Ready. Set. GROW!

Growth is vital for us to be able to enjoy to the fullest the various areas of our lives and utilize the gifts and blessings that God has provided us with so we become blessed and become His instruments to bless others.

You have to want to grow!

Growth is and must be intentional. It does not just happen in a split second or by saying it.

In order for one to grow, one must have the drive and purpose to grow. Growth for humans is much like growth for plants and animals. If we want to grow we have to “cathect” or invest time for our growth so we could enjoy what life has to offer; otherwise, we would just grow old wild and in survival fashion or timid and restrained.

Cathect in yourself. Sit down and talk to yourself---know what you want, you love, and you can do about them. Appreciate yourself and know the power inside you. Once you start the ball rolling, you would just be surprised one day how far you have gone and how much the ball has accumulated and how big it has become.

Be determined to grow. Start, no matter how small or big the step is. Just start, and consistently work out your improvement. Day by day by day by day.

Imagine lying on your deathbed and recapping the days you have lived. Would you want to see days that are empty or not spent with your loved ones or doing the things you wish you have done? Or would you want to see days that are filled with meaningful and joyful memories with your loved ones doing the things you love, visiting places together, fighting for the causes you believe in, having the means to help your loved ones and the underprivileged, eating your favorite food, and achieving your goals?

Growing old with time without developing in maturity is like walking aimlessly in the jungle. You don’t know the time and where you are. It is enough to just get by each day and handle anything that comes along. No drive. No plan. No goal. No direction. Just fate at work.

Anything-goes life could seem appealing. But let us not be selfish just thinking about ourselves surviving each day and taking pride on it. Let us also think about our loved ones who would be glad seeing us well and enjoying the gift of life with them. Think about your parents, your spouse, your children, and especially God who gave us all we need—which we just need to tap in order to utilize them.

Think about the life you wish to have!

Choose the area where you want to grow. Just one thing at a time, to surely get things right. Focus on it. Visualize it. Act upon it. Constantly make short-term plans and achieve them, and work them out on a daily basis.

Assess yourself. Put your evaluation in writing so you can keep track of your passion and effort and so you know where to press on each time trials try to dishearten you.

If the area you want to improve on months ago no longer thrills you nor develop into something bigger that tickles your imagination, it means you’re not doing much. If you feel that there’s something wrong or that your boat is sinking , it only says that you’re not done yet.

Use others’ lives as challenges and inspiration; but never compare yourself with them. Your competition is only yourself. Beat yourself daily!

Take heart! Pray. Stay in the boat and row slowly, but don’t stop. God has given us everything we need so we can overcome and grow.

Always remind yourself of your purpose why you decided or wanted to grow on the first day of the process. Your purpose is what keeps things together when they tend to fall apart.

In times of struggle, bow in God’s majesty and let God do things for you. Let God use you. Just trust in Him completely, do your best, and he will surely do the rest so you may bring glory and honor to His name.

Share your vision and have a mentor. Share your goal with the people who care most about you. They will help and guide you. They will be frank with you when you need a feedback or be proud of you when you deserve an appreciation.

Stay away from hushers. They will blur your vision and lose your focus.

Have the humility to accept that things will be easier when done with a helping hand, and acknowledge the fact that there are people who are better than us. Go to them, listen to them and learn from them.

When you have a person or set of persons who support you, there will always be people who will catch your back and cheer you on. You will have prayer warriors and willing ears to listen to your journey. Sometimes this people are so much into your improvement that you just have no other choice but to move forward and upwards.

Growth is vital for us to be able to enjoy to the fullest the various areas of our lives and utilize the gifts and blessings that God has provided us with so we become blessed and become His instruments to bless others.

Growth brings good physical health, emotional maturity, mental soundness, stable financial capacity, and more importantly sound and healthy spiritual life.

Why live in worries and deprivation when you can live in joy and overflow?

Discover and enjoy your blessings! Decide to GROW!

Shine! Be the light that inspires others.

