So much of human social evolution has emphasized mastery and control – over both self and external factors – we have quite lost an accurate grasp of the limits of our control. Must it take natural disasters, financial meltdowns and terrorist attacks for us to gain an inkling at how little control we actually possess over our lives? Perhaps even in the face of such powerful reminders, there are those of us who take pride in our ability to remain immune and […]
I am who I am, today – not yesterday, and not tomorrow. I may be wiser today than I was yesterday, but that cannot change the mistake I made yesterday for yesterday I did not yet have today’s wisdom. I might be wiser tomorrow than I am today, but tomorrow’s wisdom cannot help me with the challenges I encounter today. So I choose to live in today – not yesterday, and not tomorrow. Because I believe that to live in the integrity […]
Now and then, a song I’ve heard many times over suddenly takes on a new meaning. Today, this song which is part of a collection of animated stories from the Bible touched me more deeply than it ever had. Just this past Sunday, the Catholic community celebrated the feast of Christ the King which is a feast day dedicated to the Kingship/Lordship of Christ, and I have been mulling since then what it means to me to have Christ as my Lord […]
Life is beautiful because God is creative in the ways He sends little ‘pick-me-ups’. Like having a friendly neighbour who sends her adorable daughter to my door bearing a plate of home-baked cookies and cupcakes. A good neighbour is a wonderful blessing.
Once, in reply to an observation that we had no TV in the master bedroom, the husband had cheekily replied, “We are each other’s TV.” Last night Zibin had a late meeting after his course ended so I attended Fr. Arro’s talk without him. Upon arriving home at 11:20p.m. and looking very tired, Zibin asked me to fill him in on the talk. It had been another wonderful session with Fr. Arro and I had plenty to share, so I gladly did. […]
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How many of us are torn by our regrets of the past, anxiety for our future, and the thousand and one things that demand our attention daily? How many of us covet relationships and material things that we do not have? How many of us look for salvation and relief in the people we love? What kind of difference would it make in our lives if we begin to become present to the here and now? If, bit by bit, we learn […]
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. – Viktor E. Frankl When things that frustrate me occur, do I react instinctively? Blindly? Or can I pause? I am learning to dwell longer in that space between stimulus and response. To hold still. To keep quiet. To wait until the bubbling cauldron within me cools, and I have had the chance to listen […]
The husband caught me off guard this morning. He was working in the study, I was making the bed in the bedroom while listening to the soundtrack of Wicked!. Only I wasn’t just listening. I was singing along at the top of my lungs and twirling and dancing around the bed. He entered the room in the middle of the romantic duet ‘As Long As You’re Mine’ and caught me singing soulfully to thin air. So my Prince has entered the scene. […]
Scene: Today’s breakfast at IMM Jurong… dim sum at food court… Zibin had painstakingly cut up a piece of fried carrot cake for himself. I didn’t see him do it… I was talking to my mom. I take the piece of carrot cake he had cut up and pop it in my mouth. Zibin: *eyes wide in protest* AHHH!!!! Me: *puzzled* What? There’s still carrot cake left what! Zibin: *resigned sigh* Yes but I just cut that piece out for myself! … […]
