Love, Love, Love :D

Love Is a Choice

Wednesday December 09 2009

Posted by Rick Warren

... That you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:20 (NIV)

The birth of Jesus reflects the truth that love is a choice and a commitment. You choose to love or you choose not to love.

Today we've bought into this myth that love is uncontrollable, that it's something that just happens to us; it's not something we control. In fact, even the language we use implies the uncontrollability of love. We say, "I fell in love," as if love is some kind of a ditch. It's like I'm walking along one day and bam! - I fell in love. I couldn't help myself.

But I have to tell you the truth - that's not love. Love doesn't just happen to you. Love is a choice and it represents a commitment.

There's no doubt about it, attraction is uncontrollable and arousal is uncontrollable. But attraction and arousal are not love. They can lead to love, but they are not love. Love is a choice.

You must choose to love God; he won't force you to love him (Deuteronomy 30:20). You can thumb your nose at God and go a totally different way. You can destroy your life if you choose to do that. God still won't force you to love him. Because he knows love can't be forced.

And this same principle is true about your relationships: you can choose to love others, but God won't force you to love anyone.

Love is an Action

Thursday December 10 2009

Posted by Rick Warren

Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. 1 John 3:18 (NLT)

The baby Jesus shows us that love is something you do. You show love by what you do, not just by what you feel.

Do you really love someone? Let's see how you act toward that person.

Love is more than attraction and more than arousal. It's also more than sentimentality, like so many of today's songs suggest. By this standard, is love dead when the emotion is gone? No, not at all. Because love is an action; love is a behavior.

Over and over again, in the Bible, God commands us to love each other. And you can't command an emotion. If I told you "Be sad!" right now, you couldn't be sad on cue. Just like an actor, you can fake it, but you're not wired for your emotions to change on command. Have you ever told a little kid, "Be happy!" I'm trying, daddy!

If love were just an emotion, then God couldn't command it. But love is something you do. It can produce emotion, but love is an action.

The Bible says, "Let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions" (1 John 3:18 NLT). We can talk a good act: "I love people." But do we really love them? Do you really love them? Our love is revealed in how we act toward them.

Love Is a Skill

Friday December 11 2009

Posted by Rick Warren

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 (NLT)

Love is a skill that can be learned. In other words, it's something you can get good at and that means you get better at love by practicing love. There is no time better than the Christmas season to practice loving others.

You may think you're a good lover, but God wants you to become a great lover, a skilled lover, a master lover. Yet, most people never learn how to love. You can become an expert at relationships.

Wouldn't you like to become known as a person of extraordinary love? When people speak of you they might say: "He doesn't care who you are or what you look like." "She doesn't care where you've been or what you've done or where you're from."

The only way you get skilled at something is to practice. You do it over and over. The first time you do it, it feels awkward, but the more you do it, the better you become.

The same is true with love (1 John 4:7). Let's practice loving each other. As the Bible says, "Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all" (1 Timothy 4:15 HCSB).

Love Is a Habit

Saturday December 12 2009

Posted by Rick Warren

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them." Luke 6:32 (NIV)

If you only love on and off like a light switch, you do not love others like God wants you to love. Jesus said, "If you only love those who love you what credit is that to you?" (Luke 6:32 NIV).

His point is this: anybody can love those who love them. Becoming a master lover means you learn to love the unlovable. It's when you love people who don't love you, when you love people who irritate you, when you love people who stab you in the back or gossip about you.

This may seem like an impossible task and it is - that's why we need God's love in us, so we can then love others: "We know and rely on the love God has for us" (1 John 4:16 NIV).

When you realize how much God loves you - with an extravagant, irresistible, unconditional love - then his love will change your entire focus on life. If we don't receive God's love for us, we'll have a hard time loving other people. I'm talking about loving the unlovely, loving the difficult, loving the irritable, loving people who are different or demanding.

You can't do that until you have God's love coming through you. You need to know God's love so it can overflow out of your life into others.

Love must become your lifestyle, the habit of your life. But it starts with a decision. Are you ready?

Your life is worth far more than you think, and by learning to love others with the love God gives you, you will have an influence far greater than you could ever imagine. If you will commit to this, you will experience love as God means it to be, filled with hope, energy, and joy.

My prayer for you is "that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love ..." (Philippians 1:9 NCV).

Live simply. Speak kindly. Care deeply. Love generously.

Relationships are Worth Restoring

“If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you . . . agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends” (Philippians 2:1-2 Msg).

Relationships are always worth restoring.

Life is all about learning how to love, and God wants us to value relationships and make every effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt or a conflict.

In fact, the Bible tells us that God has given us the ministry of restoring relationships. For this reason a significant amount of the New Testament is devoted to teaching us how to get along with one another.

The Apostle Paul taught that our ability to get along with others is a mark of spiritual maturity. Since Christ wants his family to be known for our love for each other, broken fellowship is a disgraceful testimony to unbelievers. This is why Paul was so embarrassed that the members of the church in Corinth were splitting into warring factions and even taking each other to court.

He wrote, "Shame on you! Surely there is at least one wise person in your fellowship who can settle a dispute between fellow Christians" (1 Cor. 6:5 TEV). He was shocked that no one in the church was mature enough to resolve the conflict peaceably. In the same letter, he said, "I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other" (1 Cor. 1:10 Msg).

If you want God's blessing on your life and you want to be known as a child of God, you must learn to be a peacemaker. Jesus said, "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9 NLT).

Notice Jesus didn't say, "Blessed are the peace lovers," because everyone loves peace. Neither did he say, "Blessed are the peaceable," who are never disturbed by anything. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who work for peace"--those who actively seek to resolve conflict.

Peacemakers are rare because peacemaking is hard work, but because you were formed to be a part of God's family, peacemaking is one of the most important skills you can develop.

Unfortunately, most of us were never taught how to resolve conflict, so over the next few days, we’ll consider the steps necessary to resolve conflict.

From the Purpose Driven Life online

Love Never Fails

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most

Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you

Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time

Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t

Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this

Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you

Words and Music by Brandon Heath

Love VS Infatuation

Infatuation is instant desire, one set of glands calling to another.

Love is friendship that has caught fire. It takes root and grows, one day at a time.

Infatuation is marked by a feeling of insecurity. You are excited and eager, but not genuinely happy. There are nagging doubts, unanswered questions, little bits pieces about your beloved that you would just as soon examine too closely. It might spoil the dream.

