Smile, It's A Beautiful Life ♥

Kiltepan: Heaven on earth. ♥

It’s a living every moment

Like it could be our last

For our hearts are restless til they rest in love’s caress

In the moments we remember

They interweave our hearts

Like a tapestry surrounding us, that we forget to touch

That’s why we wake up every morning

It's why we seek each others’ smile

It's why we know that its so worth it

It's why we hold on and make the sacrifice

It's in the eyes of a child

As you hold her in your arms

And your heart starts to beat once again

And your world is reborn

In the freshness of her song

Smile, it’s a beautiful life

It's in the hope of the poor man

As he struggles to make ends meet

It's in the laughter of his children

As they play in the street

Don’t need a million dollars

To raise a happy child

Just need a pair of loving arms

The time to make her smile

That’s why we wake up every morning

It's why we seek each others’ smile
It's why we know that its so worth it
It's why we hold on and make the sacrifice

It's in the tears of our friend

As you finally make amends

And your song starts to breathe once again

And the way of the world

Falls away with one word

Smile, it’s a beautiful life

It's in the touch of her lips

As she leans in for a kiss

And your world starts to spin once again

And two hearts become one

As a dream has begun

Smile, it’s a beautiful life

(Beautiful Life, Corrinne May)

*****

To be honest, I am not having the best time of my life. In fact, the enemy's trying his very best to break me into pieces, thinking that maybe, that would stop me from serving my God. Well, he can try but he will never succeed.

Today, I had to fight another hard battle. My brother asked, "kamusta naman?" I simply replied, "nakaka-depress, pero laban lang. :)" Ms. Del's advice was very timely: "Focus lang. Huwag kang papatalo."

We were assigned to serve in the noon mass and I almost cried while reading the Psalm.

Psalms 69(68):3.14.30-31.33-34.

I am sunk in the abysmal swamp

where there is no foothold;

I have reached the watery depths;

the flood overwhelms me.

But I pray to you, O Lord,

for the time of your favor, O God!

In your great kindness answer me

with your constant help.

I am afflicted and in pain;

let your saving help, O God, protect me.

I will praise the name of God in song,

and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.

“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;

you who seek God, may your hearts revive!

For the Lord hears the poor,

and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”

But God won't allow this day to end without reminding me of His constant presence and His unfailing love. First, He gave me the opportunity to briefly share my PMA experience with Kuya JQ. It was refreshing to remember the stories of my beautiful Charlie sisters. I can't wait to see them all again this weekend and be inspired by them once again. :)

Then I read this from Roy Lessin's blog:

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Never give in! The testing of your faith is more precious than gold…Now is the time to fight the good fight of faith.

Never give in! You are not alone in your trials and temptations…He is with you and will make a way of escape.

Never give in! Someone is praying…Jesus is before the Mercy Seat making intercession on your behalf.

Never give in! Heaven’s resources are yours…He will make all grace abound toward you.

Never give in! You can live beyond yourself…God’s strength is made perfect in weakness.

Never give in! The power of God is almighty…Greater is He that is within you than he that is in the world.

Never give in! The hard times will not last forever…Nothing can compare to what God has prepared for you.

And then I got to speak (online) with Sr. Maitel (Religious of the Assumption). ♥ I remembered Jesus Week - still the best week of my life so far. ;) Corrine May is right, it still is a beautiful life. :)

And so I close my eyes and smile. God loves me no matter what! ♥

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Understanding Lupang Hinirang

Every Filipino knows Lupang Hinirang (though some know it better as " Bayang Magiliw "). How can you not know it when it is the national anthem of the Philippines? But do we really mean the lyrics that we sing? Do we understand it in the first place? Photo Credit: http://diazi.ism-online.org This video has gone viral weeks ago. This afternoon, I shared it to my teammates, and one commented, "Yun pala yun . Ngayon ko lang naintindihan." He immediately downloaded it and converted to MP3. So for those who have not seen it, once again, here is Joey Ayala's version of Lupang Hinirang. And I agree, you would never want to sing it in another way. (But that's just me. :D) This rendition is simply beautiful. Truly Filipino. :) Of course that doesn't mean we need to revise our national anthem but maybe we can consider about correcting the way we sing it (read: proper pronunciation). Read more about the Philippine National Anthem here .

Jesus Week 2015: A Time To HEAL ♥

I had the best, most meaningful HOLY WEEK ever, so far (the best is yet to come!). :) Thanks to Joy who shared the Jesus Week poster on Facebook. It was God's personal invitation, and I couldn't thank Him enough for the grace that He also gave me to respond. Everything is grace. It was not just my personal decision to join. It was God's grace that allowed me to. So how did it go? Well, as what I have told my friends, it was amazingly beautiful! The experience was priceless! On Holy Monday, I posted Fr. Jerry Orbos' acronym for HOLY WEEK . I experienced all of that and more! :) I won't be able to share everything as there is just a lot of personal, intimate encounters with the Lord. But if I were to summarize, it was a time for me to HEAL. :) H alt . Indeed, I was able to stop and just rest in the Lord. Before leaving Manila, I have already told myself that this retreat will be all about Jesus ( Jesus Week nga e :D ). No emails, no texts, no calls. I

Thank You, Lord! :)

It has been a long and stressful day (the past three days have been lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng and stressssssssssssssssssssssssssssssful), but You are just so amazing, Lord that I couldn't sleep without telling You how grateful I am. :) Thank You, Lord for the miracle that You did yesterday. Break even and more. :) Thank You, Lord for the laughter and stories shared during the post-mission meeting with Team Thailand. :) Team Thailand - Princesses from SFC Metro Manila :) Thank You, Lord for Lawrence. He is just the (almost) perfect man. He has his flaws, but they are acceptable; he makes mistakes, but they are all forgivable. There are a lot of men but there can never be anyone else. He's really the one. And You know it very well. :) ♥ Nemo. Love. ♥ Thank You, Lord for giving me strength and endurance each day. :) Thank You, Lord for the short but restful sleeps. :) Thank You, Lord for every waking moment and every opportunity that You give

The Holy Spirit*

*Cluster 4 Household Topic Reflections from John 15:26-16:4 True friendship is strengthened in adversity. Jesus offers His disciples the best and truest of friends. Who is this promised friend? Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our Counselor and Advocate (also translated Paraclete or Helper). Counselor is a legal term for the one who will defend someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life. As Jesus approaches the hour that He was to be glorified - through His death on the cross and His resurrection - He revealed more fully to His disciples the person and the role of the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit? First, the Holy Spirit is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who gives life - the very life of God - and who kindles faith in hearts receptive

Interesting Facts Courtesy of Celebrity Bluff :)

I was writing a different post, but Celebrity Bluff is just so fun and informative, I had to stop from blogging to list down the fun facts that I learn from each round. :) Thought it would be nice to share them here as well. For future reference. :D Q: In 2012, what kind of animal was named after Beyonce? A: Horse Fly Q: What rare job in China will pay you US$50,000 a year? A: Fart Smeller Q: What alcoholic drink literally means "water of life"? A: Whisky Q: In which part of the body can you find the tragus? A: Ear Q: According to Merriam-Webster, what is the female equivalent of dude? A: Dudine Q: What is longer in the male turtles than in the females? A: Nails And the final question is... Q: According to Box Office Mojo what are the top four (4) movies of 2013 according to global profit? A: (1) Iron Man 3, (2) Despicable Me 2, (3) Fast and the Furious 6 (4) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire That's all

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