I cannot begin to say how thankful I am for my in laws. The 1st reason is their integrity in living a life parallel to the faith they proclaim in God- to themselves, their children, and even in their community where Christianity is the minority. The 2nd is the faithfulness and love they have for each other. As I get older, it feels like it gets harder to find couples who are still passionately for each other, esp. still loving each other and praying for one another. This song is fitting…You don’t see it, but at the end of the song, Nanay explains that this song isn’t her love song with Tatay; it’s actually between God and us. When she sings “he fills my heart, he fills my heart, with many special things- with angel song and wild imaginings. He fills my soul with so much love that anywhere I go, I’m never lonely; with Him along, who could be lonely.  I reach for His hand, He’s always there…” Can I tell you a secret, readers? I started tearing when they were first singing the song because I initially thought it was their love song. But in the end, when […]

  I’m thankful for… 1) …my family. You know, family is a strange thing.  It is something you cannot live without, because without it, you feel lost. There always has to be that connection, a bond stronger than knowing someone, but sharing genetics and seeing how it impacts you, how it makes you, how it helps you to understand yourself and answers questions of why you are so. My family isn’t perfect, but I constantly go back to my past to understand myself.  I constantly search through memories to piece together questions I have.  2) …my family. Family is a strong thing. No matter who I become, what life deals me, I know my family will always be my family. No matter the weather, the fights and things we an disagree on, my family will always be my family, and I will always fight to love my family. I fight myself many times, feeling hurt sometimes, but family is family. My parents have showed me through their lives, teaching me about their hardship, their dedication to our family, and for that, I am always always thankful, humbled, reminding me always that they have sacrificed so much, teaching me that love […]

My friend Paul nominated me to do the “gratefulness challenge”, stating two things I am thankful for for 5 days.  1. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a stay at home mom.  I never would have foreseen it in my youth as a huge part of my future, but being able to get front row seats to my daughters’ milestones and budding maturity and having such a huge impact on it gives me so much to be thankful about. When they are older, I hope they see these years with profound fondness.  You can never get back time. One mom I respect once told me a career will always be there, but not their childhood. I know being a SHM is not for everyone, and I completely agree, but God has opened up doors for our family and placed us here…and I’m thankful. 2. I’m thankful for words. I’ve become such a lover of words, seeing how the simple strewing together of words can cause someone to stop, someone to dream, to change, to live, to believe, to cry, to laugh, to think upon things not of this world yet in this world. I can be captivated by something […]