Day Experience

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What A Wonderful Christmas :)

Christmas in our home usually starts a night before Christmas with a family dinner and of course the excitements of opening the presents after dinner.  We usually open 1 – 2 gifts and then we leave the rest of the gifts for Christmas morning and not to forget what is in the Christmas stockings.  I usually get up earlier than everyone and start stuffing the stockings.   Then I make a cup of coffee with some Bailey’s and have some quiet time before the Christmas buzz starts again.

My oldest son who is mad at me and skipped the Christmas dinner, came home this morning and join us for Christmas day.  I would admit, Christmas is not complete without him.  As mad as he was, he got me what I wanted for Christmas – scarves 🙂  and exactly what I would have bought.

My second son who is in college, came home and asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told him fuzzy socks.  He told me there is no way, he was going to get me only socks.  In his words, he would not spend more money on his girlfriend and just buy me socks.  He touched my heart so much and I know I have trained him well :)Don’t get me wrong,  He told me what he got her and I am proud of him.

My third son is the sweetest and he has the cutest smile with dimples and big brown eyes. He did not ask me what I wanted but he bought me gifts that made my heart swell and I know he puts thoughts of what to give me.  On top of this, he bought groceries and cooked for the whole family.  He has been watching the Food network on TV and he made everything from scratch.  I am so proud of him.

My daughter who has been quiet about Christmas, finally told me that I deserve something nice because I have been working so hard.  She is a vibrant, beautiful, generous, kindhearted, intelligent girl.  She and her 2nd brother split a gift that is so wonderful for me and cost them a fortune.

This Christmas season has been one miracle after another.  I realize it’s God’s way of letting me know that He sees everything I have gone through and this is His way of blessing me with the restoration of my family and I guess we just add another Christmas tradition whereas my third son will cook on Christmas day 🙂

I look forward to a new year 2014 and excited of what He has for me 🙂

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MERRY CHRISTMAS

I wish you all a very “Merry Christmas” a day spent with family and friends and filled with love, peace and joy and happiness. I would like to thank you all for the gift of friendship and my life is richer because of you. Keep shining and giving as you have touched many lives 🙂

 

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Tis The Season…

Christmas is the beautiful time of the season full of joy, lights, decorations, baking and presents but also can be the hardest time of the year to celebrate because of the broken relationship, death, broken promises and missing someone you love.

I am experiencing it right now and I don’t feel like putting up the Christmas tree and decorate my house like I used to.  As my children get older and they are spreading their wings, being with their friends are more fun than being with family. I got the taste of what my life will be once my children are out of the nest and live their own lives. 

There is a reason for a season and that is the same with every event in our lives.  There is a reason why we are still here.  There is a reason for the broken relationship and broken promises. Sometimes, we can’t see what lies ahead of us because we only can see the hurt at the moment.   Holiday season just makes it harder to go through the day. 

I realize I have a choice to make because time keeps moving forward and I can’t be stuck in the time zone of the past, or waiting for the broken promise or mourning of the deaths and broken relationship. Because life doesn’t wait for me.  I either move on with the time and get on with my life or I will be left out and let life goes by me.

So, I decided today that I won’t let any circumstances in my life to hold me back to enjoy my life.  So, I took out my Christmas tree and I put it up and I will decorate my house as the day goes til Christmas. I also going to bake some cookies and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  After all, life is worth living and there is a brighter future ahead of us 🙂

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 🙂

 

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Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah

No matter what our circumstances are, we are blessed beyond imaginations, knowing this morning we are awake and alive and able to do things by ourselves without any help and any machine are already a huge blessing from God.  Many times we take things for granted and we do not stop to even think of the little things or big things we do until that privilege is taken away from us then we wish we could have it back.

I just found out that we are very blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving and Hanukkah at the same day this year which according to research won’t happen again for another 77,000 years.  In a way, we are a chosen generation, as there are a few events this year that will not repeat for another 100 or 200 years.  Just know, that God plans where you supposed to be, what you supposed to do, who you supposed to be with.  Nothing is a mistake and you are here at the right time and things will start to fall into its place.  Believe and you will see it happen 🙂

As 2014 approaching, I would like to challenge you from today until the end of the year, that you will write a note each day for what you are thankful for the day and put it in the box.  Come, January 1st, you take out the notes and read each one of them.  You will be surprised to see how blessed you are 🙂

As we celebrate Thanksgiving today, I pray you can count all your blessings and be thankful and don’t forget to tell the people you love “I love you” 🙂

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Can Money Buy Happiness….?

