You Are Stronger Than You Think

When the shocking news of my failed marriage broke out, the initial reaction was “hindi na nakatiis ang asawa ni Nora sa ugali nya” hahahah . . . (Nora’s husband could no longer cope with her personality). But when friends knew about the details of my 5-year ordeal, they couldn’t believe I went through it all without telling a soul.

One friend told me “It’s your fault that this tragedy happened. God knows how strong you are so He gave you heavier crosses to carry. I am sure this will not happen to me because God knows how weak I am. I cannot possibly live without my husband. He’s practically the one running the business and our household. I would be helpless without him by my side. I would probably just fade away and die.”

I answered her: “You are far more stronger than you think. You only think you’re weak but when problems like these happen to you, you will be surprised to find out just how strong you are. God has given us the freedom and the will to decide what to do with our lives. When we are pushed beyond our limits, we will discover that there’s really nothing that we couldn’t handle. God has endowed us with built-in mechanisms that would drive us to endure whatever comes our way and the capacity to get out of whatever pit we are in.”

We are always reminded that we should only think of happy thoughts because whatever the mind conceives, happens. POWER OF THE MIND. So that means we should not dwell on things we don’t want to happen in our lives. We need to focus ourselves on positive thoughts and discard the negative ones to prevent mishaps and misfortunes from happening. Theoretically simple but actually hard to follow.

Years later, my friend faced the greatest challenge she feared the most. She and her husband inevitably went their own separate ways. Most people believe tragedies come in bunch and strike when you least expect them. My friend lost her daughter to leukemia after that. Contrary to what she perceived herself to be, she withstood everything and came out even stronger. She survived the two greatest tragedies that could possibly beset a human being in this lifetime. This same woman who thought that she won’t last a day without her husband is now living her life to the fullest.

Problems will never cease to exist. Some will take longer to be solved and some will be so heavy that it would seem impossible to carry. It is so easy to lose hope when nothing seems to go our way. Some people even choose to end their lives to end it all. They couldn’t see a bright future ahead of them. But for those who realize that nothing lasts forever, they hold on to their faith that things will be better. They wake up each morning hoping that today will be better than yesterday. AND THEY MAKE IT HAPPEN.

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Thank God History Did Not Repeat Itself

Please read first the previous post “The Choice is Yours” before you proceed because this is actually an EPILOGUE to that post.

Last Oct. 19,2021 when Gio had his 2nd dose of Pfizer Vaccine, he requested that we drop by Dunkin’ Donuts in celebration of his being fully vaccinated. I agreed right away because it was just along Gloria Diaz St. in BF where I planned to pass from Robinson’s to Philamlife Village.

Parking in front of the building was not a problem but the guard signalled me to go nearer in front to allow more parking space. I instinctively followed his instruction.

It was Gio who bought the donuts and after a few minutes, he was back in the car. I was busy reading my texts that I did not notice a car was already parked behind me. “Oh no, not again!” But I quickly dismissed the notion that what happened in Zapote will happen again because the guard hastily went inside the store to call the driver.

I expected the driver to swiftly move his car but instead, he comfortably stood at the Entrance door and gestured me to wait.

“You have the nerve to ask me to wait for you? Just who do you think you are?” I snapped but only Gio heard it for we were both inside the car. I was about to open my door and ready to start a war when Gio tried to pacify me:  “Mama, he’ll probably be finished soon. Just chill and wait.”

Unlike in the previous incident, this time I was the one who froze. I prayed to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; all the angels and saints; Jesus, Mary, & St. Joseph and to my guardian angel that my sanity will not desert me. I cannot let history repeat itself, not with the presence of my only son. I cannot let my son see her mother transform from a woman to a raging savage beast. I should be the role model for my kid, not the other way around.

There are times when our prayers are answered the way we want them to be. By God’s grace I was able to sit still (with teeth clenched) until the driver finally went out and waved his hand as if we were longtime friends.

Sometimes, a miracle happens to prevent another catastrophe happening all over again.

(Thank you for dropping by my blog and sending your comments and reactions. You may also email me at ndelr62@gmail.com. Stay safe everyone!)

The Choice is Yours

From the moment we wake up until the time we hit the sack, we are challenged by different choices to make everyday—from the simplest ones to the toughest life-changing decisions. Like, to name a few:

1. At the sound of your pre-scheduled alarm or the voices of roosters crowing if you’re in the province, do you instantaneously rise up to run (or do whatever form of exercise you’re advocating)? Or do you pretend not hearing anything and go back to sleep, wishing that you’ll get to see the amazing ending of your interrupted dream hahahah  .  .  . 

2. Will you continue working as an employee or take that leap of faith and join the entrepreneural world? (If you can actually do both, why not?)

