Strength of The Small

Lifestyle Choices

JM Perez By JM Perez3 min read619 views

I have been feeling like an embryo in my Mother’s womb; able to hear people’s conversations, to feel their pain, but unable to help out. There is a contagious virus going around robbing individuals of their sight, blinding them with a lie, stripping them of their most priceless possession they will come to own and placing uncertainty on their mind.
Some people, when faced with tragedy, meltdown, deception, disappointments, betrayal (you name it) are too quick to point the finger at others, too quick to give up and get out rather than stand tough and work things out.

Due to the amount of pain I am witnessing around me, I’ve been thinking about Lifestyle choices and couldn’t help but wonder if they sometimes cause us more damage than good? We are always so obsessed with focusing on material things or looking for something (supposedly bigger and/or better) that we are never really able to enjoy what we have, that we are never really in touch with ourselves. This can often be seen in relationships and such choices make a huge difference between Happiness and  despair, between love and heartache.

“Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.” ― Leviticus 19:17 (NLT)

We are all victims of the bad economy. So many of us have lost our homes, our jobs and in extreme cases, our self-esteem. Are these reasons valid enough to take them a step further by pointing fingers, threatening and ending a relationship? Is the loss of a loved one more important than the well-being of the living? Is the pain so unbearable that we believe inflicting it on others might give us some closure or help us heal faster? How does one treat a sibling wrongly, turning family members against a sibling and then play the victim?

Source: PositiveMed.com.
Source: PositiveMed.com.

How do we go from loving someone one minute to hating them the next?
Cutting Cords is sometimes necessary to end an unloving relationship and take time to heal. For instance, when a couple’s needs become incompatible or when they stop having the same vision. If it ever comes down to that, the best approach is to Part in Love, ending the relationship with Love and Respect for one another.

We are a Society who have come to believe that silence is the ultimate treatment for those who don’t see things our way. In other words, we think that withholding communication to others is as effective as punishing them. Hatred for someone or something is a weakness as it doesn’t make us think straight. When we are consumed by anger and consciously decide not to let go, we are actually inflicting more pain unto ourselves. Lingering on robs us of so much and leaves us empty. We attract so much negative energy, our heart darkens, we become deaf to the voice of reason and we are unable to receive the healing grace of God.

“Love is not a dead sentence and should never be used as a weapon of destruction.” ― Joan Ambu

Our daily decisions can either help us move forward and excel in life or hold us back. The choice is always ours. Too often we change/rearrange things when ideally we should be supportive, patient, understanding and loving while things fall into place on their own. Our Lifestyle choices reflect our values, determine our future and can either empower us to do great things or drive us to lose what is most important.

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” ― Romans 13:8 (ESV)

What Will You Catch This Year?

EPEngineer By EPEngineer2 min read452 views

“Many people go fishing all their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.”
― Henry David Thoreau.

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday, peacefully at home, fighting a cold. It was a good day as I received all the love that I could hold. I am aging slowly but surely I am loving it. It’s quite difficult to remember the last time I actually felt this good. Perhaps when I left home? When I met my Wife? When I became a Parent? I can only hope that the feeling lingers on. I am grateful for my Life, for my encouraging Family, Friends and for the unknown.

When you are surrounded by people who have genuine concern and interest for others, they instantly bring out the best in you. The path that I chose almost sixteen years ago led me to a road of certainty and the life changing decision I made twelve years ago has led me to clarity. I have experienced strong emotions and bonds that I had never felt before and I have also experienced great deceptions from individuals whom I believed in.

Source: WXNetwork.
Source: WXNetwork.

I want to acquire more knowledge, to be more loving, more understanding of my surroundings, more forgiving, more humble, more patient, more conscious, to be present and fully live the moment, to give more, to reach out more and to accept as well as embrace the things I cannot change. Above all, I want to have a personal relation with my Creator. To truly understand His Words and to live by them all the days of my life. I want Serenity.

In my moments of reflection, I have traveled many roads and arrived at different conclusions based on each action and reaction from individuals. In this crazy society that we live in today, it seems that every spare moment is used to check our status updates, our friends pages, our text messages, our favorite show updates and so on. But I ask you, when was the last time you sat outside listening to some music and watched the clouds go by? Do we have three minutes to spare on our crazy lives? I do and I hope for your sake that you do as well. If you do not let your mind wonder then how will you be able to wonder in your mind?

