Hearth

Blog 110 …

     Literally, the hearth is our HOME, our sweet home.  It is our household, our family life. The hearth, when lit up, is also the source of tremendous warmth.  No wonder we huddle around it.  We want to take in all its comforts especially when the cold air sets in.  The fireside light has a lot more  drawing effects, however, as it pulls us together.  It breathes tenderness, cordiality and affection much like the effect brought by a circle of two or three of us gathering, celebrating, praising, giving thanks, and remembering all whom we love.  The Hearth reminds us too of the Brightest Light, our Lord Provider of love and warmth, who constantly shines on our spiritual paths.  We must embrace, and sustain the gifts a hearth gives!

AutumnBerries

Blog 109 …

As As summer dries up and fades all the juicy, edible berries we could just pick and harvest from our backyard gardens, landscape-brightening and adorning holly berries come stealthily.  Clustered like grape bunches ripening at orchards and vineyards, holly berries  ring in autumn and announce not only season change, but also the festive holidays right around the bend - the Great Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year.  How beautiful indeed is the landscape that God’s hands makes over and again!

Pumpkins

Blog 108 …

Puny and ginormous, flat fat and well rounded, pure orange-hued and white or green-spotted ones, pumpkins generously blossom and then line up our community gardens until we pick and harvest them.  We love pumpkin cakes, and enjoy as well pumpkin soufflés and soups that we make out of them.  We like them candied or freshly steamed crunchy in our mouths.  We pleasure our palate with their sweet, smooth or textured preparation.   With all the creative recipes we could make with pumpkins, and the satisfaction they give hungry stomachs, isn’t it a wonder why we deck our surroundings with them? 

Blessings

Blog 107 …

Clean water and bright light resources are readily accessible to us.  We have abundant food, sturdy shelter, and comfortable clothing.  Likewise, our day-to-day living is now made far too easy. Appliances big and small afford us unabashed conveniences and much comfort.  We even have the possibility to dictate our own entertainment with gaming and media devices at our hands’ reach. Our vehicles can take us anytime where we want to be.  We are undeniably not in want mode for anything money can buy.  Material things, however, mask our true life’s blessings of good health, and overflowing love from our family and neighbor-friends.  Let us lift them up and all the weary ones we know and don’t know as we truly count our blessings!

DigitalEase

Blog 106 …

Digital Age has brought many solutions to problems we encounter day to day.  In split of a second, we could communicate with someone on the other side of the globe; we could follow their activities even though we are physically and geographically distant from one another.  We could accomplish as many tasks with clicks of gadget buttons.  We could document our activities as easily.  We could process and save in a file our uncompleted written work, and then recover it for editing later.  We could, by all means, do so much more these days.  One of the many possibilities about digitization these days is what we could do in terms of creatively and amusingly organizing our digitally captured events … literally hundreds of photos we shot some place new or sentimental. We could crop them, warp them, multiply them, and make art with them simply because we have at our fingertips the means to play and experiment with them.  We could not hide the ease and exuberance of our lives with digitization!

 

Tsk …Tsk!

Blog 105 …

   You move into a new place.  You begin settling by identifying tasks likely to happen in the spaces you are afforded to inhabit.  You move big pieces of furniture first, and then you fill in the area with useful, appropriate and pleasant accessories because you want to make the space your own and also quickly feel at home.  You further desire that every habitable space brings living comfort, so you boldly work in the shortest possible time.  Soon, you take pride in getting every little thing in its place.  A few weeks after a rigging, back-breaking, time-consuming moving of things here and there, you learn that your efforts have gone in vain.  You hear about change of plans out of the blue, and for the umpteenth time.  You find out all items in a room that just got settled a week ago must be moved … again!”

Grrrrr!

Blog 104 …

     What affects, and then molds one’s personality?  Do genes dictate it?  Does environment influence it?  Do other creatures bear responsibility on how it comes out, or do emotions simply send messages to the brain on how it gets projected?  The eyes and mouth could reveal a happy, cantankerous, aggressive or cheerful disposition.  Body language could tell one’s impertinence, reticence, audacity or tenderness.  One’s voice, however, could be the most telling of all when figuring one’s internal climate.  Dare not.  Don’t loosely trust innocent-looking faces!

Beware

Blog 103 …

     Purchases moved by ads and sales could be either daunting or heartening.  If you are an experienced shopper and you know exactly what for and why you must buy an item, you are one of the few wise ones who reap the benefits of magnetic commerce.  However, when you are hypnotized by sale ads without need or purpose, and you give in, know that nothing about this game of sales is honest-to-goodness free.  You spend and dole out monies first before you gain anything.  Impulse buyers beware!

HelpFriends

Blog 102 …

Nothing big or small work gets done without helpers, young and old. Especially tremendous workload could not get completed without folks showing at appointed time and day.  When helpers come with vigor and cheer, and they lovingly donate time and effort with BIGGEST of smiles, the mix becomes priceless.  Little and big hands lifting packs of load, in the littlest of time, turn raw work into fun-filled play.  It is no wonder helpers turn out to be the HelpFriends ever!   

Indulge

 

Blog 101 …

Once you have managed to get beyond basics of life, it is never regrettable to indulge yourself.  After years of fruitful work, sensible stewardship, relentless service to others, and considerable material needs’ negotiations, you owe it to yourself to make life these days meaningfully comfortable.  You no longer must content yourself with any beds on which to lay and sleep or any chairs in which to slouch and lounge.  At the end of the day, you give the right to yourself to soak and relax in one of the best bath spas there is. You entitle yourself to the very best money could reasonably shower your tired body and advanced age.  Go ahead.  Treat yourself in the very best possible of ways!