The Night Was Dark; The Wind Was Cold And Crisp

My mom blurted out, “O may simbang gabi tayo ha!” That reminded me that we are on the third night of the Simbang Gabi series, which Filipinos are fond of patronizing every single year. As for me, it’s my first night as my fully-loaded sched was only cleared yesterday.

The service already commenced when I ushered myself in the church. The night was dark; the wind was cold and crisp. It was only tonight when it struck me that it’s getting colder by the day. Probably, this indecisive weather is the primary reason why I’m getting the sniffles, coughs, and colds.

Every Christmas season, we go through a refresher course at church. Every Christmas season, ministers help us grasp that until we are settled with the fact that our Savior, Jesus Christ, was born to die to save you and I, Christmas will never amount to anything. But we’re missing another significant character here. Perhaps, he’s as significant as the magis. The preacher read from Matthew chapter 2. While quoting Matthew chapter 2 verse 3, she emphasized the word “disturbed or troubled.” King Herod, upon hearing the birth of the ‘King of the Jews,’ became distraught and troubled. In all likelihood, he could have refused to eat or to drink for days until he was certain that baby Jesus was dead. Yes. The third person is no less than…drum rolls…King Herod.

To King Herod, the birth of Jesus meant losing control, power, stature, and all the privileges and freebies that come with being an incumbent king. He presented himself as a dissident when he ordered the murder of children to safeguard his reign. But God’s cause was unshakable as rock so Jesus lived and grew up.

Sometimes we tend to be like King Herod. We abhor losing control, even if losing our control means passing it to God. We grieve over losing power, even if losing our power is a repercussion of surrendering our lives to God, the One who desires what’s best for us. We worry too much about our grades, about the people we lost or are to lose, about what to set on the dining table tomorrow, how we look, salaries, jobs, dreams, girl/boy to marry etc. if troubling yourself will add a second to your life, then by all means, go worry all your life. But I feel sorry to break it to you, it will not.

King Herod rejected Jesus. The troubled King ordered the search for the baby on the pretext that he would forthwith worship him once found. In truth he plotted to take the life of the baby for the aforementioned reason.

Sometimes we tend to be like King Herod. Seemingly oblivious to the fact that they will stink in the long run, we keep on hiding our skeletons in the closet. We reject God on the pretext that we have to study. We reject God on the pretext that we are tired. We reject God on the pretext that we have a lot of things in hand and we are in pursuit of effective ways to juggle them. Do not get me wrong. Studying, resting and working are important things. To some extent, they are essential. But what’s more important than giving the quality time that your Creator so deserves? Than thanking him for another day than complaining like you’ve been living in hell? Than trusting intently His cause? We can only obtrude our opinions so much on God as if we know better.

And why am I saying these? Because these points boil down to one thing: losing peace. When we are troubled, we lose peace. When we reject God, we lose peace. For once, drop your weapon, sit, cry, or just stay still and silent. Talk to God and ask Him to appease your heart. Ask Him to help you comprehend that when you lose control and power, He takes over. Ask Him to help you see that amidst the procellous sea, your vessel will reach its destination. Ask Him to give you the determination to accept His cause in your life. Ask Him to give you the heart to give God what is due Him at all cost. Ask Him to help you learn to be like the three wise men who acknowledged Jesus and who celebrated rather to be like King Herod who rejected Jesus and who had the choice to revel but decided to be troubled.

It was twice a quarter after eight in the evening. The third night of the Simbang Gabi series was concluded by a distribution of bowls of hot soup. Some were busy handing the bowls. The men engaged in conversations among themselves. The kids chased after their playmates while their mothers tried to tame them. But most of the time, I noticed smiles plastered on those lovely faces. Perhaps they, too, realized what I have been trying to convey.

Not long after the end of the service, it was time to go home. The night was dark; the wind was cold and crisp. It was only tonight when it struck me that it’s getting colder by the day. Next time you wake up, it’s already the most awaited day of the year – CHRISTmas. :}

Lex Celebrationis

PAUSE. No law books. No law professors. No class.

This is what we sign up for every Decemeber. Lex week is a short hiatus from all the onerous demands of Law school. At least we get a breather once in a while. They thought Lex would keep us sane. And they were right! :}

The following are the highlights of the annual feast:

1. Pageant



And that's me and Heaven trying to make ends meeet! Hahaha. We had no make-up artists with us. The environmental wear that our Mr. and Ms. Lex wore came from dust. To put it simply, we did EVERYTHING from scratch. On our own. We did not make it to the top 5. Yes our environmental wears were not as flashy as the other teams'. But I'm proud like that! We still produced decent ones.

