#ssspost

i just turned a year older last week. it was a very simple and quiet celebration and i was happy. but life does not seem to tire from giving us challenges, no? i guess that's the essence of living and breathing--being able to overcome your weaknesses and fight the battles that life has for you.. but as i see it now, it doesn't hurt to ask for help especially from those you know will try their best to help you.

today, i received an email about helping hands. here is the quote:

Today, God wants you to know that if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.

And a time always comes when you discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

i find myself crying when i think about my problems and how things would be lighter if my dad is still around.. his hands are what i would want to hold onto during times like these but i know that there are other people in my circle that are willing to extend theirs. today, my former boss proved that his hands are what i need to solve one of my problems. i am thankful that God put me here so that i could meet someone as willing and helpful as my former boss. i will forever remember his kindness and generosity wherever life takes me.

i can't help but cry. i'm such a softy and i hate it!! hehe. i have to hate it because there is a bigger problem that i'll have to face soon and i can't afford to be a softy and emotional right now.. i can't let my enemies see my tears! that is my battle cry.

Excerpt:

"The message we bear is one in which there is a spiritual ecology. We hear a lot today about ecology in the world of biological and physical things. We are learning that some of its laws are inexorable, that when we violate them we pay a penalty; we pay a price. There is an ecology that pertains to spiritual things, to human nature, which, when violated, brings a series of consequences—just as inexorable and just as automatic as the ecology that is born of the cluster of laws governing nature. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a collection of principles woven together in the fabric of immutable law; this is the romance and the high adventure of orthodoxy: these principles, bound together, not only give us salvation, but they also give us balance, depth, and happiness in our lives.

The doctrines of Jesus Christ are so powerful that any one of these doctrines, having been broken away from the rest, goes wild and mad, as G. K. Chesterton observed. The principle of love without the principles of justice and discipline goes wild. Any doctrine, unless it is woven into the fabric of orthodoxy, goes wild. The doctrines of the kingdom need each other just as the people of the kingdom need each other. ... We do not fully understand all these laws that operate in the world of spiritual ecology, but they are there. We worry about pollution and rightfully so, but a home in which there is not adequate love pollutes society just as surely as we pollute the air and streams around us, and people further “down stream” pay a price. If we were to versify modern scripture, we might say, McKay 1:1: “No other success can compensate for failure in the home,” for this is a spiritual law of the first magnitude. When we sing that song, “Love at Home,” as trite as it may seem to us, we happen to be verbalizing concepts that deal with a most sublime concept in the gospel.

earlier this morning, i saw a colleague waiting at the bus stop where we usually wait for the office shuttle. i did not recognize him behind his heavy-tinted shades and shirt. but eventually, it occurred to me that it was him--someone i used to know back home.

i pretended not to notice but his presence was overwhelming. it took a while for us to talk. i think, he even purposely walked in front of me to get my attention. he succeeded. he said “hi” and i returned the favor.

the exchange was very casual. i was surprised when he asked what my current calling is. at least it was not ambushed.

the conversation became light. despite the humid weather, i was relaxed. my emotions were intact. i asked where he spent his missionary service, i pretended not to know. i had to address the elephant in the room--i know he was waiting for me to ask. he answered, almost tastelessly. after a series of questions, i told him where i lived. “really?” he said quite pretentiously. and the rest of the conversation went on from there.

We have come this far--snail mails are already considered “old school” or vintage. The technology we have created made our lives easier and faster. We developed our mails into electronic mails or “e-mails” and we are now able to send videos from all parts of the world just as long as we have internet connection. But, have we really forgotten to write an actual mail? Have we missed that part of our lives where we plan what we have to say, choose the best paper, and write with our favorite pen?

For my 26th birthday, I asked some of my friends who now live outside the Philippines, to send me a post card with a written greeting at the back. It took months to arrive, but when those arrived, my glee was so genuine and pure. I could not believe I was receiving such precious gifts. It doubles the value because not only did they buy me a postcard, but they had to go to the post office to send it. I still smile when I read the messages.

“Education is vital for our success. My parents would always tell me that I must strive harder to get good grades and finish a degree because it is the only treasure they can leave to me when the time comes. They sacrificed a lot for me to be able to enroll in a good school. Well, it was all worth it when I was able to hand them my diploma.

Our church leaders has counseled us to obtain an education and become self-reliant. Alma said to his sons to "learn wisdom in thy youth . . .to keep the commandments of God." We can better understand when we are learned. We become effective leaders when we follow the commandments with exactness.

However, we should not discredit those who have surpassed the ladder of success without formal education. Indeed, it depends on our determination whether to let the lack of money or other personal matter deter us from success.