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Progress. Growth.

One day you will look back and be so glad you chose to keep going, even without knowing how everything would turn out. You will be glad you rose above the doubt that your significance was too small. You will be glad you did not give up and you chose to give your all.

You won’t be able to see it all right now. You won’t be able to see how it all turns out right here in the middle of this journey. However, this doesn’t mean your presence doesn’t matter. That doesn’t mean you can’t continue to sow seeds as you keep on traveling.

Remember this when you feel like you’ve done all you could do, but it didn’t seem to be enough for them. This doesn’t mean what you did was in vain. You are still free to carry on knowing the seeds you have sown still matter. Even if nothing seemed to change about them, something changed in you: you learned to wake up to your worth and find that you would still grow how you were meant to, no matter who did or did not appreciate you.

Years from now, when you look back on this, you may be surprised at how certain relationships have changed over the years. You might be happy with some of the relationships that evolved in positive ways you were not expecting. You might be grieved or discouraged by others that eventually fell apart. There are so many factors that contribute to the way a relationship can change over the years, and there’s no way you can single-handedly control this. However, you can choose to find peace in knowing that through it all, you continued to sow good seeds. You continued to be the one who did not let the shortcomings of others distract you from who were becoming. This does not mean that the actions of others will not affect you, and you should never, ever let anyone walk over you. But just remember this: they do not have any power over your soul or the seeds you choose to sow. They do not control the sun, the rain, the soil, or anything else required for your seeds to spring up from the ground into their bloom. There is still time for you. And one day you will look back and see that your seeds grew in the way they were meant to.

Photo at Olongapo Zambales

August 21, 2021 5:49pm

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Into the break of dawn.

There is a song lyrics that goes: “I know it’s darkest before the dawn, but how long till I see the sun?” 

I did ask myself why it is darkest before dawn? why it is darkest before the sun rises? 

Scientifically speaking, it is darkest before dawn simply because the moon cannot be seen. It is the moon that specifically affects the brightness of the night sky. Without the moon, the one of the source of light during the night, its just dark.

But going on a deeper note relating this into our lives, it means that things always seem to get worse before it gets better. Before we will be able to see the light, we will first see darkness. No matter how long or dark it is before dawn the sun will always rise. There is always light. There is always hope. It’s a never ending cycle of life that the sun sets but then it still rises. This fact must keep us moving forward into out lives; that no matter how long the night is, there will be always light at the end of it. 

It does not get from worse to worse. It is always worse to better. It will always be that way. Being in such bad times is just a temporary patch, it will always end up to a better place. Even the longest darkest nights still end up with the sun rising again, 

The moon reminds that there is light and hope amidst the dark night and the sun reminds us that there is always beauty after the night ; there is always another day, that there is hope.

As Uncle Iroh would say “In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself “ and to as what God had said  “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

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Got this content from a book made by my pedia and I must say this is one of my favorite parts of the book.

I just look on to this page to remind me that whatever we prayed for will be granted. Its just all a matter of faith and patience

So come and think of it again before giving up praying because he is always there just for us, waiting.

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Encounters

For the number of times I am assigned to certain locations to do field word, I have encountered a number of times the omnipresence of God. So here it is..

I had my longest stay on site at La Union (so far). We stayed there for 14 days straight. For the duration of our stay, I really asked the lord for some guidance and strength. It was the first 10 days of our work that has been really challenging. We endured the scorching heat of the sun (Temperature that time was around 30-35deg C plus the factor that we also do work at the time where the sun shines the brightest which is from 11pm to 3pm). We have to come up and down the storage tanks for number times; have to go to one storage tank to another to check what is the trouble per tank. How many tanks do you ask? It was 10 storage tanks. Storage tanks that is around 60ft in diameter 50ft in height, Storage tanks that is almost 5 or 6 floors high some are even more bigger and higher. Each day is reaaaaally exhausting.