That is a question that we ask a lot either to ourselves or we ask someone 🙂  Money seems to be the focus in everything we do, think or say whether it’s intentionally or unintentionally.  We go to work everyday to earn a living or money to pay for our living expenses.  We spend more time in earning money and neglect the people who are important to us or things that matter to us.  Money itself is not evil as we need it to live on but the love of money is the root of all evil.  Sometimes, we compromise for the sake of money.

People say money answers to everything and money can buy anything you want including love and happiness. I tend to agree with the statement but the happiness that you buy with money is only temporal as it’s only happiness on the surface. So if you have all the money in the world but yet you are not surrounded by people you love or who loves you for who you truly are, then money means nothing.

I believe happiness should come from within because it will show in all you do 🙂  True happiness is knowing who you are inside that will show in your outer appearance, you feel comfortable in your own skin, to be content with what you have, being with the people you love and doing what you love. Money surely can buy a lot of things but not a true happiness 🙂

 

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Life Will Never Be The Same Again

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go, Some stay for a while and leave footprints on  our hearts, and our lives will never be the same” – Anonymous

I came across the above saying long time ago.  I ponder about the meaning and as I get older, I understand the meaning of the saying because it pertains to our daily lives and the people we come in contact with.

In our lives, we always come in contact with people everywhere, every time.  We can meet them in the grocery store and we exchange smile, yet we never know that the smile we exchange makes a big difference in them.  We never know if the smile we give them is the thing they need for that day as a confirmation, an encouragement or just show someone notice them.  Some friends are in your lives for a moment to enrich each other.

There are people that stay for a while and become part of your lives and then they go away for some reason because the season is over or what they supposed to do is done to bring some encouragements to your lives.  It breaks your heart when this happens because they have stamped their footprints in your heart.  I see this with friendship and relationship.  Just know it was a gift from God for whatever reason that you need it in your life for that season.  Cherish the memory and keep that person tuck in your heart but as always we need to move on as the future is ahead of us.

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Women Are Like…..

“Women are like apples on the trees, and the best ones are at the top of the trees” – Anonymous

Most men don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt.  Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the ground that aren’t as good, but are easy.  So, the apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they are amazing.  They just have to wait for the right man to come along.  The one who is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree – Anonymous

I came across this saying while browsing through the net.  I didn’t want to post it but after a few days of stewing on it, I decided to post the saying because there are truths in it and also it can go both ways for women and men.

Because we are at the top of the trees, we have our standards that seem to be ridiculous and yet it’s the things that make us special.  So, instead of waiting for the right one to come along.  We settle for the one who is okay, we lower our standards and settle for less because we think we are not worth more than what is presented in front of us, we make excuses and even we try to fit ourselves to their mold.

The saying above made me think about myself, the way I think and I feel about certain things in life as it is not pertained only to love but choices of career and what we tolerate in our lives.  There is a reason why the best apples are on top of the trees, there is a reason why roses have thorns, there is a reason why God made you the way you are – so special and there is none like you – He sets you apart from others.

With that, I am not going to settle for less and I will wait for the right man to come along who will see the beauty and the gem in me and makes the decision that it’s worth the falling and getting hurt to climb the tree and pick me up 🙂

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The Stages of Woman’s Life

In the last few weeks, I have time to contemplate about my life as a woman and the stages that I have been in. I am who I am today because of my mother.  She was a wise woman who had taught me about life and instilled good values which I have passed them along to my children.  She taught me life lessons and steps to avoid so I didn’t stumble.

I have been a daughter to my mother and I have fulfilled my duty as her daughter and I was glad I could take care of her till her death. I loved my mother and I missed her.  I wish I could hear her voice one more time and tell me “everything is going to be okay”.

I have been a wife and I have fulfilled the vow I made before the Lord.  I have stood by my ex husband through thick and thin, for richer and poor, for health and sickness till death do us apart.  The last part ended different story 🙂 but no regrets.  Things happened and you couldn’t control the other person’s decision so I have moved on and on my own journey to my destiny.

I have been a mother to my four children plus the four legged children.  I never understood why my mother was so against me leaving my country to marry my ex.  She tried to do everything in her power to make me stayed but I left anyway.  Now that I have my own children, I understand the mother’s love to her children.  It was hard for me to see my son off to college 4.5 hours away.  It must have broken my mother’s heart to see me go the other side of the globe.  God gave me the opportunity to feel how my mother had felt when I left home.  I finally understand mother’s love and it never ends.