Love is the quiet understanding and mature acceptance of imperfection. It is real. It gives you strength and grows beyond you, to bolster your beloved. You are warmed by his presence,even when he is away. Miles do not separate you. You want him near. But near or far, you know he is yours and you can wait.

Infatuation says, "We must get married right away. I can't risk losing him."

Love says, "Be patient. He is yours. Plan your future with confidence."

Infatuation has an element of sexual excitement. Whenever you are in one another's company you are hoping it will end in intimacy.

Love is the maturation of friendship. You must be friends before you can be lovers.

Infatuation lacks confidence. When he's away, you wonder if he's cheating. Sometimes you check.

Love means trust. You are calm, secure, and unthreatened. He feels your trust and it makes him even more trustworthy.

Infatuation might lead you to do things you'll regret later, but love never will.

Love lifts you up. It makes you look up. It makes you think up. It makes you a better person than you were before.

Keeping Open to Love

by Paulo Coelho

There are moments when we would like very much to help someone we love deeply and we just can't seem to do a thing. Either circumstances prevent us from drawing closer or else the person has shut off to any gesture of solidarity and support.

So, all we have left is love. In those moments when everything is useless, we can still love - without expecting anything in return, any exchanges or thanks.

If we can manage to act in this way, the energy of love begins to transform the universe around us. When this energy appears, you always perform your work successfully.

"Time does not change men. Will power does not change men. Love changes men," says Henry Drummond.

I read in the newspaper about a child in Brasília who was brutally beaten by his parents. As a result, she lost her body movements and her power of speech.

Admitted to the Base Hospital, she was taken care of by a nurse who said to her every day: "I love you." Although the doctors guaranteed that she could not hear and that the nurse's efforts were all to no avail, she kept repeating: "I love you, don't you forget that."

Three weeks later on, the child had recovered her movements. Four weeks later, she started to talk and smile again. The nurse never gave any interviews and the newspapers did not publish her name - but let it be registered here, so that we will never forget: love is a great healer.

Love transforms, love heals. But at times love builds mortal traps and ends up destroying the person who has decided to surrender completely. What strange sentiment is this that deep down is the only reason for us to go on living and struggling and trying to make things better?

It would irresponsible of me to try to define it because, like any other human being, all I can do is feel it. Thousands of books have been written about it, plays put on at the theater, films produced, poems scribbled, sculptures carved in wood or marble - and even so, all that the artist can convey is the idea of a feeling, not the feeling itself.

But I have learned that this feeling is present in the small things and manifests itself in the most insignificant of attitudes we take, so we must always have love in mind when we act or fail to act.

Picking up the phone and uttering that affectionate word we have been putting off. Opening the door and showing in someone who needs our help. Accepting a job. Leaving a job. Making that decision that we were putting off for later. Apologizing for a mistake we made that will not leave us in peace. Claiming a right that we have. Opening an account at the florist's - which is more important than the jeweler's. Playing the music loud when your loved one is far away and lower the volume when he or she is nearby. Knowing how to say "yes" and "no" - because love involves all of man's energies. Discovering a sport that can be practiced by two. Not following any prescription, not even those listed in this paragraph - because love calls for creativity.

And when none of this is possible, when all that is left is loneliness, then remember a story that a reader once sent me:

A rose dreamed day and night about having the company of the bees, but none ever came to land on her petals.

But the flower went on dreaming: during many a long night she imagined a sky with lots of bees flying towards her and kissing her tenderly. In this way she managed to resist to the next day, when she opened again to the sunlight.

One night the moon, knowing how lonely the rose felt, asked her:

- Aren't you tired of waiting?

- Perhaps. But I have to struggle on.

- Why?

- Because if I don't open up, I will wither.

At moments when loneliness seems to crush all beauty, the only way to resist is to keep yourself open.

Is It Loving?

“[Love] is not rude.” -- 1 Corinthians 13:5 NIV

When defining what love is not, Paul put rudeness on the list. “It is not rude.” The Greek word for rude means shameful or disgraceful behavior.

An example of rudeness was recently taken before the courts in Minnesota. A man fell out of his canoe and lost his temper. Though the river was lined with vacationing families, he polluted the air with obscenities. Some of those families sued him. He said, “I have my rights.”

God calls us to a higher, more noble concern. Not “What are my rights?” but “What is loving?”

Do you have the right to dominate a conversation? Yes, but is it loving to do so?…

Is it within your rights to bark orders at the clerk or snap at the kids? Yes. But is it loving to act this way?

Taken from Max Lucado online dated 11 September 2008.

Let My Love Open The Door

People keep repeating
That you'll never fall in love
When everybody keeps retreating
But you can't seem to get enough

Let My love open the door
Let My love open the door
Let My love open the door
To your heart

When everything feels all over
Everybody seems unkind
I'll give you a four leaf clover
Take all the worry out of your mind

I have the only key to your heart
I can stop you from falling apart
Release yourself from misery
Only one thing's gonna set you free
And it's My love
That's My love....

Let My love open the door
Let My love open the door
Let My love open the door
To your heart

Tragedy befalls you
Don't let it bring you down
Love can cure your problems
You're so lucky I'm around

Let My love open the door
Let My love open the door
Let My love open the door
To your heart....

Music by Sondre Lerche for Dan In Real Life OST

Why Mother's Day

Because you entered this cold world causing her more pain than she thought possible and now she won't ever give up on you.

By Garrison Keillor

The cruel injustice of motherhood is that, out of devotion to her brood, she sacrifices so much of her own life that her children grow up to find her a little boring in comparison to the maiden aunt who is a little rebellious and more fun to be around, whereas Mom is just the lady who runs the vacuum. As Erma Bombeck said, the kids walk in and ask her, "Is anybody home?"

But she loves you. You could come home with snakes tattooed on your face and she still would see the good in you. Most great men were mama's boys. She encouraged them long before anybody else could see any talent there.

Your mother is on top of the situation. Your father has a hard time remembering your birthday or even your Christian name, but your mother knows you by scent, thanks to years of doing your laundry. She knows when you're in trouble. And you will get into deep trouble someday. Count on it. Someone will file a lawsuit against you and subpoena your e-mail and it will all come flooding out, your dark secrets, your nefarious dealings, and your friends will cross the street to avoid you and your brothers and sisters will fade into the woodwork, but your mother will still love you. Like an old lioness, she'll come running even if you're 2,000 miles away.