Well, the best feeling is when we are back to our lodging place getting the rest we deserve. As I lay down in bed there is only one thing I pray "Lord salamat po nabawasan yung gagawin namin kahit paano. Lord penge pa po ng lakas para sa susunod na araw para matapos na namin to". Thankfully, as I wake up each day, I am fueled with some sort of energy and motivation to stand up and do the job again even if yesterday was such a pain in the ass. I had coughs and colds on the duration of our stay but thankfully I did not turn to worse at the end.

I remember that there is one tank that we cannot really find the what is its trouble (It is one of the 6 tanks located in tank farm 2). We start to lose hope since we've spent 3 days already finding the specific trouble but then we cannot find what really is the problem. Yet, we kept on eliminating the factors that may have caused the problem. Then we started to try another option and then I saw my superior do the sign of the cross and had this conversation:

"Sir napapasign of the cross na kayo ahh"

 "Oo pre pag di to gumana mauubusan na tayo ng options e pero pag nagdasal naman na ako pre na sana gumana so far napapagana naman after. Proven ko na yun"

Then thankfully it worked!!!! After several tries, we found the solution! we got the answer that we wanted. I cannot express my joy when I was up that tank then heard my superior tell me via the radio that "Pre okay na dito may nababasa na level na"

As I walk back to the control room I told myself that "Grabe lord salamat yung ilang araw namin di masolve na solve na".

Here goes another one... 

My mom always tell me that "Pag magdrdrive ka james, wag mo kalimutan magdasal". I always do the sign of the cross as I seat in front of the steering wheel; a little "Lord gabayan mo po ako" always do the work.

One time I was asked to drive from Calaca to Lemery. To be really honest, I am still not that good at driving that time but I drove anyway. It was an early morning drive to have breakfast at the place we usually eat in Lemery. I was about to make a U-turn in the other side of the road, little did I know that there is a speeding delivery vehicle and I almost got to an accident if I wasn't able to step on the brakes. I was shaking as I parked the car and then asked myself "Paano na lang kung di ako nagdasal, baka patay na ako/kami noon". At the end of the day, I am just thankful enough to lord that I am still alive; that there are no damages made. 

So I guess this will be the last...

I was assigned my first site service where I am the one in charge. It was a turn over of a project we did. The day before that I have to come to another site to do service and it is really exhausting and by the night I need to study and prepare for a set of configurations need to be done on the instrument and panel then practice for a presentation I need to do in front of the client for tomorrow's turn over activity. So I did the preparations but then again I am still not confident enough that I can do it. So I prayed that "Lord kayo na po bahala bukas sakin, gabayan niyo po sa bawat gagawin ko"

Here comes the day. I do not know what magic happened but the day went smooth. I've made the configurations on the instrument and panel within the time frame before my presentation to the client. I was able to demonstrate well how to operate the panel and was able to answer all answers of the client. I just can't believe at the end of the day that I made it.

There are more stories to tell about how God really helped me in my work life on site but  this 3 would be the most memorable one for me. 

To cap it off all, it all comes down to one idea : Prayers are POWERFUL. God always HEAR our prayers. He LISTENS to us and GRANTS us what we asked for; not right now maybe but eventually in the future. He ANSWERS to what we need the most, PROTECTS us from any possible danger and shows his LOVE for us through answered prayers.

For even the most unsolvable thing that exist, one prayer will eventually give solution to that problem; not right away maybe but little by little. There is a saying "Prayers do move mountains" and I believe in this one since one prayer makes a lot of difference.

All we need to do is have faith in him and trust him all the time that his plan will work out.

God’s plans for you are better than any plans you have for yourself. So don’t be afraid of God’s will, even if it’s different from yours.

AND

Even it may look impossible, God can do the impossible. Just because you don’t see anything happening doesn’t mean God is not working.

Photo @ Lipa, Batangas Dec. 30, 2020 4:00am

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You are!!!!

Valentines day or not you should always remember this in case you missed it:

You are worthy of having support.

You are worthy of having true partnership.

You are worthy of love.

You are worthy of having your heart held.

You are worthy to be adored

You are worthy to be cherished.

You are worthy to have someone say, “You rest. I got this.” And actually deliver on that promise.

You are worthy to receive.

You are.