Kape

Nagsimula sa isang tasa ng kape.

Paikot-ikot sa kama, hindi ako makatulog. Marami na akong naipasalamat sa Kanya, hiniling, at ihiningi ng tawad. Alas dos na ng madaling araw, hindi pa rin ako dinadalaw ng antok.

Nakatulala sa madilim na silid, bigla kang pumasok sa isip ko. Napangiti. Napaisip. Tumawa. Umiyak.

Ikaw ang nag-iisang lalake na sobra kong kasundo kahit madalas kaduwelo. Madalas ipinagmamalaki mo ako at bida sa paningin mo kahit numero uno mo akong tagapanggulo at kadebate.

Sa tuwing nadidismaya ka sa akin, walang patumpik-tumpik mong tinatawag ang pansin ko--mapatext, mapatawag, o mapaharap-harapan.

"Mahal kita kaya ayaw kong napapasama ka," lagi mong banat. Sasagot ako at agad mong sasabihin, "Yan ka nanaman eh, ijujustify mo pa. Makinig ka sa akin. Sa tingin mo ba maririnig mo sa iba ang maririnig mo sa akin? Hindi ka sasabihan ng iba na 'tatanga tanga ka minsan'." Sabay tatawa ka at yayakapin ako.

Ikaw lang, pwera sa nanay at tatay ko, ang gustong gusto ng buo kong pangalan at aliw na aliw na tawagin akong 'Christy' (dahil alam mo ayaw kong tinatawag ako non), pero ipapakilala sa mga kaibigan ng 'Faith' habang natatawa kang banggitin ito dahil lagi kang sanay na inaasar ako... hanggang 'Potpot' na lang ang pagpapakilala mo sabay sabi 'baby ko pare.'

Sobra kitang namimiss.

Namimiss ko ang tatawagan mo ako ng disoras ng gabi, lalo na sa disoras ng gabi sa sumunod na araw pagtapos ng kaarawan mo. Tatawag ka para singilin ako na di kita binati. "Taun-taon mo na lang kinakalimutan!" (Sa totoo lang hindi ko nakalimutan ang birthday mo dahil days before nito tanda ko na at nakaalarm pa sa phone ko. Ang batiin ka ang nakakalimutan kong gawin. Ngayon sigurado ako alam mo yan).

Namimiss ko na din ang ititiext kita kahit anong oras ng araw at magugulat ka na lang na nagtext ako matapos ang maraming buwan. "May tanong ako..." "May sasabihin ako sayo..." "Alam mo ba..." "Oist! Miss na kita..." "Ipagpray mo ako kasi..." "Kamusta na? Balita?"

Namimiss ko na din ang paghintayin ka ng ilang oras, minsan araw, lingo, buwan na ang lumipas di ako dumating... Sa muli nating pagkikita, papakainin mo pa ako ng marami, magkikwentuhan tayo at tawanan, tapos pagbusog na pagsasabihan mo ako. Wala na akong lusot kasi, loko ka, binusog mo na ako at kokonsensyahin.

Miss na kita, loko ka! Kanina pa ako tumitingin sa paligid pero di kita makita. Kailangan ko pang pumikit para makita ka sa dilim.

Hai... Ikaw ang taong kakampi ko sa lahat at hindi ako pinahiya sa harap ng mga tao. Laging papuri at biruan, pero hindi mo ako nilaglag o kinucha kahit ilang beses kitang nabigo.

Ikaw ang sumbungan ko at kakampi. Ikaw ang tagapagtanggol ko kahit dalawa lang tayo ang magkausap at nakakarinig at di mo kilala ang kinikwento ko. Naalala ko pa, ang sarap ng tawanan natin sa mga arte natin.

Sa tuwing mapapagalitan ako ni mama ikaw ang lawyer ko o kaya peace negotiator. Hindi mo ako dinidiin pag napapagsabihan. Pero pagtayong dalawa na lang, mahaba pa sa sermon ng tunay na pari ang litanya mo.