That is why you pay homage to the old lady on Mother's Day. You entered this cold world causing her more pain than she thought possible and now she won't ever give up on you. Those old ladies you see being wheeled onto airliners are the mothers of children facing imminent indictment for terrible things. Mama will be in the courtroom for you, baby. She will look the jury in the eye and her look may get you acquitted.

Buy her something nice, like a set of gold ingots. Or a black car with a chauffeur. She's your mama, honeybuns. At least you could write her a note.

**************

Happy Mother's Day, Mama :D And to all the mothers out there.

Adapted from Garrison Keillor on Salon (Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" can be heard Saturday nights on public radio stations across the country.)

Be Still

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is holy
Be still oh restless soul of mine
Bow before the Prince of Peace
Let the noise and clamor cease

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that He has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change
Be still

Be still and know that He is God
Be still
Be speechless

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know He is our Father
Come rest your head upon His breast
Listen to the rhythm of
His unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still
Be still

Word and music by Steven Curtis Chapman.

Your Love Is Extravagant

Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate
I feel like moving to the rhythm of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in our secret place
Your love is extravagant

Spread wide in the arms of Christ
Is the love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known
You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again....

Words and music by Casting Crowns

A Valentine Message

*** To My Friends Who Are ***
SINGLE

Love is like a butterfly.
The more you chase it, the more it eludes you.
But if you just let it fly, it will come to you when you least expect it.
Love can make you happy but often it hurts,
but love's only special when you give it to someone who is really worth it.
So take your time and choose the best.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
NOT SO SINGLE

Love isn't about becoming somebody else's "perfect person."
It's about finding someone who helps you
become the best person you can be.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
PLAYBOYS/PLAYGIRLS

Never sa y "I love you" if you don't care.
Never talk about feelings if they aren't there.
Never touch a life if you mean to break a heart.
Never look in the eye when all you do is lie.
The cruelest thing a guy can do to a girl is to let her fall in love
when he doesn't intend to catch her fall and it works both ways...


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
MARRIED

Love is not about "it's your fault", but "I'm sorry".
Not "where are you", but "I'm right here."
Not "how could you", but "I understand."
Not "I wish you were", but "I'm thankful you are."


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
ENGAGED

The true measure of compatibility is not the years spent together
but how good you are for each other.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
HEARTBROKEN

Heartbreaks last as long as you want and
cut as deep as you allow them to go.
The challenge is not how to survive heartbreaks but to learn from them.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
NAIVE

How to be in love: Fall but don't stumble, be consistent but not too persistent, share and never be unfair, understand and try not to demand, and get hurt but never keep the pain.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
POSSESSIVE

It breaks your heart to see the one you love is happy with someone else but it's more painful to know that the one you love is unhappy with you.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
AFRAID TO CONFESS

Love hurts when you break up with someone.
It hurts even more when someone breaks up with you.
But love hurts the most when the person you love has no idea how you feel.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
STILL HOLDING ON

A sad thing about life is when you meet someone and fall in love,
only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be
and that you have wasted years on someone who wasn't worth it.
If he isn't worth it now he's not going to be worth it
a year or 10 years from now.
Let go.....

TO ALL MY FRIENDS

My wish for you is a man/woman whose love is honest, strong,
mature, never-changing, uplifting, protective,
encouraging, rewarding and unselfish.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

What is your definition of love?

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. ~John 14:2 NLT

A healthy definition of love is crucial to understanding the central message of the Bible. According to the Bible, love is not confined to sexuality, not is it primarily a feeling at all. The Bible teaches that love is a commitment. As a commitment, love is not dependent of good feelings, but rather on a consistent and courageous decision to extend oneself for the well-being of another. That commitment then produces good feelings, not the other way around. Jesus became the perfect demonstration of God's unconditional love for us by laying down his life for our benefit.

adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 1227

The love we give away is the only love we keep. ~ELBERT HUBBARD

Love is not something you feel. It's something you do. ~DAVID WILKERSON

Count on Me

I need to be around you
I want to fall into your eyes
I love to feel you close to Me
But there's no peace of mind

I live to hear you laughing
I long to feel your hands fall down
Along the side of Me
A change of life is hard to find
There's no peace of mind

So kiss me for believing
Love me now for always knowing
I'll never let you go
A change of life is hard to find
There's no peace of mind

If you ever need somebody
If you ever need somebody to love you
If you ever need somebody
You can count on Me

Words and music by Tonic.

Yeah, OPM!

I thought my love for OPM ended some time during my college years. As I've been far away from home, and from the day-to-day exposure to Pinoy music for a long time, I never imagined I would have this yearning back. I miss the Pinoy rock bands, listening to their music while slumping on the couch during siesta or a rainy afternoon.... There have been strong influences and inspiration around me, and I thank them for reintroducing me to it somehow.

Here's to my memory bank. Just thought this was worth posting. Words and music by APO, revived by Kitchie Nadal.

Pag-Ibig

No'ng tangan ng nanay ang munting mga kamay
Ika'y tuwang-tuwa, panatag ang loob
Sa damdaming ika'y mahal

No'ng nakilala mo ang una mong sinta
Umapaw ang saya at siya'y ibang-iba
Sinasamsam ang bawat gunita

Hindi mo malimutan kung kailan nagsimulang
Matuto kung papa'no magmahal
At 'di mo malimutan kung kailan mo natikman
Ang una mong halik, yakap na napakahigpit
Pag-ibig na tunay hanggang langit

No'ng tayo'y nagkakilala nang hindi sinasadya
Ikaw lang ang napansin, nahuli sa isang tingin
At sa pagbati mong napakalambing

Hindi ko malimutan kung kailan nagsimulang
Matutong ikaw lang ang mahalin
At 'di ko malimutan kung kailan ko natikman
Ang tamis ng 'yong halik, yakap na napakahigpit
Pag-ibig mong tunay hanggang langit

Convention of Those Wounded in Love

I looooove Paulo Coelho. This was sent to me today by email. If you wish to subscribe, visit Warrior of the Light Online. Anyway, here's an interesting piece. I hope this article helps those who are living in pain and hate because of rejection, or suffering from a broken relationship. Remember, God is here. Always.

