hope prevails

i know i've been away for quite a while...

and yes a new typhoon is brewing in the north
people there have been evacuated.
i just can't imagine what else is going to happen.
my best friend, joanne, from dagupan, pangasinan,
one of the hardest hit, with 15 ft. of flood waters,
remains hopeful despite the situation.

oh, so much for that...hope abounds, yes it does. one of the good signs is this...


may i share with you a favorite song...

if all the people around the world
they have a mind like yours
we'd have no fighting and no wars
there would be lasting peace on earth

if all the kings and all the leaders
could see you here this way
they would hold the earth in their arms
they would learn to watch and play...


Oh my sleeping child,
the world's so wild
but you've built
your own paradise
that's the reason why
i'll cover you sleeping child

(jascha richter)

the sleep of a baby
undeniably a vivid image
we envy the serenity
the tranquility


in the stillness of the night
they put across a message
the day is over
the sun will be out again tomorrow

in silence, they convey the thought
that we must not look at what has been \
with anger,
nor should we fear the morrow.
how do they get into
deep slumber?
not by being uncaring or indifferent
but the fruit of a heart that
trusts enough
leads to spirit serene

let us be at peace in the loving arms of the
Father and be free from the yoke
of our daily restlessness.
for since the time we were
in our mother's womb,
the Father knew us, and
formed us, fashioned us
in His image and likeness...
"before you were conceived i wanted you,
before you were born, i loved you,
before you were an hour i would die for you,
this is the miracle of life...
(Maureen Hawkins)

go gently through life...

aslagan!

"aslagan" is a kapampangan word for sunrise/sunshine. wonderful! i love sunrises and sunshine and sunsets...it's time for looking at the brighter side of life...i'm sure you'll agree...i am not from pampanga (a province of great cooks and writers and artists in central luzon) but my friend malu gueco is. she is my diabetic friend who survived without amputating her foot.




yes, i was relating to you her story in a previous blog (see my july blogs...). i really thought she lost her foot, but when i visited her 2 weekends ago, lo and behold! both legs greeted me at the door. it was really a miracle, seeing how pale to almost ashen her face and whole body was during that sorry time in the hospital.



it's just wonder-full accompanying her in her healing, in body, mind and spirit. that's what i like in malu, she's got a lot of soul in her...she continues to write in her column "aslagan" in their community paper in pampanga. and while recovering, (this is really great) she began drawing visual representations of her inner lifework...whatever gave her inspiration just moved her to creating and creating and creating...i wish i could post her artpieces here, hopefully i could get photos soon...

by the way, did you know the reason for malu's opting not to have her foot amputated (which is really a brave thing to do...such courage!)? she is on natural healing therapy which i really loved the moment i learned about it! i don't know if i can announce the therapy here. allow me first to get permission. i do believe in natural healing if at all possible. sometimes, integrative medicine is an option. it's a combination of western and eastern medicine. (i'll talk about this in another post...)



i grew up with women in the family who have been herbalists. my maternal grandmother was really good in mixing herbs, as with all other mothers of her time. she was also a natural botanist. she never learned the profession, but she had a natural skill to plant; and anything she planted, grew! she used to encourage my mom when they were kids, to bring viable seeds with them when on an out-of-town trip. and would ask to spread the seeds outdoors....i wonder...those seeds might be those great big trees along the highway going up north today...

oh well...the sun is bursting its beauty out on the horizon...another day is almost over...the sun sets only to rise again...yes, we know it will indeed rise again tomorrow...for the millions who suffered in the storm, the sun will rise tomorrow...there is hope...

embrace tomorrow with faith, hope, love, and peace...
(many thanks for photos from everywhere...)


w.w.