It’s been a month since I learned loving life. It’s been a month since God answered my questions. It’s been a month since I learned to forgive myself. In a month, I gained new learning and knowledge. I faced difficult battles. I was constantly being tested. Again, for the nth time, I was broken. I was tempted to be MIA twice. I stumbled a few times. But with the love of my family and friends, my love tank is still full. It was never empty. God showed me his way. I was not lost. I am still here because my trials and difficulties made me a stronger person. My downtime showed me who my true friends are. My challenges made me realized that I am still blessed because I have my beautiful souls around me.
God provided countless blessings after my 180 degree experience in Tagaytay. I was able to receive the gift of TIME. Time for Addy and time to serve. God has given me extra bonus: Blooming career, new set of friends, new life changing experiences. I know all these things will contribute in my life journey.
God also gave our family two angels in unexpected ways
My nephew Baby Gabriel, our one pound miracle, who was born 3 months earlier than expected. He is our little warrior here on Earth. Why I considered this a blessing? Because our dear Gabriel is still with us. He continues to fight! We consider him as our little miracle from God because Baby Gabriel survived and we know that this is just the beginning of his journey. We are blessed because not all are given the chance to survived especially if you were born prematurely on the 6th month. I trust the good Lord that we will be able to see Baby Gabriel fulfill his dream. He will be able to feel the warm embrace of everyone. He will be able to speak his thoughts, express his feelings and share his blessings to others. I claim it! We all can’t wait for February to come so my cousin can bring home our little Gabriel.
My Auntie Patty who joined our creator very recently. She is now home. She is our newest angel in heaven. She will be surely missed by her friends,most of all by us, her family. Why consider it a blessing? Because now, she will no longer feel any pain. She will always be lively and happy. She lived a worthy life here on Earth and now, she will lived an abundance life in heaven. I know she will continue to guide everyone because that’s her motherly nature. Her inspiring stories and encouraging words will always be remembered and will surely be missed.
With the difficulties I encountered, I know that God is not punishing my family. He wants us to realized how strong we are and together we can surpass these storms. God will never give us the trials if he knows we can’t handle it well. With these trials, we found treasures and blessings. I am truly blessed because I am seeing things in a different way. I am seeing the goodness in each difficult situation. I am able to bring to life the things I learned since Sept. 8. I am truly blessed to have my family, my friends, my LOJ family and most of all, my circle of trust 🙂
In most cases when we come across situations that are less than pleasing or situations that cause great discomfort, it’s human nature to want to leave and look for somewhere comfortable. Looking back, surely the LORD was using those unpleasant situations to shape our characters. Sometimes we just have to pause. Stop for a while, and cling to God. See how He delivers us.
Thank you for the continuous prayers for me and my family. Because of the love life retreat, I am able to stand firm and strong for my family amidst all trials. Because of the love life retreat, I learned to live life to the fullest, to appreciate every little things that we have, to make the most out of everything, and most of all, to express our love for ourselves, to others and to our Almighty God.