************

General provisions:

A – Whereas the saying “all is fair in love and war” is absolutely correct;

B – Whereas for war we have the Geneva Convention, approved on 22 August 1864, which provides for those wounded in the battle field, but until now no convention has been signed concerning those wounded in love, who are far greater in number;

It is hereby decreed that:

Article 1 – All lovers, of any sex, are alerted that love, besides being a blessing, is also something extremely dangerous, unpredictable and capable of causing serious damage. Consequently, anyone planning to love should be aware that they are exposing their body and soul to various types of wounds, and that they shall not be able to blame their partner at any moment, since the risk is the same for both.

Article 2 – Once struck by a stray arrow fired from Cupid’s bow, they should immediately ask the archer to shoot the same arrow in the opposite direction, so as not to be afflicted by the wound known as “unrequited love”. Should Cupid refuse to perform such a gesture, the Convention now being promulgated demands that the wounded partner remove the arrow from his/her heart and throw it in the garbage. In order to guarantee this, those concerned should avoid telephone calls, messages over the Internet, sending flowers that are always returned, or each and every means of seduction, since these may yield results in the short run but always end up wrong after a while. The Convention decrees that the wounded person should immediately seek the company of other people and try to control the obsessive thought: “this person is worth fighting for”.

Article 3 – If the wound is caused by third parties, in other words if the loved one has become interested in someone not in the script previously drafted, vengeance is expressly forbidden. In this case, it is allowed to use tears until the eyes dry up, to punch walls or pillows, to insult the ex-partner in conversations with friends, to allege his/her complete lack of taste, but without offending their honor. The Convention determines that the rule contained in Article 2 be applied: seek the company of other persons, preferably in places different from those frequented by the other party.

Article 4 – In the case of light wounds, herein classified as small treacheries, fulminating passions that are short-lived, passing sexual disinterest, the medicine called Pardon should be applied generously and quickly. Once this medicine has been applied, one should never reconsider one's decision, not even once, and the theme must be completely forgotten and never used as an argument in a fight or in a moment of hatred.

Article 5 – In all definitive wounds, also known as “breaking up”, the only medicine capable of having an effect is called Time. It is no use seeking consolation from fortune-tellers (who always say that the lost lover will return), romantic books (which always have a happy ending), soap-operas on the television or other such things. One should suffer intensely, completely avoiding drugs, tranquilizers and praying to saints. Alcohol is only tolerated if kept to a maximum of two glasses of wine a day.

Final determination: Those wounded in love, unlike those wounded in armed conflict, are neither victims nor torturers. They chose something that is part of life, and so they have to accept both the agony and the ecstasy of their choice.

And those who have never been wounded in love will never be able to say: “I have lived”. Because they haven’t.

Smile

How far are You, how close am I
I know Your words are true and I don't feel them inside
Still I believe You'll never leave
So where are You now

You're all I have, You're all I know
Your breath is breathing in my soul
Still I am gasping, aching, asking
Where are You now

My journey's here, but my heart is There
So I dream and wait, and keep the faith, while You prepare
Our destiny, till You come back for me
Oh, please make it soon!

Cause I just wanna be with You
I just want this waiting to be over
I just want to be with You
And it helps to know the Day is getting closer

Every minute takes an hour
Every inch feels like a mile
Till I won't have to imagine
And I finally get to see You smile

Words and Music by Chris Rice

Single?

This was forwarded to me by a friend. It's fun to read, see if you can relate to one of these items, well that is ,*IF* you are single. My apologies for the language used, i will try to translate everything to English when i have the time. Anyway, enjoy!

*********

BAKIT "SINGLE" ANG STATUS KO, AT STATUS MO?!?!

Kaya heto ako at sasabihin ko sa inyo ang ilang mga rason kung bakit. Kesa kinukulit nyo ako kung bakit single ako at kung bakit d nyo rin maubos isipin bakit single pa kayo!

10. Perfectionist/ Mapili

Yes, isang taong perpeksiyonista. Yung tipong dapat ganito ang magiging kapartner ko. Pag may nakilala, nakita lang na pangit ang kuko o may dumi lang, turn-off na agad. O kaya ang daming ayaw. Ayaw sa mabait boring daw, gusto bad boy/pilya pero kapag pinaiyak ka tatanungin ka bakit ang sama mo bakit mo nagawa yun! Adik ka ba?! Ayaw sa cute, ayaw din naman sa panget. meron dyan gusto ka ayaw mo naman.. ung gusto mo halos magtambling ka pero
deadma parin yang stunts mo sa kanya! Pasaway ka rin e! Ano ba talaga kuya?

9. Busy Busyhan

Opo, eto yung ang mundo e gumagalaw lang sa libro at ballpen kung estudyante ka o kaya naman sa computer at files kung office staff ka. Yung tipong aalis ng bahay ng alas 6 o alas 7 ng umaga at uuwi ng bahay ng 6 hanggang alas 8 ng gabi [baligtad naman para sa mga nag tratrabaho sa call center]. Sabay tulog na. Kapag sabado masaya na sila sa tv, sa pagkain na niluluto ni mama at sa linggo naman sisimba at maghahanda na ng kelangan para sa lunes hanggang byernes. Pssssst... ka muna and pause for awhile...

8. Friendship Theory

Ano naman ito? Eto yung ang buhay ay kay bestfriend o kaya kay special friend na hindi masasabi sabi sa friendship nya sa loob ng kanilang mahabang panahon na pagsasama dahil baka daw maapektuhan ang pakikipagkaibigan at iwasan sya. Yung tipong pag may kasama si friendship na iba, nagseselos na wala naman sa lugar, pero syempre wag pahalata, kunyari happy sya for friendship. ABA! Oi lakasan mo ang loob at baka mamaya forever mong pagsisihan yan kaw rin.

7. Born-to-be-one

Eto yung nasa palad na ang pagiging single daw... Walang reason... Basta lang nabuhay sya sa mundo na mag-isa at feeling nya mamatay sya sa mundo ng mag-isa. Kesyo magmamadre o magpapari na lang. Asa kang tatanggapin ka pa noh!

6. Happy-go-lucky

Eto yung taong walang alam kundi kasiyahan at trippings. Kahit sino nalang basta no string attach. For fun lang daw... Walang halong seryosohan. ABA hoy! yang init ng katawan mo e ikiskis mo nalang sa pader. Makakahanap ka rin ng katapat mo!!!

