Wonderful Relationship: A Wealth that Symbolizes a Real Treasure

December – the best month (for me at least, apart from the month of my birthday – July =) ) and the most celebrated time of the year.

Behind all the parties, gifts, laughter, sumptuous foods, shopping duties left and right etc., there’s also an inevitable realization that normal, long, and so ordinary days are about to start as soon as the new year starts. It begins to sink in especially in the remaining days of this month. As much as possible we don’t want to go near New Year’s evening yet because that would mean it’s the end of a good dream and now we need to wake up and go back to reality.

However, the words End, Goodbye, Farewell, and even Final Episode or Season of TV series we are all watching, carry a magic and a greater significance in our lives no matter how normal the things we encounter each year end. And for me, despite of the only thing that is constant, which is change, there is one thing I hold as truth that is not changing – and that is relationship with people around us. Relationship that is good and nurtured.

In December 2010, I wrote about two powerful tools to achieve more blessings for the following year, which is 2011, and it goes to more years coming as long as we are still breathing. The two powerful tools are Gratitude and Positive Expectation. You can conclude that I’m a firm believer of these tools as I have tried and still using them myself. I believe that gratitude and positive expectation (faith) have amazing marks of proof to a lot of people across the world as well. For those who haven’t read it yet, it would be my great pleasure if you would check it out as I was aiming to inspire people when I was writing it (Here is the link: http://jembestroinsightandwisdom.blogspot.com/2010/12/two-powerful-tools-to-achieve-more.html)

Then in December 2011, I wrote another blog that just supports what I have shared about the power of gratitude and positive expectation (http://jembestroinsightandwisdom.blogspot.com/2012/01/normal-0-false-false-false-en-ph-x-none.html). The blog was more like a reminder not only to the people who will read my stories but also a reminder to me as well.

And this year 2012, I would like to be more like a quiet writer in my own mind but I couldn’t help myself to keep on sharing and inspiring people who might be reached by my blog entries.

Behind all the blessings I have received since 2010 when I have shared a part of the wisdom I have learned in life, I’m more grateful for the wonderful relationship I'm blessed with. We must be all familiar with the saying “No man is an Island” and I believe that. That’s why I would like to take this opportunity to write about the great rewards I have received this year involving the wonderful people around me. We know that there’s no greater way to enjoy blessings than to share and enjoy them with people we care for. 

Perhaps, this blog would serve a purpose of something to look back in the future. But mostly, this is also a way to express my gratitude for the wonderful wealth I have through great relationship with people who matter to me. 

I have mentioned some of the things I had that I consider as blessings to me in my previous blogs to show an example on how to list things to be thankful for. And in this year-end blog, I would like to focus on great time I have experienced and shared with my family and friends.

One of my friends told me before that I am not paying myself enough -- that I’m not enjoying what I have by paying myself a treat. I told that friend that I do enjoy my blessings but I just enjoy it more by giving more to my family than spending something for myself. I still enjoy doing that but I have also learned about making the most of myself and what I have worked for. Little did I know that God already made me reward myself this year through circumstances that I never thought I would greatly enjoy despite of the great deal of expenses. I realized that God just want to prove that he can do to me what he did to the 5000 people he fed (Matthew 14:13-21). That I don’t have to worry enjoying myself which is the true meaning of gratitude and positive expectation combined because there is more than enough as long as I'm not losing my values about spending money. As I look back to all the things I did this year, it made me realized that I have spent a lot of wonderful quality time with my family and friends through doing things I haven’t done before like as simple as going out of town or spending a day in a park. People who are close to me know that I’m always hesitant to spend for my own pleasure that would require more than the budget I set for my personal monthly allowance. One of them even called me ”kuripot”  (a miser; stingy) although they know that I’m like that only to myself. Another friend even described me as extreme in money – when being thrifty and when being generous. Regardless, I’m thankful to this people who guide me well and respect my own values at the same time. They keep me balanced.

To share just some of the things I did this year, below are the pictures that I will treasure as great memories in the future.

January 2012

Bonding/Reunion with College friends and celebrating birthdays of the two of them  


February 2012

 

Ate Monique's Birthday and Bonding Time with the Housemates

 

Family Day (Chloe's School Event)

March 2012

Corregidor Escapade!

Family Outing (Shosho Friends)

April 2012

 

Chloe's 5th Birthday

May 2012

 

Mother's Day (The Celebrators must be really hungry already -- my mom and my sister. They couldn't smile anymore :p)

June 2012 

 NKTOBSB Concert (The very first time I watched a concert and a Dream came true as well -- to watch BSB live in concert)

July 2012

My Day! I had a great time celebrating it thrice with different groups - friends, family, and colleagues.. :)

August 2012

Except for Lanie (the third lady in yellow shirt), these wonderful friends of mine including my sister (first picture) were not able to celebrate their birthdays with us but sure August is a month that cannot be forgotten because it's the month of their birth :)

   

September 2012

Bench Underwear Fashion Show!! Thanks to Paula's free tickets (the lady in hello kitty shirt).. :)

October 2012

 

Puerto Prinsesa Palawan Adventure!!! Another dream came true for me. One of the memorable moments. It made me appreciate the beauty of our country more!

