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Monday, January 28, 2013

God notes 1: God is good, always.

God is Good, always
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> I know I have always been blessed by God.  I am blessed and love from the time I was born until the rest of my days.
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> I was born in the basement somewhere in the Suburbs near Manila.  My father was a laborer in a cigarette factory and my mother is a housewife.  The midwife said i was born dead; i didn’t cry or breathe the first few moments of my birth.  Yet by some grace, I manage to take my first breath, cried, and live.
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> I was raised in our own house in the center of the Philippine Capital.  My father continued to be a laborer 2 cities away; while my mom focused her attention to raising their children – all 4 of us.  I am the eldest.  My parents are devout Catholics and we were brought up in the Faith.  I knew I had faith, but I knew it is a shallow one for it has not been tested.  All I know is that everything I prayed for were given to me: good school, good grades, scholarships.  We were comfortable.  Even if we do not have any excesses or the most recent toys, our parents were able to give us what we need.  We are not rich, but I was able to go to the Philippine’s best college by God’s grace.
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> In High School, I promised God I will do my best to become a lawyer.  After college, He used my Aunt to send me to one of the best Law schools in Manila.  It is while in Law school that I experienced trials; trials that challenged my Faith for 4-5 years.
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> The test of my faith started in Law school.  In law school, I got my first heartbreak.  During my 3rd year in Law School my aunt decided not to send me to school anymore.  I was so close to finishing the law and becoming a lawyer yet the opportunity to finish it passed by me.  My father resigned from his job and used his money to send me to school. He drained his money after a year so I had to work.  I worked for the family of 7. It is while I was starting out in a job when we discovered my father had cancer.  It is during this time that we experienced the greatest famine of our lives.  The next 3 years were the toughest.  The first year, I got out of my job and continue on with my business of selling houses.  That year was tough, my sales are down, and I need to provide for my family.  We ended up selling our furniture. We sold my law school notes and reviewers to the junk shop. We lived on USD 0.40 a day.  We are mostly vegetables from our garden, some rice.  There are days when we thought and hoped we will never wake up. We borrowed money from our friends, some from our relatives.  But as much as possible, we tried not to borrow.  We endured.
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> My father, bless his soul, endured these hardships like a man should.  We knew there is no one to help us with his sickness, no one to help us. We prayed. Yet there are times I cry myself to sleep talking to God, asking Him for help.
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> 3 years after that experience, we were able to get ourselves out of the rut.  My siblings learned our business and they started working on it with me.  We started to get known in the real estate business and we started to build our business with good clients.  Yet our Dad’s sickness worsened. In January 2012, he died in peace with the knowledge that his children have learned from life and can take care of each other.
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> In all these, I know God is watching and He has never abandon us.  The test of our faith was tough, it still makes me cry sometimes.  Yet in times of hunger, when we were at our worst, by some miracle we will be getting provisions – food, money for the bills.  We have never experienced our utilities being cut in those impoverished times.  When our father was dying and even when he died, help was there from our friends and relatives.  When lean times come for business, there will always be a sale to save us from going hungry again.
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> God’s grace has shaped us into who we are today. And I know and have faith that by God’s grace we will be able to do what He desires for us. We believe that this is what He wants:  “He wants to prosper us and to bless us; To keep us safe and not to harm us; to give us hope and a future.”
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> Truly, God’s love is abundant and it never fails. Nothing can keep it away from Him. Even death cannot overcome.  I have seen God and felt Him in every step of my life.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Meaning of the name Sheryl

I found this on http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyournameshiddenmeaningquiz/results/?result=Sheryl and I find the characterization true. I just wouldn't want to miss out by not settling down. I want to settle down too.

Here it is , from blogthings.

"You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in.
You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.
You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. "


I can only nod, nod, and nod a little more. Thank you blogthings for this.