You can kid the world. But not your sister. ~Charlotte Gray

I can not remember a significant event in my childhood, or my younger years without my sister in it. She’s 2 years younger than me. And although we have been living in different countries for too long now, I just can not go by a milestone or experience in my life without telling her about it.

Today on Easter Sunday, my sister turns a year older. I think she’s actually experiencing a personal crisis over this particular birthday whether she admits it or not, but I know for sure, that she’ll overcome it because she’s the most independent capable woman I’ve ever known!

My Sister, Jessica	My Sister, Jessica	My sister Jessica at age-5 and me at age-7.
Get to know her more:	Blog Influences Sisters and Best Friends Hazy Drift Chasing Stars

To my sister, I’ve done this before, and I’d like to do this again – dedicate this poem to you. Happy birthday.

i carry your heart with me by E. E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. -Rabindranath Tagore

Did you know? An adult butterfly probably has an average life-span of approximately one month. In the wild, most butterflies lives are shorter than this because of the dangers provided by predators, disease, and large objects, such as automobiles. The smallest butterflies may live only a week or so, while a few butterflies, such as Monarchs, Mourning Cloaks and tropical heliconians, can live up to nine months. Source: North American Butterfly Association

I don’t want a butterfly’s lifespan – to live for just weeks or months, but I sure want my life be filled with great moments.

If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves. – Maria Edgeworth

What is it about birthdays that make me look back to my life and somehow measure myself? I’m turning a year older in two days. I have to admit that it’s quite depressing since I don’t feel my age and yet more and more evidence of age are turning up. I’ve started counting gray hairs and wrinkles a few years back, and I wonder what more will I be seeing next. And the year added to my age feels like another year wasted on not accomplishing anything.

But over and over, I have to remind myself that my life should not be about my age, the time or years I’ve existed in this world. Life is about the more important aspects in life – happiness, meaning, and the friendship and love that we shared and received. These aspects make us sigh, smile and laugh, and swells our hearts. These more important aspects in life make up great experiences and great moments.

And sometimes, that moment of being satisfied with what we have is a great moment enough.

Life is not measured by every breath we take, but by every moment that takes our breath away. -Anonymous

Hear your heart. Heart your health.
~Faith Seehill

After being sick for days, coughs and colds, mild fever, pink eyes, fatigue, I’m glad we are recovering. Even my 3-year old Matthew is back to his energetic self.

After being sick for days and almost recovered, I am back to taking preventive measures to not get sick again – like drinking orange juice, making sure we’ll drink 8-glasses of water a day, being active, spraying lysol all over, …

Being sick is tough! But why is it always like that (for me anyway), that only after we get sick that we start to think and take measures to not get sick again.

If I’d known I was going to live so long, I’d have taken better care of myself.
~Leon Eldred

The thin kindling wood gives off a brilliant flame, but that flame cannot last, and does not give out warmth. It’s function is to ignite the heavy log, which will burn with less sparkle, less glitter, but with the most glowing steadiness. The fire of later years is not as brilliant as the blaze which burned at the beginning but it is firmer, surer, warmer.

Let us not permit the kindling wood to flare up and burn itself out in a beautiful but brief exhibit of flame, without being sure it ignites the thicker log for the more enduring fire.

- Ben Zion Bokser

To my loving hubby, my Valentine,

There were sparks and fireworks, and most especially there was you.
But the sparks and fireworks – they come and go throughout our years together,
and what remained constant, enduring, and ever so loving and kind,
I’ll never trade for sparks or fireworks or anything else,
You.

To all my family, friends and readers,

Have a great Valentine’s Day!

The kindest word in all the world is the unkind word unsaid. -Anonymous

I appreciate people who are thoughtful in their words; those who wouldn’t let unkind word slip through their tongues. I appreciate more those who have to gift of saying the right words – words that matter, words that help, uplifting words without being preachy, at exactly the right moment.

Words unsaid burns in the heart. Words unheard scars the soul. -Anonymous

I think it’s easier to shut up when there’s nothing good to say. The struggle has always been – saying what we mean in a manner that conveys our good intentions, especially when a criticism is involved; or when saying what we mean means a little bit of self exposure is needed or if it means risking self preservation or appearing silly and becoming vulnerable.

The trust that others place in you is your grace.
- anonymous, Yogi tea

So many times, in the midst of having fun, I’ve forgotten to behave well.

So many times, because of my selfish tendencies, I wasn’t so nice.

