Monday 26 September 2011

Hillary Raimo - Walking in Spirit Business 09/28 by RockYourLife | Blog Talk Radio

Hillary Raimo - Walking in Spirit Business 09/28 by RockYourLife | Blog Talk Radio

Sunday 11 September 2011

9/11 TEN YEARS ON


Today is September 11.  Ten years ago, the Twin Towers in USA fell. Until a week or so ago, I did not realise that it has been so long.  Time really flies.  Seems there is a building coming up on that spot.  I wonder how many people in Singapore still feels what it was like that day, how they felt.  I shudder to think that anything can happen despite a country's most developed military capabilities.  It does not take weapons to destroy anymore.  Violence is bad, war is terrible.  However, to have innocent people killed just to put a point across, is simply COWARDICE.  Would I get into trouble for saying so?  I have no freaking idea but that is how I feel.

I wonder at this moment how the surviving family members of the 9/11 victims are feeling today.  How have they coped these last 10 years.  Were they forgotten soon after or are support for them still ongoing.  People usually say that time heals.  I am not so sure if if does really heal.  How is "healing" defined?  The pain certainly does not go away nor missing the person/s.  The pain does get better in the sense that it does not hurt every minute second as before nor is it as painful and tearing.  The tears are lesser too but they are still there, coming on really unexpectedly.  Sometimes we think that we are coping well and we can control our emotions well.  It does not happen to everyone.  I know that first hand.

In memory of the victims of 9/11, I attach the video by Darryl Worley, Have you forgotten.

Thursday 8 September 2011

WISDOM FOR LIFE'S JOURNEYS

I subscribe to some inspirational and motivational sites which send me beautiful stories, quotes and sayings.  Today, I received one which resonated very well with how I feel about life's ups and downs and how to deal with it.  


It is always easier said than done for most but it is not impossible.  For some people, it takes longer, for others it seems to be inborn.  Whatever happens in life, at whatever pace one is going, we should always stop to smell the roses.  With development of the world, one would expect it making life easier.  However, the irony is, it causes a tremendous increase in the level of stress for most.  We are sucked into the rat-race, whether we like it or not.  More people are finding it difficult to cope with the demands of the modern world.


Learning how to cope with life's demands is not something that comes along easily.  It is something which we need to nurture on a conscious level.  Constant reminders to ourselves that life can be beautiful and simple, if only we allow ourselves to see and live it that way.  Material things have never been something I yearn for.  Branded stuff, big cars and big houses.  Sure, it would be nice, but does that really give real happiness?  Would it help us to get by the tribulations of life?  At the end of the day, it is how we decide to see things and live by our own beliefs.  


Everyday is a new day for me.  I never know what it will bring.  One thing I know for sure, is that it can only be bad if I expect it to be.  Enjoy each day as it comes. Life is full of shits but how you see that pile of shit, will determine how you live your life.  For me, sometimes a pile of shit is turned into a speck of dandruff on my shoulder which I can easily fluff off in a second.  


All in all, it is our attitude that counts.  I have below the sharing for today by Nancye Sims.  Who is she? I have not idea.  All that matters to me is that she had written something so beautiful that I am compelled to share it with everyone.  Here goes: 


WISDOM OF LIFE'S JOURNEYS


Your life is a journey ahead of you.
Each day is a new beginning.
Yesterday is a friend that will guide you.


There will be good times and bad times;
Cherish the good, because they make life sweet,
But be thankful for the bad,
For through them you come to know
The important things in life
And the meaning of life.
There will be times when you face
Difficult decisions,
And you won’t know which way to turn.
The important thing is that you make a choice,
And move forward.


There will be times that test your strength and endurance,
But don’t give up;
Refuse to accept defeat,
For perseverance is the key to success.
there will be times when you are hurt by love.
Forgive those who hurt you
So that your heart will be free to love again.
There will be times when you make mistakes.
Remember that mistakes are not a reflection of your self-worth,
But of your humanity.
Nor do they make you less of a person.
Because of the lessons you’ve learned,
You’ve grown and become wiser.


