"A day to remember"

Morning arise and I was prepared

The feeling inside I'm keeping

cannot be compared.

although anxiety controlled me

laughter and excitement erode me.

It was near afternoon when we left the island

went to this little resort

calmly I roamed around and observed

I saw something that was out of curve

A slide for kids and adult.

The day was nearly coming to an end

when sunset became my friend

so I went to the shore and bid my farewell

to the sea and sky intwined.

..KKLKK..

I've seen the light and it's in you.

In everything you are and in everything you do.

It's a perfect light that shines for all to see.

It radiates from you and has pierced the heart of me.

The light is from a friend.

It's a light that keeps me warm.

It lets me know how loved I am and keeps me safe from harm.

To you my friends I am thankful in each and every way.

For you lift my spirits up with every passing day.

To know that you are there for me

it makes me feel alive.

Because it is your friendship's light

upon which my love thrives.

Thank you isn't good enough

but they're the only words I know.

It is your light of friendship that gives my world its glow.

“WHO 

AM

 I?”  

Humans are made by God in the 6th of the 7 days of His creation. They are created through His image and likeness and entrusted to be the care-takers of all His other creations. Grateful I am to know that I was one of the millions of people who are lovingly made by Him.

I am an individual who has the aptitude to think, persistently interacts, and who can articulate damage. I am a total character that has behaviors, emotional state, attitudes, values, motives, abilities, habits and appearance… an EXTRAORDINARY BEING. Through that, I am crafted into a person who encompasses imperfect personhood.

I sinned, betrayed, loathed, and condemned. I hit, carp, cheat, tall tale, and get green-eyed. Sometimes I am self-centered, irresponsible, and slapdash. However, I forgive and accept. I give and serve. I care. I trust and obey… and I love. When I get hurt, I cry and I pray. When I do mistakes, I apologize and learn. When I’m scolded I do not abhor, I listen.

I ain’t perfect but my imperfections will lead me to be the perfect bringer of my hope, my dreams, my aspirations… my mission.

I never thought that the way I am would press me on the phase where my service to others will become vital because for the moment, I opt to learn serving humanity.

I will serve. I will care. I will help preventing, treating and diagnosing illnesses. I will be humble. I will be patient to my patients. I will comfort, cheer and pray for them. I will love them.

I am UNIQUE. There’s no one else like me.
I am SPECIAL like everyone else is.

“Quo Vadis?”
Where am I going?

“It’s in Christ that we find who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ… He had His eyes on us, had designs on us for glorious loving, part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone.” -Ephesians I: II

Christ as our Savior did not only teach us in our way to salvation but also in our way of living and purpose on Earth. As Christians, we believe that Christ whom is our shepherd had already prepared us the things on how to have a happy and worthwhile life. Moreover, our purpose here on earth is not to deliberately seek our own dreams but considering the happiness of others. In such way we can consider that life is not living for oneself but for others and through Christ this is made possible. Furthermore, it is now our way of welcoming His kingdom here on earth. In my family, I made myself available to my parents and brothers by being responsible in my studies and in my religious affiliations. As years gone by, I can now see more of my role in the family. With the help of my family, I have broadened my concept on living. How to live life is one of the things they taught me. The capacity of living a life to the fullest is one of the gifts God and our parents gave us. When God gave us freewill, my family also gave me the independence to choose things on my own and with this freedom I am able to express my actions that have been part of my daily habit. Our family is one of the presents God gave us. For us to be cared, loved and be guided in our journey. In the community, I am able to associate myself in inter-religious organizations that involve the aspects of socialization and morality. I, in fact, value the virtue of cooperation. The question “who am I to others?” is very relevant in my purpose to the community. It allows me to value others as human persons who are created by God and have the right to be loved and cared. People that tend to forget others will never grow. For growth involves our capability to interact with others. Thus, communication is a tool is personal growth and development. We can’t have experiences without this device. So my purpose in the community is to establish rapport with others to gain experiences and memories that in time would be of great help in my intensification as a person to others and to God. As I have said, we can’t live solely for ourselves alone but also for others. Even though what I say is true, it is also important for us to first have a purpose of living starting on ourselves. Who am I to myself? I admire myself. I have established a lot of self- esteem because I treasure myself as a treasure God made. We have only one life in this lifetime. We can’t wait for second chances to arrive. Truly, our life is our topmost priority. Given the chance to live is a gift and given the chance to be living is an opportunity. Would I live and die for Christ? This question will refer to my last purpose here on this world. How can I live for Christ? As a Christian disciple, living for Christ is not only seen in the boundaries of one’s church but also beyond its boundaries. The help we give to others will always manifest that we are living for Christ because all of these came from Christ and will lead back to Christ. How to die for Christ? For us to die is a miserable thing. When we have lost our love ones we cry in grief and live in sorrow. Dying does not mean ending our lives but to begin our eternal life with Him. Someday, if I have completed my task here on earth and if my mission and journey would be fulfilled I wish Christ’s hand would reach me and ask me to join in His kingdom. We are created uniquely by God with different missions. It is diverse with one another but it is connected. The relativity of these missions will result for everybody’s happiness and contentment. So I will take every stride to goodness. I will take every footstep for peace. I will take every pace to unity. I will follow my shepherd. That is where I am going.