Thank you all for your well wishes and kind words on my Facebook page. Thank you for the phone calls and Text Messages. It was nice reading and hearing from you all. I appreciated the extra ray of sunshine.

So, what will you catch this year and in the years to come?

Sweet Sound of Music

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read534 views

Sunshine, cool breeze and the smell of freshly baked cookies in the air. Oh, what a beautiful day!

My Kindergartener returned from his end of year Christmas Party at school and together with his sister, they are having fun in the playroom. We will be having him home exclusively for the next three weeks, moments which I am looking forward to create and treasure. I have completed my morning chores and I have made myself comfortable on the loveseat, all relaxed and worry free. I am blogging and sipping a warm cup of coffee while listening to the sweet sound of Benise (“Spanigh Nights” album). We bought his first four CDs in 2002, while he was performing with a group of friends at the Ontario Mills® Mall. We couldn’t resist his unique style of music.

Benise, “Spanish Nights.”
Benise, Spanish Nights.

The excitement, anticipation and final countdown to Christmas is making everyone here antsy (myself being the antsiest). In just five days we’ll all be opening our gifts; reaping those beautifully wrapped presents which have been carefully and lovingly placed under the white Christmas Tree. To witness the unbridled joy and gratitude on my children’s faces as they contemplate their gifts is, oh, so priceless. In just five days, we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, to the virgin Mary. One of my favorite Holidays to reflect and rejoice.

Where has the time gone, literally? It’s hard to fathom that this year is almost over and that in just twelve days we will be starting a new year (of new beginnings and possibilities). This year has gone by way too fast. In retrospect, I think 2012 has been our best year so far and we can only hope that it takes us safely into 2013.

State of Gratitude

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read616 views

Today was the annual Christmas Program performed by Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade classes. Unfortunately, the bad weather didn’t allow us to take our Kindergartener to the show since it has been cold, cloudy with high winds all last week and it rained all day today. As much as we would have loved to go, we know that it’s not the time for anyone to get sick. I would rather have my loves safe with me at home. At this point in time, we are mostly grateful for the gift of togetherness, for Life and good Health.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." ― Melody Beattie
Gratitude Unlocks the Fullness of Life.

Our day ended peacefully and beautifully with laughter and praises. Like every other night, as I kissed my Children goodnight, I was reminded of Life’s fragility (how any moment and every breath could be our last). My heart still aches as I think of those who can no longer kiss their loved ones goodnight. My continued prayers and well wished go out to all the innocent victims in the World as well as to the families of the offenders.

The pain and sorrow we witness around the World is overwhelming. Here, at home, we pray more, we love more and we laugh more. I hug my children a little bit tighter, I spend a lot more time with them, I worry less and enjoy more. We ceaselessly remind each other how much we love them because without advance notice, life can end abruptly. Our bond is stronger and more special than before.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

Joyful Gathering

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read589 views

Yesterday was a joyful day as we celebrated the moment, a friendship reunion and new beginnings.
We feel blessed and thankful for all the wonderful people we’ve met along our way through life. We are thankful for those who are no longer in our life and for the life lessons it’s thought us. We are most thankful to those who are still a part of our lives and whose presence (near or far) makes a difference.

Neri and Joan.

Today, I finally met Neri and her loving Family. We are all a DeVry Institute of Technology/University couples. She was Eduardo’s classmate and we used to chat a lot once upon a time, when we weren’t as busy with life and before we got married and started our families. She always had good advice to give and we stayed connected through Myspace and Facebook. After ten long years of wanting and hoping, I finally met Neri, which it seems, I have always known in my head and heart. She is a beautiful, strong and amazing Woman. A compassionate being, a free Spirit and her joy radiates. Have you ever had that feeling of meeting someone for the first time and had the impression of knowing them all your life? That’s how I felt in the presence of Neri.

Victoria Secret Gift Bag.

Thank you so much, Neri, for your hospitality and for allowing us to share a moment of one of your family’s cherished tradition. Thank you for the delicious food (as well as the ‘Take Home’). Thank you for the laughter, the conversations, the pictures, the gifts, the friendship, etc.

We thank God for you and for your wonderful husband, Michael. We thank God for your lovely children (you are teaching them well). Thank you for your continued encouragements in my life as a Writer and thank you for your invaluable input.

I pray that the Almighty God bless you abundantly and keep you safe, always.