2. Amazing Race

Meet the all-girl champs! Since the night before the race, our hopes were on the pedestal. We REALLY and ACTUALLY hoped for this. We worked HARD for this. Everyone gave an indispensable contribution to the team so it's a disrespect to ascribe even the shadow of the prize to just one person. Good job girls! :}

3. Basketball







The basketball team deserves credit. Although the chance of bagging the goal was stolen by the first year, (Who did a great job, by the way, because they turned out to be the champs. Congrats! :D) the team still did a great job overall. It was a heart-rending loss. But now we got a reason to get back up and work harder.

Congratulations 2J! Merry CHRISTmas!! :}

Whim and Caprice

Because of my busy sched, I haven't posted anything germane to what I have been wearing these days until today. So here I am trying my best to satisfy the eyes of whoever generously spends even a bit of his/her time viewing my blogs. I'm a fan of clothes, shoes and accessories so I can't help but post this picture.

Outfit #1: Wore it on Aspog's gig night at Araneta. It was a Christmas tree lighting event.

Outfit #2: CHATIME! Seems like everyone's having a penchant for MILK TEA.

Outfit #3: Happy birthday Joey dear. Met up with our VG.

This vintage hype is contagious. People are clad in high-waisted skirts/pants/shorts, colored leggings, floral dresses, and all these vintage stuff.

And hey, I'm no fashionista.

Just a little girl who ℒℴѵℯs dressing up. :}

Why You're Bruised But Not Broken.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. (Isaiah 40:1)

Store up comfort. This was the prophet Isaiah’s mission. The world is full of hurting and comfortless hears. But before you will be competent for this lofty ministry, you must be trained. And your training is extremely costly, for to make it complete, you too must endure the same afflictions that are wringing countless hearts of tears and blood. Consequently, your own life becomes the hospital ward where you are taught the divine art of comfort. You will be wounded so that in the binding up of your wounds by the Great Physician, you may learn how to render first aid to the wounded everywhere. Do you wonder why you have to experience some great sorrow? Over the next ten years you will find many others afflicted in the same way. You will tell them how you suffered and were comforted. As the story unfolds, God will apply the anesthetic He once used on you to them. Then in the eager look followed by the gleam of hope that chases the shadow of despair from the soul, you will know why you were afflicted. And you will bless God for the discipline that filled your life with such a treasure of experience and helpfulness.

God comforts us not to make us comfortable but to make us comforters.

~ Streams In The Desert ~

Raising Leaders

04 November 2011, Friday.

I conducted a leadership seminar at Montessori De Sagrada Familia yesterday. This was the event I was talking about in one of my blogs. (If you so desire, you may click this to check it out.) Personally, I had a lot of fun doing it. My audience was composed of student council officers, all class captains and all club presidents. As I have said, it was a privilege. I reckoned it as such because to be one of the school's options was already overwhelming, but to be chosen to speak before those high school students "who are already leaders" was not like any other. Right now, I am even struggling to come up with the perfect words to provide you with a good description of how I felt. I was just so happy. :}

Gie Santiago, the Vice Governor of the Supreme Student Government, commencing the event through a prayer.

Carmina, the Governor of the Supreme Student Government, giving a speech.

Ma'am Ruby Lopez, my former English teacher and now the Guidance Counselor of Sagrada, spearheaded the event. I was so glad the moment I saw her. We used to call her the "HOT MOMMA." And of course, she still is. :}

Now that's me doing my thing. :}

That's me again - this time asking a student about his dreams.

This portion is what we call Get-to-know-me. I asked the kids about their interests. There was this one girl who answered, "I like you!" And then everyone enjoyed hearty laughs.

***
GAME TIME!!!



'
***
Ma'am Ruby and Carmina giving me a certificate of appreciation.

The entire audience.

Me, feeling very much satisfied and fulfilled.


And to cap it all off, here's one of the most heart-warming messages I have ever received in my entire life:

"It's really amazing how God works in wondrous ways. You used to be my student before but now you will be mentoring other students including ME. :)) Don't hesitate to send me a message if you have other inquiries. Thanks so much!!!"