There will be times when your search for happiness
Leads to frustration and disappointment,
But don’t stop believing in happiness.
Being happy with yourself goes a long way toward
Knowing happiness in your life.
There will be times when life seems unfair,
But don’t allow it to make you bitter
And steal your joy.
Nothing is worth this.
When fear stands in the way of reaching out for your dreams,
Confront them and you will conquer them.


There will be times when your faith is shaken,
But don’t despair,
It will rise up and carry you above the storm and to victory….
 Copyright  © 1996 By Nancye Sims 020

Saturday 3 September 2011

Beauty of Women


Why Women Cry. Watch her eyes

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him. I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?" All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry. Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said: "When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

 
I came across the above many years ago and again this morning when a Facebook friend posted it.  It is a heartwarming reminder of who I am within. 

I always believe that females are much stronger than males internally though not all female realise that.  When both goes through adversity, somehow on a larger percentage, the women will come out of it better and stronger.  There are so many women out there whom we read about, their "never give-up" attitude and positive outlook to life.  Many strive for others without conditions nor expectations.  Their selflessness is just so admirable.
It makes me look back at my own life.  Recently, an acquaintance I met for coffee asked me a question.  He was keen to know where I got my strength for life from.  Some of the events I went through in life may not be much to some, but to others it was something that would have brought a person down for years to come.  I had no answer for him.  I am still trying to understand where I get my inner strength from.  How I can always be taking responsibility for my own actions and accepting the consequences and then moving on.  I am easily contented, more so with simple things in life.  I do not need material goods, branded bags and shoes nor be adorned with jewellery.  It is not that I do not like such things, it is just that I never believe we need to pay so many times more for something I consider practical.  My contentment comes from fulfilling my needs rather than my wants.  Happiness is not from owning branded things.  Happiness is a process, a journey of intangibles.  The joy of being with people you like, moments filled with laughter, the sense of friendship.  Seeing your children enjoy their childhood, hearing their thanks for cooking them a meal, getting kisses and hugs from them.  These are things that tell me I am doing alright.  

It helps me to go on doing what brings joy to others.  I signed up as a volunteer recently.  Some people were pleased for me while others asked why I am spending time doing things I do not get paid for, and why bother wasting time helping others.  I tell them "Why not? It is something I like doing."  The world can be a better place and all it requires it for everyone to contribute a little time, kindness, forgiveness to get there.  

It takes strength to forgive.  I remember the phrase : forgive and forget.  I find it so wrong.  One can forgive but never forget. Well, unless you are senile.  Then again, you can still have bouts of selective memory bouncing back.  It is not easy to understand what is forgiveness.  Forgiveness is not simply saying "I forgive you."  It comes from deep within oneself.  It is a process of looking at things in a different perspective, acknowledging that both had contributed to the incident, accepting the consequences and willingness to let it go and move on.  Forgiving is one of the most difficult thing to do in life.  When you learn to forgive, you have gained a life-long strength.  It somehow makes a person stronger internally and of course, happier too.  It is not easy for many to understand how forgiving others can make themselves happy.  Well, it does.  If only there is a course to teach people how to forgive, the world would be a happier place.

I am not sure if men find it easier to forgive than women.  After all, women are known to be emotional creatures. We shed tears easily.  I do for all kinds of reasons.  One reason I hardly watch movies at the cinema is that I cry too easily.  I cry at scenes of deaths, weddings, childbirth, reconciliation, love, etc.  I cry when things remind me of people I miss, of things I went through and of hopes and dreams.

I am a compassionate fool. Come to think of it, being compassionate helps me to see things in a different light.  It helps me to get to the other person's level and understand them better.  Being compassionate is not to be confused with pity.  Pity to me, creates negativity.  When you pity someone, it somehow lowers that person's self-esteem.  When we show compassion, it strengthens them.  I guess women are better with showing compassion than men.  Maybe it is the mother-nurturing factor in us.  At times, I wonder if the development of our world has changed characteristics of people.  Women of today sees beauty differently, they see it more externally.  Which is sad. Sure, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.  However, inner beauty radiates more than the bling blings on the body.

With this, I  hope you can spend some time to think about your own beauty and strength.  You may be surprised at what you discover.