...and then we met...

[prelude] ONE STEP AT A TIME...

one step at a time. one hope then another. where this road may go, no one really  knows. so with a grateful and thankful heart for yet another year, yet another chance given, i offer my 2009 to Him, the author of our lives, asking it to be blessed with all things necessary- pains, joy, trials- be
it bright and wonderful, or sad. c'est la vie.

a toast to 2009, as i welcome it with yet another great big hug from my heart. (:

~*~

what better way to start the year than by giving it all back to Him, the LORD of all the earth. though  many a times, like a sheep, i have gone astray and things got out of hand, He still remained faithful. and He still is, and forever will be, to those who love Him and believe in Him. there may have been things - a lot of them, just like these raindrops falling on these cozy 2 January dawn - that i dreamt and prayed would be mine through those years and never got, but He is who is - Sovereign Lord. He who knows my heart and all its desire, He who knows well all the secret things i never tell, He who knew and knows what is best for me - He gives it in His own perfect time.  

reflections. ~i am grateful through it all~

it has been 3 years since i last journaled how i bid goodbye to past years, and how i welcomed new
years. now i regret that i failed to journal my reflections on the years gone by, but forward i shall go. on to penning down my life's journey for me to see more clearly what the Almighty is teaching me moment by moment,lest i forget to reflect on His faithfulness.

it is now the 2nd day of the year, and tried as i may to put these all into writing before the 2nd day of the new year came, i was and still am at a loss for words - at a loss where to start to be thankful.  there are indeed a lot that i can truly be thankful for. three years since my last entry,
through it all, i have truly been blessed with all things necessary - pains, joy, trials, which were all wonderful, bright, and sad:

~of joys, and things both wonderful and bright~
they were those hot summer days and sea-breeze-filled nights spent on the beach with people dear to me; they were those exhilarating moments of travelling and going to places i love most, at times alone and at times with companions; they were those meaningful birthday celebrations - my
grannie's 81st and 82nd birthday, my bro's 25th year on earth, my one-of-a-kind-jacky-you're-really-weird birthday celebration with my favorite kids on earth as my guests of honor! through it all, i am grateful.

~of pains, trials, and things that are sad~
for this, i will still relate to Pilar, and to her painful chronicle in the book By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept..
"if pain must come, may it come quickly. because i have a life to live, and i must live it the best possible way i can. if he has to make a choice, may he make it now. then i will either wait for him or forget him. waiting is painful. forgetting is painful. but not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.."

i never thought i would yet again find my wills battle -  the will to stay and hold on, against the will to let go and move on. but weighing it all out, i am now resolved to move on. to move along. it was not an all too painful experience. it had its own share of "shallow high" moments, and at some point with my decisions, i lost it all. consequences had to be faced. yet still, through it all, i am grateful.

all boxed up. ~closing cycles~

my yesterdays now are all boxed up and neatly put away.  and yes, there still may be things - people, even - that i may have been and still have troubles letting go of, but i now face it with courage to leave in the past those moments of my life that have finished. no other way, no better way, lest i lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages i would have to go through. i have mentioned this already but 'tis worth mentioning again - that life is but a hand-breadth, so we should always live it the best possible way we can. i am now closing those cycles.

my sojourn lives on.

yes, my yesterdays were filled with "all things necessary", and i have no one to thank to but, first of all, my ever Present Help, who has remained faithful through it all, all these years, and second of all, my dear friends, old and new alike, for standing by me and staying with me amidst my highs and my lows, on my moments of wisdom and moments of folly. i will be more than thankful to have you once again grace my journey to the unknown, as i turn over a new leaf, a new beginning.

i know not what the future has in store for me, but it is because of You, my Fortress, that i can can put my hope in things not seen and be assured by it. I thank You for Your promises. You have made me, and you will save and carry me always. This i know, because YOU are faithful.

here's one hoping that the coming in of the new year will bring out in all of us better persons with a new hope and a new soul.

may we all live a life that matters, that cares, that loves. let us make the most of it. cheers to 2012, as i welcome it with yet another great big hug from my heart (:

xoxo,

<3 j.

i just cant help but still feel awed by, no other than, multiply :) it IS, indeed, a blogsite, and made me realize i really had true friends, and friends iv lost and missed along the way. Multiply had been a great way to stay connected with them, and since iv temporarily stopped using this, i realize how much i miss them! :(

FB just allows you to shout out your thoughts (posts are only limited to 450 characters; one can opt for posting a Note, but it is still boring) and then you wait for people to comment. Shallow.
Multiply brings out, the thinker and creativity in you. Deep.

MULTIPLY, i am SO BACK.

:)

xx <3 j.

i wanna cry.......