Ikaw ang kadabate ko. Ikaw ang tanungan ko. Ikaw ang kasagutan ko. Ikaw ang labasan ko ng sama ng loob. Anong klaseng usapan man, lagi tayong natatapos sa tawanan at biruan.

Naalala ko pa sa tuwing may hiling ako sayo hindi mo ako binibigo, minsan may sobra pang bigay. Lagi mo ako niyayaya lumabas at syempre kumain (kasi yun ang hilig natin), ako lang ang madalas na hindi nakakarating.

Pero ni minsan hindi mo ako sinumbatan. Ikaw pa ang nagsasabi "babawi na lang tayo sa susunod."

Wala ka pa atang nasuway na usapan natin, sa pagkakatanda ko. Pero pag ako ang may kakulangan (dahil late, di dumating, di tumupad), ikaw padin ang pumupuno--masahe, dinner treat, movie, pabango, libro, at iba pa--ang kapalit.

Ang dami kong gustong ikwento sayo! Ang dami kong gustong itanong! Ang dami kong gustong gawin kasama ka! Loko ka, namimiss na kita. Pinaiyak mo pa ako ngayon.

Alam mo ba na gusto paghindi mo ako kinakampihan pero hindi mo ako iniiwanan tapos yayayain mo akong kumain para magkwentuhan at doon mo ako sasabunin pag tayong dalawa lang ang magkaharap, na kahit nagdedebate na tayo at nagtataasan ng boses... Tapos madighay lang tayo at magtatawanan na?!

Ikaw lang ang lalakeng kabiruan ko (pero may laman) pag may nagawa tayong mali sa paningin ng isa’t isa at sasabihing "Hindi mali ang ginawa mo. Mali lang siguro ang instruction ko. Ikaw ang pinakalovable na tao kaya magbago ka na ha... May ibubuti ka pa."

Ikaw ang kapalitan ko ng sekreto. Alam mo ang kiliti ko at kung paano ako ichallenge at imotivate. Alam mo kung paano palambutin ang matigas kong ulo at sakyan ang kabaliwan ko. Ikaw ang nakakaexplain at nakakalinaw ng maraming bagay na kahit tayong dalawa ay natatawa na lang sa sinasabi natin.

Miss na kita! Ikaw ang nag-iisang lalakeng literal kong tinawid ang bundok at ilog makita ka lang.

Buti nahalikan kita, nayakap, at natapik sa huli nating pagkikita. Hanggang ngayon di ako makapaniwala na hindi na tayo magkikitang muli.

Sa isip ko nasa isla ka lang, sa bago mong tahanan at pamilya. Ang masakit, sobrang buhay ka pa sa alaala ko dahil ganito tayo dati, buwanan bago nagkikita, pero kahit kailan kita gustong kausapin andiyan ka.

Ikaw ang pinangarap kong kuya na sobrang mapagmahal at mapagalaga sa iba't ibang paraan, at sobrang mahal ang Diyos na pinagsilbihan mo siya bilang pari ng 1 taon at 5 buwan bago ka umuwi sa Kanya.

Bro, miss na kita! Gusto kitang tawagan at kausapin. Pero iba na ngayon. Kahit gaano ka kabuhay sa isip at pakiramdam ko, di na kita makakausap at mayayakap pang muli.

Maraming salamat pinaramdam mo sa akin ang magkaroon ng mabuting kuya kahit sa dumi ng kuku hindi tayo magkadugo.

Naririnig ko ang tawa mo sa tuwing magaasaran tayo... Maraming salamat sa purong pagmamahal at pagbibigay ng walang kapalit.

At least nagyon, tutulog ako na alaala ko ang ngiti mo at rinig ko sa isip ko ang tawa mo. Malungkot man, masaya na din ako kasi nakita kitang masaya muli kahit sa imahinasyon lang.

Salamat na din sa isang tasa ng kape. Isang gabi ng pagtulog ko kabutihan mo ang isip ko.