THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG (My 100th Post)

Dear Readers of The Essence,

A beautiful and blessed day to you!

Today, I am posting my 100th post on this blog. I wanted it to be special and so I thought of addressing it to you, my dear readers.

I probably know only a few of you, and I don't even know how many times you had visited my blog to browse and read my posts. You don't know me either, just maybe only about what you had read here. But I recognize the fact that every time you click your computer and end up reading my posts, you are sharing your time with me and I am sharing the content of my heart and mind to you, as well as my life and what I believe in. During these moments, somehow the boundaries of time, place, culture, age, etc are transcended.

I would like you to know that I appreciate this connection that we have and your giving me of your time. My prayer is that each moment you read a post here in 'The Essence,' God is blessing you by touching your heart and your life. Thank you for letting me enter the door of your heart and allowing me to walk through or pass by your life.

My posts may be just like little drops of water in the ocean of your life, but may it create beautiful ripples to you, your family and your friends...ripples that are more beautiful than what big waves can create.

We may never know each other personally, but somehow in spirit, where you are and where I am, we have become a part of each other. Without you, my dear readers, my blog will not continue to exist. Just one person reading this is enough for me to go on posting because I believe in the value of even just one soul being blessed...and it is a gift from God that there are more of you giving your time to read and hopefully chew on the content of my posts.

May we continue to journey in life through this blog. Again, I would like to thank you.

Jesus peace be with you. God bless you and your love ones.

With the Love of Jesus,
Luisa De la Cruz

PROFIT YOUR DAY....

GOOD DAY!!! 

So what’s great about it? 

First, you had rest last night until this morn….

Second, you woke up, you are still alive!....

Third, you can see your room, you are not blind….

Fourth, you have feet to walk around, others have none….

Fifth, you have a home, others sleep on the street….

Sixth, you have breakfast, others have nothing to eat for the whole day….

Seventh, you have work, others are still looking for one….

Eigth, you have people who loves you, others die alone and lonely….

Ninth, you….

Oh, there are so many things to be thankful for. 

Don’t waste your day looking for troubles. 

Profit your day looking for blessings....

They are all around you, just waiting to be noticed by you….

While you are at it, thank God for each of them. 

It is indeed a GOOD DAY, everyday!

-luisadelacruz

ONE UNEXPECTED MORNING!

            Late last night, I had a heart to heart talk with God. I poured out what’s inside me and asked for His help. I asked for His healing, His forgiveness, His guidance. I lifted up to Him the people and ministries I treasure. I entrusted to Him my future. And I said to Him, “All I want, Father is to love You each day.” Oh, yes I cried to Him and He embraced me with silence and comforting peace. Then I went to sleep.

            Today, was just like my ordinary days. I woke up before 4:00 a.m….prayed the rosary….after praying I went back to sleep….then I woke up around 5:15 a.m. As I got up, I noticed something different. There was a striking yellowish light outside that I saw from my window. As I looked closer, Wow! I was astonished at the picturesque view of the sky. It was so blue, white clouds with grayish parts were there. The sun’s so bright rays penetrated them which made them more beautiful.

            I immediately went outside to shot some pictures. I couldn’t be satisfied just standing on the ground, so I slowly climbed the ladder towards the roof over my room. My handicap didn’t prevent me. I really want to capture this beauty before it was gone. I sat on the roof. Wow! I took more pictures. I tried not to get the dark silhouette of the structures but its contrast to the sky added beauty to the scene.

             I sat still for a moment and looked around. I noticed the big tree on the other street. Oh, that was why every morning there were birds chirping and flying. They gave delight in my mornings. I also felt the cool air embrace me. I was just so happy and awed by everything. I was so grateful to God.

            Then all of a sudden, He made me remember something. I stared at the so beautiful scene before me. The blue sky, the white clouds, the gray shades, the silhouettes of the structures, they all contribute to the beauty of the scenery. Yes, even the grays and dark shades. The striking, penetrating, brilliant ray of the sun turned it into an awesome picturesque view here in this busy city of ours. They are all necessary to contribute to the whole beauty that beheld my eyes.

             God made me remember through this, that me and my life have light and dark side…. good and bad experiences…. strengths and weaknesses. Even if I try to ignore or remove the dark side, the bad ones, my weaknesses, the fact remains, they add beauty to me and my life. The striking rays of the sun is like the striking warmth and unconditional love of God for me. His love penetrating in my heart and my life makes them more beautiful than I can ever imagine. Each component is necessary and contributes to my whole beauty and to the whole beauty of my life.