                                                                                                            



                                                                                                     
                                                      ...... thinking of you....
                                                                                                        

                                                                             

"my dearest bestest friend in the whole universe... you will always have true "friends" by your side  no matter what.... I am a witness to all these.... i really admire you being able to walk away from everything that has been thrown at you..... and despite all the tribulations you never lost faith in HIM.... I know for sure that things happen for a reason.... with every experience whether it be bad or good.. a lesson comes after and this helps us live our lives wiser.... just keep praying... and never stop believing.... and one of these days... i won't be surprised to see you so blessed with
"everything" you need....and soooo much more...keep this in mind:

"WHAT DOES NOT KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER" ... 12...♥"


... my dearest bestest friend in the whole universe..thank you so much for this wonderful message.. it really does take a lot of courage to be able to walk away from "everything that has been thrown" at me..but that wouldnt have been made possible without the strength HE gave..again..all my gratitude for always being there..for being sad for me..for crying for me so that i wouldnt have to shed a tear..you have proven to Him well enough already, even more, that He wasnt wrong in sending you to me.. and most of all, thank you for reminding that perfect love casts out fear, and that love really does triumph over sin. just when we thought that true love is non-existent, you have just shown that it really does... :) .. 12..♥

[prelude] WITH THE PIECES ALL BACK TOGETHER..

with the pieces all back together, i wouldn't say i have become a stronger person. hurts may still be there. disappointments, you name it. but its because of them dear people i have in my life that i don't dread the future. and more still, because of Him...

~*~

smiles..laughter..tears..bitterness, even, yes. how my 2008 ended came as a total surprise to me. just when i thought that everything was sailing smoothly, sorrows that came along with trials  billowed and rolled over. but then again, the choice was still up to me..

TWO CHOICES

from what i have encountered the past year, i could either look at it with all bitterness and let it take root in my heart, ruin my future, destroy every other good things that are still in my possession... or i could look at it with the hope of knowing that my Fortress will guide me all throughout the way, even if things still seem so bleak. now i wont go around like a hypocrite, pretending that i seek for fairness no more- i am still up for the fight, but this not out of spite, just so everyone should know and be encouraged, that we all should be able to stand up for what is right. i choose the latter, to learn from the past, than be a victim by it.

A PEARL'S MYSTERIOUS BEAUTY

my bestest friend once shared to me the mystery as to how a pearl is created...

each pearl is formed by an oyster's internal response to a wound caused by an irritant, such as a grain of sand. resources of repair would then rush to the injured area. the final result then is a lustrous pearl. something beautiful is created that would have been impossible without the wound...

i couldn't help but be fascinated of the reality of the analogy of a beautiful pearl formation to our daily lives. indeed, where there is no sufferings and trails, we wouldn't be able to learn some of life's greatest lessons. no wounds, no pearls...

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

going through life's journey have never been that easy. but then again, its because of them dear people that surround me, them dear people i have in my life, that i don't dread the future. and more still, because of Him. to the people who didn't leave my side when i was at my lowest, my heartfelt gratitude. to my bestest friend in the whole universe, no words of thanks could ever express my gratefulness. i would be thrilled to have you join me again as i continue to journey to the future. letting go of 2008 may be a mixture of emotions, but i look forward to facing the new year with more courage and trust- courage, for it to see me through; and trust- not in myself, not even my heart, but to HIM whom all things have their being.

ONE STEP AT A TIME...

one step at a time. one hope then another. where this road may go, no one really  knows. so with a grateful and thankful heart for yet another year, yet another chance given, i offer my 2009 to Him, the author of our lives, asking it to be blessed with all things necessary- pains, joy, trials- be it bright and wonderful, or sad. c'est la vie. 

a toast to 2009, as i welcome it with yet another great big hug from my heart. (:

xoxo,

♥j.

(Last Strip)

Calvin: uh..Hobbes..? i forgot to get you a present..i didnt even make you a card.. im sorry hobbes..i didnt mean to forget..
Hobbes: its okay little buddy. i didnt get you anything either. but heres a tiger hug for my best friend.
Calvin: not so hard, you big sissy. you squeeze my tears out.
Hobbes: merry christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!!! May the true meaning of this season fill your hearts, now and always.

Cheers!

xoxo,
j,♥

PS. its time to atone for one's frugality!! i still accept gifts!! ^_^

Once upon a time...

The flower said, "I wish I was a tree,"
The tree said, "I wish I could be
A different kind of tree,
The cat wished that it was a bee,
The turtle wished that it could fly
Really high into the sky,
Over rooftops and then dive
Deep into the sea.

And in the sea there is a fish,
A fish that has a secret wish,
A wish to be a big cactus
With a pink flower on it.

And the flower
Would be its offering
Of love to the desert.
And the desert,
So dry and lonely,
That the creatures all
Appreciate the effort.

And the rattlesnake said,
"I wish I had hands so
I could hug you like a man."
And then the cactus said,
"Don't you understand,
My skin is covered with sharp spikes
That'll stab you like a thousand knives.
A hug would be nice,
But hug my flower with your eyes."

-tree hugger, by antsy pants OST, Juno-

they say that...

 you are blessed if you have..

                       someone who speaks the truth when others tell you only what you want to hear..someone who thinks you're great but doesnt always think you're right.. someone who respects your need to be alone yet understands that you fear being lonely.. someone who's willing to share your highest hopes, your biggest dreams, or the smallest corner of your world.. someone who waits when you run ahead or lag behind... someone who stands with an outstretched hand each time you fall..

someone who will never turn from you, run out on you, or give you up...

                                                                                                                         .... i know i am... =)

pour mon meilleur amie dans l'univers entier… mon une et seulement hobbes..  je t'aime tellement.. 12..♥ (: