It Wasn't...

It wasn' easy and it wasn't hard... What do i exactly mean by that?

It wasn't easy living everyday with unsolved problems, anxieties, unanswered prayers, and all that stuff but come to think of it, it wasn't hard either to be still and ask for God's grace.

Maybe it is our pride sometimes that we find it hard to ask for God's help; to plea everytime; to beg for miracles to come. Maybe it is not really all those factors mentioned above that make life hard; maybe the attitude that is.

Personally, there are no help that God failed to provide me with and all I did was just to ask for it. And I guess if we never get tired of praying over and over again for a certain request then God will never get tired of granting our appeal- all in His own time and will.

Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. (Proverbs 17:28 KJV)

Hardened Not

I received a bad news...a really bad news. Every one who will receive such thing will really be crying his heart out! The problem is I didn't.

I asked myself, Am I bad? Am I hardened? These questions were stuck in my head because that's how I really felt about myself.

Why couldn't I feel anything? I need to cry and it just won't come out.

Then all of the sudden these words came into head as if an angel whispered every word to my ears...

"If I can't take the big blows, then I am not ready to take the BIG LEAP of my life."

Yes... I am well shaped by all the trials I had been through all these years. Not that I am hardened or I don't have feelings anymore or I don't care at all. It is just I am very confident that God is with me and I am sure that He will never give me anything that I cannot bear.

I am stronger NOT hardened. I am more open to life's challenges and I am more trusting to God.

And you know what? Just as we taught God leaves or abandons us, He didn't... He is giving the best cheers that encourage us to move on...life goes on and there's no turning back. We may give up on Him for times we are tested but He never did... Not now, not ever!


God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. - Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

Rest In You

In my humble relfection, I realized how restless our hearts can be. We have so many worries, anxieties and doubts despite being called as children of God. Until these words came inside my heart... "Find and appreciate the little joys in every day life and wait for greater joys in God's own sweet, perfect time." It is like a small voice that whispered to me. It gave me a sense of relief and a more profound trust.

So everytime I feel the daily rush, I sit and relax my mind and begin to think of our gentle God. Just as St. Augustine prayed "We are made for you, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You!"

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." - Lamentations 3:26

Everything in Between

It is a common knowledge that everything started and was created by God. We also know that our ultimate destination is also with Him. He is our beginning as well as our end! He is the Alpha and the Omega! But what we hardly recognize is what comes in between the start and the end.

Our lives here on earth are spent more in between these periods and what we do during this lifetime are the things that make up our lives and shape our characters! The things that we do today make us experience the fullness of life and prepare us for our final goal of one day spending an eternal life with God.

We are now in this “between” period of our lives. We are dealing with this journey given the gifts of perseverance and fortitude. There are times when we are greatly tested and it is very comforting to know that during this “between” period, we are given hope and a multitude of chances to make up with our shortcomings; not only to ourselves but with the people around us. We have the spirit of humility to accept that we are humans and as such, we have strengths and weaknesses. And as we grow and mature, we learn to accept and acknowledge our weaknesses and able to improve ourselves out of our own breakdowns and failures. And one way of knowing that we have accepted ourselves as a whole is when we view the sunsets of our lives with a smile on our face with a feeling of contentment for passing through another day and looking forward for the next one.

Personally, I find myself in this ‘between’ period of my life. I felt being the hardest of all periods but still the most rewarding. I learned the values of patience, humility and perseverance. All the more, this period of my life has strengthened my faith and shaped my confidence to God. I learned that nothing is too impossible to carry if only we recognize Him in all areas of our lives. He is the beginning and the end and everything in between!

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain."

"Every sacrifice has a fruitful reward. Every failure has a second chance. We only have to be strong thru God's grace and persevere in life's many tests!"

Becoming a Woman after God’s Own Heart

I have never felt so at peace and confident not until I have experienced my own pits. God has amazingly provided me the grace just in the right time and saved me. I have never felt truly beautiful in God’s eyes and others not until I received Him in my life. God has a purpose for every one of us and He reveals everything to us through our daily experiences. We encounter Him in our daily lives. As a woman after His heart, I know I have so many things to do in this life. I felt my worth and purpose of living- for others and most especially for God. I learned to entrust all my decisions and actions to Him. I learned the importance of “May Your Will be done, not mine”. It is through realizing and appreciating the significance of trusting God’s will that I was able to be released from fears, anxieties, and worries about the future or just about anything! I know I still have a long way in becoming a woman after Gods own heart, but I am getting there!