3. Must you eat sweets for dessert right after lunch or reserve them later for afternoon snacks to save calories?

4. Will you purchase additional insurance or invest your savings in Bonds, UITF, Mutual Funds or Stock Market?

5. Should you just patiently wait for that crazy driver who parked directly at the back of your car, hindering you to leave the parking lot or you scream at the top of your voice hoping that the person responsible for your misfortune will hear you and come running to the rescue?

At @6am in Zapote Market when I was planning to leave after 2 hours of marketing, I found out that a huge luxury car was situated at my back. I called the attention of the parking attendants and asked for the driver. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any clue where the person went but tried to look inside the marketplace. I was tired, hungry and exhausted and just wanted to go home but couldn’t. Without any warning, I snapped. I shouted soooo loud that even the dead would be awaken and rise from their graves. Everything stood still. Nobody moved. People in the vicinity froze and gazed at me with their mouths half open and for a moment, I felt the world came to an end and I was the only one left alive. I realized the aftermath of my outburst and wished that the ground would open and swallow me whole. Then after what seemed to be eternity, a slender woman came rushing to the illegally-parked car murmuring her apologies while waving her hand and hurriedly drove off. Imagine yourself pausing a video and after a while, pushing the “PLAY” button. As if on cue, everything around me came back to life again. I peacefully entered my car and finally departed for home. I did so without the help of the parking attendants. They probably chose to hide for fear of their lives heheheh  .  .  . 

On the way home, Ate Ella informed me that she was at the side of Zapote Market building talking to a vendor when they heard the ear-splitting roar. The vendor asked her if she knew what was that about and she answered him “it’s like Tarzan lost his way here in Zapote Market so he’s summoning his army of jungle animals to help him”. Ate Ella honestly confessed that she would deny knowing me if someone asked her that time hahahah  .  .  .

(Thanks for dropping by my blog and sending your reactions/comments via Messenger. You may also email me at ndelr62@gmail.com. Stay safe everyone!)

Tribute to You, my Dear Readers

I take a pause from writing and pay tribute to you, my dear readers.

As of today, 22% of this blog’s readers are Philippine-based and the 78% are scattered around the world. 

Based from the figures, I am quite overwhelmed that majority of the people who reads my blog are not residing in my native land. Though it blows my mind how you could possibly relate to what I am writing, I wish to thank you all for taking the time to read my blog. I am deeply honored.

Some Filipino expressions do not have direct English counterparts but I will try my very best to translate them for you. Sadly though, they will not always come out as funny as the original Filipino expression. I am grateful that you still stick around even though from your point of view, I sometimes don’t make sense at all.

Thank you for your nice compliments and heart-warming reactions. My life has been happier because of them!

I pray that God will bless you all—give you peace of mind, joyful heart, healthy body, and productive life.

Be the first to forgive. Even if your offender doesn’t ask for forgiveness, forgive anyway. It will be for your own benefit. Your heart will definitely thank you for it. 

Stay safe everyone!

Ang Makulay na Daigdig ni Nora (My Colorful Life: Part 6)

Tatay and Nanay were both competitive in sports. They used to join and win tournaments in tennis, golf and bowling. Unlike their only daughter who would rather eat, strum the guitar, eat again, draw, eat more and play Spirit of the Glass in her spare time hahahah  .  .  .

I was the only “ballboy” girl in Marbel tennis court. With the intention of earning and saving money for my “Getaway”, I would gladly go with my parents to the tennis court and serve as “pulotgirl”. I guess that laid my foundation in running. I had to run really fast to grab the ball and return it to the right player. Sometimes the ball would fly out of the tennis court and migrate to the wide highway. I would dash out of the court and run after it on the open road.

Though I didn’t play golf, I still went with my parents to Paraiso Golf Course. Whenever we pass by the guava plantation I would stay behind, climb one of the  guava trees to pick and eat guavas. Then take a relaxing nap after being full, not minding if I make a wrong turn and fall off the tree! Upon waking up, I would just go back with other set of players who will pass by me.

One of my favorite pastimes in Marbel was playing the Spirit of the Glass. I would play it with my friends and even if I was alone, I would place 2 fingers of my 2 hands on top of the Glass as if  4 people were playing. I did not have a scientific explanation of how the Glass moved back then but I was not at all afraid. Maybe because I had fun getting the answers to the questions I was asking the Spirit of the Glass. At one instance, I asked where I would study the following school year. When it answered “Manila”, I just brushed it off though at that time, I was already planning to run away from home. The farthest destination in my mind was Davao City so Manila for me was beyond reach. You can just imagine how amazed I was when it actually came true!

To be continued . . .

(Thanks for dropping by my blog and sending your comments/reactions via Messenger. You may also email me at ndelr62@gmail.com. Stay safe everyone!)