Sometimes, I just have to climb to the roof of my life, give an extra effort for me to see things in a different perspective.

            As I reflected on today’s Gospel when I went down from the roof, my heart was further embraced by God. John 16:23-27 says:

When that day comes, you will not ask Me for anything. I Am telling you the truth: the Father will give you whatever you ask of Him in My name. Until now you have not asked for anything in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your happiness may be complete.

“I have used figures of speech to tell you these things. But the time will come when I will not use figures of speech, but will speak to you plainly about the Father. When that day comes, you will ask Him in My name; and I do not say that I will ask Him on your behalf, for the Father Himself loves you. He loves you because you love Me and have believed that I came from God.

 This was God’s confirmation to me that indeed He heard my prayer before I slept. He answered me through that picturesque view that astounded me when I woke up. I just so love God. He is truly such a wonderful Father….

THE PEACE THAT CRADLES

Oh, Peace of God

How joyful I am

That you are in my heart….

You make me feel

Like a baby being cradled

In a mother’s arms….

You put a smile

On my lips and my eyes.

You make me strong

When worries come….

Oh, Peace of God

You are an epitome

Of God’s Presence

That I am drawn

To journey to my heart

Where you can engulf me

With God’s very Being….

Aaahhh….you are a soft pillow,

A dew in the morning,

The chirping of the birds,

The panoramic view of nature….

Oh, how I thank your Source,

The Father I so adore….

Oh, Peace of God

I rest in you….

-luisadelacruz 042811  7:22:18 am

POPE JOHN PAUL II - The Holy Man of God

It seems just like yesterday when I watched him in his Papal visit in the Philippines in 1995. I was so awed by him that in a span of four days, I had composed a dozen of poems. I was so inspired by his presence, the way people cheered for him and love him, the overwhelming love and kindness manifested by him….Aaaahhhh, that was a very wonderful sight to see.

   

Now, I saw in the news that he will be beatified on May 1, 2011. Wow! I am not surprised. His kind deserves that. He is a holy man of God. I am happy, such a man lived in my life time.

Let me share with you some of my poems in 1995. This was how he moved me:

THE CHOSEN ONE

Amidst the crowd you speak

With warmth, love and smile on your eyes,

Radiating peace and serenity

Upon your shining face.

How my heart leaps with great joy

As I see you, as I hear you

Address us, the youth.

I hear, I feel your sincerity and

Your love for us.

I thank the Lord for giving us

Such a wonderful father here on earth.

Yes, I thank the Lord for making you

The successor of St. Peter.

Indeed, our Lord knows best.

Indeed He has chosen well.

luisadelacruz 011495

 

SO DEAR TO OUR HEARTS

Like a father you guide us

With abundant love and understanding,

A gentle touch, a cheerful smile,

A caring whisper, and affectionate words.

The sincerity in your eyes reveals

The genuine feeling you have for us.

Yes, your very being speaks the deep love

You are giving us.

That is why, our beloved Pope,

You are so very dear

To our hearts.

luisadelacruz 011595

 

THE CELEBRATED MOMENT

The crowd go wild as you appear

Before them…. cheering, shouting,

Waving, clasping,

A sign of overflowing joy

They feel deep within,

For in you they see the glory of the Lord….

His grace, His love, His peace, His joy.

Through you the Lord reaches out

To the people.

You are His instrument,

His most humble servant.

As the roaring moment

Ascends to the heavens,

The echo of the people’s love

To the Lord God is heard everywhere.

With one voice, they proclaim their faith

And their praises to the Most High….

The crowd go wild as you appear….

The strong link between humanity

And Jesus Christ.

We salute you, JP2!!!

luisadelacruz 011695

 

A PRAYER FOR JP2

Glory to You, oh Lord, the Most High.

Praise be with You always.

We, Your people, thank You with all our hearts

For entrusting us to a loving,

Humble servant of Yours.

Lord, please give him the strength he needs

So he can continue fulfilling

The duties and responsibilities

You laid upon his shoulders….

Guide him, oh Lord,

Continue to light his path,

To give him Your grace, your overflowing

Love and understanding;

To give him Your humor, humility, and peace.

Above all, Most gracious One,

Protect him from evil and let him know, oh God,

That we will always love him, your humble servant.

To You, our Beloved Creator,

We offer our deepest love and gratitude.

To You, oh Most Holy One,

We offer ourselves and your humble servant,

Pope John Paul II. Amen

luisadelacruz 011795

 PAPAL FEVER

Everyone is excited,

Waiting for his arrival.

