I know, I have met you just a few days ago but already you have won a big place in my heart. I don’t know of enough words to describe the lovely and cheerful personality you have. You certainly are really sweet and lovely and amazing! I am really happy that I had found your lovely, warm place. You are a warrior, and a protector indeed.
So Will I. The song that changed my heart forever. That song was Heaven-sent that year when life threw a bomb my way.
It was then that I was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy. I nearly exploded! I could hardly believe it, but I had to face it. I hated it, but I had to befriend the journey it would take me through. I questioned it, but I found my answers through deep introspection. I cried buckets (no, rivers!), but I smiled victoriously too. I was saddled with emotions, but I was emancipated with surrender. Not the defeated kind, mind you. But the surrender that embraces strength. The total faith-in-God kind of surrender.
And as I continue this journey with love in my heart, I share this song with you. In hopes that you will find your miracle too! ❤️
The strangest thing happened on my way home
today.I saw a hearse. Yup, a hearse. Literally, in front
of me. I just realized what it was when I needed to slow down due to the building
traffic on the road.
And just like that, I went to my rich inner
world and played a movie in my mind. Mind you though, I’m a very safe
driver with an amazing clean record to boot! Not that I’m turning defensive
here (although that’s exactly my driving style, haha!), but I want to assure
you of my multi-tasking ability (that is, driving safely on “auto-pilot” and running
free with my imagination) when I know the destination so well. And obviously, I’m
an expert at locating my home. (Confession:
Ooops! with the help of Waze at times.) Otherwise, I’d be in deep
trouble, haha!
Anyway, back to our regular programming (Excuse the side
trip or mini digression.), where was I? …. Oh yes, the hearse. It got me
thinking ….. Well, a lot of things get me thinking.
I actually saw myself lying there inside the coffin.
Safely tucked inside the hearse. Then, after a split second, that
scene segued to the funeral rites. People were standing still in deep
reflection. Some shed a few tears. Others were sobbing. Melancholy filled the
air ….. and it was further punctuated with the droplets of rain that started to
fall. It’s as if the sky was crying too.
I snapped out of that odd dream sequence when the car
behind me honked. (My thought bubble went, “Okay, okay! I heard you!”) Then I zoomed to show the car behind me that I
was very much alive, haha!
By the time I got home, I chilled and turned on the radio. KISS 102.7 played in full blast “One More Night” …. The lyrics? “So I cross my heart and I hope to die….” Oh c’mon now! Gimme a break! I mean, I adore you, Maroon 5 ….. but really?!?! Of all your awesome songs, you serenade me with this?!?! I would’ve danced immediately if you chose “Sugar” instead!
So that set off my mind to “Wanderland” again….and as you
can easily predict, I landed in the same movie that was screening earlier on
the road. Talk about perfect timing, I was in sync for the climactic portion …..
the Eulogy.
Ohhhh my heart! At that point, I needed tissue. Boxes and boxes of tissue. Why? I was touched beyond words …. with the outpouring of appreciation, the abundance of gratitude, the showcase of happy memories, the overflowing love. Deep, sweet love. And then the movie camera zoomed out gloriously to take a majestic top shot.
Next scene: Back at home, I smiled. A victorious smile.
So Death, what would they say? Well, I’m writing the script of the century ….. and I’m starting today! ❤️
As a little girl, I was mesmerized one day at elementary school. I still remember her name. Mrs. Hadarly. She opened my eyes. She opened my mind. She opened my heart. She opened my world. She introduced the haiku to me in class.
I was as giddy as one could get when I came up with my first “tiny poem”. That’s how my classmates coined it. All of a sudden, I felt immediately transformed. Wow, an “artist” is born, I thought to myself.
So my haiku adventure began. I had loads of thoughts to share, although words didn’t come that easily. My classmates and I referred to dictionaries just to write our haikus in class. You see, terms weren’t “Googable” yet, haha! (Ooops that obviously reveals my age, so let’s not get into that! *wink, wink*)
Something magical happened when I completed my haiku project. My teacher said that my work was very good. And that was music to my ears. In fact, it played a lovely song in my head the whole day. Her positive feedback got me all fired up and I wished then that we could just focus on haikus the whole year. I loved the feeling of being great at something!
Fast forward to this day. I enjoy my romance with haikus. In fact, I tease myself that if the haiku were a fine gentleman, I would’ve married him, haha!
As I go through life, I find myself thinking in haikus. I love to be in the moment and view the world from different angles, with different glasses, considering different lifestyles, different stages, different backgrounds. My natural empathy draws me to others and inspires me to reflect on possible haikus for their lives too.
I love the haiku for its simplicity, its purity, its authenticity, its depth, its insightfulness.
Anyway, hmmm, I wonder how Mrs. Hadarly is doing these days. Would love to visit and thank her over a cup of coffee …..
dear mrs. hadarly
little yeka loves you so
you have sown your seed
HAPPY SUNDAY FRIENDS!
Thanks so much for joining me on this lovely day! Do drop me a haiku. That would make my heart smile! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
In the Philippines ….. beautiful land of my birth, we love to say MABUHAY!
It’s a greeting that encompasses all good grace and favor wished upon someone. It’s expressed in the imperative form of the word “life”, thus, “Mabuhay!” translates to “Live!”, from the root word “buhay” (life).
And LIVE. That’s
exactly what we do as a nation. We
are home to multifarious cultures and traditions that have captured
international interest.
When you visit
our lovely country, you should definitely visit our world-acclaimed beaches. And mind you, we have a plethora of them, what
with our 7,107 islands.
I love how Conde’ Nast Traveler described one of our most popular beaches (The 24 Best Island Beaches in the World), El Nido, Palawan. “Palawan continues to rank highly in our Readers’ Choice Awards. El Nido alone is home to around 50 white sand beaches—it’s impossible to choose just one—all of which are set around dramatic limestone formations and have the finest and whitest sand you’ll ever see. The water is so blindingly blue it makes the Caribbean Sea look murky in comparison. And the sunsets? Well, they’ll ruin you for life. Consider yourself warned.” Haha, I can attest to that for I’ve experienced life at its finest in El Nido, Palawan. Breathtakingly beyond compare? Woah, major understatement!
Would love to share more of the Philippines with you in my future posts. For now, it’s a gorgeous, sunshiny day, and so my mind is on the beach …. Bring out the margarita, bellini, mojito, and piña colada! (Wow, someone’s getting real thirsty over here, haha!)…. How I wish! Just imagining and simply pining…. I terribly miss El Nido! Well, reality check? Yup! I’m safe here cozied up in my home sweet home.
Over and beyond our gloriously awesome tourist spots, though, you will fall in love with our people. We are naturally warm, friendly, hospitable, and nurturing. We have the gift of ease. You’ll feel so comfortable, so at home in our presence, that you won’t even want to leave.
I took a pocket of time to share this lovely slice of
my life since some of you asked me where I come from.
I know that ultimately, in our WP community, we live as one. We are family. And so, I send my happy hugs …. And yes, MABUHAY TO ALL OF YOU! ❤️
IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE 