Life Is An Echo- What You Sow is What You Reap

One cannot defy the natural law. The old adage, “What goes around comes around,” bespeaks of it. In fact, in the esoteric realm, it is synonymous with “karma.” Or as the Bible puts it: “What you sow is what you reap.”

Here’s an interesting story to demonstrate this insight. “A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, the son falls, hurt himself and screams, ‘ahhhhh.’ To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating somewhere in the mountain, ‘ahhhhh.’ Curious he yells: ‘Who are you?’ He receives the answer: ‘Who are you?’ Angered at the response, he screams: ‘Coward!’ He receives the answer: ‘Coward!’ He looks to his father and asks: ‘What’s going on?’ The father smiles and says: ‘My son, pay attention.’ And then he screams to the mountain: ‘I admire you!’ The voice answers: ‘I admire you!’ again the man screams: ‘You are a champion!’ The voice answers: ‘You are a champion!’ The boy is surprised, but does not understand, then the father explains: ‘People call this echo, but really this is life. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions, if you want more love in the world; create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This relationship is applied to everything in all aspects of life. Life will give you back everything you have given it.”

This perception is also shared by another writer who says that the world is like a mirror. “If you frown at it, the world will also frown at you. If you smile, the world will also smile at you.” The world would have been a better place for everyone if only each one of us would observe and print it in our hearts. For sure, we can make other people’s day.

In his book, “A Better Way To Live,” inspirational writer Og Mandino says: “Treat everyone you meet, friend or foe, loved one or strange, as if they were going to be dead at midnight. Extend to each person, no matter how trivial the contact, all the care and kindness and understanding and love that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward… Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”

In our hurried moments let us find time to treat the world with sunshine in our eyes and a sunny disposition to everyone we meet in the path of life. Let’s partake the beauty of life in its grandiose essence by practicing the following gestures. Starting today, greet everyone you meet with a warm smile. No matter how busy you are, take time to listen to your loved ones and to those who pour their problems in your shoulder. Lavish love on every human being you meet along the way and you will notice it will spell a lot of difference in your day.

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Laughing In The Midst Of A Strong Storm With Strong Faith

IT is a known fact that the human being is the only creation on earth who has the gift to laugh. Medical knowledge points out that humor is one therapy that can assuage the pain and depression when one undergoes storms in life. It’s because humor releases endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are stimulated by positive emotions. Humor goes hand-in-hand with a strong faith in one’s heart especially when tragic things happen in life. Because people who lack faith in meeting their crisis and are not gifted with humor deal life’s problems with anger and hostility as they face the world.

People who lack faith are easily agitated and irritated. They are touchy, they are easily provoked to anger and are slow to see amusement in life’s negative experiences. This is the observation of Robert H. Schuller, in his book,"Tough-Minded Faith for Tender-Hearted People." Some people may find it weird when someone laughs or is amused at the middle of a crisis in life. But Schuller looks at this kind of thinking in another perspective. He says: “Humor is part of the healing process. It is not irrelevant to welcome comedy in the middle of tragedy. It is God’s design to relax the tension of grief. Humor in times of horrific hurt will contribute to the healing and comfort so desperately needed in times of despair.”

Humor goes along fine with faith because they are the two faces of a coin. Schuller has this to say: “Faith bears all things. What do you do when you trust someone, and let you down. Faith allows through on your part of the bargain. When someone leave you stranded, not sharing part of the burden? Faith carries on without them. According to Schuller, faith is an inner conviction. It is an unshakable assurance. It is the profound knowing that comes before reality confirms it. The person who walks with faith, no matter how small it might be, even if it is as small as a mustard seed can detach himself from negative scenarios. He knows he can do it with God’s help. Deep down in his heart, he knows it will work out.