All are anxious, eager to see him.

Alas! The long wait has come to an end.

Mixed emotions are felt by all.

There are tears, smiles, shouts,

Waves, enthusiasm, tremendous energy –

The warm and joyous welcome of the people.

All throughput his visit is seen.

Everywhere he goes, sea of humanity

You can see with overflowing

Love and affection in their eyes….

Millions of people are touched by

Mixed emotions just as they have

Seen him arrived and as they have seen him depart.

He truly has after effects….

On so many lives.

luisadelacruz 011795

A PRECIOUS SEASON IN MY LIFE....

What a way to spend the Christmas season! Yeap! I had a simple one. But in its simplicity, I found it so rich that it gave me joy in my heart and smile on my face.

I spent a little more than a week with my family and myself. Last December 24, we attended the "Simbang Gabi" 10:00 p.m. Holy Mass, then went to my sister's house to celebrate Jesus' birthday, which is also the birthdate of my sister. Wow! By 12 midnight, gifts were given and the yummy foods were at the table. We also sang and enjoyed the food. We said our goodbyes at around past 3:00 in the morning.



I spent the whole day of December 25 at the house of my eldest sister. Yeap! I took time to rest there and enjoyed the bed and the pillow and the food! Wow! I slept like a baby.

The next day, we went at Manila Memorial to visit the grave of our parents. We sat there, felt the cool breeze, watched the bed of green grasses, chat, laughed, and prayed. When my auntie and cousin arrived, we left in a little while. We had lunch at Max's Restaurant, then they brought me home. After that they fetched my other aunties. My four aged aunts would have their reunion at my eldest sister's house to reminisce their good old times together after a long time of not seeing each other.

December 27, I went there to join them. Ooooh, I really enjoyed watching them....how time flied. I remembered going to their houses when I was just a little girl. Sitting in their sofa, playing here and there and listening to their voices as they chat and laugh. Yeah, how time flied. Now I'm an adult. Their hairs are gray. They have wrinkled faces, teir bodies getting sick from time to time and getting weaker. Huhhh, It was so nice to see them, watch them chat and hear them laugh together. I'm pretty sure my Mom was happy for them. She was one of their chatmates back then.

December 28, ahhh let me see, I went home. I washed my clothes, started cleaning my bedroom. I sorted my things, I threw away my junks. I was happy doing that.

Jumping on to December 31, my bestfriend came at our house. My niece fetched us with my other sister whom I live with. We went again to my eldest sister's house to spend the New Year's eve there. My bestfriend and I sang and sang, after a while we helped prepare the food and wash dishes, then we slept. We were awakened by 11:30 p.m. Time to pray the Holy Rosary.

As we went down the family was already complete there. After we prayed, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Huggies and greetings were exchanged. Woweeeee! So many delicious foods again! While eating, I showed them the family video I made, ooooh they enjoyed watching it. My bestfriend, my nephew and my niece shared the table while eating....we were laughing, joking and playing around....That was sooooo nice!

Click! Click! Click! Pictures! Pictures! Great pictures especially the funny ones! By 4:00 a.m. we slept. We woke up by 8:00 a.m. and attended the 10:00 a.m. Mass.

January 2, we met by lunch to celebrate early the birthday of my niece. Yum! Yum! Yum! Yummy! Delicious food again!

Now back to normal! But in my heart, I got those precious memories I teasure so much! It's not really the food, the gifts, the rest, or anything else....but the treasure of time spent with my family, bestfriend, and relatives. This is something no amount of money can buy. A time investment worth spending with....One of the simple things in life....and yet, so profound.

This was one great Christmas season for me where I experienced God's love. He gave me a family and treasure of memories that I can keep in my heart. Yeah, for me, this had been a wonderful , precious season in my life. I thank God for it!

Thank You, Dear God for the gift of loved ones and time spent with them!

-luisadelacruz

 

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE

Hello! Hope your day is fine. You know, one day I came across a cartoon series entitled “Moomin.” The story revolved around a family of white hippos, a very little old lady and a scarecrow. The other characters there were animals dressed as humans. All of them live like humans, too . . . with houses, backyards, parks, etc.

Moomin was the kid boy in the family. One day, he helped his father look for a camera. He would be joining a photo contest. They searched and searched here and there. Until the mother hippo asked what they were looking for. To the father’s surprise, she showed them the fan blower where the accordion type part of the camera was attached! Hahaha!

