Coffee?

Coffee and morning thoughts once shared, 

brings out the best in our day. 

What about you?

 Have you shared a cup with someone lately?

Strawberry love

I'm crazy over you. 

You make me happy, 

you thrill my senses, 

you tickle my soul 

like I am some high school girl in love.

 I want you, more of you. 

Today, now and for always :) 

Resurrection, too

I am a traveler through life, 

through this earth that allows me 

triumphs and pains. 

From my Gethsemanes of confusion to 

Calvaries of despair, 

I tread along 

and hope

 for my resurrection.

How about sunrise?

Can hope be abundant in the ephemeral field of dandelion dreams? 

Can dreams ever do come true? 

What have you seen so far in your journey to never ending sunsets? 

Were there a few sunrise along the way?

We Make it About Us

"We don't like it when people disagree with us because we feel rejected when they do." It all boils down to self-esteem issues I guess. There is a plethora or reasons and justifications for our actions, how we react to people disagreeing with us. And it's normal. That's human nature. But I guess there is always a way in which we can protect ourselves from all these unnecessary hurts we unconsciously inflict upon ourselves by allowing us to be affected. We can always choose the way we react so we do not create further damage to ourselves and to others.  "Be courteous even if you don't agree with them," according to the speaker.

I have to practice this. I have to show this example to my son. I have to be this, too.

Starting the year right

SATAN'S NASTY TRICKS: Hurt, Fear, and Isolation

I am not sure where to start with this one.
First, I just want to say that I am shooting this straight from the heart. My emotions are raw.
My cheeks are tear stained, but my faith in the Lord remains.
I am writing with first-hand and painful experiences.
Dear brother or sister,
if you are hurting, fearful, or feel alone right now, please know that you are loved. Prayers have been sent, and they have been heard. The pain does not always disappear, but it will be used for the greater good.
That is God's promise.
Stay faithful and obedient.
Just because you are in the deep, does not mean that healing has come to an end. Our Heavenly Father knows of EVERY fallen tear. His love is here and His promises TRUE!
Now, let's "talk."

I want to bring to the surface one of satan's nasty, dirty, and manipulative tricks.
We must BE AWARE & ON GUARD.
The enemy must NOT be allowed to enter our mind!
Do you realize that once you have been hurt, betrayed, or offended that is STILL not "good enough" for satan?
Oh no, he is just getting started.
The enemy's desire is that we hurt MORE.
We fear MORE.
We question MORE.
We become MORE depressed, MORE angry, and MORE anxious.
More isolated. More alone.
The evil one is not satisfied with you laying awake one night here and there. The enemy wants you to be wrapped in a blanket of fear and worry day in and day out.

Just as Jesus wants it ALL, the enemy is fighting for it ALL.
The enemy is making plans to isolate us, and then move in for the kill.
He wants us alone, locked up, and tied down.
Why?
In that very darkness and isolation, we become less effective. We are vulnerable. We are injured. We lose power. We are deflated. We take our eyes off of The Lord. Our wounds eventually overtake us and infect us.
God loses a mighty WARRIOR FOR HIS KINGDOM. A soldier falls.

Listen, precious and powerful brothers and sisters in Christ.
We are feeling the relentless and fiery darts of the enemy, but we have a CHOICE to make.
Will we suit up in God's armor or will we be taken down?

In THIS hour, we must CLAIM TRUTH. CLAIM VICTORY, and STAND upon the Word of God.
Jesus left us with the UNLEASHED POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!
He left us FULLY EQUIPPED FOR THIS BATTLE.
Today, we must focus on souls unsaved and hand over our hurt, offense, doubt, and emotional wounds.
God promised to touch every dark corner of our lives.
HE HELD TO HIS PROMISE AT THE CROSS!
It's far too often that we refuse to drop off our heavy baggage there, where He gave His flawless life.
We insist on carrying it alone.
This is NOT The Lord's plan.

Lord, TODAY....
Help us to trust.
Help us to love fiercely.
Help us to hand over our pain.
Help us to help others find restoration and peace in Your name.
Help us to accept the open invitation to healing and the POWER OF THE CROSS!
Help us to accept the blessings within our brokenness.
Walk on satan! You are NOT getting a piece of this.
We are BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED CHILDREN OF THE MOST HIGH KING...and we have a battle to WIN! 

ID?

I saw this being posted recently by someone I know quite too well. She's bully, hostile, curses a lot, curses people a lot, even her own children she makes it a habit to curse them. She's called someone "a lying cow" but I know too many of her own lies. She hates "mistresses" with a passion, but she was once (or maybe twice, or thrice or even more) one. I cannot enumerate here one by one all the things that she did wrong, but to sum it all up, I cannot see in her life that she is living it like she is a child of God. Sometimes telling people "I am a child of God" can be a convenient way of claiming righteousness, that our faith/belief in God makes us better than the rest. We are all sinners. Not one of us here on earth is as blameless as Jesus is. Everyday we stumble, we make mistakes, we make wrong choices. But we can always learn to be better and let God change us. If we truly seek God in our life, and if we truly believe we are a "child of God", we surrender to his loving correction. Being a child of God means living the gospel, being able to bless others by your presence, your speech, your behavior. It's not enough that you wear your "I am a child of God" ID and go about hurting people.

