Smile as Bright as the Sun

“Smile often in order to have more reasons to smile about.” – Princess Hye-myung, My Sassy Girl Korean Drama

It’s just another ordinary Sunday to ponder about life and its drama.  So today, let me share with you, one of the catching quotes I read from a Korean drama I was watching lately.

You must have noticed by now that I seemed to be a bit partial with Korean dramas. What I particularly love from watching them are the moral values and teachings imparted in most stories especially the historical dramas. 

So, the above quotation has not failed to enlighten me and inspire me for this week’s post.

The previous months had been quite challenging for me that there came a point where I thought there seemed to be no reason to smile about.  I wake up in the morning and go about everything I was supposed to do for the day. I was on automatic mode. I work with a gloomy feeling, with my chest so heavy.

But then I realized, who am I punishing with this kind of attitude?  The more I think seriously of my situation, the heavier my heart became. God saw me through those difficult times, so I chose to trust Him fully with everything. With that thought, that choked feeling, the heaviness in my heart lifted. I can smile again.

I decided, whenever things got too heavy, I just need to think of something to smile about to lift my spirit up again, and whenever the heaviness of the heart started, I sing or hum, at least.

Why let ourselves be shackled ny our worldy worries when there must be a lot to smile about? Miracles happen everyday, we just need to acknowledge it for it to change our life and make our day brighter. 

A positive attitude is like a magnet. It pulls in positive energy that can repel negativeness away. Let us exude that positive energy and prevent darkness from prevailing. Smile as bright as the glaring sun in a hot summer day.

Sink Hole (Poetry)

You have me held so tight within your grip

No matter how hard I struggled to breathe,

To be freed, instead I start to sink deep

In my frustration and despair, I seethe.

‘Til when are you goin’ to imprison me,

Strangle me with doubts and so much worry?

‘Til when will I, from this hell, be set free?

I fear there’s no end yet for this story.

The Heart of a Good Servant

“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.”

              – Douglas Adams

My Dear Readers, for this week’s post, let me share with you the Thought For The Week I am supposed to shed light unto and expound for the benefit of my fellow public servants this Monday.

As public servants, the essence of  our being is service for the people. And to serve them we must do so to our utmost ability and capability with sincerity and integrity.

But what do we understand when we say sincerity and integrity?

Sincerity is said to be the quality of being free from pretense, deceit or hypocrisy.  It is a mix of seriousness and honesty.  Showing sincerity means being serious, kind and truthful.

Integrity, on the other hand, is the quality of being honest and having moral principles or moral uprightness. It is a personality trait we admire in a person because it means he/she has a moral compass  that doesn’t waver. It literally means “wholeness” of character, as an integer is a whole number with no fractions.

From both meanings we can deduce that for us to render what we call as “real service”, we  must serve  with a heart of a good servant, that is with seriousness, compassion, and honesty with a set of moral principles that doesn’t get tempted or swayed by the alluring scent of money or by the dazzling brilliance of grandeur and power (indi matintar o mahaylo sang inggat sang pilak o ingganyo sang manggad kag poder).

Lastly, let me share these words of wisdom: 

According to Scripture, virtually everything that truly qualifies a person for leadership is directly related to character. It’s not about style, status, personal charisma, clout, or worldly measurements of success. Integrity is the main issue that makes the difference between a good leader and a bad one. ~ John MacArthur

These words do not apply only to leaders but to us as well, as members of the society. Let us all have the heart of a good servant! Live life with sincerity, compassion and integrity!

Moment (Poetry)

For a moment I’m relieved,

For a little while I’m saved,

When will a moment like this

Cone again to give me peace?

One Wish (Poetry)

I will be happy if

      my children will succeed

            in all they wish to be.

I will be happy if

      my husband stays as sweet

            as he now seemed to be.

I will be happy if

      my sweet mom stays as strong

            as she can ever be.

I will be happy if

      our family can survive

             the worries of each day.

So if I can only

      make just one wish, I’d wish

            simply for  happiness.

      

Do Miracles Exist?

“If you desperately long for something, it brings you a miracle.” – Prince of Qing, My Sassy Girl Korean Drama

Do miracles really exist?  In a world where many lived in squalor and poverty, where almost everyone is struggling to get by day by day, will it not be like manna from heaven to hope for a miracle to happen when one needed it most?
Several times this year, I had been in very tight spots, experiencing not only physical but also emotional stress, what with ailments in the family and financial distress brought on by these to add up to the already escalating financial setbacks an ordinary rank and file employee experiences, living on a mere pittance for what suffice as a salary.  It was like walking on a thin plank hanging up on a cliff, while carrying a time bomb set to blow up anytime.

Several times during these ordeals, I almost buckled down underneath the pressure building up in the pit of my stomach.  So many times, I was brought to tears on my knees, praying for God to listen to my heartfelt petition for a way out of these situations.
Looking back, no matter how difficult the road we call life had been, no matter how many times I had fallen and gotten bruised, no matter how many hurdles I had to tackle on the way, I realized no hurdles had been that insurmountable, I could still get up and tend to my wounds, life still goes on the way it wanted to be.  

Then while watching one of the Korean Dramas I love to follow, I came upon this beautiful line and it dawned on me, “wow!  That is quite true!”  I was  desperately longing for solutions to the problems besetting me, then when it comes to a point where all hope seemed lost, a solution suddenly comes along, my prayer gets answered. 

Cynics would say, they are mere coincidence.  Science might even explain it’s just a normal phenomenon. But for people like me, desperate to hold on to that short thread of hope thrown my way, I believe miracles do exist. 

Dark Clouds

The clouds are dark over the horizon
Are they because of the change of season?
Are they omen of things beyond reason?

Or do they offer hope of redemption?

The summer that passed by had been arid

The weather was tremendously humid

The rain was scarce just like money in pockets

No matter how much we pray over our wallets.

Beyond those clouds, is there a ray of hope

We can set our eyes on and help us cope,

With all our trials and difficulties,

With all of our problems and our worries?

(N. B.:  Dear Friends, sorry for my whole week of absence.  Had internet connection problems.)