Beginning This Year

Beginning this year I will…

Follow my heart and embrace love. Yes, there’s always the possibility for heart breaks but then there’s also the possibility of finding true happiness of being around people whom I love and loves me for who I am.

While walking by the beach, we found these petals scattered on the sand following a pattern of what’s look like a road or a pathway. Was it a sign? Was it plain coincidence. Either way, I believe it’s a symbol of a good, positive future just waiting to happen for all of us. We all have a brand new clean slate beginning of 2014. If last year’s events gave us moments of grief and pain, we all now have a chance to smile, laugh, to feel happy, to find healing, to pursue our dreams and seek success, to face our fears and venture on the dreams our heart always spoke of but never got the time or courage to follow.
New possibilities. New hopes to make. A new canvas to paint with all things we see and feel are beautiful. Things that inspires us. Things that we love and are passionate about. Things that we really want and find meaningful.
The world and people around us may try to convince us to follow a different path. They may even inject negative predictions about the decisions we are about to make but from personal experience, I made huge mistakes because I listened to other people’s opinions instead of listening to that inner voice within me. 2014 is a year about “us” and following our own destiny. It’s a year of no regrets and just following our deepest calling.

One of my wish for this year? That we all find love to last forever. A love to grow old with. A love that will stand by us through our worst and darkest moments. A love that will survive the test of time. A love to hold and cherish till that very last breath.

Seek inner peace, calmness and solitude. To focus on things that are of meaning and substance. To tame that restless side of me and just be still. Still long enough to really look, listen and feel to all things important.

Treasure each and every blessing in my life. Blessings that I will always be thankful for. Blessings that will inspire me even more to share and give back. To reach out and be a part of a community that tries to help those whose lives had been torn and destroyed by various causes.

No matter how small, I believe we all can make a difference to someone. In the end, what counts is our sincerity to help and that we tried our best to do something good for others. The rest with faith, heaven and destiny will take care of.

Find more “quality” family time. Like it or not, a lot of my time goes to work. Reality is, it pays my bills, gives a roof above my head and provides all the comfort my family enjoys. It’s a reality we all have in common and share with billions the world over. The questions now are, “What can we do to make the most of that time?, “How can we make the best of those times and make it memorable for us and our family?” The answers? Endless…

Playing by the beach, collecting sea shells and sea weeds, fishing, hermit crab racing, chasing after flying seagulls, building and playing Legos, being a Mall sidekick window shopper, reading story books, cooking omelette for my wife and son before they wake up, so many things to do to make “time” counts. All it takes is a lot of imagination, creativity and ideas. I believe I got several of those in my pockets.

Find time for God, his works and words of wisdom. Guilty as charge. I made “being busy,” “stressed” and “worn out” as excuses not building a closer relationship with my maker.

Looking back to how it was, watching in flash back the many roads I took, the many times I had fallen and stood up shaking yet still brave enough to chase my dreams, God was and is always there for me. I do miss him and the time I spent just pouring out my heart in complete trust and surrender. I’m thankful that he never gave up on me despite of everything.

Beginning this year, I got a fresh start to catch up and build something priceless with him.

Keep doing the things I’m passionate about. Family time by the beach, making Summer an all year round event, keeping in touch with my parents, siblings and childhood relatives, blogging, exercise and staying holistically fit, ShelterBox and other ways I can be of help to victims of Typhoon Haiyan and other tragedies around the world.

I ended 2013 with these…

My son’s school begins this morning. Me and his mom sensed that he felt sad knowing the holidays are over. I told my wife, let’s eat out, celebrate our last day of holiday school break and do something he really likes. So we did.

After our night-time prayers, I asked my 8-year old, “What bedtime book do you wish to read?” He picked up a song book he got from church and said, “Dad, let’s sing these Christmas songs together first.” So, we did.

While singing, “Jingle Bells,” I saw my wife opened the door and took a peek. I asked her, “Are we that loud and out of tune?” She simply laughed.

Next, he grabbed the book “Where Is Little Elf” which he read for the second time.

Before he went to sleep, I asked him, “Give me 10 things you remembered about this Christmas?” Happily he replied, “Okay, they are going to the beach, the pier, the pyramids, Christmas tree, presents, baby Jesus, church, Santa, Little Elf and Gingerbread House.”

As I listened to him, I can’t help but smile knowing my son had the happiest and magical of Christmas. Magical enough to last in his memory for many years to come.

I hope to begin 2014 with these…

All these seems big and overwhelming but when we do our best, no matter what the outcome, we already won the most precious of gifts for 2014.

Go ahead and take that leap to reach every star you made a wish for. Take as much time as you want. After all, we do have an entire year to pick every star our heart desires. 

Thank you to all who helped out generously the Philippines during its worst in 2013 and continue to help the victims rise back on their feet beginning of 2014.

Thank you to my blogger friends who shared and supported my ShelterBox and Joy In Giving Campaign. You all brought a piece of hope, shelter, comfort and sense of dignity to many families who lost so much because of tragedies and calamities. God bless you and your family a thousand fold for your kindness and generosity.

Thank you for being a part of my 2013 blogging adventure. I hope we all can make 2014 an even more exciting memorable blogging journey as one blogger community.