As Time Goes By...

            Sam asked me if I have written something about them… I honestly answered not yet..  Her query made me realize how time passes swiftly.  I really wanted to compose some  lines about them and as I sit down  in front of the computer I scanned my  cerebrum for memories.

To my surprise,  what crossed the threshold of my mind are their smiles and hardly some…. I  remember that I gave  Patrick a name which I fail to recall what…that I got angry with them  for not making the bottle garden which I was  so exited to demonstrate to them….lost count of how many were exempted from a quiz because it was their  birthday when we had one.. .. Mark wished our subject was akin to his favorite Mathematics… it was Sam who gave me a small lavender pouch with golden hearts which I keep until now..  and the names Earl, Jazzy, Elgen, Jason C, Heinrich, Clarissa, Delna, Adrian, Jessa, Gabriel, Vincent, Jason S., Harry, Princess, Matet, Ysabela, Roielou, Loraine, Rohanni, Eva, Keanchy, Ruby, Karina, Catherine, Ian, Karen,   even Ira and Louise who transferred  and of course Jerald, thank you for making me a winning coach through your hardwork and diligence.

If I failed to mention others, it doesn't mean I cared less for them. It's just that I easily forget names.. I promise to edit this post next time..

Getting older is inevitable and I have to face one of my greatest fears… not able to remember meaningful and happy memoirs of my life.  I'm hopeful to inherit my father's  excellent brain power.  Until his last days he remembers taking his medication on time and prompts us of tasks we forget.

I do exercise my brain to remember names.  It sometimes take weeks for me to recall one… It is a reality that neurons degenerate with age.  and forgetfulness is certain.  We can only wish that though we forget names, places and events, there will always be people who will bring to mind fond memories of the past that will linger and never to be forgotten…. 

As promised I want to add names and names I can recall. Kathleen who opened this page and did not tell me that she is not in the list. Shiryl, Lei, Gayle, Loren, Kimberly, Bianca, Girlyn. 
I'll add to this list next time.....

Behind the laughter

            Have you laughed though your hurting so much?  Well, you're a rare species and I really marvel at you for being one.

            I will my friend… This is what I uttered to myself when a friend said "if only I can write something about what's behind those laughter " ..   Thank you for the inspiration my friend.

I dedicate this article to all who face their problems with a smile and even in the midst of  heartbreaking experiences they  laugh with the world and maintain a happy countenance.

When in a quandary, one can't help but cry in isolation.. and  shut their doors to others. But not  Kim..  My friend is full of admiration for him.  Since his childhood  he's man enough to stand up to what life has offered him. Living away from home with a younger sister, he was  responsible for the two of them. Not many children are trained to be independent at an early age… and with austere needs.

There are  many  "Kims"  around us. Our favorite star may not  show any sadness when on stage because she knows that the show must go on…A  teacher puts on a jovial mask in front of students because of her commitment… A vendor though tired of standing widens her smile as customers wait in queue.. Lots of  cheerful people, so full of life, and yet they strive against all odds.

As I write this,  poignant memories fill my heart.  I realized I'm "Kim" at one point in my life.  How I faced my troubles with laughter that I can't understand  but what I learned  from life is.. Do not let your troubles bring you down,  instead,  magnify your ecstasies.  No matter how dismal your outlook may seem,  there's always that feeling of optimism, of strength and hope.

Be like Kim,  smiling, cheery, mindful of the people who cares and above all believes that our loving Father is with us every inch of the way….  

You can't have it all!

One TV ad has pointed that out.  And I truly affirm it.  We can’t have them all,  but we can be content of what we have and be the best of what  we can be.

Success stories are awe inspiring that we wished we too had the talents and abilities of those we look up to.  Who wouldn’t wish he had the boxing prowess of Manny Pacquiao,  the magic of Efren “Bata” Reyes, the beauty of Julia Roberts, the genius of Albert Einstein and the wisdom of Solomon? 

When I was younger,  after viewing so many James Bond movies, I started kicking here and there  imagining that I was a secret agent.  With Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon,  I too leaped  to be an astronaut.  Curious of people talking and the sound of music in the radio, I was keen on the  inventiveness of Thomas Edison.  A have a heart of a good Samaritan, so I thought  I can be of help to others by becoming a doctor.

