"You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you."
--- Mary Tyler Moore

Makes sense right? Bravery is displayed when times get tough, when you are called upon to do something that makes you uncomfortable or fearful. Bravery is also a word set aside for those who serve others, even when danger is around.

I think of police officers, firefighters, military personnel and so many other professionals who put themselves on the line for us, every day. Could you do what they are called to do? I don't think I could... one never knows until you are in a situation.

Bravery is also a special word for those who have endured through struggle, violence, loneliness, and other human conditions.

So today, just for today, try to see the bravery in another's face because truly in their life, they have faced a battle or two and are still here.

Have a loving and brave day,

Do you ever think that too many people give up too soon? Usually it's right before they could have made it. Yes, it's hard to keep going sometimes, it's hard when things don't go your way. It's hard when you feel rejection, when your idea doesn't gel the way you expected.

But one thing I know to be true is that if you are inspired and can persevere, you can win. The price for any kind of success is great. And going into an endeavor, you don't always know exactly what the cost is that you will have to pay.

One thing for sure, if you know what you want and are convinced that you have to have it, you will find a way. Don't give up too soon. Don't walk away before you almost make it. Hang in there and believe in yourself.

Come on, keep your head up and keep going! We're right here to cheer you on!

Have a great day today!

Your life, this week, is going to be filled with many wonderful moments. Many you'll never see until you look for them. Wonderful comes in many shapes and sizes so keep your eyes and heart open. What if for one week, you decided to write them down when you do notice them?

What if you took the time to remind yourself of the goodness in your life, the people who make your day, and the blessings sent to you in various forms? How could this impact your life?

Let's focus on the good this week (and next, and the next) and write it down.

Love and blessings,

 One day a young woman was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that she had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired her heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young woman was very proud and boasted more loudly about her beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old woman appeared at the front of the crowd and said Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine. The crowd and the young woman looked at the old woman's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing. The people stared - how can she say her heart is more beautiful, they thought

The young woman looked at the old woman's heart and saw its state and laughed. You must be joking, she said. Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears.

Yes, said the old woman, Yours is perfect looking but I could never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart,
but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared.

Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of their heart to me. These are the empty gouges - giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is.

The young woman stood silently with tears running down hers cheeks. She walked up to the old woman, reached into her perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. She offered it to the old woman with trembling hands. The old woman took her offering, placed it in her heart and then took a piece from her old, scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young woman's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.

The young woman looked at her heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old woman's heart flowed into hers. They embraced and walked away side by side.

Love cannot be wasted. It makes no difference where it is bestowed, it always brings in big returns!

A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her.

The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed. The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.

That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn’t sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.

Moral of the story:
If you don’t give your hundred percent in a relationship, you’ll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent..

This is applicable for any relationship like love, employer-employee relationship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully.

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.

"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've got a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring with me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know," the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know.

Their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!! There's a miracle called * Friendship- that dwells in the heart. You don't know how it happens or when it gets started.

But you now the special lift It always brings and you realize that Friendship is one of God's most precious gifts! Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care.

 

  

There is a legend about a wise man who was sitting outside his village.

A traveler came up and asked him, "What kind of people live in this village, because I am looking to move from my present one?"

The wise man asked, "What kind of people live where you want to move from?" The man said, "They are mean, cruel, rude." The wise man replied, "The same kind of people live in this village too."

After some time another traveler came by and asked the same question and the wise man asked him, "What kind of people live where you want to move from?" And the traveler replied, "The people are very kind, courteous, polite and good." The wise man said, "You will find the same kind of people here too."

 

What is the moral of the story?

Generally we see the world not the way it is but the way we are. Most of the time, other people's behavior is a reaction to our own.

 

  

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. "There are 5 things you need to know", he told the pencil, "before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

ONE: "You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

TWO: "You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

THREE: "You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

FOUR: "The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

AND FIVE: "On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you; always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

 

 

1. THE CALM
   Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.
   
   
2. THE DIGNITY
   Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.
   
   
3. THE ABILITY
   The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn't fall.
   
   
4. THE GRACE
   People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.
   
   
5. THE ORDER
   No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.
   
   
6. THE SACRIFICE
   Fifty workers stayed back to pump seawater in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?
   
   
7. THE TENDERNESS
   Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.
   
   
8. THE TRAINING
   The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.
   
   
9. THE MEDIA
   They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.
   
   
10. THE CONSCIENCE
    When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly.

I think we should all remember and honor the way the Japanese people have handled this tragedy with dignity, love and respect for each other. Can we, as the rest of the world, learn from these brave souls and make our world gentler and kinder for each other?