Really, it was my pleasure and honor. Thank you all. :}

Note: Good boy, thanks for assisting me. God bless you.

***
If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more,
do more and become more,
you are a leader.
***

Part 2: It’s Not About What You Think You Deserve. It’s About Who You Choose.

This is part 2 of my five part relationship series. These are opinions NOT expert advice.

To read all 5:
1. It’s About What’s Most Important?
2. It’s Not About What You Think You Deserve. It’s About Who You Choose
3. It’s About What You Got Across Not What You Think You Said or Did
4. It’s About Infinite Possibilities Not Minimum Requirements
5. It’s About Whatever It Takes

A Little More on Value
I’ve written quite a bit on a variety of topics with only the concept of VALUE tying all of them together. One thing I noticed, based on the feedback I get with each post, is that people seem to respond most to the ones about family and relationships. It’s just more proof that deep down, whether consciously or unconsciously, relationships are what we value most.

Think about it, on their deathbed, no one ever wished they played more Playstation, or ate more burritos, or earned more money. What we regret are the relationships we should have paid more attention to, the thank yous and I love yous we should have said, the sons and daughters we should have parented, and the dreams we should have shared.

I guess that’s the important thing about marking your values clearly, because when you do you can head towards it, when you don’t two things usually happen: you never get what you want because you don’t know, or worse, you get what you think you’ve always wanted and realize that it wasn’t worth it. The words “worth” and “value” are very closely connected. What’s valuable will always be worth it.

Clarifications on Value
I got some comments that I found interesting enough to address here because some of you might have similar questions. Here goes:

1. This is a great article for guys – I don’t know about the article being “great”. It’s just my opinion, and again, from a non-expert. Second, I wrote this for both men and women. The whole value thing won’t work if one person values the other but is not valued as well. Someone’s bound to burnout or become a martyr or get hurt. That’s not a sustainable situation.

2. You can’t jump to conclusions – Just because someone’s too tired to drive doesn’t mean they don’t value you. Maybe they’re really just too tired. This is a very very valid point raised by none other than my mother. And she’s right about this. My example needs qualifying. If let’s say you’re in a relationship, and you know that someone’s too tired to drive you, because you value him or her you put them ahead and make them rest. In the same way, if he or she values you they’ll do their best to serve you. But the reality stays that people have their limits, emotionally and even physically, but when you have two people valuing each other they adjust without feeling unvalued because they’re secure that the other holds them as most important even when they’re limitations become apparent. Having said that, a pattern of mistreatment is obvious proof that someone doesn’t value you or you don’t value someone.

3. All nice and sweet but people are humans and make mistakes. How can you say that making a mistake in a relationship means that person doesn’t value the person – This is a great point! No one can say they’ve never hurt anyone – especially me. Hurting someone doesn’t mean you don’t value that person, it only means that on that specific moment, whatever you were doing was more important. For example, when I say something tactless, which I do a lot, it just means that airing my opinion is more important to me than the feelings of someone else. This doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t value that person, just not as much as I should at that moment.

The problem is when the pattern of our life is one that takes the truly valuable things for granted. Some might argue that values are relative, and they’d be correct to an extent, but at the very least we should know what’s personally important to us, and live a life that moves towards that.

What about our mistakes? No one’s perfect. We will all make mistakes. What hope do we have?

I remember my dad explaining a critical component of relationships; it’s what reconciles us and allows us to enjoy the benefits of a valued relationship despite the reality that we are flawed and will make mistakes. That component is forgiveness. I’ve realized that forgiveness is more than just getting a clean slate. Forgiveness is another chance to enjoy that which you really value – and if you take this new chance for granted don’t be surprised if someday you’ll lose it, maybe even completely.

The simple point of the whole value thing is this:

KNOW AND DEFINE WHAT YOU VALUE. LIVE A LIFE THAT REFLECTS WHAT YOU VALUE. AND WHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE, CORRECT AND GO BACK – IF IT’S NOT TOO LATE.

4. I wish my boyfriend thought this way – when I was writing this, I wasn’t thinking about how I wish my partner would be like. I was writing this as a reminder to myself to be the type of person who knows who and what he values, and to be the type of person who enjoys the privilege of cultivating the valuable things in his life. I didn’t write this for people to use as a standard to compare their partners to, I wrote this as a guide for myself. I can’t say that everyday of my life is faultlessly value-based. A lot of it, maybe even most of it right now, isn’t. But I have a guide, and slowly but surely, in time, I’ll be deciding more based on what’s really valuable to me and not have as many regrets. Sometimes when I read your email I wonder if you’re talking about someone else and sending it to me by accident. I’m not a great guy that knows these things. I’m, like a work in progress, discovering things as we go along, and trying to make something out of the limited time we have on Earth.