I have been a daughter in law and knew the feeling of always being the outsider.  I pray that when my children are married, I would treat my daughters in law and son in law like my own.  I pray God will let me see them through His eyes.  To you, who have great relationship with your in laws, I say you are blessed 🙂

The stages of woman’s life are quite interesting and yet fulfilling.  After  all, I consider myself a blessed woman to go through those stages.  They make me wiser and understand a lot of things that will make me a better person when I am dealing with my in laws later.  I believe God gives us a second chance and even better, so I look forward to it 🙂

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Children Are Gifts From God

It has been a busy August for me as I have to prepare the children to go back to college and school.  My second son is transferring to college about 4.5 hours away from home and it will be a change for all of us as he went to college first year not far from home. He was home every weekend 🙂  I can see he is branching out and stepping into his destiny.  He has goal and he is out there to achieve the goal.

As I drove him to college with all his belongings, believe me 🙂  our car was packed.  The memories flooded my mind and it seemed like yesterday that I gave birth to all of them and now they are growing and going to adulthood and learning to make choices for their future.  For me, it is harder to see the children going to college than when I drop them off for preschool.  For preschool, I know I will pick them up in 3 hours but college is when they are inching to leave the nest.  This is their way of learning to be an adult and being on their own.  It’s hard for me to let go and not having them around but I also know I have to release them into their own destiny.

I know I have been granted a privilege by God to carry the children and nurture them while in my womb and when I bring them to the world, it’s totally a miracle.  I have been trusted by God to bring them up, instill the good values in them, teach them what’s right and wrong, lead them to the right path and introduce them to God.  It was amazing to watch the children grow and being their own person.  They are God’s gifts to me and now, they are growing up and stepping into their own destiny for God has His plan and purpose for their lives.  They are my own but also God’s.  I see myself as a bow and they are the arrows, my job is to aim them to the bull’s eye.  In the meantime, I am still their mother and will always be 🙂

 

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Friends Are Family You Choose

It has been two years since I came to visit my very best friend in Boston, MA.  I miss her and am excited to see her again.  As soon as my daughter and I landed at Boston airport., we felt like we were home.  I have gone to many places to travel and visit friends.  I am blessed to say I have friends in many states and countries that I could visit and connect.  Friends that I met at the grocery store, restaurants, church, neighbors, colleagues,  or through a friend.  Friends that have become part of my life for many years and distance will not matter because as soon as we see each other again, we connect just like yesterday.

As I lay my head on the pillow in the same bedroom I was two years ago.  I realized wherever I go, I have a place to lay my head down.  Some of the places I lay my head down is like going home to my mother’s house.  I thank God for friends He has put in my paths who become my family and a big part of my life.  We have gone through stages of our lives and yet we are still here, supporting one another, helping in any which way we can, we don’t count the cost.   We laugh together till our stomach hurt, we cry with tears of compassion, we cheer on the good things happening in our lives, not to count all the holidays, birthdays and our girls night out where we eat, enjoy the food and company and yes…we close the restaurants 🙂

Mieke and I went to the same church which we just joined..  She saw me dropping my son at the nursery as she dropped her daughter too. The following Tuesday, I was shopping at Walmart and she spotted me and came to me and told me that she saw me on Sunday at church and she just moved from Nebraska.  She gave me her number and I told her I would call and invite her for dinner at my house with another friend.  Well.. the rest is history 🙂  she is a little sister that I never had.  It was hard to see her move to Boston but I know it’s also God’s plan for their family.  Our children grew up together and they call each other “cousins”.

I believe God put people in our paths and connect us with friends because that is what is in His heart.. a relationship.  I never know when the friendship ends and we start being a family… it just happened naturally.  I guess what we experience in friendship is a mirror of what God longs to have with us.. a relationship. I don’t believe in coincidence anymore.  I believe God put people in our paths for friendship and relationships that will last a season,  lifetime and goes to eternity.  Friends are family that God chooses for us 🙂  because He knows what we need .. a family 🙂 So, take time to visit with your friends, pick up the phone and just say hi. meet for a cup of coffee and catch up.   A relationship is not on auto pilot, we need to be a friend before we have friends.  We have to extend the invitation 🙂