There was a story, as related by Schuller, while he was walking along the beach in Hawaii. He noticed two native Hawaiians in the shallow surf. They held a little screen between them, which they where shacking back and forth. He walked over to them and inquired, “What are you looking for?” They named a little ocean creature that he never heard of. He watched them pick a little beetle off the screen and put it in a can with several others. Then they casually discarded several attractive seashells. “You threw away some pretty seashells,” he exclaimed. They looked at him incredulously, but answered perfectly by saying, “You can’t catch fish with shells, but with these beetles, we catch big fish, food for our family.” What then is the implication of the story. Schuller has this explanation: “Faith is the fine art of compromising wisely. Shells are trivials. They are pretty but not life-supporting. Fish is basic. It is food to sustain health and strength. There is always danger of being distracted from the basics of life being attracted to the trivial.”

Life is a matter of laughing up the storm in life with faith. In this vein, to make your day sunny and light, here’s some wise thought to say in one’s heart, according to Schuller: “Today, I will resolve to bring laughter to life. I can always purchase balloons, blow them up, and watch children laugh as I release that balloons to sail off to the little hands of the child. Today, I’ll prove to the world “I’m a believer and I’ll laugh a lot.”

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Feel Freer Today Than Yesterday

Have you tried asking yourself some questions before going to bed like: “What did I do today? Was I free from worry or fear, free to be by myself, free to say ‘no’ to things I don’t want to do, free to say what I mean and not afraid to bear my soul? Am I celebrating the beauty of life in its true essence?”

There is one person in this side of the hemisphere who feels that if there is one truest essence of life, it is when you feel the sense of empowerment that allows you to speak your mind and stand up for your rights and desires. “Freedom After 50” author Sue Patton Thoele claims that she has found the true essence of life by acquiring an increased sense of awareness of her inherent strength, an expanded of self worth, and a willingness to take risks.”

Thoele realizes that the dragon voices of doubt and fear when allowed to wallow in our minds can dominate us and hamper our growth, thus, sap the juice of our self confidence. Along this line, she outlines some ways for us to earn our right to live a life of our own, a life laced with gracious acceptance not controlled or dictated by what other people would think.

Grace each moment with gratitude. We must bear in mind that nothing lasts forever. Neither sorrow nor joy. Each moment emanates the precious gift of life, every moment, no matter how dark or light, is a moment worthy of gratitude. To fill our lives with grace, we need to kiss our joys as they gently fly into our hearts, and so do the sorrow that we experienced. Giving thanks for sorrows and pains is more easily done when we explore our soul and can learn from that experience. When we truly give thanks in all the things that we experienced, joy is our daily guest, and sorrows flee more quickly more than we could imagine.

Treat health as wealth. “Be compassionate,” the native American teacher White Eagle once remarked. Refrain from any condemnation or criticism because these are emotions which sow seeds of disharmony in the physical body. Take care, be kind to your sister body, who is your servant and needs your love and wisdom. White Eagle’s reminders also reveal that caring for our body includes not only what we do with it and what goes into it, but also hose thoughts that emanate from it. All are important for maintaining and enjoying the abundant blessing of life.

Dodge other people’s anger. Learning to control our anger is tough, so why in the world do we often step in front of another person’s? enough is enough! Let’s get out of the way. As we move out of range, anger thrown at us will boomerang back to the senders, allowing them to figure out their own feelings. This is indeed an evading maneuver that is absolutely an essential technique in not wasting our energy on people who are not worth our salt, so to speak. Ask for what I want and need. Imagine for a minute that we are standing at the Pearly gates presenting our life’s ledger to Saints Peter. Across the top as two columns headings:

1. Giving others what they want and need
2. Asking for (and getting) what I want and need

My bet is that no matter how adept she becomes at asking for what she wants and needs, at the end of her life, a typical woman’s ledger will be over balanced in favour of number one.

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Let Go And Bend Like The Bamboo

PERHAPS the most damaging attitude that one can have is not knowing how to dance with the tune and tempo of life, especially in its hard and critical times. The old adage, “Bend like the bamboo so that your back will not break,” is really a food for thought that one should imbibe in his consciousness. Life is a sacred dance that when movements are truly coordinated and the steps are in the harmony with one another, the essence of graciousness can touch one’s soul and life becomes a celebration. Our life is what we make it, a saying goes. If you want your life to be tranquil and have the prize of peace of mind, it can be yours. But if you want your life to be frantic by toeing the line of rat-race and roller coaster, then it can also be yours. For the choice of what kind of life we want lies in our hand. In this time of busyness, and demanding era, there is one thing that one should bear in mind.

“When things get too much, just let go. Releasing is sometimes the best way to cope with life’s pressure. That is to bend in surrender. Losing does not have to mean the end. As long as you know when to acknowledge defeat, to bow gracefully and wait for happier times, the day will eventually come when you can prevail, then you can enjoy your victory in splendour. Every time you fall down on your face, a valuable lesson is imprinted onto your mind teaching you what not to do wrong the next time. Experience becomes failure cause you loss, but the lessons learned are invaluable. Learn even as you fail.

” Feeling guilty on what has already happened or clinging to the bitterness of the past, doesn’t bring you nowhere. Instead, of moving forward to attain a better tomorrow, it will put us in the rut and paralyze our being. The past should be left behind, especially when the memories it bring only evoke sadness and pain. It is better to come to terms with the now, the reality for the sake of oneself. In the book, “A Time To Be Free,” the author has his own way of letting go by evoking these thoughts:

“The past is now behind me. I have come to terms with yesterday and have no fear of tomorrow. My thoughts and energies are directed to the present this place, this day, this moment. Today I neither turn my back on the past nor revisit it morbidly or needlessly .Because I view my previous life from a new vantage point. It has no longer has the power to harm or haunt me. On the contrary, my past has become one of the most valued assets. Certainly it is a storehouse of useful information which can help me to make new connections and to heighten my self-awareness. If I remember the bitterness and confusion of the past, it is unlikely that I’ll ever have to live that way again. Moreover, those memories can aid me in keeping present adversities in perspective; few things these days are as serious as they first might seem. Because of my past experiences, I have become a more understanding and emphatic person. I can often identify with the pain, life-struggles, and unresolved problems of my fellows and perhaps be of service,. From this day on, I won’t allow the past to dominate the present.”

Let’s not squander our time and energy on things we can’t change for it only irritates our being and hinders our way to enjoy a fruitful and blissful living. Instead, after all the effort we have done and nothing good comes out of it, let it go and go with the flow and leave it to God. And when we let go, the struggle ends. Balance in our own chemistry will be at hand and we will keep on moving onward like the water in the river.

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'Ruby' slowly entering Metro Manila

ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 12/07/2014 11:51 AM | Updated as of 12/07/2014 11:52 AM

MANILA - The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Sunday said typhoon ‘Ruby’ weakened further, but is still expected to bring rains and winds along its path, which will include Metro Manila.

In an 11 a.m. update, PAGASA weather forecaster Chris Perez said typhoon Ruby (international name: Hagupit) is now packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour (kph) from its strongest at 160 kph on Sunday morning.

“At the moment [after affecting Masbate], we are expecting Ruby to traverse Romblon and probably Mindoro provinces before it moves to sea,” said Perez.

‘Ruby’ is currently recording 170 kph gusts and is still moving west northwest at 15 kilometers hour.

Signal 3 is up over Masbate, Ticao Island, Sorsogon, Albay, including Burias Island, Romblon, Northern Samar, and Samar.

Signal 2, on the other hand, covers Catanduanes, Camarines Norte and Sur, Southern Quezon, Batangas including Lubang Island, Cavite, Laguna, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Aklan, Capiz, Northern Cebu, Cebu City, Bantayan Island, Eastern Samar, Biliran, Leyte, and Southern Leyte.

Signal 1, meanwhile, is up over the remaining parts of Quezon, Rizal, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ejica, Zambales, Bataan, Northern Palawan, Antique, Iloilo, remaining parts of Cebu, Bohol, Dinagat Province, Siargao Island and Metro Manila.

