Coffee Moments with Sam

I love watching my son play with his Lego toys.  His simple yet vast world of imagination can create different scenes, each with unique stories and situations.   One time, however, he came up to me feeling frustrated and disappointed.  "Mommy, look at the car I built yesterday...it's broken!" he said, showing me one of his Lego creations, "I don't know how to fix it again."    "Of course, you can", I said encouragingly.  "Just try your best to build it again". "But I don't remember anymore..." he said giving up.   "Okay, if you can't build the exact, same thing, why don't you just build a new one."  I said.   He then went back to his play area and started to build a new car.  After a while, he came back to me and showed me his latest masterpiece.   "Mommy, look!"  proudly holding up his new Lego car, "I built a new one and I like this better than the one I built ...

Pope John Paul II defines freedom as: “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of conscience, it turns against humanity and society.” Freedom is not always an issue of liberty or independence to choose and do whatever pleases us, but freedom is about “being in a state of peace, happiness, satisfaction, as a result of our choosing what is right”. It is a guilt-free, fearless, shameless, stress-free kind of life. So how exactly can we live free? wallpapers.com Read full article:  What it Means to Live Free - Live Free Column - Tapat Catholic News

Sometimes the best way to succeed is to be yourself.

  image from bubblews.com Before I was a Mom I had complete control of: My thoughts My body And my mind. I slept all night. Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child So that doctors could do tests Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep. Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces When I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small Could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom. Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small Could make me feel so impor...

"I’m participating in the KEEP CHRIST in CHRISTMAS Blog Link-Up 2013 sponsored by the  Catholic Bloggers Network ." Be sure to  visit as many links as possible , listed at the bottom of this post. Reflecting on the 1st candle of Advent, the "light of Hope", I was reminded of a story I read as a child.  Most of my contemporaries would probably remember "The Little Match Girl" written by Hans Christian Andersen: It was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of the old year, and the snow was falling fast. In the cold and darkness, a poor little girl with bare head and naked feet, roamed through the streets. It is true she had on a pair of slippers when she left home, but they were not of much use. They were very large, so large, indeed, for they had belonged to her Mother and the poor little girl had lost them in running across the street to avoid two carriages that were rolling at a terrible rate. One of the s...

Last week, I was helping my son, Mico, with his school assignment.  The instruction was to list down "10 Things that Make Me Happy".   So I asked my son what makes him happy and he answered: 1. "Hug" 2. "When I listen to my Teacher" 3. "Playing" 4. "Mommy or Daddy Kissing my Cheek" 5. "Having Toys" 6. "Watching Cartoons" 7. "Family" 8. "Dancing" 9. "Sharing Toys and Food" 10. "Love" Children truly knows the real essence of HAPPINESS.  What a great way to be reminded that HAPPINESS is within us.  It may be expressed in simple ways but the true meaning of it lies in the purity of our hearts.  It's up to us to decide how we choose to be happy each day.  

Upon seeing a shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, my 4-year old son, suddenly asked:   "Mommy, why is Jesus so high up there?... is it because He is saving the world?" I was speechless but awed at the simple yet, meaningful way a child captured the very essence of salvation. Not many of us see Christ the way my son did. Whenever we talk about faith, let's make sure that it is spoken from the pure and innocent heart of a child.  Let us not lose that child-like faith and wonder. And in times we strive to find hope in the midst of such a chaotic world, let us look to Christ...  for only He can save the world.  

I used to think that being a mom was easy, that is, until I became one.  Growing up, I witnessed how my own mother balanced her life as a wife, a career woman, her community service and her 7 children!  I appreciated how she did her job as a mom that I said to myself, " hey, being a mom is so simple !"    But I later on discovered that motherhood was tougher than I thought.. The day I gave birth ... I was given a new life to nourish and a new life to live.  It's definitely not going to be an easy task.  But life with my child will be a new journey I am looking forward to experiencing for the rest of my life.   .   The most important thing I learned about motherhood is that life was never about me anymore … my child became my life and my family became my world.      But in spite of the demands and challenges of motherhood, ...

While most people are taking time off today to rest, my husband is preparing to leave for Mission. God's work must go on no matter what.  My devotion to St. Joseph never fails to affirm me of how blessed I am to have a husband who puts God at the center of our family life.    This devotion which initially began as a prayer to find the ideal husband, through the years became a deeper relationship.  He is my personal intercessor.  He never fails to strengthen the important "men" in my life -  my husband, dad, and brothers.    May the prayers of good St Joseph the Worker, and Our Lady, his virginal spouse, help men to be men and renew the face of the earth with holy and just living - from Catholic Online

The seven last words of Jesus Christ is far beyond utters of pain, of sufferings, of agony.  It is an expression of love - love as symbolized by the Cross.  First Word of Love: "I forgive you" “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” (Luke 23:34) Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the cross is all about forgiveness.  His love is unconditional and His mercy is for everyone.  Even if I sometimes choose not to acknowledge the wrong things I have done, Christ is ready to forgive me.  He is saying, "I love you inspite of the many times you've hurt me and I forgive you." Many times, I find it difficult to forgive someone who have caused me a lot of pain... most especially if this person is someone I love dearly and close to my heart.  But Christ's love is beyond any pain.  He reminds me that only true forgiveness can set me free from it.  ...

It is the road less travelled...  It's definitely not the ideal path to take but I took it... even if at first I didn't understand why I did. The missionary path had been my life's journey for the past 13 years.   Through it all, God never failed to give me the life I deserved.  And because He is a loving and generous God, it was a life worth living.   Mission Sending ceremony with Cardinal Tagle I was privileged to re-commit myself once again to the missionary life.  During last Holy Monday's "Mission Sending Ceremony" with His Excellency Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, I experienced this wonderful opportunity to renew my missionary vows.   It was the best homecoming gift for me after 7 years of mission in the Middle East.  All the sacrifice and hardwork was worth it.  It gave me a whole new sense of being and purpose.  My life - no...

In celebration of International Women's Month, I was inspired to blog about women who were my life inspirations...     One of my favorite women in the Bible is Ruth.  She was known for her love and loyalty as a daughter-in-law.  Despite the death of her husband, Ruth chose to be with her mother-in-law and committed to stand by her no matter what.  These were her very lines: Ruth of the Bible "Wherever you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God." Ruth 1:16 (more on the story of Ruth thru this link: Ruth Bible Story Summary ) The story of Ruth is very close to my heart.  You see, I know a woman named Ruth and I believe it's no coincidence that she was given that name for like Ruth of the Bible, her life was all about love and sacrifice as a daughter-in-law.  A modern-day woman named Ruth R...

“I’m participating in the Keeping LOVE in LENT Blog Link-Up 2013, hosted by Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints ,  Truly Rich Mom   and  Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families . We’ll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Lenten sacrifices, prayer and good deeds, and how to carry them out with LOVE instead of a GRUMBLE. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of link-up entries." It’s simply amazing how much I can learn from someone so young.  A child can definitely teach us - older ones - a lot about love…  Out of nowhere, my son told me, “ Faith is my life ”.   He was actually referring to his playmate, a girl about his age named, Faith.   I honestly didn't know where he learned to say those words, but in the pureness and innocence of his heart he was happy and proud to express it.   There was another time he came up to...