 What could have happened that I did not become any of the  things I fancied.  At this point in my life,  I came to realize that with so many wishes,  a lot of dreams,  various opportunities,  one has to work hard, get rid of traits that  serve as stumbling blocks to improving oneself.    I didn’t have the guts to apply as working student instead of quitting.  I was contented with what I believe life has in store for me.  If only I did  not miss those golden chances that could have changed my life completely.. I failed to recognize that  dreams  materialize with open eyes.  That for one to complete a journey, the first single  step must be done.  

Though  the path I travel everyday has humps and cracks, I learned that one can be happy and contented without having any of those things we wanted.  Don’t be deceived that you’re contented because you dwell in your comfort zone.  The secret to genuine happiness says Matthieu Ricard, the happiest man in the world, is to nurture loving kindness,  unconditional love,  an act of generosity with no strings attached…inner peace,  inner strength,  inner contentment.

If only  we made use of the talents and skills God has endowed us.   If only those valuable gifts are not wasted...  Search your  inner self  and uncover your hidden treasures.  Share them to others.. It is through simple acts of kindness that we can  find meaning  and truly appreciate what the Lord has bestowed on us.

If only we have the faith as big as a mustard seed…then we can be truly happy ..  with no worries because as God’s children we have a loving Father who will provide all our needs.  And though life is full of complexities,  one can be happy,  contented  and feel  fulfilled without having them all!

SEVEN REASONS WHY A SCIENTIST BELIEVES IN GOD

Adapted from the article with the same title in the book "Getting the Most out of Life"

I marvel at the complexities in the advancements of the scientific age, yet the uniqueness of nature make known the handiwork of a great Creator.

In the article, A. Cressy Morrison pointed out his reasons and examples for being aware of God's presence:

First:  By answering mathematical law we can prove that our universe was designed and executed by a great engineering Intelligence.

Some examples he gave will establish that there is not one chance in millions that life on our planet is an accident. The earth's distance from the sun is just enough to warm it. The slant of the earth, tilted at 23 degrees, gives our seasons; if it had not been so tilted, vapors from the ocean would move north and south, piling up for us continent of ice.  If the crust of the earth had been only ten feet thicker, there would be no oxygen, without which animal life must die. Or if our atmosphere had been thinner, some of the meteors, now burned in space by millions everyday, would be striking all parts of the earth, setting fires everywhere.

Are you not amazed in the intricate structure of atoms and the ways they are arranged to form the biomolecules?

Second: The resourcefulness of life to accomplish its purpose is a manifestation of all-prevailing Intelligence.

He explained that life, the sculptor, shapes all living things; an artist, it designs every leaf of every tree, and colors every flower. Life is a musician and has taught every bird to sing its love songs, the insects to call each other in the multitude of sounds.  Life is a chemist, giving taste to fruits and spices, and perfume to the rose, changing water and carbon dioxide to sugar and wood, and in so doing, releasing oxygen that animals may have the breath of life.

Third:  An animal wisdom speaks irresistibly of a good Creator who infused instinct into otherwise helpless little creatures.

He pondered on the mystery of what brings the young salmon back to his own river, travels up the very side of the river into which flows the tributary where he was born?  The little eels, with no apparent means of knowing except that they are in a wilderness of water, nevertheless start back and find  their way not only to the very shore from which their parents came but to the rivers, lakes or little ponds- so that each body of water is always populated with eels.

Fourth:  Man has something more than instinct- the power of reason.

He justified that there is no need to give details of this point because no other animal has ever left a record of his ability to count ten, or even to understand the meaning of ten.  Thanks to the human reason we can contemplate the possibility that we are what we are only because we have received a spark of Universal Intelligence.

Fifth: Provision for all living is revealed in phenomena which we know today but which Darwin did not know- the wonders of genes.

He described the ultramicroscopic genes in the chromosomes, found in every living cell are the absolute keys to all human, animal and vegetable characteristics.  How do genes lock up all the normal heredity of a multitude of ancestors and preserve the psychology of each in such an infinitely small space?  How this gene absolutely rule all life on earth is an example of profound cunning and provision that could emanate only from a Creative Intelligence; no other hypothesis will serve.