So many times, in my sadness, I was unpleasant.

So many times, I’ve used anger as an excuse for being disrespectful.

So many times, … sigh.

—

I found this quote from Yogi tea. I was drinking this mayan spice chocolate flavored Yogi tea then I noticed the paper flap hanging by the mug. That paper you hold at the other end of the teabag, it has in it some messages of reflections like this.

What a delight! It’s like a fortune cookie, but it doesn’t give fortune but rather pieces of reflections. It turned out that all Yogi teabags have these messages of reflections, quotes, wisdom…

Happiness is the capacity to feel deeply, enjoy fully, think freely, love truly and be needed. – Unknown

The very first time I’ve heard this quote is from my high school Math teacher. Actually, I’ve not heard or read these lines ever repeated by anyone else. She’s not a very well-liked teacher by the students. But then, I don’t think there is ever a Math teacher who is liked at all. But she’s actually nice and I’ll always remember her for this quote on happiness.

I’ve repeated these lines a few times to myself most especially, when I’m feeling insecure and depressed. I tell myself that – my capacity to feel deeply depressed is reason enough to be happy. Make sense to me. I hope it makes sense to you.

Answer to the prayer of a man experiencing great trials: Be still and take it! . . . and learn patience, humility and gratitude. – unknown

With all the earthquates and tsunamis, and the terrorism happening in our lifetime, I feel humbled and grateful that I am still alive today and enjoying the pleasures of life.

Having lived my early years in the south of Philippines, I have quite an exposure to maybe mild case of terrorism. I am proud of the city that I came from but I can not deny that there were/are cases of bombings and acts of terrorism. Believe it or not, the reason why hubby and I did not get married in my hometown in the Philippines, which I would have preferred, is because my hometown is restricted to tourist especially Americans.

Also, there was a time in my high school years when some policemen were in the school as additional security during school hours because of bomb threats. It was also strongly discouraged then to go to malls and movie theaters because of bombing threats and attempts. As a teenager, I felt defiant of this restrictions to go out that I reasoned out that if I was to die, then it was my time. But then older and wise cousin, asked me “What if a bomb went off and you were there, you won’t die but just lose a leg, wouldn’t you wish you have taken precautions just by not going out during this critical time? ” I was dumbfounded. I was naive.

I’m grateful that I have so far no first hand experience to bombings or anything similar. And I continually pray that it remains that way not just for me, but to my loved ones as well; and that all this terrorism all over the world will just stop.

Then I came to Japan. One of the first things I’ve learned about Japan is that the whole country is earthquake prone. Japan is basically a big rock , surrounded by water, sitting, actually almost floating, on top of larger blocks of rocks (tectonic plates), that are constantly in motion underwater. And yet, within the 8 or so years that I lived in Japan, although there have been lots of reported instances of light earthquakes in the region where I was, I can remember only one time when I actually felt an earthquake. It was brief and not at all shattering or devastating, but it was alarming enough for me. And this earthquake in Haiti – Hubby was in Haiti years ago, but last week when the earthquake happened, he was here with me.

I can’t even imagine how the victims are feeling over these devastating times. And I am embarrassed to admit that it almost always take their trials for me to look at my life and feel humbled, more appreciative and grateful. Thus I pray …

O Lord that lends me life,
(At all times) Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.
~William Shakespeare

Live and let live. – Unknown

I wish I know who to quote on this one but I just don’t know who was the first to come up with this very inspiring line – “Live and let live!” It talks about freedom and tolerance.

There are so many standards to follow – religions, tradition and lifestyle, to pattern how we can live our lives. Which one to follow should be our own choice, and not just because we are complying.

There are so many hindrances to living – those that makes life difficult, like problems, depression, heartache, frustration, among others. To get them by is to just live, to just continue living each day and realize that whatever prevents us from enjoying life will soon pass. If it doesn’t, by then, we have already learned to live with it.

And if we are the freedom to live our own lives, then we should let others have their own lives as well and let them be no matter how diversed they are. Tolerance! I think the greatest sin is to kill and to steal , which is the opposite of to let live . And I’m not just talking about killing and stealing as the taking of lives or the taking of material things, but also the killing of the ones spirit or the stealing of ones dreams with the malicious intent or the consequence of preventing others to live the lives they want.

This is my first participation to Sunday Citar. I had been following Fresh Mommy for along time now for it’s Sunday Citar, 30 Days Series, and the wonderful photographs of her and her family.