Rejoicing over Life’s Adversities

If there’s one very good thing I learned in my experiences with God- that is to rejoice over adversities! It may sound contradicting, but it’s true. I never appreciated the implication of this not until I experienced it. I rejoice over life’s difficulties because it is through darkness that I have seen and experienced His deep love for me. I have understood God’s promise of comfort and refuge, which He made available to anyone of us if only we seek and reach out for Him. I wanted and I pray for everyone to experience God’s amazing grace and love! God manifests Himself in so many wonderful ways. He is present in every life’s situations, in every emotion, in everything! He is always with us and never abandons us even if we sometimes feel like He’s sleeping and doing nothing over our troubles. But His presence alone is enough; we know that if God is with us, the storm cannot sink us!

Prayers Never Fail

Prayers are proven to be the best medicine God has given us. Prayers also serve as our connection with Him. We pray when we are happy or even when we are in sorrow for it’s the only way we can express to God our feelings and praises! It is like reporting to God what has happened throughout the day. It’s our open line to Heaven and even our lifeline! I wonder how life is without prayers. I could never have truly appreciated my every success and joy. I could never have shared with Him my happiness and delight. I could never have survived loneliness and being alone without prayers! I could never have survived my own depths of despair! Most of all, I could never have survived this journey called LIFE without it!

Rejoicing over Life’s Adversities

If there’s one very good thing I learned in my experiences with God- that is to rejoice over adversities! It may sound contradicting, but it’s true. I never appreciated the implication of this not until I experienced it. I rejoice over life’s difficulties because it is through darkness that I have seen and experienced His deep love for me. I have understood God’s promise of comfort and refuge, which He made available to anyone of us if only we seek and reach out for Him. I wanted and I pray for everyone to experience God’s amazing grace and love! God manifests Himself in so many wonderful ways. He is present in every life’s situations, in every emotion, in everything! He is always with us and never abandons us even if we sometimes feel like He’s sleeping and doing nothing over our troubles. But His presence alone is enough; we know that if God is with us, the storm cannot sink us!

Prayer Never Fail

Prayers are proven to be the best medicine God has given us. Prayers also serve as our connection with Him. We pray when we are happy or even when we are in sorrow for it’s the only way we can express to God our feelings and praises! It is like reporting to God what has happened throughout the day. It’s our open line to Heaven and even our lifeline! I wonder how life is without prayers. I could never have truly appreciated my every success and joy. I could never have shared with Him my happiness and delight. I could never have survived loneliness and being alone without prayers! I could never have survived my own depths of despair! Most of all, I could never have survived this life without it!

Becoming A Woman After Gods Own Heart

I have never felt so at peace and confident not until I have experienced my own pits. God has amazingly provided me the grace just in the right time and saved me. I have never felt truly beautiful in God’s eyes and others not until I received Him in my life. God has a purpose for every one of us and He reveals everything to us through our daily experiences. We encounter Him in our daily lives. As a woman after His heart, I know I have so many things to do in this life. I felt my worth and purpose of living- for others and most especially for God. I learned to entrust all my decisions and actions to Him. I learned the importance of “May Your Will be done, not mine”. It is through realizing and appreciating the significance of trusting God’s will that I was able to be released from fears, anxieties, and worries about the future or just about anything! I know I still have a long way in becoming a woman after Gods own heart, but I am getting there!

God Bless the BROKEN Road

I never appreciated this song that much when my baby Lhoraine gave me this sometime ago... not until I've experienced it... Thanks so much Lhoraine!

MOMENTS

I was at the Samba-likhaan Foundation (Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music) yesterday for a meeting. We are working on a project for MAPEH (Music, Art, P.E & Health); more specifically on Music textbooks with accompanying CDs. It’s going to be first in the Philippines. Since, most Music textbooks used in the public schools don’t have CDs, and even in private schools as well. Even when I was studying way back (?) years ago, we didn’t have CDs in our music subject. Maybe that's the reason why, I never appreciated the subject that much as compared to art and physical education (PE). I was wondering then, how the songs are being sung or how they sound like! Anyway, it’s good that the government is really gearing towards improving the quality of education in the country!

That’s a very long introduction to my article (lol).

Main Point

While I was inside one of the music rooms, a very interesting poster caught my attention. It says: Choir’s Rule: #1 The director is always right; #2 If the director is wrong, refer to rule #1!

