extirpated within 100 years.

Brida - choosing the path

I wanna share a touching tale that warms the heart especially for those who are confused and are seeking the right path in life. We are always questioning ourselves (I know I do) whether the chosen path is the appropriate one to take. This story reflects this sentiment...

Brida is a real story of a young girl learning to follow the Tradition of the Moon.

Choosing a path meant having to miss out on others. She had a whole life to live, and she was always thinking that, in the future, she might regret the choices she made now.

“I’m afraid of committing myself,” she thought to herself.
She wanted to follow all possible paths and so ended up following none. After her first romantic disappointment, she had never again given herself entirely. She feared pain, loss, and separation.

These things were inevitable on the path to love, and the only way of avoiding them was by deciding not to take that path at all.
In order not to suffer, you had to renounce love. It was like putting out your own eyes not to see the bad things in life.

Ever since time began, people have recognized their true Love by the light in their eyes.

“When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.”

“Don’t bother trying to explain your emotions. Live everything as intensely as you can and keep whatever you felt as a gift from God. The best way to destroy the bridge between the visible and invisible is by trying to explain your emotions.”

“But how will I know who my Soulmate is?” Brida felt that this was one of the most important questions she had ever asked in her life.
“By taking risks” she said to Brida. ‘ By risking failure, disappointment, disillusion, but never ceasing in you search for Love. As long as you keep looking, you will triumph in the end.”

Thought of the day: Nothing is completely wrong. Even a broken watch is right twice a day.

A Student Like Calvin

It's the weekend, my sister left for Sydney yesterday and I'm all alone until she returns hopefully in a couple of months. I spent the day resting and reading before the week begins tomorrow. I was wondering what type of students will come into my life when the semester begins, especially at the new place.

As I was reading Calvin & Hobbes strip, I now know the type I like to have in class. Without a doubt the classes will be very challenging and tiring but never a bore. Everyday would be a surprise and I would not know what to expect with a student like Calvin. He will put a smile on my face.

Different language, different understanding

It was a really cold, wet day at the office since the wee hours. To make things worse, the temperature at the office felt like it was sub-zero.

I found it hard to concentrate on work so I read to keep my mind busy. I'm always looking for opportunities to read for pleasure at work when I should be actually working.

Anyway, read this real funny light-hearted story that put a smile on my face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A fervent Buddhist lady made every effort to love others. But every time she went to the market, a merchant made indecent proposals to her.

One rainy morning, when the man bothered her once again, she lost control and hit him on the face with her umbrella.

That same afternoon, she sought out a monk and told him what had happened.
“I am ashamed,” she said. “I couldn’t control my hate.”

“You did wrong to hate him,” answered the monk. ” But life is about communicating our feelings to each other – and you need to understand that people are different”.

“The next time he says something, fill your heart with goodness.

“And hit him again with your umbrella, because that’s the only language he knows.”

Love is Patient. Love is Kind.

I wanna share a very simple, common yet heart-warming words on Love found in the Bible.


Love is patient, love is kind.
Love is never boastful, not conceited, nor rude.
It is not self-seeking, not easily angered.
It keeps no record of wrongdoing,
It does not delight in evil But rejoices in the truth.
It always protects, trusts, hopes, and preserves.
There is nothing love cannot face;
There is no limit to its faith, hope, and endurance.

And now these three remian: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Life is a theatre

I read a very interesting statement today which I like to share...'Life is a theatre. Invite your audience carefully'.

We need to learn to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of our Lives. If we can't change the people around us, then we need to change the people we are around.

Not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives. There are some people in our life that need to be loved from a distance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of, or at least minimise your time with draining, negative, not-going-anywhere relationships and friendships.

A day of absolutely nothing

I love Calvin & Hobbes to bits. Today I spent the day in bed reading and laughing at Calvin's wrong-doings and Hobbes clever responses.

This strip clearly reflects what I did all day..