nothing but You

let nothing disturb you,
let nothing frighten you,
all things are passing away:
God never changes.
patience obtains all things
whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

- st. teresa of avila -

power. light.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

- a return to love - marianne williamson -

wounds + warmth

During the Ice Age, many animals died because of the cold. Seeing this situation, the porcupines decided to group together, so they wrapped up well and protected one another.

But they hurt one another with their thorns, and so then they decided to stay apart from one another.

They started to freeze to death again.

So they had to make a choice: either they vanished from the face of the earth or they accepted their neighbor’s thorns.

They wisely decided to stay together again. They learned to live with the small wounds that a very close relationship could cause, because the most important thing was the warmth given by the other.

And in the end they survived.

- posted on paulo coelho's blog, as told to him by reader alvaro conegundes -

just a different place

- excerpts from Emily Perl Kingsley's "welcome to holland" -

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability.. It's like this..

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy.. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

pruning

We go through life
and forget how quickly
and quietly it is passing away.

We mouth words of love
and reject it by how we live…

We experience so much personal
and social evil and continue to live
as though evil is non-existent
and keep God’s grace at arms length.

We witness the beauty of creation
without raising our hearts and mind
in grateful contemplation.

We get bored by the company we keep
yet run away from silence and solitude.

We talk endlessly with one another
yet hear only meaningless sounds.

We go through a thousand experiences
yet fail to learn and grasp life’s meaning.

- Fr Guido Arguelles, SJ excerpts -

feeling and healing

feelings are symptoms that need to be heard. they carry an important message if we listen to them. feelings that don't get heard fuel addictions..

in my decision making, i still follow my highest values, not my noisiest emotions

conflicts are normal. but when they become prolonged and unresolved, they can cause burnout..

healing your burnout by changing your environment won't solve your problems if your burnout has internal causes

healing low self-worth and taming fears is a life long process

take time to care for yourself

laughter = inner jogging

dream sleep takes care of our mental fatigue

respect your body. befriend it. and be keenly sensitive to its quiet messages..

look for patterns in your day or week where you could get exercise

always try to find new ways of expressing love


- excerpts from simplify and live the good life by bo sanchez -

happy reminders

1. Notice What’s Right
Take all that life throws out you and reframe it with what’s right about the situation.

2. Be Grateful

3. Remember the Kid You Were

4. Be Kind

5. Spend Time with Your Friends

6. Savor Every Moment

7. Rest

8. Move!

9. Put on a Happy Face
Sometimes we have to fake it until we make it. I’m not suggesting that we not be honest, real or authentic, but I’m suggesting, sometimes, we just need to put on a happy face and keep moving forward. Researchers claim that smiling and looking like we are happy will indeed make us happier.

10. Pursue Your Goals
a life full of passion and enthusiasm

11. Finding Your Calling
having a sense of purpose

12. Get into the Flow

13. Play to Your Strengths
One way to achieve flow is by understanding and identifying our strengths and core values, and then begin to use these every day.

14. Don’t Overdo It
What gives you joy and happiness the first time may not work the second time. Set healthy and reasonable boundaries for yourself

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/14-timeless-ways-to-live-a-happy-life/
- alex blackwell -

tension of opposites

life is a series of pulls back and forth.

you want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else.

something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't.

you take certain things for granted, even when you know that you should never take anything for granted.

a tension of opposites, likes a pull on a rubber band. and most of us live somewhere in the middle.

which side wins?

love wins. love always wins.

- tuesdays with morrie -

shut up and listen

God suggests when we're feeling uneasy, perhaps low on energy; we should be still and get quiet before him: "Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer" (Psalm 94:19 LB).

But many of us have trouble getting quiet.

once a day, sit down, and just be quiet... get alone for five minutes a day and be completely silent. Ask God a question, and then just sit and listen.

Sometimes we say, "God, I really need your guidance on this," and then we get up and walk off. We don't wait for an answer. Could it be the reason we never hear from God is we never listen?

Learn to take little mini-breaks during the day.. stop and say, "God, I want to tune in on you again. I want to focus in on you." I'm talking about fifteen or twenty seconds. Just stop and be quiet.

Why is this important? Because the race of life is tough and, quite honestly, it's tough to live God's plan for your life. It's important to be still and know He is there.

Get quiet once a day, take one day a week to rest, and always take some sort of vacation at least once a year.

- rick warren -

be you

The ideal conditions that you are looking for don’t exist. We shall never be able to get rid of certain defects. The trick is to know that despite all your flaws you are an extraordinary person.

Yes, you know very well but try to go beyond the limits that you are used to – for ten minutes a day – be that person you have always wanted to be.

If the problem is shyness, stimulate conversation.

If the problem is guilt, feel approved.

If you think that the world ignores you, try consciously to attract everyone’s looks.

You will experience the occasional difficult situation, but it’s worth it.

If for ten minutes a day you can manage to be what you dreamed, you are already making great progress.

- paulo coelho -

facing complex tasks

Sometimes, complexity can be overwhelming. You might feel intellectually paralyzed. So, when you're facing a complex and daunting task, do it in bursts. Your mind has an amazing ability to cope with complexity, but don't expect to comprehend a complex task all at once. Try throwing yourself at it for 30 minutes or an hour. Then stop and do something else. Don't worry about being unproductive for this short time; if you feel too confused, quit early. After a few cycles of this, you will begin to see patterns and outlines. Soon, more organized and specific strategies will come to mind. It works like magic. Eventually, you'll know enough to design a comprehensive plan that will serve your mission.