Isn’t it really interesting? It is RIGHT, I thought to myself! I began to relate what I've read to my spiritual life! I began to rephrase them, replacing the word director into God! That makes it Christians Rule instead of Choir’s.

In our lives, we have to trust that God always want the best for us. Whatever stakes, pains, conflicts, and failures we have, still God has a purpose why He allows us to experience them!

As I said from my previous articles, lately had been too rough and difficult for me. I faced too many personal issues especially in my relationship with friends, fellows, and even to myself. Only to realize that those are nothing compared to my relationship issues with God. My 'being hard' with myself and others greatly affected my spiritual life and relationship with God.

I always tell myself that I miss my old self! Why it has to be so difficult and stressful each day? Or am I just taking things too seriously? I believe I should, but it’s hard! I have so many worries inside my head. Worries are over flooding my head and I wanted to tell everything to God, but I just don’t know where to start.

I wanted to complain because I find it hard to follow his beats and I feel that I just couldn't catch up with the tune anymore! But as written in the poster... He is always right no matter how hard life may seems; no matter how hard to follow and live with His rules, still, He is always right, and we are called to obey and follow Him. In whatever circumstances, we are expected to follow and pursue what is right! (now, that makes being right very very hard!)

When I saw that poster in AILM, I realized how my faith weakens everytime I am troubled . I forgot the things, I used to strongly believe, "that God never abandons or forsakes those who trust Him". God helps those who help themselves… a big faith says: Do everything to your best ability and leave the rest to Him. I forgot how I used to leave my worries with him and manage to stay happy even when pressed with problems.

It is now Lenten season and I guess it’s the best time to pause and be still; to have a quiet moment with Him; to devote more time with reflections and prayers. Those are the things I really missed about myself! My availabilty and my TIME with Him!

Definitely, I will take THIS best time to rekindle and renew my ‘somehow’ withered faith with him! It’s never too late to change. It gives me hope everytime I remember that God always offer us the chance to reunite ourselves with Him. I need not go far because He is just a prayer away!

Have a blessed Holy Week to everyone! I’m going to miss you all!

He is my life's director and conductor, I shall never be lost!

Let GO and Let GOD

Letting go takes love. It is a part of our growth process. Letting go could mean opening up new possibilities and welcoming new opportunities. It entails us to grow and mature in so many ways. While the act of “letting go” hurts, we cannot move on until we cling on to the past.

Letting go is not being selfish but actually being selfless. You allow yourself to grow as well as the other person. It is going beyond your comfort zone. Letting go is a responsibility not just a mere act of getting out of the situation. It requires changes and improvements.

Letting go needs courage. We have to be strong to let go especially when the relationship becomes unhealthy to both partners; most of the times when it hinders our personal or spiritual growth.

Letting go is not saying ‘to forget’ or ‘to ignore’ but to learn from the past experiences. By all means, we should carry with us the ‘happy memories’ and the lessons we have learned from our past relationships. Only that, we have to let go and release the emotional baggage so we could open up ourselves and be present for the new relationship.

Letting go could mean we need extra help from the ONE above; that there are still much greater purpose and reasons why things happened that way. It could also mean that there are things that we don’t have control with. And only by humbly surrendering ourselves, we could understand more and appreciate the reason for letting go.

Let us not be afraid to let go even if it hurts us. Don’t be afraid to let go even if it means losing the person (we cared for and loved) for good. Sometimes, what we are really scared of is the feeling of animosity. We feel that it’s going to be hard losing the person we once had and loved and depended on.

And when it hurts too much, we still have a lifeline. We can turn to the ONE who always provide comfort and peace; the ONE who is close to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18). Let us always believe that God will never leave us in the middle of our journey! Not now, not ever!

Passing Through

Yesterday, I woke up with a very sad text message from a friend, informing that our dear friend is positive in her HER2 test; a test that confirms the agressiveness of cancer cells. I was stunned and just couldn't believe with what I learned! True enough that these kind of news can easily frustrate our souls. I quickly jumped off from my bed with one thing in my mind - I have to go to the Adoration chapel and offer prayers for her. I know very well I couldn't give much except for prayers. Just in time that yesterday was the WORLD SICK DAY.

I thought, I'm going to offer prayers not only for my friend but for all those others suffering from the bed of sickness; for all those who don't have enough money to spend for their medicines and medical procedures; for those who are sick and haven't found yet God's purpose and presence in their lives. I'm going to pray not only for those who are sick physically, but also those who are ailing mentally, emotionally, and spirtually. I am going to pray not only for the unwell, but also for their families who are suffering more than double of the pains and fears of losing their loved ones. I'm going to pray for the healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, and volunteers working for the welfare of the sick.