And this leads me to the next portion of this series, and again I have to warn you that this is MY OPINION.

Off Your High Horse
Many times we have this picture of this dream relationship where everything works and is perfect, where everything is fair. I love him, he loves me. I’ll do anything for her, she’ll do anything for me. I write her, she writes me back. It’s perfect…

…until she forgets to text back right away after you sent her a sweet message. Or until you’ve bent over backwards and he’s sleeping on the couch. Or even until he gets fat after you get married, while you work hard to stay slim. Until these things happen, and you’re left asking yourself, what the heck is this???

For me, at least historically, when things get too complicated, that’s the time to press the EJECT button.

But I guess this all starts when we stop thinking about what’s most important TO us and we start thinking about what’s most important FOR us. We start thinking about what we deserve. We start having one of the most dangerous sicknesses you can catch – entitlement.

Entitlement is a dangerous case to have. No one owes us anything – not even the people we’re in relationship with. Sometimes we think guys have to be like this, girls have to be like that, and the truth is they don’t. No one has to give you flowers or cook you dinner. No one has to court you or make it easy for you to court him or her. No one has to do any of that, and you’re not entitled to any of that.

Some of you are asking, “I’m not?”

Nope.

“Then what am I entitled to?”

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

But before you throw stones at me read on. (Besides my hair will soften the impact anyway.)

Here You Go
Love is a gift, not a trade. It isn’t bartered or earned. It is given, and in the case of true love, given completely. Sometimes we forget this, and we start saying things like, “If you truly loved me you would or wouldn’t…”.

You can complete the sentence.

When you give a gift you prepare it and make it special but you don’t expect anything in return. How ridiculous would it be for a kid to attend a party, give his gift, and go feel cheated when all he gets in return is a goodie bag?

“I gave you a Nerf Gun and you gave me lollipops!”

But we’re like that sometimes, always expecting a fair trade. “I did this. You didn’t” “You don’t deserve me!” “I don’t deserve you!” Tit for tat, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth is not the recipe of love but of feuds.

So what can I expect then?

Nothing. Nothing but the privilege to love unconditionally, to say “Here you go. You have everything.”

“That sucks, David.”

Why do you think I’m not married?

It’s About Who You Choose
Of course it doesn’t really suck. I’m exaggerating. We do get something, and it’s not necessarily what we think we deserve. We get whom we choose. This is why we need to choose well. This is why we don’t just jump in. This is why counting the cost is important, and there is a cost.

I liked this girl once, and looking back she really was cool, but I remember my dad telling me, (after asking me how I planned to feed her!), “David, no matter how pretty she is she’s going to take a crap someday.” My dad has a way of saying things. I guess this was his way of telling me no one’s perfect, don’t go blind, see things as they are.

Of course choosing well can mean different things to different people but here are two things I think are important:

1. Shared values – Do you agree on what the most important non-negotiable things are?
2. Shared love – Do you even like each other? Do you both put each other first?

For some funny reason we’re back to the questions “What’s most important?” and “Who is most important?” Trying to make sense of this, I’ve realized whom we choose reflects what’s important to us. We’re attracted to what’s important to us. So know for sure what’s important to you and choose well. As I said in another blog “everything costs something but not everything is priced right”. Choose the one you value most, know the cost, and pay it in full no matter how expensive. As I also said in another, “But you can never go wrong with the priceless things. They’ll always be a steal.”

Happy Places

Because I am a food lover, I'm sharing three of my favorite eating/drinking places in the world. Meet Seoulia, Happy Lemon and Baliwag:

Because of the root word Seoul, yes, it is evident and obvious that it is a Korean restaurant. I love their Beef Bulgogi, Kimbap, Ramen and this lumpia-like in the menu. I cannot describe it using words so I am posting this picture so you all would know how it looks like. It's creamy and yummy. :}

Another uplifter is Happy Lemon. During the last month, I consumed at least 6 to 7 Cocoa with Rocksalt & Cheese. I would trade Starbucks' White Chocolate Mocha for it. You can have it for only P100.
eNo place like Baliwag, Bulacan. Bicho-bicho, Puto-bumbong and Bibingka are only three of the many things you should try when you are in Bulacan. But hey, they are available only during "BER" months so they're special. :}