Too many sunsets

Every time you left me, my world came to a halt. But what I would actually feel was that it was the end of everything. Hope was something too scary to even hold on to. There was something about it which I couldn’t trust. Hope brought me so much disillusionment and pain. I would rather deal with each pain, each blow that your leaving has caused me, each nightmare. I had to deal with all this whether I liked it or not. But you know what, it somehow made me stronger, more resilient. It made me understand pain more and I realized these things have to be embraced and not resisted. The more that we resist it, the more that it gets to us, the more it becomes intense. Yes, I have accepted pain, thanks to you. I have become familiar to it, less scared. There were too many sunsets that I have mourned. And they will not cease to make me grieve the nights. But I am more aware of it now. They’re part of how I learn to constantly let go. - Anabelle Badilla

Paying it forward

I gave campus journalism training and writing workshop to these guys a few weeks back. So nice to see them again yesterday sharing with me the news that they won in four categories at the recent Philippine Information Agency's basic campus journalism seminar. As a parent myself, it is a joy to see young people living out their gifts the best way they can. 

How to Write a Good Short Story   

by Anabelle Badilla-Gubuan

A short story, simply put, is like a shorter version of a novel. It has the same elements as a novel has:  the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution.From my own experience as a writer, though, a short story will require more creativity from the author because given the limitations of the number of words, you have to make sure your readers are satisfied and truly impressed.

Indeed, how do you impress your readers? A short story is a work of fiction or imagination but then again, just like any other stories long or short, you can always get inspirations from the reality around you. What people are looking for usually is how they can relate to the characters, their pains, their fears, their triumphs and their dreams. Look around you and everything, everyone, has a story to tell: the beggar in the street, the lonesome willow tree in the middle of a park, the quarrelling couple in the subway, the strict librarian with very thick eyeglasses. The list is endless. But before you can get your hands in these stories, you have to remember a few important things.

1.  Have you read enough short stories?

Reading will help you sharpen your mind and develop your skill as a short story writer. It doesn’t mean that you will be copying  the idea of others, though. The more short stories you read, the more ready you will become to take on the task because it will build up your excitement and encourage you to actually do it.

2.  Outline your story.

When you’re ready to start writing, you can now take your pen and paper and outline your story. List down the elements I have mentioned above and make notes next to these elements:

The characters: each character has to leave an impression that will make the reader remember them long after they have finished reading your story. Make sure you don’t overwhelm your readers with too many characters. Some short, compelling stories take over the world by just two or three characters.

The setting:  Describe the scene, don’t describe the picture.

The plot: it has to have the element of surprise. Putting a twist somewhere near the end always works.

The conflict: “Human interest” is the aspect of a story that interest people because it resonates with their own experiences. This always keeps the reader riveted to their seats simply because they can relate to what the characters undergo in the story.

The resolution: keep in mind that a good story has an element of justice. It doesn’t have to be a traditional happy-ever-after kind of ending, but make sure you make something right out of the conflict you have presented. Some stories can go on and on, stuck in the conflict of the whole story and it ends badly there.

3.  Strong title, equally strong ending.

Your title must represent your whole story but in a way that will just give a hint to your readers. It is a come on, like teacups placed in the front porch table. But mind you, making a compelling title is as challenging as coming up with an ending just as good. Your ending has to make your story come in full circle.

4.  Stick to your story.

When there is a temptation to stray, to back to your outline and check your elements one by one. It will keep you grounded. 

5. Practice, practice, practice.

Capture your reader’s attention. Imagine, visualize, dream, make it up. Most of all experiment. It is only in trying out new things all the time that the best writers learn and become best sellers.

Be Happy!

I have always prayed, begged, asked the Lord to grant you a life of happiness, peace, success, and that he will give you everything your heart desires. It is still my prayer. After all these years, after all these pains, it is still my prayer. I believe that you deserve that and I believe God will grant my prayers. Be happy now. Stop letting the enemy pull you back from which part of your journey you've reached already. All the enemy wants is for those who choose the Lord to choose otherwise. Because he wants all of us to be miserable. Will you keep allowing him to make you miserable? And make others around you miserable? It would be such a sad life if that would be so. You don't deserve a sad, lonely life, do you? 

Are you truly happy?

Creepy how FB reads my personality

Your courage is who you are

"...and still to their goal the rivers go." Indeed ... indeed. The oceans never filled and still to their goal the rivers go. How can you stop going to your goal? There is not stopping. Just keep going. That alone is purpose. That alone is courage. That alone is who you are. 

One Day Soon ...

Bitter or better

"People, they tend to judge you based on what they know about your past." Recently heard this from someone and it resonated with me right away. Most of the difficulties I've been facing lately are born out of the fact that I have been judged. I made choices in my life, and some these are not really nice choices at least as far as other's principles and beliefs are concerned. Well, the choices I made are mine. I always make a conscious effort not to drag others into my misery. I try as much as I can to take it all in bearing in mind that others have got nothing to do with the consequences of what I do. Bearing in mind most of all that these pains will eventually make be stronger and better and will allow me to be there for others, too, who are broken like me. Who is not broken anyway? Even the ones who had a sheltered childhood, they have in one way or another, some kind of brokenness. My past will not define my future. I am nearing the point of my journey where I can stand tall and proud. I can't wait to say, "I made it."