As I was praying inside the adoration chapel, I thought of God's graces. I thought, why then should we fear death when He is our ultimate destination? That our life here on earth is just a journey that prepares and leads us to a more fulfilling life - a life that everybody yearns for... the Everlasting Life!

Later that night, I received a message from my sick friend saying that her oncologist just told her that the HER2 test result is still inconclusive, which means there is still a high chances that the test will turn out negative! AMAZING! I was overwhlemed upon hearing the good news! I thought then, whatever the results are, God is truly powerful! Our Faith & Prayers offer not only relief but also HOPE - a hope we can never find elsewhere! Thank you, Lord for the gift of life!

***by the way, pink is the color used for the breast cancer campaign!

CALLED

There are two great privileges that God has given to man. The first is salvation, which is the privilege to enter into an intimate and eternal relationship with God, to be unified with Him in love. The second greatest privilege is to serve God with good works, which He performs through us as we allow Him to do so. Both of these privileges are a result of God's grace.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

For the past months, I got very busy with my work. I felt quite guilty because I sometimes overlook my spirtual activities. But I believe God understands for as long as we never fail to seek Him first in whatever we do!

Last January is very overwhelming. Though, I admit I was too workaholic, my service to Him as a lector is still one of my top priorities! I was elected as model churchworker in our community. I was surprised then because I never expect that I will be chosen since there are a number of church volunteers and workers also in our chapel who are dedicated and devoted in serving God. I felt too little compared to them. That's why I was too overwhelmed for being picked as the model churchworker.... I know I am quite unworthy but God has a purpose for everything.

Also, I was given the priviledge to be elected as the new secretary of the ministry of lectors and commentators in our parish! It is such a great priviledge for me knowing that I am the youngest in the ministry! I considered it as a priveledge at the same time, a BIG task... a BIG challenge on my part! But I believe God is with me all the way in this endeavor.

All these wonderful happenings in my life remind me of my true purpose... that I am called to serve God! We are all called to serve HIm in our own little ways and means. It is just a matter of responding to His call! No matter how we see ourselves too small, still we can contribute something in the society that we live in. No one is too small in His eyes! Let our service be offered for His greater glory! and may we see and experience God's love and presence in whatever we do!

Have a wonderful life to all!

CALLED

There are two great privileges that God has given to man. The first is salvation, which is the privilege to enter into an intimate and eternal relationship with God, to be unified with Him in love. The second greatest privilege is to serve God with good works, which He performs through us as we allow Him to do so. Both of these privileges are a result of God's grace.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

For the past months, I got very busy with my work. I felt quite guilty because I sometimes overlook my spirtual activities. But I believe God understands for as long as we never fail to seek Him first in whatever we do!

Last January is very overwhelming. Though, I admit I was too workaholic, my service to Him as a lector is still one of my top priorities! I was elected as model churchworker in our community. I was surprised then because I never expect that I will be chosen since there are a number of church volunteers and workers also in our chapel who are dedicated and devoted in serving God. I felt too little compared to them. That's why I was too overwhelmed for being picked as the model churchworker.... I know I am quite unworthy but God has a purpose for everything.

Also, I was given the priviledge to be elected as the new secretary of the ministry of lectors and commentators in our parish! It is such a great priviledge for me knowing that I am the youngest in the ministry! I considered it as a priveledge at the same time, a BIG task... a BIG challenge on my part! But I believe God is with me all the way.

All these wonderful happenings in my life remind me of my true purpose... that I am called to serve God! We are all called to serve HIm in our own little ways and means. It is just a matter of responding to His call! Let our service be offered for His greater glory! and may we see and experience God's love and presence in whatever we do!

HOT SEAT

I received a very interesting text message which left a great impression on me. It says: “It is not what people do to us that hurt us, in the most fundamental sense; it is our chosen response to what they do to us that hurts”. It somehow relates to what I am experiencing right now.

For the past two weeks, I’ve been the limelight of gossips and intrigues here in our office! It was so unfair because I never get into other’s business and so I demand for my own privacy as well. But I guess, that is something very impossible in an office set-up like this, when everybody's working closely with each other!