Sixth:  By the economy of nature, we are forced to realize that only infinite wisdom could have foreseen and prepared with such astute husbandry.

Checks and balances in nature have been universally provided!  He gave details of the relationship between the insects and a species of cactus.  The cactus thrived and proliferated in Australia and destroyed some farms because of their alarming abundance.  Entomologist turned up with an insect which feeds only on the cactus and these animals hold the cactus in check.

Think of nature which can exist on its own with all the cycles of matter in place.  It is only some of man's activities which upset the balance in nature.

Seven:  The fact that man can conceive the idea of God is in itself a unique proof.

Morrison was strong in his faith as he concluded that the conception of God rises from a divine faculty of man,  unshared  with the rest of our world-the faculty we call imagination.  By its power, man and man alone can find the evidence of things unseen.  Indeed, man's perfected imagination becomes a spiritual reality, that God is everywhere and in everything but nowhere so close as in our hearts.

Yes, one can truly affirm God's omnipotence and goodness in  lines of the poem…

All things bright and beautiful the Lord God made them  all!

TOUCHING LIVES

I am reminded of  the dedication at the back of the picture telling me that a teacher touches lives of students for all eternity. This is not only true to teachers but to anyone. One way or another we touch each other’s lives  especially those whom we have meaningful relationship.

            It is for this reason that we should always be mindful of what we say or do. In moments of despair, we will forever be grateful to someone who speak kind words to us to uplift our spirit.  Words of thanks from a stranger whom we offered help give us joy.

            Kind words are never obsolete. Though decades ago I can still recall my teacher commended the essay I wrote.  Since that time, I felt I’m good at writing and I’m making a dream come true in doing this blog… I was traumatized with math, not able to count, add and subtract in front of classmates, I was scolded. But I don’t blame anybody if I  did not become an engineer. God gave me many talents,  being a math wizard  is not one of them.

            Even dogs jump at caring expressions. A gentle pat on the head, calling their names as you pass are acknowledged by  wagging  tails.

True enough, Cheryl Kirking has this to say in her book Ripples of Joy,   

"Offer one small act of kindness and in a moment it is gone

But a hundred ripples circle on and on.

A hundred  ripples circle on and on…"

            

A REASON TO SMILE

It’s normal for one to worry and forget to smile as trials befall.  But it’s no longer healthy for one to be always anxious, lose sleep and be troubled with so many things.

Worrying can make us more susceptible to diseases, use up our energy in unproductive ways, and turn us into a miserable and devastated human being.  There are countless things that this destructive force can do to us.

Are we going to let this destroyer get us when there’s a lot we can do to keep us smiling?  Besides, there’s no medicine that will render life free from worries. The good news is, worry is curable by the individual himself. Yes, it’s only you who can do your own therapy and put an end to your own misery.

Since worry lies in our mind, we should learn how to control our thoughts and put worry in its proper place. Most often our worry is rooted on things that are important to us. We are fearful that if things will happen not the way we wanted it, then, there would be a problem. It is when we allow these unreal “ifs’” to affect us that we begin to worry.  The antidote is to accept worries as part of our life and learn how deal with them. It is in looking at it positively that we can use our energy productively.

A.J. Cronin in his article, Stop Worrying made an estimate of what most people worry about. The list is as follows:  Things that never happen:  40 percent.  Things over and past that can’t be changed by all the worry in the world:  30 percent.  Needless health worries:  12 percent.  Petty miscellaneous worries:  ten percent.  Real, legitimate worries:  eight percent.

Look carefully on the things that worry you most.  Maybe some of them can be eliminated. Face genuine worries with a brave heart and be prepared to sacrifice. Getting part time job during financial crisis can help. Cutting down needs to the least we can is another. You’ll be surprised to see that there are so many things you can live without.

One of the best solutions to stop worrying is work.  Keep yourself busy. Enjoy walking your pet.  Do gardening at home.  Talk to neighbors.  Read everything at hand such as old letters, anything… the Bible. The more idle time we spend, the greater is the chance that we worry.

Finally, why should we worry when we have Someone we can hold on to in times of trouble?  Crisis in my life taught me to be strong, hopeful and prayerful.  Like Peter Pan who flies with   happy thoughts, I too, learned to smile as I sing Leave it in the hands of the Lord.