He screwed it on the box body of the camera. When he peeped, oh no, where was the lens? Moomin took something from his room and there in his hand was a handmade magnifying glass with the camera lens as the glass. Hehehe! The tripod was with Moomin, too. Wow! This cartoon is an old type. You know why? The camera was the big box type with the camera man peeping on it with a black cloth covering his head and the camera. On one of his hand was the flash.

Hehehe , , , and the black cloth . . . oh, boy, the mom hippo painted it with hearts all over and sew a lace on its edges. She used it as a table cloth. Well now that all was set, they all went to shoot pictures of nature.

For the last shot, it was for the family and the old lady, with the flowery garden on the background. Perfect! But then, the flash was so bright that when the pictures were developed they looked like white statues.

Guess what? This last picture, it won the first price. It was on the newspaper. The whole family was so happy, except for father . . . why? Because, he knew there was a mistake in the picture. Well, his prize was a 10-year supply of the newspaper.

Then artists all over their country came to their place looking for the statues in the picture. There was a painting contest and they wanted to use them as subject. They were disappointed to find out that these statues didn’t exist. They painted nature instead.

The father hippo was encouraged to try to paint and join the contest. He got an easel, paint brushes, paint and canvass. He started painting. To his disappointment, he didn’t finish his painting. He threw the mixing plate to the drawing and it got stuck on it. He left his house to unwind.

His wife saw this and removed the mixing plate. The colors were spread on the drawing. She didn’t want the efforts of her husband to go to waste so she enlisted it to the contest . . . blessed hippo father, he won first place!

Moomin fetch him and the award was given to him. Again, his family was happy except for him. He gave away the prize. He thought he didn’t deserve it. The painting was a mistake. What a pity . . .

Sometimes we are like the father hippo . . . we perceive things differently. We are so focused with what we want to achieve that we do not appreciate the good things coming our way.

Gratefulness is overcome by sulkiness. Sad . . .

There are moments blessings come to us in disguise, like what happened to him . . . and as he did, we take them for granted. My goodness! He won first prize for the two consecutive contests. The so called mistakes? I wonder. Maybe they were God’s helping hand because if it weren’t for them, his entries would not be winning pieces. Possible, wasn’t it?

But the thing is, he wanted to rely on his own ability and not on Divine Providence. But this cost him a price . . . he never enjoyed the blessings brought by them. He never experienced the joy of a grateful heart, up to the end of the story, he never did.

Sounds familiar? Yap! We hear stories like these, know people like this . . . or sometimes, we, ourselves, are like this.

OOOOPS, STOP! Do you have any disguised blessings right now? Try to look closer, my friend. It’s not too late to be grateful, not too late to enjoy them . . . Don’t let each blessing just pass by in your life without you recognizing them and being thankful for them. Each will only pass once . . . Capture the moment. Enjoy them while you can.

A Grateful-Filled Day!

-luisadelacruz

WHAT IF THE WORLD IS BLACK AND WHITE???

What if God made the world in black and white? Have you ever thought of seeing no colors around you?

Imagine no red, no blue, no yellow, no lavender or no orange flowers to uplift your soul. No green, green grasses and leaves to refresh your eyes. No yellow sun, no blue sky contrasting with the white, fluffy clouds to warm your heart. No brown, black or gray dogs and cats with their blue or green eyes that add to our delight in them.

No painted cars, jeepneys, and buses to make our streets not boring. No colorful computer monitors to add interest to what we are doing. Not even colorful pictures to look at as we reminisce the wonderful moments we had or as we read the books we enjoy. No colorful paints to put on our houses, furnitures, and fabrics to welcome us at the end of the day and greet us when we wake up in the morning. No different shades of clothes to choose from. Not even colorful food to build our appetite.

And when we go on a fieldtrip or outing. No brown tree trunks and branches with green leaves and sometimes yellow or orange flowers. No golden corns nor rice plants to give beauty to the fields. No butterflies with different shades to appreciate. No brown big mountains, no blue bodies of water, no flying birds of different colors to relax our minds. And so on and on and on . . .

WOW! A WORLD IN BLACK AND WHITE SURE IS SOOOOOO BORING AND GLOOMY!
I guess that is why God created the world in full color. He thought man should live in an interesting, beautiful and alive world. He uses even this simple thing to tell us how much He loves us. He uplifts our soul through it. He shows He really cares and wants to cheer you up. God is a happy God. He wants to share to you His happiness through the colorful, wonderful world you live in. So, the next time you open your eyes, appreciate the different shades of color you see and, my golly, THANK GOD FOR THEM!

-luisadelacruz