My ex-boyfriend (who also works here in our office) got married last January 10. Just before the event, I was already being asked and intrigued by our other officemates. They were asking me about my opinion and how do I feel about it. One of my officemates even gave me a copy of the wedding invitation. Gosh, I was really praying that everything will soon get over because I am getting sick and tired of hearing their opinions.

I couldn’t even distinguish the difference between a sincere and a mere gossip opinion. I guess they were just extracting information from me… but sad to say, I did not gave them the satisfaction of seeing me hurt or disgusted! I just smiled back at them. Some expressed their sympathy and some showed anger because they believe that I was being fooled by my ex-boyfriend.

Different opinions coming from different mouths! Truly, I smiled at them and just expressed my wish of good luck for the couples but really every single word they said hurt and tore my heart apart! I felt that it’s being too unfair because these people were not there during those times when I was suffering from our break-up. I never bothered them (anyway) about my feelings and here they are now talking as if they took part of my heart aches before!

I only share my feelings with my closest friends and funny thing is my friends never opened the topic of my ex’s wedding (although, they also knew about it) because they cared enough about my feelings and they waited for me to open up before they could give their opinions and advise!

I am not hurt because of my ex’s wedding. I even prayed for them and in my heart I have forgiven them a long time ago! I guess, I am just hurt because of what others were saying. Although I appreciate some, but the more they talk about it makes me feel sick! It brings back the past hurts which I already got over with! I got over with my heart ache a long time ago and I deserve my rest about that issue and I guess my ex boyfriend also deserves the same.

True enough, everything shall come to pass… and after reading the text message (which Jackie sent me)… yes, it is not what others do to me that hurt but my chosen response to what they did and said that hurts! I took them too seriously which in turn made me suffered from all those nonsense comments!

I know myself and God knows me very well! I guess that’s what matters most! I am glad that God guided my words and my 'every' actions. I never gave any negative comments because I believe that I am not answerable to them. I am only answerable to the One above who loves and cares for me so much!

I am just thankful enough for having my true and genuine friends (Jackie, Rachelle, Lhoraine). They listened to me and gave me good advises on how to deal with such issues!

I have surpassed the greatest suffering of heart break before and I know that nothing is much greater that I could not face or handle anymore… not without God!

WOUNDS That HEAL

I am pretty sure that most of us, if not all, have our own heart breaking stories to tell. We have different heart aches brought about different causes. It may be a loss or a death of a loved one or a break up from a relationship, a betrayal from a trusted friend, loss of job, illness and like.

I can say that I am lucky because I have experienced heart aches. I am not telling this because I am a masochist or I am bitter of my past hurts, but because I experienced how was it to be lost. I have experienced the wonder of failures and heart aches which eventually made me a whole and a better person. Most of all, I am lucky because I have experienced God’s love during the darkest hours of my life.

Sometimes you have to be broken in order to be whole. Sometimes you need to go through a lot of pains and trials before you raise your head up high. I believe that it is through hardships that we become strong emotionally and spiritually!

As I look back, I remember how my sufferings were turned into a wonderful experience. It is when my relationship with God was renewed and even more strengthened. I learned the value of prayers in my life! My understanding and point of view of trials changed when I opened up myself to Him. I learned how to surrender myself to the one above! I am not saying that I am now perfect (nobody’s perfect, anyway) but I am better. I still have lots of craziness and everyday mistakes but I know how it is now to acknowledge and be sorry for them.

Everyday is a struggle and we are being wounded in the process. But wounds do heal in the proper time. Let’s give time for healing! It takes a lot of time, actually! And when we are healed, we will be surprised how we are being changed.

Healing of oneself is best manifested in our ability to comfort others in their desperate moments! When we are ready to give comfort with others, then we see the value of our experiences, be it happy or painful ones! We see ourselves in the person we are comforting and we can relate truly with their feelings… that is sympathy!

While healing takes a lot of time, it is an opportunity to be drawn closer to our ultimate healer! God waits for us to come to Him and call His name. He longs for us and He knows that it is during these times when He is best noticed! So, never give up for God is close to the broken hearted (Psalm 34:18)! It is very inspiring to know that God delivers us from pains if only we turn ourselves to Him and recognize Him and His words! What a loving God we have!

Healing the wounds is a long process but believe me it is indeed a worthwhile experience! In the future, Christ can use your emotional wounds to help others heal!

“Christ was broken for us to comfort the broken among us.”

“Be strong and of good courage… for the Lord your God is with you, wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

"Our greatest strength is often shown in our ability to stand still and trust God."