November 2012

 

Sean's 7th Birthday (The son of one of my closest friends. They are like family to me)

Mhean's Birthday! Although we were not able to pursue the plan to celebrate her day, she's definitely one of the people I remember in this month -- aside from those who already died (Just kidding haha!)

December 2012

These are the only pictures I can post though I have celebrated Christmas with different groups. I took the liberty to post these pictures although some of them are not mine because I know that I have the owners' consent (In other words, because I know they love me hehehe).

In this New Year 2013, I’m looking forward for more great times I will share with people I love. It doesn't matter if it's going to be through just a simple chat over a cup of instant coffee as long as it's Nescafe, ay! I mean as long as it will keep our relationship stronger, I know all of us would not mind at all. I'm even looking forward to meeting new people in the years to come, people who I know will become significant part of my journey.

Connection is part of who we are that's why it's no wonder why social networks like Facebook and Twitter are getting more and more popular these days. Because it's part of our nature to interact with others and live a meaningful life with people around us -- good or bad. 

Let us remember that behind investing well in improving all areas of our life such as our Spiritual, Family, Work, Financial, Physical, Personal, and Intellectual life, we actually grow with the people around these areas. So let us invest well in our relationship with God, with each of our family member, with colleagues or people we deal at work, and with ourselves and our own values.

  

Happy New Year! And God bless us all!

Julie Embestro

Happy New Year! So how are you? – Own your right to choose your thoughts this year 2012

Happy New Year! How are you? Hope you are maintaining that right mind to make the most of your prerogative to enjoy the blessings you already have and you are about to have this year.

It’s been a week since year 2012 started. Everybody is back to their normal everyday life but most of us are probably still can’t get enough of the holiday rest we just had.

Last year, I wrote a blog about Two Powerful Tools to Achieve More Blessings for 2011. In my own opinion, that was so far, the best blog I ever wrote – not that I have so many anyway. :)  I just poured out my passion in inspiring people through that writing. So just in case you would like to check it out again, please go to this link – http://jembestroinsightandwisdom.blogspot.com/2010/12/two-powerful-tools-to-achieve-more.html 

This New Year blog that I’m sharing with you now is more of a reminder of that writing. We, humans, tend to be forgetful most of the time. We are creature of emotions that we are only focused of what we are feeling right at this moment. This is more like human nature that causes us to throw things we have learned out of the window most of the time. I say most of the time and not all the time because I believe that there are also a lot of people who have already mastered how to stay focused on what is positive regardless if they are feeling bad as of the moment – And I hope all of us are like these people.

As much as we don’t have to deny our negative feelings such as sadness, frustrations, hopelessness, etc. We still have to learn how to go pass through those emotions because at the end of the day, the choice is still ours whether we would dwell on those destructing feelings or not. This reminds me of the status of one of my workmates before that says “Kung may pinagdadaanan ka, daanan mo lang wag mong tambayan” (If you are going through something – in this case, problems – just go through it and don’t dare to take a coffee break there hehe). I’m not sure if those are the exact words but the context is the same.

And as I have written in my last year’s New Year blog, we must stay grateful amidst trials. Gratitude is still, and will always be one of the best tools to welcome more blessings and good events to our lives.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22

God himself is telling us how maintaining a cheerful attitude can help us live life longer and happier. And a person with grateful heart is definitely a happy person as well. Dwelling on unhealthy thoughts will give us no good at all.

When you are already grateful, this can easily lead you to the second tool I shared last year to acquire more blessings, and that is Positive Expectation. With a grateful heart, we can easily expect more favorable things to happen in our lives. We already know the importance of holding tighter to our faith but little did we know that being grateful is also an actual expression of faith, and thus, positive expectation. According to Sean Rasmussen, author of “The Secret Law of Attraction”, “The man who can be sincerely thankful for the things which he owns in imagination only has real faith”. It’s clear then that a man who is already thankful for the things he is still not yet having is already expressing real faith. How easier can it be then to expect more if we are already thankful for what we ALREADY HAVE. It’s definitely easier, isn’t it? :) So does expecting more.

Grateful mind --> expects good things --> Faith (Belief)

Let’s stay focused then on being grateful of what we already have. If you think you don’t have any, my question would be “Did you wake up this morning?” The answer is definitely yes since you are reading this right now, so that alone is something to be grateful for. Each morning gives us an opportunity to make the most of our life. So might as well take advantage of it. And let us all never hesitate to expect more because we all deserve them.

In my last year’s blog as well, I mentioned that I will share how to write goals in each area of your life. This is not something tedious that you have to maintain everyday but you definitely have to read regularly, or rather every day. This is apart from writing things that you are thankful for. But I will share that in another blog hopefully soon (hope I can impart something uplifting with you regularly so I think I need something to work out on myself as well – and that is to forget the thought wala ako sa mood (I’m not in the mood) haha! I hope that it will help you in any way it can.

Let us all remember to start our year right. So “How are you?” will be a question that we can always answer with the word “Great!” or “Very good” instead of the usual “Ok lang”

God bless us all! Until next time..

Julie Embestro