Although I am no pro, let me share what I have been up to during the break. I have been cooking/baking. That's Grilled Shrimp and Banana Cake right there. :}

The Good Samaritans

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Momar's team outstretched a helping hand to our church here in San Rafael, Bulacan. The church has been going through many changes. For a church that is starting over, I can say ACTS is in good shape as most of the members show vitality. On the day I paid a visit, I could conclude that everyone was replete with hope. It was as if the people were starting over too. And being able to observe all these, I did not want to desist from looking at them. But, unfortunately, I had too because I was reviewing for Property Law.

The music team's attention was glued to its lecturers. This, I thought, was an implied declaration that, yes, they were yearning for new things to learn.


Typhoon Pedring ravished the surroundings but not the people's will to make things better. So, although it was a Saturday, a day on which they could have just slumbered, they were at church cleaning, organizing and fixing things.

The Good Samaritans: Bob, Kuya Jonah, Ive, Momar and Tim.

The next day, Sunday, they played for Jesus. :}

Neither Humdrum Nor Balderdash

Last Wednesday Caela Valera, a good friend of mine in Law school, posted a link on my wall. "It's About Doing Whatever It Takes" was the line that got me. But initially my interest did not get the better of me so I had to let the day pass until it's dusk.

I started reading and I thought, "Well, Dos and Don'ts on love." But I was entranced to learn that the Mr. David Bonifacio's blog entry was massive in substance. It sends more than an inkling. It feeds. It makes you realize that in love, there's a gazillion things to learn. Evidently, I am enticing you to read it because it is not going to be a humdrum experience, more so, a balderdash one.

NOTE: It's a series. So I'm posting the entries successively, daily and correspondingly. Of course, we'll start with entry number 1. :}

It’s About What’s Most Important

Paolo Punzalan recently mentioned me on his blog on relationships. I don’t know why he suggested me as having insight on this (maybe because my views are entertainingly controversial), but I’ve been getting some questions regarding relationships on my email, Facebook, and formspring. So to answer all your questions more efficiently here are my thoughts on how to make a relationship work. I do have to make it clear from the start that I’m really no expert on this, so don’t go taking this as expert opinion. This is MY opinion on a subject I am historically known to be NOT very good at. But I’m learning, and over the next few weeks I’ll be posting 5 lessons I’ve learned so far:

1. It’s About What’s Most Important?
2. It’s Not About What You Think You Deserve. It’s About Who You Choose
3. It’s About What You Got Across Not What You Think You Said or Did
4. It’s About Infinite Possibilities Not Minimum Requirements
5. It’s Not About Formulas and Benchmarks. It’s About Whatever It Takes

Ok, here we go…

It’s About What’s Most Important?
Of course I had to stick in the word VALUE at the very top, because relationships are about what’s most important to you or what’s valuable to you. A lady from the microfinance group I’m a part of emailed me the other day asking about some life decisions. I told her to ask herself, “What’s most important to me?” and to order clearly the hierarchy of importance in her life. Because what we value affects our decision making. When something is important to us we naturally try to bring ourselves closer. When something is NOT valuable to us we naturally stay away or forget something even exists. It’s like the kid who can’t remember his subjects but can remember the stats of his sports heroes. It’s not a question of memory. It’s a question of value.

In a relationship, you need to be able to say that, after God, she’s the most valuable thing to you, and your decision-making, and your execution of your decisions (your actions) should show it. My dad always encouraged my brothers and I to make the big decision, because the smaller decisions become easy when you make the big decision. He used to say that it’s easy to choose what to wear to work when you’ve already chosen to actually go to work. In the same way, many people find it hard to do the little things for the person they’re supposed to love simply because they’ve never made a conscious decision to set her aside as most important.

If we’re impatient with someone it only means we value our impatience more than we value the person. If we’re angry at someone it only means we value our anger more than that person. If we’d rather sleep than drive for our wives or girlfriends it only means that we value how tired we are or our convenience more than them. This is hard to accept but it’s true. When I am misbehaving towards someone, I can give every reason I think is valid, but the bottom line is I value my reasons more than that person. Because IF the person is MOST valuable, than she should be MORE valuable than my reasons no matter how valid they are. Again it’s hard to accept, even for me. But when I think about the reasons why my dates never went past a few months the answer is the same, while I always try to make a positive contribution in the lives of others, at that moment, what was most important was… drumroll… ME.