You don’t have to earn it.

You don’t have to prove it.

You don’t have to bargain for it.

You don’t have to beg for it.

You are worthy.

Worthy, simply because you exist. :))

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Rays of sunshine

As a new month comes anew here are some reminders/affirmations in case you missed it:

You’ve done great this past days. Great Job! Keep it up!!  I’m proud of you!!

Your efforts are about to pay off. It is only about time! Wait for it patiently!!

You’ve made a whole lot of progress. Yay!! You’ll even do better!!!

You can take and make whatever life throws at you. I know you can!!

You’ll be even more blessed this coming days. Just wait and see!!

Your prayers will be granted. Just believe and see for your own eyes!!

We may know or not each other; let me just say to you that:

I’m proud and I believe in you!! Keep your head up, the sun is about to shine brighter!! Better days are coming!! :))

Virtual hug!! 🤗

Photo @ Nasugbu-Tagaytay Road (Jan. 27, 2021)

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At times the world may seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe that there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events may in fact be the first steps of a journey.

Lemony Snicket

A series of unfortunate events leads to another series of events; events of pure source of surprising genuine bliss. Who knows what lies ahead at the deep end? I do not even know specifically; your the only one who could. Either way, it is something you’ll definitely cherish. 

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Bitter work

You can’t be physically fit without challenging yourself to workout.

You can’t sharpen your decision making without making bad decisions.

You can’t be genuinely happy if you did not become really sad. 

You can’t be emotionally stable without going through hardships.

You can’t be successful in any area if you are not going to work real hard for it. 

You can’t grow if you do not experience pain.

Changing and improving your life requires a certain part of yourself to be destroyed and replaced with a better and newer version from your old self. Thus, in such situations like this pain is really present and we just can’t avoid it. It is surreal a bitter work. 

When you actively avoid the pain, it doesn’t necessarily go away. Even if it seems like a problem might dissolve over time, the bitter reality is that you leave yourself unprepared for when it comes back around. Avoidance won’t get you anywhere except further away from the things you love. The chances of getting stuck to a never ending cycle just keeps on increasing if you keep on avoiding.  

No one likes to be hurt. Who does right? However, the best way to avoid a similar type of pain in the future, is to embrace it in the present. We need to learn from it, and understand its nature. If we don’t, we leave ourselves at an increased risk of a similar event in the future. Only dealing with pain head on will help you learn to overcome it. 

Once you overcome the painful days, gainful days awaits you. The sun sets for 12 hours but rises again after 12 hours. Your time to rise up just there waiting for you. Just be patient because no one grows over time even the most beautiful plants takes days/months before its flower bloom. Going thru a phase might feel like never ending road but the results are definitely worth the run. You’ll definitely see yourself as a beautiful rose at the end of the journey. 

And remember....

Pain is not the enemy; it’s your soul telling you that something is wrong and needs to be built on. In other words, growth is DEFINITELY painful but NOT something to be feared of. 

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Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must, but take a step.

Unknown (via thoughtkick)

One small step at a time. 

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Courage

It takes great courage to let your heart soften into joy. It takes courage to allow yourself to trust that even though you don’t know how good or bad things could be tomorrow, that this moment, right here, is worth being a part of, to the greatest capacity.

Because it’s true…

What if all goes terribly wrong?

What if it ends before it begins?

What if I open up to someone only to get rejected?

There’s nothing we can do in our minds to adequately prepare our hearts for the shock and pain of loss.

But we can still choose to courageously soften our hearts and line them with joy.

We can let our guards down and see the world with more gentle eyes.

We can delight in what is beautiful because we know it will not be here forever.

We can make room to celebrate the people we love because any day could be the last.

Choosing to cultivate joy is so much more than a feel-good moment on bad days. It is a grace-filled opportunity to take delight in the things that bring wellness to the soul. It’s so hard to think about what we might lose in this life, who may or may not be here tomorrow, or what might change in unexpected ways, but this is all the more reason to make the most of where we are today. It’s all the more reason to:

Find an excuse to do what makes you happy today.

Print out and frame a photograph of a beautiful memory.

