PARADOXICAL

 Got so busy with work that I forgot to thank God for granting a secret wish: to make available at home something which can only be had in a place far and away like Baguio. I am talking about my hankering for strawberries. And He granted it amidst the very low probability, lockdown and all.

Not only that. I also got to taste bignay wine, dragon fruit, multigrain bread with rye seeds, and other things besides -- at a time when lockdowns make the movement of goods difficult.

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:42 PM 0 Comments

 The layman's ten commandments:

1. Prayer is not a "spare wheel" you pull out when in trouble, but is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout our journey

2. So why is a car's windshield so large and the rear view mirror so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on.

3. Friendship is like a book. It takes years to write but only a few seconds to burn.

4. All things in life are temporary. If they're going well, enjoy them... They will not last forever. If they're going wrong, don't worry. They can't last long either.

5. Old friends are gold! New friends are diamond! If you get a diamond, don't forget the gold! Because to hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold!

6. Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, god smiles from above and says, "relax, friend, it's just a bend, not the end!"

7. When god solves your problems, you have faith in his abilities; when god doesn't solve your problems he has faith in your abilities.

8. A blind person asked st. Anthony: "can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" he replied, "yes, losing your vision!"

9. When you pray for others, god listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember someone has prayed for you!

10. Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles... It takes away today's peace.

If you really enjoyed this, then pay it forward. It may just brighten someone's day. Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to god.

Godspeed!

posted by Resty Odon  # 11:46 PM 0 Comments

 Accounting is the only Profession practised on earth and in heaven.

Account for all your actions on earth and account for same in heaven.  

Now look at this.

BALANCE SHEET Of LIFE

Birth is your Opening Stock.

What comes to you is Credit.

What goes from you is Debit.

Your ideas are your Assets.

Your bad habits are your Liabilities.

Your character is your Capital.

Your happiness is your Profit.

Your sorrow is your Loss.

Your knowledge is your Investment.

Your age is your Depreciation.

Death is your Closing Stock.

And finally: GOD IS YOUR AUDITOR. 

Always endeavor to have a perfect Balance Sheet because your AUDITOR will come back sooner than later. 

Share with all and Keep your books in proper order.

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:52 PM 0 Comments

What a beautiful prayer this is, as befits a doctor of the Church.

-----------------

O merciful God, grant that I may desire ardently, search prudently, recognize truly, and

bring to perfect completion whatever is pleasing to You for the praise and glory of Your

name.

Put my life in order, O my God.

Grant that I may know what You require me to do.

Bestow upon me the power to accomplish Your will, as is necessary and fitting for the

salvation of my soul.

Grant to me, O Lord my God, that I may not falter in times of prosperity or adversity, so

that I may not be exalted in the former, nor dejected in the latter.

May I not rejoice in anything unless it leads me to You; may I not be saddened by

anything unless it turns me from You.

May I desire to please no one, nor fear to displease anyone, but You.

May all transitory things, O Lord, be worthless to me and may all things eternal be ever

cherished by me.

May any joy without You be burdensome for me and may I not desire anything else

besides You.

May all work, O Lord, delight me when done for Your sake and may all repose not

centered in You be ever wearisome for me.

Grant unto me, my God, that I may direct my heart to You and that in my failures I may

ever feel remorse for my sins and never lose the resolve to change.

O Lord my God, make me submissive without protest, poor without discouragement,

chaste without regret, patient without complaint, humble without posturing, cheerful

without frivolity, mature without gloom, and quick-witted without flippancy.

O Lord my God, let me fear You without losing hope, be truthful without guile, do good

works without presumption, rebuke my neighbor without haughtiness, and—without

hypocrisy—strengthen him by word and example.

Give to me, O Lord God, a watchful heart, which no capricious thought can lure away

from You.

Give to me a noble heart, which no unworthy desire can debase.

Give to me a resolute heart, which no evil intention can divert.

Give to me a stalwart heart, which no tribulation can overcome.

Give to me a temperate heart, which no violent passion can enslave.

Give to me, O Lord my God, understanding of You, diligence in seeking You, wisdom in

finding You, discourse ever pleasing to You, perseverance in waiting for You, and

confidence in finally embracing You.

Grant that with Your hardships I may be burdened in reparation here, that Your benefits I may use in gratitude upon the way, that in Your joys I may delight by glorifying You in

the Kingdom of Heaven.

You Who live and reign, God, world without end. Amen.

posted by Resty Odon  # 4:08 AM 0 Comments

 I realized that news items of natural and man-made disasters are traumatizing to me as well.

Doing EMDR, what came out to be most traumatizing to me are:

- the tsunami in Japan

- earthquakes (this shouldn't shock me because I survived the Baguio earthquake of 1990, or so I thought)

- vehicular accidents (I figured in one minor incident involving a motorbike -- I was trying to learn to drive a motorbike then when I saw a huge bus approaching) 

- footage of gunshots and stabbings

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:42 PM 0 Comments