Are You Ready?
I remember once being asked at a talk (why I get asked to talk on relationships is a mystery to me), “How do you know if you’re ready for a relationship?” And I answered:

When you’re ready to put her before you. When you’re ready to put her needs before your needs, her wants before your wants, her dreams before yours, her comfort before yours, her feelings before yours, her convenience before yours. When you’re ready to lay your life down that’s when you know you’re ready.

Of course I followed this up with, “And that’s how I know I’m absolutely NOT ready.”

Insecure Value
Sometimes I come across people who are so insecure about where they stand in a relationship and I realize it’s because they themselves and / or their partners have never settled in their hearts that the other is most important. When what’s most important isn’t decided on, everything becomes negotiable. I can go out and get drunk because he offended me. I can text others since we’re not cheating anyway. I can gossip to my friends because he’s a butt. All of a sudden we can negotiate in our mind to do the things that will hurt the person because we have never really set them aside as valuable – meaning even their value is negotiable – they’re only valuable as long as they do as we like. I’m so grateful our Father is not like that. Because, while I have decided on my values, sometimes I find myself negotiating and rationalizing my mistakes. But our Father, He doesn’t negotiate our value. He has marked us as important to Him even when we fall short, and that is why His love never fails. God’s love doesn’t change with our roller coaster of a life. It actually reminds me of Shakespeare’s very famous Sonnet 116:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Love never alters. It doesn’t bend. It is an ever-fixed mark that is never shaken. When that’s the love you enjoy you’ll be secure.

Someday There’ll Be Treasure
Someday, I’m going to type her name on this blog, and like a white flag waving, that will signal my fall. When that day comes I have to surrender and say, “You’re most important now.” There will be times when I won’t get my way, but that’s ok, she’s most important. There will be days when I won’t understand, but I’ll have to trust, because she’s most important. There will be days when I’ll get mad (maybe a lot of days with my impatience), but I’ll have to swallow my pride, prepare a peace offering, and apologize to the one who is most important to me. Just typing this is making me dizzy, but then I realize I won’t have to worry, because I’ll be what’s most important to her, and as the Bible says: perfect love casts out all fear.

My Song For The Day

You could be my it girl. You're my biggest hit girl - Jason Derulo

Privileged

I was awakened my a text message I received this morning. It said, “Good morning Trizh. Ma’am Ruby here. Since it’s sem break, is it okay if I invite you to be my guest speaker for the leadership seminar of our student council leaders (elementary and high school) set on Novemeber 4?”

Honestly, I felt equally excited and uneasy. Excited because this kind of thing does not happen everyday. And if leadership seminars did occur everyday, I would not be chosen daily. Uneasy because it’s a challenge to me. This invitation served as a reminder for me to check on how I lived, influenced people, acted and thought. For a moment, there was this daunting moment of feeling unworthy. How many capable and competent people exist? My heart and mind were engaged in a squabble. Mind was insisting that there was a colorable truth in it. But heart argued that I was chosen for a purpose. You see, for a fleeting moment, they would not corroborate each other. So I told someone about what’s bothering me. It may seem a tiny matter to many, but IT IS THIS MASSIVE to me.

Through that person, it was affirmed that I will be speaking in front of young people because this is me. Because of what I have done and gone through. My imperfections matter — in a positive manner, however. I believe that the Man up there will use me on the 4th of November. So cross out ‘uneasy’ and let alone ‘excited’. :}

Romans 8:28

“All things work together for good, for those who love the Lord, and are called according to His purpose.”

I am capable and competent because I have a GREAT GOD!

A Penchant For ℒℴѵℯ

These are two of my favorite things in the world right now: My heart-shaped glasses and my ring. I purchased the glasses from an on-line store on Facebook, and the ring from f&h. Tonight, I realized that I have a penchant for things with the word ℒℴѵℯ with or on it.

Unfortunately, I had misplaced a necklace with a ℒℴѵℯ pendant. That necklace and the ring would have been a perfect match. But because I just got this ℒℴѵℯly ring, elation is getting the better of me. :}

Little brotha, thanks for lending me your cam. Appreciate it. :D

I liked it so I put a ring on it.

Fish-eye effect.

One happy girl here! :}