- (edited) Lessons Learned in Software Testing -

* it helps too if prayer is included in the mix *

SFGTD

To:             YOU
Date:          TODAY
From:         GOD
Subject:      YOURSELF
Reference:  LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling all of your problems for you. I do not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you.

P.S. And remember... If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

- ? -

pushing it

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light. An angel appeared, showed a large rock in front of his cabin and asked him to push against the rock with all his might.

This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock.

Nothing happened. And he decided to make it a matter of prayer. “Lord I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even been able to budge that rock. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”

The angel appeared again : “My friend, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. And now you come to me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so?”

“Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. You learned the importance of discipline and training. This you have done. Now it is my turn, my task.”

And the angel moved the rock, showing to the man a beautiful path ahead.

- ? -

getting help in decision making

1. Only a quiet mind can think efficiently. Find a quiet place, sit down and compose yourself.

2. Repeat three times, "With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory." (Psalm 73:24)

3. Imagine God's advice passing into your mind. If you must have that advice today, you will get it. If you do not need it until next week, you will have it then, if you believe that you will, and if you keep calm and continue to pray and think.

4. Ask yourself, "What would Jesus do in this decision?" He would do the right thing, would he not? Right now, ask God to take all wrong and error out of your heart.

5. Do not hurry. Allow your problem to simmer in the mind. Never force a decision.

6. Thank God for giving you the right answer, for He is giving it to you. Thank Him for the great happiness that is in your heart.

7. Having received your answer, trust it. Take it with faith and thanksgiving. If you have sought God's counsel and prayed earnestly, your answer will come up as a clear, bright light burning in the mind. Trust it. God will see you through.

- ? -

Stay with me, Lord..

..for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.

..because I am weak and I need Your strength. I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus!

..for You are my life.. for You are my light.

..so that I hear Your voice and follow You.

..for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.

..for as poor as my soul is, I wish it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.

Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.

Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for. Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit.

With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity.

Amen.

- excerpt from Saint Padre Pio's A Prayer After Communion -

ano ba ang meron?

May kalabuan at maraming kasakitan ang pwedeng idulot ng pagtatanong at paghahanap sa tunay na meron.

Kailangang matindi ang pagnanasang maunawaan ang meron at may taglay na sapat na pasensya ang isang tao.

Dahil sa kahirapan at kasakitan, maraming tao ang tumitigil na lamang at binibigyan ng hangganan ang kanilang pagmemeron. Paraan ito ng tao para huwag na lamang palalimin pa ang kanyang nalalaman, at huwag na rin masaktan sa proseso.

Ngunit sa mismong kahirapan, lalo namang napapatindi ang sarap ng tagumpay na maaaring maramdaman ng mga taong sa wakas ay nakakaunawa na sa meron.

Kailangang isipin din natin na hindi lang ang kasagutan sa ating mga tanong ang may kahulugan.  Ang pagtahak natin sa landas patungong meron ay malaki din ang ibinabahagi sa pagpapalawak ng ating mga isipan at mga kaalaman ukol sa kung ano ang dapat nating gawin sa buhay.

Sa totoo, hindi tayo maaaring makarating sa punto kung saan alam na natin ang buong meron. Pero hindi tayo pwedeng tumigil sa pagmemeron dahil ito ang nagbibigay kahulugan sa ating pag-iral.

- 2000-11-27: ph102 (lagliva) -

i invite you

I want to know what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

I want to know if you have touched the center of your
own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,
without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own,
if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us
to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations
of being human.

I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true
to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it's not pretty,
every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"

I want to know if you can get up,
after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised
to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire 
with me and not shrink back.

I want to know what sustains you,
from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

- excerpts from Oriah Mountain Dreamer's The Invitation -

gifts to give

THE GIFT OF LISTENING...
But you must REALLY listen.
No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response.

THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...
Be generous with appropriate hugs,
kisses, pats on the back, and handholds.

THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...
Share articles and funny stories.
Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...
It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet.
A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job,"
or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

THE GIFT OF A FAVOR...
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.

THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE...
There are times when we want nothing better
than to be left alone.
Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way to feel good is
to extend a kind word to someone.
Really, it's not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You.

- ? -

disturbance

Disturb us, Lord,
When we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true,
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely, because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord,
When with the abundance of things we possess,
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity;
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord,
To dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas,
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future,
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

- sir francis drake -

centering prayer

   - clearing the mind of rational thought in order to focus on the indwelling presence of God

   - strong emphasis on interior silence

   - while complete quiet or stillness is often desirable, some people use repetitive activities such as deep breathing, humming or chanting of mantra to help induce a prayerful state

   - SAMPLE:
   1. Sit comfortably with eyes closed, relax, and quiet yourself. Be in love and faith to God.
   2. Slowly breathe in through the nose, imagining that you’re breathing in the Holy Spirit.Breathe out through the mouth, imagining the release of all the negativities inside you.
   3. Choose a sacred word or mantra that best supports your sincere intention to be in the Lord's presence and be open to His divine action within you (i.e. "Jesus", "Lord," "God," "Savior," "Abba," "Divine," "Shalom," "Spirit," "Love," etc.).
   4. Whenever you become aware of anything (thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, associations, etc.), simply return to your mantra, your anchor.

- collected from wherever -