 

 

I found this video in YouTube as I was browsing for something to motivate me...and it really did waken up my senses deep within...until now as I am blogging this video I'm still in tears...cos' I can't help it...I feel sorry for myself, and was inspired by this man...This is another video I wanted to share to everybody which is really inspiring for me..hope for you as well. As a person created perfectly in the image and likeness of God, I mean who's complete: with legs and arms, no defects...

Have you ever felt depressed? Thinking God is unfair? that He doesn't love you?

This video is a story of a man born without limbs, but still embraces it wholeheartedly with content and so much hope..
I hope this video will inspire you...and before you push the button, I'll leave you something to reflect...

Do you love your life as is? and are you happy with it?

Enjoy watching...

Perhaps the worst thing about being at school is being called a LOSER.

But to me, losers are only those who give up on their dreams

Imagine what would have happened if these losers just gave up without trying?

He got out from his high school baskeatball team,

That loser is Michael Jordan.

His first children's book was rejected by 23 publlishers,

That loser was Dr. Seuss.

He forgot to put a reverse gear in his first car,

That loser was Henry Ford.

And this loser flunked the college entrance exam on his first try,

His name is Albert Einstein!

See, no one usually gets it right the first time.

A loser is one who fails and simply gets off the tract.

Real winners are those who may fail flat on their face right there on the tract

But pick themselves up and dash all the way to the finish line.

You and me...

winners both, if we get high on the speed of life.

This is one of the videos shown to us way back my review days at Carl Balita Review Center during our final coaching. And I would like to share to to everyone because I know it will also touch your heart...Hope you'll enjoy watching this!!!


I'll share my experience with you while watching this video...


It was during our break time when our review assistant show us this video. As it begins to play and flashes to the screen... I can't believe myself in tears...I admit I am very sensitive and emotional especially if I saw or read something that is very sad. Maybe it's because of the experiences I have in life that makes me a cry baby...but it depends if it really strikes me...and it did...even after the video is done, I'm still in tears...


It talks about a passage from the Bible John 3:16 "for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son"... and while watching the video the memories I've had with my late sister flashed back on my memory...

I remember the sacrifice my parents did after the tragic moment that had happened in our family. It was when my dear sister died because of drowning at a beach resort in our place while we are having our family reunion. I can't forget that 2nd day of November 2003, around 1:30 pm...when my cousin came running and crying back to our cottage telling us about the drowning thing. They were 8 of them, 3 of my siblings and 5 of my cousins were drowned. And alas, it was my sister who wasn't able to survive. She was at her 1st year high when that happened and I was at my 4th year in high school. She was a very smart girl, a very talented and genius one, and also pretty, when you get to meet her, you'll say that she's almost perfect, but no one is, and maybe that's why God take her from us at a very young age of 13. She won the 1st place in the Talumpati and our school decided to send her to the ANOPSAI, a gathering of different private schools which each participants must compete with each other and aim for the 1st place in the overall competition. But
she wasn't able to reach that date because of what happened. And for me, I was very depressed at those times and I was questioning God "why her?" with all the other bad people around, why my sister, and I really don't understand His plans, and the next moment I was thinking of myself becoming a nurse. I've realized maybe that was God's way of sending His message for me, for my calling to be a nurse. The moment when my sister was drowned there was a nurse nearby who hesitated to help us, and that made me realized to be a good nurse someday. I wanted to help people in need, especially the less fortunate once, because I know the feeling of being one of them.


I really feel so blessed being one of His creations and am very thankful to Him for the Gift of Life that He has given me, despite of all the problems and trials I've faced still, I am grateful and contented. I know as human I am not perfect and also fragile and easily weakened. But at some mischief of my life, Ive realized that I wouldn't come this far if He knows I'm not strong enough to face all these problems...and after all these tears I've shed, it's worth it...knowing that I've made it through the tough times and never lose my hope and faith in Him. Despite my trespasses and sins I've committed still, He's willing to forgive me. And who am I not to forgive people who have wronged me...


Lastly, as human beings, we are so earthly and materialist, we don't seem to be happy and contented with what and whom we have. We only remember God in times we were in trouble. But when we are happy we tend to forget Him, and sometimes when we ask something in our prayers we wanted it right away and when He doesn't grant it the way we wanted it we get mad at Him saying that He isn't existing. One thing I've learned from these video, all we have to do is to open our hearts to Him, believing in all His plans. Sometimes we may feel that He never listens to our prayers, but God never says NO. He only says YES or WAIT.


Have a great day!!