Dating: An Opportunity to Grow

How we interact with members of the opposite sex
impacts our state of mind now—as well as our future relationships.

• How would you characterize most of the dating relationships among your friends? Positive? Negative? Healthy? Hurtful?
  
• What has been your experience with dating so far?
  
• What’s the most important thing to learn from being with members of the opposite sex?

Dating can be a wonderful opportunity to interact with the opposite sex. We can learn to communicate better; we can experience careful and appropriate levels of affection; we can discover the characteristics we would like to find in a marriage partner and develop these characteristics in ourselves.

However, dating can be a horrible way to interact with the opposite sex. We can get caught up in a possessive and jealous relationship; we can lose our ignorance by becoming too physical; we can obsess about the opposite sex and lose out friendships and activities.

I read a book which gave me the idea of what things are to be considered before dating someone.

• You are not abnormal or weird for choosing to wait to date. You have the rest of you life to be with someone. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, Solomon said: “There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.”

• Your best preparation for a future relationship is how you communicate with members of the opposite sex now. If your dating patters are not based on positive models of communication—listening, sharing, mutual encouragement, problem solving—we are better off just being friends. “Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases” (Song of Solomon 8:4).
  
• We need to honor God with all of ourselves, including our relationships. One of the most important elements of any relationship is respecting and valuing what is important to that person. If the person you want to date doesn’t value your relationship with God, that’s a pretty good indicator that the relationship is not going to honor God or help you grow closer to Him. “You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join to them” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
  
• Don’t forget your parents. Even though your parents are asking you to make more and more of your own decisions, don’t leave them out of what you’re thinking and feeling. Ask them questions. “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12)
  

God has a wonderful plan for our lives. Let’s not try to rush it when we feel the surge of emotions from someone we are attracted to. The right person will appear to us—at the right time.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path.” Proverbs 3: 5-6

For My Part...

Jousting still for our solid ground

Yielding only to God in each round

Lest love be not enough, we don’t fear

Must it’s for our love when God is here

Ere anything I fight til love’s found

Kisses sought in your words and your lips

Ever raining, hiding tears and wits

Zealous of that face of no more peer

Idle to them but love will not wear

Angst when distant a thousandth of a tear

Hopeful e’en when unsure of our fare

Dusk til dawn with you I will to dance

Oh, thy laughter fills my heart with glee

Rough was my heart and sharp was my lance

Oh, but thy and softened all in me

Now time’s not done and life is what’s real

Is what predestined what we do fear?

O’er love we trust for love’s what we feel

My kind of CHUMS!

There are people who say that you won't amount to anything, you're not gonna make it, you will not succeed unless you're on your own. Those people forget the heroes standing behind them--the unsung warriors--the brave fighters and peacemakers--who make life what it is. These people are friends, the CHUMS, who add vibrancy and color to this world that's otherwise a monotone black and white. No matter what's wrong and what they are doing, our chums, support us every step of the way and hold us up when we're falling.

Our chums are not worth to be forgotten. They watch for us, guard us through life's hardships. They will be our light, our happiness to guide us through this never ending darkness. However, if soon forgotten, the marks--and sometimes even the scars--our chums cast on our heart will exist, though their reasoning may be lost. Everyone we meet--every single person impacts us in some way, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem at the time. Then there are those people--the special ones to touch our hearts--who leave marks so big or so deep on our soul, that we could never forget their mark no matter how much we try. These people will hold the greatest impaction on our lives and whose presence will stick with through all times. these marks aid to characterize who we are and how our lives will go.

They can be called heroes for they will be able to tell us what's wrong, even though we may not know it ourselves. The look in our eyes--they see through our lies, even if they blind us. we can tell them we're fine--straight face lie--and they will see straight through it. We cannot fool them, cannot trick them for they know us too well. Then again, do not even try it, it's not worth the effort.

My chums... they are my sunshine, my hope, my light. I can't let them extinguish or I will extinguish ourselves. I need them to hold me--to hold my seams together while I'm breaking apart. They hold me when I break down and cry. They share my pain--no matter rough it may be. My chums are fighters who just want to bring my pain to a halt and make sure no matter--I'll be okay. They listen to my problems and give advices when I cannot find it in my heart--even when the truth may not be what I want to hear. They will do anything--no matter how silly and crude just to make me smile.

My flaws are embraced--my chums know I ain't perfect. They accept me for who I am--even if they disagree with what I do. I call them anytime of the day, rain or shine, just to have someone to talk to or to cry to. They take me out and treat me, just to make sure I am fed and well.

These warriors, my chums, have become my everything and consume what I though life was. I will remember these everyday heroes who have done so much for my life.

My chums make life special and wonderful. The earth needs the sun to light up its surface, just as we need the friends and family who are watching our backs. I will not let this earthly wonder slip me by. I will embrace the ones I love and who love me. I will not let that soft flame extinguish. I'll hold it and protect it from the impending storm. Who knows when I'll need these heroes later, or when they'll need me--but no matter what, I will not let the true miracles that have come into my life slip away.