Perez said even if Ruby’s movement remains in the west northwest direction, those under storm signals should still remain vigilant.

This includes Metro Manila, which may already experience light to moderate rains beginning Sunday afternoon.

“Manila is still far from the outermost diameter of the storm, but with the Amihan (northeast monsoon), we will already experience light to moderate rains beginning this afternoon,” he said, adding that the rains will become heavier as Ruby approaches Romblon.

He said the storm signal that Manila is under now may still be upgraded.

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'Typhoon Ruby' trims down homes and plants in the Philippines

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Typhoon "Ruby" (international name: Hagupit) trimmed parts of  homes and sent waves crashing through coastal communities across the eastern Philippines on Sunday, creating more problems for millions following a barrage of deadly disasters. The typhoon roared in from the Pacific Ocean and crashed into remote fishing communities of Samar island on Saturday night with wind gusts of 185 kilometres an hour, local weather agency Pagasa said.

The wind's strength made "Ruby" the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, exceeding a typhoon in July that killed more than 100 people. "Tin roofs are flying off, trees are falling and there is some flooding," Stephany Uy-Tan, the mayor of Catbalogan, a major city on Samar, told AFP by phone minutes after Hagupit made landfall. Fearful of a repeat of last year when Super Typhoon "Yolanda" (international name: Haiyan) claimed more than 7,350 lives, the government undertook a massive evacuation effort ahead of Hagupit that saw millions of people seek shelter.

"Ruby" was forecast to take three days to cut across the Philippines, passing over mostly poor central regions, while also bringing heavy rain to the densely populated capital of Manila slightly to the north. The government warned of storm surges up to five metres (16-feet) high in some areas, flash flooding, landslides and winds strong enough to tear apart even sturdy homes. Tens of millions of people live in the typhoon's path, including those in the central Philippines who are still struggling to recover from the devastation of Haiyan, which hit 13 months ago.

In those that were reachable, residents and officials reported terrifying winds and waves that destroyed homes, although with most people in evacuation centres there were hopes casualties would be few. In Tacloban, one of the cities worst-hit by "Yolanda," palm-thatch temporary houses built by aid agencies for survivors of last year's typhoon had been torn aport, vice mayor Jerry Yaokasin told AFP.

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Yolanda's Replica ?Super Typhoon Ruby: More Or Less?

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A throwback is coming? The reminiscence of one of the most disastrous typhoons that killed thousands of lives and destroyed millions of properties in the Philippines with an international name "Haiyan", known in the Philippines as Super typhoon Yolanda, was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded; devastating portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, in early-November 2013. It is the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing at least 7,300 people in that country alone. Haiyan is also the strongest storm recorded at landfall, and the strongest typhoon ever recorded in terms of one-minute sustained wind speed. As of January 2014, bodies were still being found.

Now, Philippines is facing Yolanda's replica. People have started preparing and praying that this super typhoon known as " Hagupit" in it's international name, and Philippines called it "Super Typhoon Ruby" looks like typhoon Yolanda of 2013, will not bring the same distraction that the last year's super typhoon brought to this country specially in TACLOBAN city. 

A week before this super typhoon Ruby will struck the eastern visayas, the villagers from Tacloban  started to flee from  their coastal homes and sparked panic-buying in grocery stores and gas stations in Tacloban City, Leyte Thursday as Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) brought back nightmares of last year's deadly onslaught from Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). 

Government forecasters said Typhoon Ruby, which was packing sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 250 kph as of 4 a.m. Friday, may hit the Eastern Samar-Northern Samar area on Saturday afternoon and barrel inland along the same route where Yolanda leveled villages and left more than 7,300 dead and missing in November last year. 

As of 9 p.m., public storm warning signal number 2 remained hoisted over the provinces of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Leyte and Southern Leyte, as well as in Dinagat Island and Siargao Island in Mindanao.

Please PRAY for the Philippines.

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