A life-changing situation happened to us , just the other day, July 21, 2015..
At our age, we have learned to always count our blessings, (even in the worst of situations). We have learned to look back to the past 67 summers that God has so generously blessed Pete and me...
Thank you, Lord for:
......our children : Myra Jo, Marc Hil, Michael Peter, and Mon Philip -
- for being good, loving, thoughtful, and responsible
- for honoring us with their exemplary performance in school, in their job, in the
community, and in their families
- for the happiness that they have gifted us with, since they were still kids
......our children-in-law : Ian Benedict, Sharmaine Miguel-Macalua, Candice Aquino-Macalua
- for being good spouses to our children
- for being good parents to our grandchildren
- for loving us, the way we love them
......our grandchildren: Laura Sophia (IYA), Kendra Hailey (KENDRA), Kenzie Winter(WINTER)
-for bringing us immeasurable happiness
.......my mother: INAY
- for having raised us well
- for loving us unconditionally, and praying for us incessantly
I FIRST STARTED READING THIS EMAIL & WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED
THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND
THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS EMAIL IS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING. MAKES
YOU STOP AND THINK. READ SLOWLY!
AND THEN IT IS WINTER
You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you
unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was
young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in
a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went.
I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then
and of all my hopes and dreams.
But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by
surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and
where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the
years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and
that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully
what it would be like.
But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move
slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some
worse shape than me...but, I see the great change...Not like the ones
that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age
is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to
see and never thought we'd be. Each day now, I find that just getting
a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat
anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I
just fall asleep where I sit!
And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for
all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and
do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I
know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it
will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...its over.
A new adventure will begin!
Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I
should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have
done. It's all in a lifetime.
So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will
be here faster than you think. So, what ever you would like to
accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too
long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can
never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise
that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today
and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and
hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you
have done for them in all the years past!!
"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to
those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.
LIVE IT WELL!
ENJOY TODAY!
DO SOMETHING FUN!
BE HAPPY !
HAVE A GREAT DAY
Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and
silver.
Life Is Too Short
Life is too short to let even one day be frenzied or frazzled or frittered
away.
Life is too short not to take time to do the things that will hold the
most meaning for you.
So let yourself float like a leaf on a stream, relax with your
memories and let yourself dream.
Throw out your list that's impossibly long, and dance a few steps to a
favorite song.
Turn off the news and go find someone real who'll listen and talk and
affirm what you feel.
Life is too short and flies by if you let it, so choose what you want
every day-- and go and get it.
LIVE HAPPY IN 2013!
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN,
YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE
SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.
~Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!
~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!
~You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they
even knew you!!!
~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything....
especially golf.
~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you
really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.
~You sleep better on a lounge chair with theTV blaring than in bed.
It's called "pre-sleep".
~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and
"OFF" switch..
~You tend to use more 4 letter words ...
"what?"..."when?"... ???
~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.
~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!
~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
~Everybody whispers.
~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.
~~~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of
all, OLD FRIENDS!!
Found the recipe online. Kaya pala yumayaman ang mga Intsik! Napakasimple ng ingredients and pagluto. Tikoy is my all time favorite. To think that I've spent a fortune buying this delicacy, for consumption, for gift, for pasalubong. Ang dali lang palang iluto! On top of that, when I cook it myself, I have full control on the amount of sugar that goes into it ,and I'm pretty sure that it has no preservatives at all... Ano pa kayang "homemade" ang magandang gawin? Hmm... Isip... Isip... — at Port Authur TX.
As 2012 come to a close, let's thank the LORD for His love and generosity.
Let us welcome the new year - 2013 - with hopes and prayers for bountiful
blessings for each and everyone. Blessings of good health, peace, love, happiness, safety and prosperity...
oh, when it rains, it pours! this morning, i was so overwhelmed when the fresh yellow tulips from Myra Jo Macalua-Hynson, Ian Hynson, and Iya were delivered by Sylvia's Florist of Texas.
