The Smile that Greets Me Every Morning

...comes from my parents whom I love dearly.

There are days when I wake up with a sudden grump on my face. Well, not because of a bad mood but merely due to lack of sleep!! My dad would then greet me a Good Morning with a smile. Wow, that changes everything. It makes me reply a good morning too with a smile on my face. It feels good to be greeted by my parents. It makes me remember how blessed I am. I receive a bountiful of blessings everyday - my parents for instance. Their mere presence... knowing that they are still here with me. They're alive. They're breathing.

There are times when I see them together. Yes, my mom and dad together... They're getting old.... Getting white hair and wrinkles on their faces. Biologically-speaking, elastin and collagen from their skin are slowly deterioriating... and the smell of old people – it's becoming more and more distinct. Those facts make me sad. Really sad... There are times when I cry out of the blue because I'm afraid that sooner or later they would leave me behind.. here on Earth. Me... struggling on my own.... without them. I can never see that happening still. I'm not ready. Who's  ready anyway? So here I am crying yet again.... I want to show them that I love them so much before they leave me... How emotional can I get? All I can do now is pray... for their health... that they may live longer; may enjoy their last years on Earth.

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The 20th Cake

Today I go one bar higher in my so-called "Age-Meter"! I'm now 20 years old; officially a young adult! :) Browsing over the internet I found a site that gives us a verse from the Bible depending on our birth date... Well, I tried it just for fun.

The site is called Birth Verse and it opens up a window with a small piece of note right at the bottom:

"You are a child of God, His treasured possession. He created you in His own image. He chose the day for you to be born. He has a plan and a purpose for your life." - BirthVerse

Hmm, my purpose? Well, that I have yet to know. Although I always say that I will become a doctor someday, I still am not yet sure of what my real purpose is. I mean, who knows it better than God? God has plans for us, however the probability of those plans to work out still depends on us by how we decide here on Earth. Meaning, God is there to send wake-up calls to direct us to His ideal plans. He gives us opportunities day by day so that we can get a picture of our purpose. From there He hopes that we can realize something out of the callings we receive from Him, and eventually be enlightened to go to the right path.

I'm currently enrolled as a BS Biology student in The University and will be graduating next year. I plan to pursue Medicine, and become a pediatrician or a cardiologist as a specialization. I have also been blogging since 2004, making me a certified 8-year blogger. I plan to settle with this domain for good (Read my Blogging History if you are curious.) and build my "AnythingRAD! Network" ~ Currently, I maintain 3 blogs: ComfortingWay, Vainroxy, and my Personal Blog. I plan to open additional websites for AnythingRAD! Network for my other interests -- like food, and health/science blogs. So basically, I want to become a blogger-doctor. :)

But of course I'm not closing my doors to whatever God wants me to become. But all I know is, I'm doing my best to finish my schooling and make my parents proud, make them happy that I have succeeded trials I thought I could never surpass, and also enjoy my hobby of blogging.

I have read Father Martin Fox's blog the other day and I quote from his 'birthday entry'. He says:

"My birthday is no accomplishment of mine. It is the day of my [parents'] mother's trials and suffering--for my benefit.." -- Fr. Martin Fox, priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati

After reading that paragraph in his blog, I came to realize how momentous this day is especially for my parents . If it weren't for their love for each other, I wouldn't be here. This is a celebration of their love for each other, for our family's prosperity, for me, and most importantly, for God. :)

I have lived my life for 20 years, and today I shall start anew. Another chapter has opened and I will continue living my life as a young adult, as an aspiring doctor, and as a disciple of God. :)

All for His Glory.

Now, I can blow my 20th birthday candle. :)

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Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker

When we hear about St. Joseph, most of the time we think of him simply as the person who was betrothed to the Virgin Mary and became the foster father of Jesus. FOSTER FATHER -- Thinking about it, was it his obligation in the first place to become the father of Jesus when in fact Mary carried The Child beforehand? No. In fact, he could have had declined becoming the foster father, BUT we see in The Scripture that he did otherwise. He protected Mary by preventing her to be stoned to death (since having a child without a legal father was unlawful and anyone who did wrong must be punished and put to death).

Moreover, Joseph allowed himself to carry that responsibility of becoming the father without doubt. He also did not know that the child Mary was carrying was the Son of God, thus we know that he was sincere in his actions to become the father.  From here we see that St. Joseph was a protecting man, had a loving and sincere heart.

St. Joseph was known to be a carpenter. CARPENTRY -- It is about construction of buildings, pieces of furniture, and other objects. Jesus' exposure to Joseph's work taught him the basics of carpentry and from there we see that his ability to build a structure in the near future, such as the first Church,  was thanks to St. Joseph. :)

Furthermore, carpentry is a work that involves ability; Ability to be hardworking, humble, giving, open-minded, and most importantly, patient. Having the child on Joseph's side almost 24/7 during Jesus' childhood years had taught Jesus great virtues that he would have had not learned if not for his primary teachers, i.e. his parents. Jesus was raised by Joseph and Mary to hold the same virtues as his parents had -- that is, being understanding, giving, humble and patient to people. From here we see that St. Joseph was the primary person who taught Jesus the virtues of a good, humble man.

Reading more of The Scriptures, St. Joseph was known to be part of the Jewish race. He was a religious man, and reading between the lines, Joseph may have introduced his religion to Jesus through their daily conversations. Thus, the very first person who teaches about the Godly Father is the Earthly Father, St. Joseph himself. Hence, St. Joseph is God's instrument for the salvation of the world.  

Today, we celebrate the  Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. It is a special day not only for me, for the laborers, & village (whose patron saint is St. Joseph the Worker), but also for everyone else.

St. Joseph may have been introduced in the Bible for only a few lines, but on these lines lie an encompassing role that is truly significant in raising & nurturing the child Jesus to become the Redeemer of the World. 

GOD BLESS

Happy Fiesta!

(IMG Src: http://www.stjosephmantua.com/Joseph.htm)

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God's Protection

"I wait patiently for God to save me; I depend on him alone. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated." - Psalms 62:1-2

I had a very tough time sleeping last night -- thinking about death, loss time, and all other kinds of fear. At first I thought I was just having a self crisis -- some sort of "Age Transition"... but no... as time passed by, my chest felt heavier; I knew something was wrong with me. In deep fear, all I could do was to think of happy thoughts and let myself fall asleep fast. I did fall asleep. But not too long...

I woke up around 3AM today, 2:48AM to be exact,  having a heavy heart, trembling in fear, anxious of reality, scared of life. I was in deep confusion -- something really weird had gotten into me! I can't help but wake up, go downstairs, and just not fall asleep again! I tried watching some TV shows ~ Kdramas to be specific. Even though I had a couple of good laughs with such entertainment, still... I was in fear.  I was about to lose myself, until I started praying.

I opened the Holy Bible, and got into the page where Pslams 62:1-2 was situated. There I started to cry it all out. I realized I was being blinded by so much evil things. I was not paying attention to God's Words like I used to months ago. As a human being, sometimes we get to be so busy that we forget to pray, forget to let God enter our lives and make Him the center piece of it.

I read the chapter til the end...

    "Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell him all your troubles, for he is our refuge. Men are all like a puff of breathe; great and small alike are worthless.
    Put them on the scales, and they weigh nothing; they are lighter than a mere breath.
    Don't put your trust in violence; don't hope to gain anything by robbery; even if your riches increase, don't depend on them.
   More than once I have heard God say that power belongs to him and that his love is constant.
you yourself, O Lord, reward everyone according to his deeds." - Psalms 62:8-12

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