5. Wrong Place

May nakaranas na ba nito? Yung pakiramdam mo nasa ibang mundo ka. Yung ang nakakaharap mo e yung mga hindi mo gusto, yung mga hindi mo hinahanap. Alam mo yun? Halimbawa nasa ibang bansa ka, pero ang hinahanap mo e yung amoy ng nasa sariling bayan mo. O kaya naman e nasa sarili mong bayan ka, nasa normal na lipunan, pero ikaw ang abnormal at hindi mo kayang sabihin na abnormal din ang hanap mo kung ayaw mong ibitin ka nila ng patiwarik.

4. Wrong Time

Eto yung mga tao na sinasabi na, "hindi pa ako ready e bata pa kasi ako" o kaya naman "hindi pa ako handa sa panahong ito, wala pa ako kayang ipagmalaki." Yes meron pong ganyan. Yung feeling nila may tamang panahon para sa love. Awwwwwww. Aba kelan yun? Pag uugod ugod ka na at yung time mo e bitin na? O baka naman pag pang out of time ka na? Oist, sugod lang ng sugod...

3. Si parents kasi...

Yes, factor din ang komyunidad na ginagalawan mo. Una, ayaw pa ni mader o pader na magkaron ka kahit 22 anyos ka na at kelangan umabot ka muna raw ng 40 bago magkaroon ng gf/bf. O kaya naman ikaw mismo! Takot sa sasabihin ni parents at ni kapitbahay na tsismosa sa magiging kasama mo. Aba ikaw na nga ba ang sabihan na "Alam mo hindi kayo bagay. Langit at lupa kayo." Sus! Payo ko sayo, pakialam nila diba? Palibhasa inggit!

2. Traumatic Experience

Eto kalimitan ang reason ng marami. "Ayaw ko na!!! takot na ako mangyari pa ang nangyari dati!" O diba ang drama ng layp? Yes, tama ka. Eto yung dahil sa past relationship mo, e until na ayaw mo ng magkaroon at sinumpa mo na ata ang magmahal. Dahil sa pinagpalit ka sa mas pangit, o kaya naman iniwan ka ng walang word na "bye-bye", o dahil binugbog ka!, ano pa ba? Madami yan... wag na nating isa isahin at baka tumulo si tears...heheh Gayunpaman, eto lang masasabi ko mga hija at hijo. Ibat iba ang lasa ng pag-ibig. May mapait, may mapakla, may matamis at may maasim. Aba mapalad ka at natikman mo ang ibat ibang lasa nito. Kaya ikaw, Do not be afraid to fall in love again... malay mo sweetiness na ang malasahan mo next time. E di panalo ka sa lotto. Yan ang nagpapalakas sayo... Yang ang bumubuhay sayo, ang pag-ibig. tsk! drama!

1. EX to the nth power!!!

Oi aminin!!! LOVE parin si Ex kahit 1 - 2 yrs na ang nakakalipas. .. May ganito naman. Yung tipong ilang taon ang nakakalipas, hindi parin makalimutan si ex. Yung pinagsamahan, yung tawanan, yung iyakan, at lahat ng nangyari sa inyo nung kayo pa. Malungkot man at sa kung anumang kadahilanan, maganda man o masama ito, kelangan nyong magpaalam sa isa't isa. YES, after a year sasabihin natin, im over him/her na, pero pag-usapan natin ang love at ang nangyari sa ating relastionship from the past, TADANNNNNNNNNNNNN, eto na, sya agad ang naalala mo. At habang nagkukwento ka, ouch may kirot, o kaya may ngiti at may bumabagabag sa ating kalooban.... Ano kaya yun? AMININ mo na kasi.... MAHAL mo pa si EX.... Isa lang ang masasabi ko, well mahirap sya kalimutan alam ko yan... pero open your heart and makipagdate ka, lumabas ka, at try to entertain someone. Wag mo ikumpara si ex sa iba. At give yourself KITKAT, take a break..

When Did You Fall

You’re all smiles and silly conversation
As if this sunny day came just for you
You twist your hair, you smile and you turn your eyes away
C’mon, tell me what’s right with you
Now it dawns on me probably everybody’s talkin’
And there’s something here I’m supposed to realize
‘Cause your secret’s out, and the universe laughs at it’s joke on me
I just caught it in your eyes, it’s a beautiful surprise

When did you fall in love with me?
Was it out of the blue
‘Cause I swear I never knew it
When did you let your heart run free?
Have you been waiting long?
When did you fall in love with me?
When did you fall in love?

Make your way over here, sit down by this fool, and let’s rewind
C’mon, let’s go back and replay all our scenes
You can point out the hints, the clues, the twists and the smiles this time
All the ones that slipped by me
I bet my face is red, and you can hear my heart poundin’
Well I guess it don’t matter now that I realize
‘Cause baby I missed it then, but I can surely see you now
Right there before my eyes
You’re my beautiful surprise

Was it at the coffee shop
Or that morning at the bus stop
When you almost slipped, and I caught your hand
Or the time we built the snowman
The day at the beach, sandy and warm
Or the night with the scary thunderstorm
I never saw the signs
Now we’ve got to make up for lost time
And I can tell now by the way that you’re looking at me
I’d better finish this song so my lips will be free

Have you been waiting long, when did you fall in love
I kept you waiting so long, when did you fall
Have you been waiting long
When did you fall in love with me
When did you fall in love?

Words and music by Chris Rice

Love is the Answer

"A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves..." - Mother Teresa

Love is a sacrifice.

Love will save this world. But if love is all it takes, then why is it so hard?

Once love is looked at in its truest sense, one can see how and why it should hurt so much. Love is a sacrifice. loving someone who loves you back is easy. But loving someone who isn't lovable is the true test.

There are many people in my life who haven't loved me back the way that i desired them to. friends. People who i considered close. Leaders I looked up to. People I invested my heart in. and to now see that there exists a lack of love between us... is really hard for me to understand.

To feel unloved is just something no one wants to feel. But the worst thing one can do in response to that is to stop loving back. To give up on them is the easier thing to do. But to love despite all odds allows you to soar to the highest of places.

It all comes back to sacrifice. a sacrifice of self is true love.

To love I must...

* Sacrifice my pride and my ego even if it means humiliation by the world's standards or losing some friends.
* Sacrifice "winning" the argument because peace should be my bigger desire.
* Sacrifice having the last word because speaking, writing, blogging, spreading negativity will only add disdain and coldness to my heart.
* Sacrifice my image (vanity) for the sake of Christ's image to be seen in me.
* Sacrifice being with someone if they do not bring me to Christ. (yes, this means breaking up with your boy/girlfriend. It will hurt but maybe it's your needed sacrifice.)
* Sacrifice being popular if it compromises what I stand for inside.
* Sacrifice all I have so others may receive even part.
* Sacrifice inconveniences and hardships just to know it is a way for me to be shaped and molded into a stronger person.
* Sacrifice complaining because I really have nothing to complain about.
* Sacrifice more because I have too much and there's more to be given!