Imagine, how ecstatic i was, a few hours later, when another 2 boxes of fresh flowers were delivered, minutes apart, by first - Pro Flowers - fresh multicolored roses in a transparent vase and with a box of chocolates
( from Michael Peter Macalua andCandice Aquino-Macalua); and then the other one by 1-800-Flowers - 2 dozens of lavender roses, in a classy purple vase ( from Marc Macalua and Sharm Miguel-Macalua)! Mon always gives us RT plane tickets from MNL-TAC-MNL, so it's his gift again this year. THANKS SO MUCH, MGA ANAK! Ay, na-upstage nyo ang stage mom ninyo this time. Wonder of wonders, when i talked with them thru video conference call, di pala nila pinagusapan ang pag order ng flowers, basta nagkaalaman na lang sila after ordering them. What seems to be an uneventful "56th" birthday, turned out to be the most memorable one for me, with our kids' love shown in their thoughtfulness, and also the hundreds of birthday greetings and well wishes from family, relatives, friends, former pupils, colleagues, and kababayans. Thanks, too, Dad , for the new car that you gave me as a birthday gift! Most of all, thank you, LORD, for the best gift that YOU gave me- the GIFT OF LIFE- for 65 years. I can't tell a lie to HIM. I just turned 65, not "56". hehehe!
I've been trying to write about my beloved mother, but unlike my usual spur-of-the-moment style of blogging, I wanted to do justice to what she really is, so it took so long to put in print my thoughts about her. Loving, thoughtful, generous, patient, religious, kind, helpful, industrious, warm, quiet, intelligent, cheerful, etc. etc. that's my mother - "Inay". Exemplary mother, exemplary wife, Beautiful - inside, out. She took very good care of all of us - Tatay, my siblings and me, our grandparents, our cousins, our relatives, our helpers, etc. etc. She prepared good food, nursed us when we were sick, prayed so fervently for our intentions, Tatay was a very lucky man, for having Inay for his wife. I grew up seeing how well she took care of him. When he wakes up, the newly washed face towel, and toothbrush with toothpaste, is already prepared for him. Before he takes a shower, the towel and his clothes would magically be there in the bathroom ahead of him. His cup after cup of hot, strong coffee would be waiting for him at the exact time that he would be wanting it. They always ate together, Inay so lovingly even peeling shrimps for him. This kind of service that Inay afforded Tatay, was even more dedicated when he got afflicted with alzheimer and was bedridden for a number of years. She refused to leave for any place which would require her to stay overnight, not wanting to leave Tatay's bedside, especially at night. She did not go back to the United States for fifteen long years, because my father preferred to stay in the Philippines. I don't remember her spanking anyone of us. Neither did she shout when her patience ran out. I've never heard her complain when we were misbehaving. We just kind of felt that she did not approve of our behavior when she becomes very quiet, not speaking a word for hours. In the late fifties until the early seventies, she owned and managed a store, which could have been the prototype of the convenience store now. In it were groceries, breakfast/snack items, toiletries, cigarettes, over the counter medicines, school materials, cosmetics, fresh fruits and vegetables, fishing supplies, and spare parts for grey marine machines used by basnigs, and many more. Calculators were unheard of then; but I marveled at how fast she computed numbers! She did her own 'bookkeeping', decided on what to sell and where to procure them, and how to display them. She prays the rosary many times a day, goes to mass on Wednesdays and Sundays. She prays her novenas for special intentions for each one of us, and that includes her in-laws and her grandchildren and great grandchildren now. She has a collection of rosaries , images of saints and spanish fans. I know that her prayers made us what we are today. For that, we couldn't thank her enough. "I thank You, Lord, for giving us the best set of parents, Inay and Tatay!" We grew up in a home full of love and joy. They worked so hard to give us everything that they didn't have in their lives. When Tatay passed away, Inay mourned in silence. We are trying our best to take her mind off the sadness. She spends half of the year in the Philippines and the other half in the United States. "Lord, please bless Inay with good health and a long life, so we will have enough time to repay her for all her love and sacrifices for us. She deserves all the happiness and comfort in this life."
