Twice a year, I do general cleaning of the house and discard items that are just gathering dust. But there are items that I have accumulated through the years that I will never part with. Here they are:
Retail therapy is not for me. I am not an impulsive buyer except when it comes to books. I love buying books because reading gives me a different kind of high especially self help, spiritual and biographies. Some of these were bought when I was still single. I have read these books many times over. I will never part with them. My biography books include... Morita, the founder of Sony… Lee Iacocca, the former President of Chrysler…. Marriot, the founder of Marriot Hotel Chain…. Oprah, who doesn't know her but its unofficial, Sam Walmart, founder of Walmart…Sophia Loren, Shirley Mclaine, Magic Johnson, Diana, Madonna, Michael Jordan (Unofficial), Mary Kay, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Iyanla Vanzant, Kobe Bryant, Iverson, Adeline Yen Mah etc.. For inspirational books, I go for Norman Vincent Peale, (the first inspirational author that I have read. My youngest son was named after him), Og Mandino,Leo Buscaglia, Kahlil Gibran, Alice Potter, Zig Ziglar, Dennis Waitley, Suzy Orman, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series. I love reading biographies because they are very inspiring kahit sugar coated pa. Unfortunately, not all biographies published abroad are not on sale here. I have to order from my sisters abroad or browse at Booksale for good finds. From Akio Morita, I learned the value of totally immersing your children in a place or situation that you would want them to learn from… from Lee Iacocca, the value of family and not giving up….from Sam Walmart, the value of living simply despite wealth… from Oprah, in beleiving in yourself… from Mary Kay, handling people… from the athletes, the value of perseverance… from J. Willard Marriot, the importance of going the extra mile in servicing your clients, etc. |
These books are next to the Bible as far as importance is concerned. They keep me grounded and positive. When I am in a bad mood or sad, all I have to do is to read a page or two of these books. They are at my bedside for easy access. At the bottom is Simple Abundance by Bretnach. It was a bestseller when it was first published. I gave my own copy to my sister when she left for abroad.. Fortunately, I was able to buy from Booksale, a surplus book store. Bago yung nabili ko, di 2nd hand pero P300 Lang. In national book store, it costs almost P1t.
As we advance in years, we get to be careful with our health. I was introduced to alternative/natural medicine through the books of Dr. Weil. Except the one by Deepak Chopra, (Ageless Body, Timeless Mind) these health books were given to me by sister. I have learned a lot from these books and I try my best to practice what they say except that I still need my nicotine fix every now and then.
 This is one of my treasured possessions. It was my first owned Bible. It was given to us as a gift by the sponsoring class when we joined the Marriage Encounter Weekend 23 years ago. It’s already dilapitated for being over used. I have lots of earmarks and other writings there. Every page especially sa New Testament, puno ng Stabilo kaya ayaw ko magpalit ng Bible kahit gula gulanit na. I love this English version Bible because it is easy to read. When I need further instruction or would want to know the background of the Chapters, I turn to International Bible given by my sister Bilen who is married to a Pastor. My favorite story in the Old testament is the life story of Joseph. Isaiah is too deep for me but I always include in my prayer that verse that says, "Your words don’t return to me void" when I am praying for petitions. In the New testament, I love all the Letters of St. Paul. I also love reading the Psalms, Sirach and Proverbs. I haven’t been through reading the Revelations. My favorite Gospel is the Gospel of St Matthew although St. John's version is the one often quoted. This Bible also served as my Marriage Counsellor for 23 years specifically those verses on Marriage found in the Letters of St. Paul to the Ephesians. When 2 people of different backgrounds and upbringing get married, chances are, there will be clashes. I have my share of emotional upheavals during my 31 years of married life. It's through reading the Bible and other books that we get to understand and enjoy our differences…. that marriage is a partnership whereby each partner gives 100 percent and not 50-50. Kaya nga ang National Anthem ko kay Bong is the song "I Cherish." Lagi kong kinakanta yung portion na... “God has enabled me to walk with you faithfully, I cherish, the treasure of You” instead of making dakdak. So tatawa na lang siya. Sabi kasi, when you want to express something, you always use the word "I" and not "You" para the other person is not defensive. For example you say, "I feel that you are so strict with the kids...rather than "You are so strict with the kids".... The second sentence has an accusing mode. A lot of times, people do things the way they think is right without meaning to hurt but oftentimes they are misconstrued. . Kaya, dapat, ingat sa choice of words. Bong is quite demanding when it comes to our children. He always raises the bar when it comes to achieving something. To avoid resentment on the part of the children, I explained to them where their father is coming from. Having such knowledge makes them appreciate/understand more the things we do/expect for/from them. There was a time in my life that I only played Christian songs. Due to my children’s exposure to this kind of music, my eldest daughter prefers the song "Household of Faith” na wedding song instead of the more popular love songs. Sabi, ko sige at pag pinag-speech ako, imbes na speech eh, kakantahan ko ang mga in laws ko ng "Welcome to the Family" complete with gestures pa. Sabi ba naman, "Nyek". Maghahasik pa daw ako ng lagim." The Bible is also my Parenting Manual. Dito ko rin natutunan yung Honor thy Father and thy Mother because it is the first Commandment that has a promise added na, “so that all may go well with you and and may live a long life”. Alam na alam na ng mga mga bata ito. Maybe if you will ask them one thing they have learned from me, it will be this. I always remind them this. When George was still in grade school, he quoted this as one of the things he learned from his parents in his essay. On the other hand, I always remind myself not to get their ire. Nasa Ephesians din ito. Kasi siguro, getting angry with parents, is one way of dishonoring them, so it might be a stumbling block to their success later on.  |
This is just a simple frame but I kept this. It was given to us by Maridel Villavicencio, the owner of Kamayan, Saisaki and Dad chain of restos. Her family was a classmate during the Family Encounter Weekend we attended 15 years ago. Ang liliit pa ng mga bata nuon. George was only 4 years old at may kasama pa kaming yaya to take care of him. But it was worth it. We used to hold our weekly meetings and reunions in their spacious house in Greenhills and syempre, laging bongga ang food. I hang this frame outside the door of our house to remind us to live by this verse. Serving the Lord entails not only by being active in church organizations. You can serve Him by doing your daily activities like being a dutiful and faithful wife, being a responsible parent, being a caring daughter or sibling, being holy in the workplace, helping those who are in need, making other people happy....making the world a better place because of your existence. |
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