Jesus loved us who rejected Him, who denounced and tortured Him. He loved us so much that even as we forgot Him, He remembered us. Through every second of His suffering, He offered us a love greater than all the whole world's love combined. His love is sacrifice.

So next time you love, if it hurts a little, make sure it only causes you to love harder. Shout "Thank you, Jesus!" when it hurts. For it is through that hurt that Jesus is allowing you to have a taste of what He lived when He loved, and thus... He is making you more like Him. To empty yourself, for love is the type of selflessness that will heal this world. It is through our sacrifice of self that all in this world may experience true love.

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." ~Mother Teresa

Forwarded by a friend. Thanks!

The Perfect Partner

by Paul Mauchline

Some of us go to the extreme in deciding whether someone is right or wrong for us. Some of us are on a quest to find that "perfect" partner, our ultimate lover, our soulmate, our equal, who shares our every interest and belief. This is a completely unrealistic expectation. Someone with this expectation causes his or her own disappointments, and will never experience the satisfaction of a loving relationship.

We are all individuals, with different opinions, philosophies, political beliefs, hobbies, musical tastes, and habits -- some good and some bad, depending on one's point of view. These things are what make up who we are as unique individuals. In a relationship, there have to be some common interests, but you do not have to share every possible interest and belief. Some of the differences between you and your potential partner may actually be advantageous to building a stronger, loving relationship between you. Sometimes you balance one another, each offering different strengths. For example, if you lack patience, and your partner is the most patient human being you have ever met, your partner can help you in situations where you need to exercise more patience. Perhaps your partner is an avid skier, and you have always wanted to try skiing. Now is your opportunity to try something you have wanted to do. On the other hand, some differences may cause difficulties in a relationship. For example, your potential partner may be a serious hunter: he goes hunting every weekend, all season long. If you are unhappy about being alone for so many weekends because of his sport -- and, on top of it, your values oppose hunting -- his hobby will probably become a problem. It is all a matter of the degree of differences that you and your partner have with one another.

We need to look consciously at these differences to decide whether we are right for one another. Relationships are built not only from love and sexual attraction. They also are built from compatibility, which does not necessarily mean sameness. As a couple, some of your differences may be among your greatest assets towards a successful relationship. As a couple, you have to share some similar likes and dislikes, and you have to enjoy doing many things together, but you do not have to be identical twins. Each of us has to maintain our individuality. It is what attracted us to each other in the first place. Our individuality does not mean that we have a completely separate life away from our partner. When two people have totally separate, independent lives, there is no relationship there: they are only roommates. Many people choose this type of lifestyle, but it is certainly not my idea of what a relationship should be. A relationship is togetherness. You are one with your partner, as a couple that has chosen to spend their lives united. You travel life's journey together, through its peaks and valleys, so that you both might experience the type of loving, committed relationship that we all seek today.

Instead of seeking the "perfect" partner, you need to seek a partner who is right for you. Finding the right person for you is only the beginning of this process. Without putting in the work, even the most perfectly matched couple's relationship will eventually fade. Many of us learn this the hard way, regretting that we did not work harder at our relationships while we still had the chance. Some of us go from relationship to relationship, hoping to find "the perfect one," only to find ourselves, down the road in another relationship, missing an old partner whom we now recognize, in our heart of hearts, was the right one for us.

Copyright © 2000-2001. All rights reserved. Paul Mauchline

The Scars of Life

"Love is when God became man."

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could. Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him.


From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams,raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator..

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go."

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let you go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.

The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead.

The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go.

Please pass this on to those you love. God has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing to others. You just never know where a person is in his/her life and what they are going through. Never judge another person's scars, because you don't know how they got them. Also, it is so important that we are not selfish, to receive the blessings of these messages, without forwarding them to someone else.

Right now, someone needs to know that God loves them, and you love them, too - enough to not let them go .

Always Tell Your Family And Friends How Much You Love Them

When You Love

You do each deed with all your heart
Moments of waiting don’t matter
You don’t ask for anything in return
You treat each day like no other

You always come up with a surprise
And give it with such loving eyes
You keep each promise that you make
You learn to give more than you take

Little by little, you learn to break
The wall that separates the earth
From your once selfish and skeptical self
That was always proving your worth

You cease to worry about tomorrow
You learn to live by the day
You always pray for the good of the other
And learn to trust in God’s way

Your heart leaps on each hello
And breaks on every goodbye
But deep within, you’ll find good memories –
Real treasures you can forever live by.

Perfect Love

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone
To have a deep soul relationship with another
Be loved thoroughly, and exclusively.
But God, to a Christian, says:
I want you to be satisfied, fulfilled, and content
With being loved by Me alone
With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me
With having an intensely personal and unique relationship
With Me alone.
Discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found,
Will you be capable of the best human relationship
That I have planned for you.
I want you to be united with another after you are united with Me
Exclusive of anyone or anything else,
Exclusive of any other desires or longings.
I want you to stop planning, stop wishing,
And allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing
One that you cannot imagine.
I want you to have the best
Please allow Me to bring it to you.
You just keep watching Me, trusting Me
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I am.
Keep listening and learning the things I tell you.
You just wait.
That's all.
Don't be anxious.
Don't worry.
Don't look around at the things
Others have gotten or that I've given them.
Don't look at the things you think you want.
You just keep looking off and up to Me,
Or you'll miss what I want to show you.
And then, when you're ready, I'll surprise you with a love
Far more wonderful than any you would dream of.
You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready,
(I am working even at this moment to have both of you ready at the same time),
Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me and the life I prepared for you,
You won't be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with Me.
And this is the perfect love.
And dear one, I want you to have the most wonderful love.
I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with Me,
To enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty, perfection, and love
That I offer you with Myself.
Know that I love you utterly.
I am God.
Believe and be satisfied.

Forwarded by a friend. Thanks!

Trust

As I was reading Genesis 18 last night, where the stories of Abraham, his gift from God and his plea for Sodom are told, I reflected on prayers.

In this chapter, it shows how faithful and merciful God is, considering bargains and proving everything is possible if we just trust in Him. He knows our deepest desires, and He will grant it in His own will, which is always the best.

When we say prayer, we usually think of requests. Is this all there is when we talk to God? For me, praying is an intimate communication with Him, glorifying His name, thanking Him for all the countless blessings day by day, asking Him to guide me in everything I do so that I may live according to His will. When I look back on requests I made before, some of those turned out far from what I expected, and they all worked out for the best.

That's why I strongly disagree with the term "unanswered prayers". It distracts me everytime I hear it. When God says "no", didn't He answer? God always answers. He listens and feels every joy and pain. It just happened that the answer was "no", or maybe "wait", but still, He listened. Maybe we need to assess our requests. Is it according to our will, or His? Sometimes even that we can't figure out. Maybe praying for discernment is a much better request.

There are times when we are still plagued by worries, fear and impatience, and we couldn't help but ask, or even blame, Him for things happening to us. But somewhere in the long train of thoughts, He answers, so profoundly, that we are left speechless. And we feel humbled. We feel someone truly listens, without judgement, rejection or abandonment. And we are loved.

Love

1 Corinthians 13

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Uno!

Advice for the married, planning to get married, single but not available, single and available, no love life, meant for single life....

Eduardo Calasanz was a student at the Ateneo Manila University, Philippines, where he had Father Ferriols as professor. Father Ferriols, at that time was the Philosophy department head.

Currently he still teaches Philosophy for graduating college students in Ateneo. Father Ferriols has been very popular for his mind opening and enriching classes but was also notorious for the grades he gives. Still people took his classes for the learning and deep insight they take home with them every day (if only they could do something about the grades...)

Anyway, come grade giving time, (Ateneo has letter grading systems, the highest being an A, lowest at D, with F for flunk), Fr. Ferriols had this long discussion with the registrar people because he wanted to give Calasanz an A+. Either that or he doesn't teach at all... Calasanz got his A+. Read the paper below to find out why.

_________________________________________

PARTNERS AND MARRIAGE
by Eduardo Jose E. Calasanz

I have never met a man who didn't want to be loved. But I have seldom met a man who didn't fear marriage. Something about the closure seems constricting, not enabling. Marriage seems easier to understand for what it cuts out of our lives than for what it makes possible within our lives.

When I was younger this fear immobilized me. I did not want to make a mistake. I saw my friends get married for reasons of social acceptability, or sexual fever, or just because they thought it was the logical thing to do. Then I watched, as they and their partners became embittered and petty in their dealings with each other. I looked at older couples and saw, at best, mutual toleration of each other. I imagined a lifetime of loveless nights and bickering and could not imagine subjecting myself or someone else to such a fate.

And yet, on rare occasions, I would see old couples who somehow seemed to glow in each other's presence. They seemed really in love, not just dependent upon each other and tolerant of each other's foibles. It was an astounding sight, and it seemed impossible. How, I asked myself, can they have survived so many years of sameness, so much irritation at the other's habits?

What keeps love alive in them, when most of us seem unable to even stay together, much less love each other? The central secret seems to be in choosing well. There is something to the claim of fundamental compatibility. Good people can create a bad relationship, even though they both dearly want the relationship to succeed. It is important to find someone with whom you can create a good relationship from the outset. Unfortunately, it is hard to see clearly in the early stages.

Sexual hunger draws you to each other and colors the way you see yourselves together. It blinds you to the thousands of little things by which relationships eventually survive or fail. You need to find a way to see beyond this initial overwhelming sexual fascination. Some people choose to involve themselves sexually and ride out the most heated period of sexual attraction in order to see what is on the other side.

This can work, but it can also leave a trail of wounded hearts. Others deny the sexual side altogether in an attempt to get to know each other apart from their sexuality. But they cannot see clearly, because the presence of unfulfilled sexual desire looms so large that it keeps them from having any normal perception of what life would be like together. The truly lucky people are the ones who manage to become long-time friends before they realize they are attracted to each other. They get to know each other's laughs, passions, sadness, and fears. They see each other at their worst and at their best. They share time together before they get swept into the entangling intimacy of their sexuality.

This is the ideal, but not often possible. If you fall under the spell of your sexual attraction immediately, you need to look beyond it for other keys to compatibility. One of these is laughter.

Laughter tells you how much you will enjoy each other's company over the long term. If your laughter together is good and healthy, and not at the expense of others, then you have a healthy relationship to the world. Laughter is the child of surprise. If you can make each other laugh, you can always surprise each other. And if you can always surprise each other, you can always keep the world around you new. Beware of a relationship in which there is no laughter. Even the most intimate relationships based only on seriousness have a tendency to turn sour. Over time, sharing a common serious viewpoint on the world tends to turn you against those who do not share the same viewpoint, and your relationship can become based on being critical together.

After laughter, look for a partner who deals with the world in a way you respect. When two people first get together, they tend to see their relationship as existing only in the space between the two of them. They find each other endlessly fascinating, and the overwhelming power of the emotions they are sharing obscures the outside world. As the relationship ages and grows, the outside world becomes important again. If your partner treats people or circumstances in a way you can't accept, you will inevitably come to grief. Look at the way she cares for others and deals with the daily affairs of life. If that makes you love her more, your love will grow. If it does not, be careful. If you do not respect the way you each deal with the world around you, eventually the two of you will not respect each other.

Look also at how your partner confronts the mysteries of life. We live on the cusp of poetry and practicality, and the real life of the heart resides in the poetic. If one of you is deeply affected by the mystery of the unseen in life and relationships, while the other is drawn only to the literal and the practical, you must take care that the distance doesn't become an unbridgeable gap that leaves you each feeling isolated and misunderstood.

There are many other keys, but you must find them by our self. We all have unchangeable parts of our hearts that we will not betray and private commitments to a vision of life that we will not deny. If you fall in love with someone who cannot nourish those inviolable parts of you, or if you cannot nourish them in her, you will find yourselves growing further apart until you live in separate worlds where you share the business of life, but never touch each other where the heart lives and dreams. From there it is only a small leap to the cataloging of petty hurts and daily failures that leaves so many couples bitter and unsatisfied with their mates.