Make a list in your journal of the things you were grateful for today.

Bring joy to a stranger by paying for a meal or donating to an important and time-sensitive cause.

Send the “I Love You” text to the person in your life who gets overlooked.

You just never know what tomorrow will bring.

Soften your heart to joy by daring to cultivate it daily. This is a lifelong discipline, so it’s okay if it takes a while. You are on a long journey called life, so why not pay attention to the flowers and the honeybees and birds singing along the way? Why not take note of where the Light pours in, on the most ordinary days?

You don’t know how long your life will be like it is right now. Tomorrow, everything could change. But this is no reason to fear. It is all the more reason to make the most of your life right here

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This is one more piece of advice I have for you: don't get impatient. Even if things are so tangled up you can't do anything, don't get desperate or blow a fuse and start yanking on one particular thread before it's ready to come undone. You have to figure it's going to be a long process and that you'll work on things slowly, one at a time.

— Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

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A year ender

Time flies real fast right? 2020 ended fast but lasted reaaaal long. On how much people real hate this year (yep f u 2020), I am still kinda thankful for some things that happened the previous year.

I deeply consider the latter part of 2019 and the whole year of 2020 as a breakthrough for me. There a lot of ups, downs and surprises I definitely did not expect. I've learned a whole bunch of lessons through the experiences I had and I am in real gratitude for all of those since it brought and made me to who I am right now.

2020 made me a whole lot different kind of person in the best way possible compared to the past years. I remember that my only wish on my birthdays is to always become a better individual compared to the previous year and here I am today seeing how myself grew through the past months/years and I couldn't be more thankful. I've learned to love myself more, I found answers to the questions that bother me, found peace above all the noise and found myself from being lost. I am just so glad that all those investments I put into myself did not come to waste and thankfully it really made me grow this past year. Other things I am truly grateful this year besides everything mentioned is I was able to graduate and land a job that I truly love. This has been the best plot twist I've had in a already twisted/screwed year.

Now I am in another phase of my life. A phase where I just not enjoy the present but also a phase where I start to put the work in preparation for the future (my future self, career, wife, family and my parent's future as well). I see 2021 as the start of everything; a start of another cycle. It is like the first step in a long and struggling journey which I am more than willing and determined to walk into.

2020 might delayed all our plans but as they say that the beauty in new years is when the clock strikes to 12:00 we all get a fresh start. I hope we all have better and blessed year this time around. Let us make this year count!! Cheers!

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Sometimes in life, we need a few bad days in order to keep the good ones in perspective.

— Colleen Hoover, Maybe Someday

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“Sometimes you find your path, sometimes it finds you.”

— Max Brooks

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One night last 2008

It was September 2008

You are in your room doing your math homework due tomorrow. Halfway done through your homework it started to rain and decided to make yourself a cup of hot milk. Upon finishing all requirements due for tomorrow, you laid down to your bed, wrapped yourself in a blanket and decided to sleep.

You woke up around 6 am to prepare for school but your mother tells you to go back to sleep since classes were announced suspended. Slept for a few more hours then once again woke up at around 8 am, your mother have prepared breakfast with a hot cup of milk. Sitting on the dining table enjoying your favorite tocino with fried rice while watching your favorite cartoon on the television was an all time loved moment for you. You’re so happy that you can stay home all day watching your favorite show on tv and not do any homework later that night.

Life was so simple back then when we were kids right? We found joy on the simplest things. We have no big worries; all we worry is what cartoon are we gonna watch next on a rainy day or what toy to play/break next.

Ohh what I’d give to experience a moment like this again.

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a little more ways down the road

Our fear limits us and our vision. It’s a blinding light that will glare us to what the near future have prepared us for but it should not stop us from walking our own paths. Yes, the journey will be tough but valuable at the same time. Believing in your talents, your abilities, and your self-worth can empower you to walk down to an even brighter path. 

There will be good moments in the future. Those times where we’ll smile for no reason, when we find joy in the simplest things. They might be missing now, but we will have those moments in the future, I just know that it’s just a little more ways down the road. ✨