"God comforts us . . . that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble." – 2 Corinthians 1:4

HOME

My past two-weeks were spent in travels. I was really busy the whole time and all I long for was to get to my bed and sleep. My mind was too pre-occupied with a lot of things... mostly of workloads with deadlines to meet. I was kind of mentally exhausted!

On top of that, emotional stress also hit me because of some personal issues! What made it even worst is that my health and my spiritual life were also impaired! I can only spend too little time in praying and reflecting (though I made sure never fail serving as a lector in our chapel and parish every Sundays, that's TOP priority). I had episodes of asthma attacks (I only experience asthma under emotional distress) and a very bad cough for the past several days!

Yesterday, I decided not to go to work because I felt so wasted and tired. I just wanted to be alone and reflect on the things that happened for the past weeks. I was really touched upon hearing the song 'HOME' by brian mc knight... it refreshed my spirit. I realized that, really, I have forgotten my Faith. I got too self-centered and work-centered that I missed the things that matter most.

When we get too busy with so many things and we get too down and troubled, we long for rest and yes, we still find our WAY BACK HOME...

Thinking back when we first met
I remember what you said
You said you'd never leave me
I let go of your hand
Built my castle in the sand
But now I'm reachin' out again
And I'm not letting go

Till you
Hold me
Mold me
Sometimes I feel so all alone
See, I gotta find my way back home

So why don't you
Shape me
make me
Wash me whiter than the snow
I gotta find my way Back home

Master upon my knees i pray
I just want to be the clay
Put your arms around me
Place my life in your hands
Lord, I know I'm just a man
I know you understand
This time I'm not letting go

Till you
Anoint me
Appoint me
Sometimes I feel so alone
See, I gotta find my way back home

So why don't you
Chastise me
Baptize me
Wash me whiter than the snow
I gotta find my way

'Cause I'm lost and alone
I've been wandering
Long enough to know
Humbly I search for you
And I'm not gonna rest

Till you
Choose me
Use me
Sometimes I feel so alone
I'm on my way back home

So why don't you
Direct me
Bless me
Wash me whiter then the snow
I'm on my way
Back home

What Really Matters in Life

Another week has ended. How time flies and leaves us. It only seemed like yesterday when I was too excited, nervous, and busy preparing for my brother's wedding. As I am writing this post, I realized that it was already a 'week-old' thing. Time is too fast (and furious) and sometimes we just couldn't cope with all the demands. We see ourselves trying to deal with at the same time survive the pressures put upon us; may it be in our work, relationship, family, friends, etc. What our world needs now is to SLOW down even for a while so we could have more time to reflect and enjoy our selves. But since the world wouldn't slow down for us... then we should, in ourselves, take steps to hold back, relax, and enjoy the things that really matter in our lives!

Let me share this story which I heard from our priest...

A vacationing American businessman was standing on the pier of a quaint coastal fishing village in southern Mexico when a small boat with just one young fisherman pulled into the dock. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

"How long did it take you to catch them?" the American casually asked.

"Oh, a few hours," the Mexican replied.

"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the American businessman then asked.
The Mexican warmly replied, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The businessman then became serious, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

Responding with a smile, the Mexican fisherman answered, "I sleep late, play with my children, watch ballgames, and take siesta with my wife. Sometimes in the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs..."

The American businessman impatiently interrupted, "Look, I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you to be more profitable. You can start by fishing several hours longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra money, you can buy a bigger boat. With the additional income that larger boat will bring, you can then buy a second boat, a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats.

"Then, instead of selling your catch to a middleman you'll be able to sell your fish directly to the processor, or even open your own cannery. Eventually, you could control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this tiny coastal village and move to Mexico City, or possibly even Los Angeles or New York City, where you could even further expand your enterprise."

Having never thought of such things, the Mexican fisherman asked, "But how long will all this take?"

After a rapid mental calculation, the businessman pronounced, "Probably about 15-20 years, maybe less if you work really hard."

"And then what, senor?" asked the fisherman.

"Why, that's the best part!" answered the businessman with a laugh. "When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions? Really? What could I do with it all?" asked the young fisherman in disbelief.

The businessman boasted, "Then you could happily retire with all the money you've made. You could move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, play with your grandchildren, watch ballgames, take siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want."

The moral of the story is: Know what really matters in life, and you may find that it is already much closer than you think.

See you All on Monday!!! Have a great, God-filled weekend!