So choose carefully and well. If you do, you will have chosen a partner with whom you can grow, and then the real miracle of marriage can take place in your hearts. I pick my words carefully when I speak of a miracle. But I think it is not too strong a word. There is a miracle in marriage. It is called transformation. Transformation is one of the most common events of nature. The seed becomes the flower. The cocoon becomes the butterfly. Winter becomes spring and love becomes a child. We never question these, because we see them around us every day. To us they are not miracles, though if we did not know them they would be impossible to believe. Marriage is a transformation we choose to make. Our love is planted like a seed, and in time it begins to flower. We cannot know the flower that will blossom, but we can be sure that a bloom will come. If you have chosen carefully and wisely, the bloom will be good. If you have chosen poorly or for the wrong reason, the bloom will be flawed. We are quite willing to accept the reality of negative transformation in a marriage. It was negative transformation that always had me terrified of the bitter marriages that I feared when I was younger. It never occurred to me to question the dark miracle that transformed love into harshness and bitterness. Yet I was unable to accept the possibility that the first heat of love could be transformed into something positive that was actually deeper and more meaningful than the heat of fresh passion. All I could believe in was the power of this passion and the fear that when it cooled I would be left with something lesser and bitter. But there is positive transformation as well. Like negative transformation, it results from a slow accretion of little things. But instead of death by a thousand blows, it is growth by a thousand touches of love. Two histories intermingle. Two separate beings, two separate presence, two separate consciousnesses come together and share a view of life that passes before them. They remain separate, but they also become one. There is an expansion of awareness, not a closure and a constriction, as I had once feared. This is not to say that there is not tension and there are not traps. Tension and traps are part of every choice of life, from celibate to monogamous to having multiple lovers. Each choice contains within it the lingering doubt that the road not taken somehow more fruitful and exciting, and each becomes dulled to the richness that it alone contains. But only marriage allows life to deepen and expand and be leavened by the knowledge that two have chosen, against all odds, to become one. Those who live together without marriage can know the pleasure of shared company, but there is a specific gravity in the marriage commitment that deepens that experience into something richer and more complex.

So do not fear marriage, just as you should not rush into it for the wrong reasons. It is an act of faith and it contains within it the power of transformation.

If you believe in your heart that you have found someone with whom you are able to grow, if you have sufficient faith that you can resist the endless attraction of the road not taken and the partner not chosen, if you have the strength of heart to embrace the cycles and seasons that your love will experience, then you may be ready to seek the miracle that marriage offers. If not, then wait. The easy grace of a marriage well made is worth your patience. When the time comes, a thousand flowers will bloom... endlessly.

From JC, With Love

Nagtatanong
Bakit mahirap
Sumabay sa agos
Ng iyong mundo

Nagtataka
Simple lang naman sana
Ang buhay
Kung ika’y matino

Sabihin sa akin lahat ng lihim mo
Iingatan ko
Ibaling sa akin ang problema mo
Kakayanin ko

Pikit mata
Kong iaalay
Ang buwan at araw
Pati pa sapatos kong suot

Nagtatanong
Simple lang naman sana
Ang buhay
Kung ika’y lumayo

Sasamahan ka sa tamis
Sasamahan ka sa dilim
Sasamahan ka hanggang langit
Sasamahan ka sa tamis
Sasamahan ka sa pait
Sasamahan ka sa dilim
Sasamahan ka hanggang langit
Sasamahan ka

Words and Music by Imago

Terms of Endearment

I've been meaning to make a list of common and not-so-common terms for quite some time now, as I have always expressed hearty interest in romantic comedies and everyday-kabaduyan, usually for laughs. So, here it goes....

1. Baby, or Babe in short

2. Mahal, Irog or Ga for Pinoys

3. Love in any language like "Mon Cherie" in French, "Amor" in Spanish, "Amore" in Italian, "Tee Rak" in Thai

4. Sweetheart or Sweet

5. Darling or Dahlin

6. Honey or Hon, with some variations in spelling like "Hunnee" or "Hunnie"

7. High-calorie foods like Buttercup, Butterbun, Cupcake, Muffin, Munchkin, Pudding

8. Angel

9. Dear/Dearie

10. My Precious (in a Gollum-like tone)

11. Self-indulgent terms like Ganda/Pogi (Beautiful/Handsome), Hunk/Hottie, Prince/Princess

12. Or doting terms like "Baby cakes", "Baby face", "Baby girl", "Babykins", "Boo", "Honey bun", "Honey bunch", "Honey bunny", "Honey pie", "Honey toast", "Lovey Dovey", "Pookie", "Poopsy woopsy" or just "Poopsy", "Schnoodle bum", "Schmoopsie poo", "Snuggle bear", "Snuggle bunny", "Snuggles", "Sparky", "Sugar", "Sugar bun", "Sugar lips", "Sugar smacks", "Sweet cheeks", "Sweetie pie", "Sweetie", "Sweetkins", "Sweets", "Tootsie poo", "Tootsie wootsy", "Twinkles"

13. And other extraordinary terms like "Honey, My Love, So Sweet", "My Boy Lollipop", "Chupachups", or simply "Hoy!"

Ok. We can all gag now. Hahaha.

If Kids Wrote to God

Anything is possible through the eyes of a child. -Anonymous-

What would you ask God if you could write to Him?

A Celebration of Love

I can't help but share a wonderful entry a friend's boyfriend posted, which I recently found while browsing though friendster the other day. It is several months old, yet it has given me great pleasure to read it. Read Making An Offer She Cannot Refuse.

Sometimes we wonder if certain guys still exist. Well, they most certainly do. To Micah and Miren, as you start your journey together as husband and wife, may you continue to walk by faith and celebrate love for the rest of your lives.

The Painted Veil

I bought a few DVDs over the weekend. It's been a long time since I last did, and I was thrilled to find several new films already out.

As I was browsing through the covers, one movie suddenly caught my eye. The cover was sepia, so I assumed the film was set in the early century. What made me actually buy it was the tagline: Sometimes the greatest journey is the distance between two people. Hoookay.

I continued reading on. At the back of the case was the plot: "Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil is a love story set in the 1920s that tells the story of a young English couple, Walter (Edward Norton), a middle class doctor and Kitty (Naomi Watts), an upper-class woman, who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. Their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth."

Last night, I finally watched the movie. It was just as I expected... beautiful cinematography, great acting and tear-jerking scenes. I've never seen Edward Norton so attractive... and Naomi Watts was perfect for the character. I might just add this couple in my personal favorite *on-screen chemistry* list. I can still feel the tingles....

I always look forward to watching films I have never even heard of, but with interesting plots. After seeing each of those films, I would always wonder why it did not become so popular, which makes me fortunate for having seen such a rare and wonderful piece.