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December 2023

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Reflections...








photos taken by our front door/front yard
during my high school days
"Describe your childhood bedroom. What was the view from your window?"

My family was poor when I was little. My parents -- your great-grandparents -- were church planters in the mountains on the island of Cebu and the homes back then were one-bedroom affairs. So, we probably slept, ate, entertained all in the same little room.

I didn't have my own bedroom until I was in high school, specifically when my Dad became president of FEBIAS College of Bible in 1972. So, for 2 years -- until I left for college in the States -- I had my own bedroom, a sanctuary during those critical teen years...







What I loved best about having my own bedroom was that I could decorate it in a way that expressed my personality. Case in point -- my bedroom door...
The view out of that bedroom window was our front yard which was full of plants and flowers since my Mom had an awesome "green thumb." I also could see the back of Vision Chapel and this huge mango tree that provided great shade to the music rooms that were located at the back of the Chapel. Couples would also meet at the back of Vision Chapel because they could stay hidden from prying eyes by large trunk of the mango tree. During the summer, that mango tree would bear LOTS of fruit and they were SO sweet. We always looked forward to getting the fruit from that tree.

a good reminder for this time of the year...


Friday, December 9, 2016

still on Etiquette


25 ETIQUETTE RULES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

Unfortunately, many people consider respect for the rules of etiquette as something shameful, considering it a feature of classy aesthetes who are removed from real life.
In fact, the basic rules of etiquette are pretty simple. It’s a culture of speech, common courtesy, neat appearance, and control over your emotions.
Here are the etiquette rules which every self-respecting person should know:
  • If you say, ’I invite you,’ that means you pay. You may say, ’Let’s go to a restaurant,’ and in this case, everyone pays for themselves. If a man offers to pay for a woman, she can agree.
  • Never pay a visit without a calling first. If someone came to see you without warning, you might be wearing a bathrobe and hair curlers! One British lady liked to say that when uninvited guests showed up on her doorstep, she always put shoes on, and grabbed a hat and an umbrella. If she liked the person, she exclaimed, ’I just got home!’ If not, she sighed and said, ’Ah, what a pity, I was just on my way out.’
  • Don’t put your phone on the table in public. By doing so, you show how important a role this device plays in your life, how bored you are of what’s happening, and that at any moment you’re ready to stop a useless conversation and once again check your Instagram feed, answer an important call, or try new levels in Angry Birds.
  • Nine things should be kept secret: age, wealth, family quarrels, religion, medical problems, love affairs, gifts, honor, and disgrace. Drivers should remember that puddle-splashing of passers-by is an amoral behavior.
  • A man should always walk on a woman’s left-hand side. Military men are the only exception, because they should be ready to salute.
  • If someone offends you, you shouldn’t return the favor or raise your voice to the person who insulted you. Don’t sink to their level. Just smile and leave the ill-mannered company.
  • Avoid meaningless talk on the phone. If you need someone to talk to, it’s better to meet with them in person.
  • Your shoes should always be clean.
  • Most people believe that the only proper way of eating sushi is using chopsticks. However, this really depends. Men, unlike women, can eat sushi with their hands.
  • If you’re walking along with someone and your companion greets a person you don’t know, you should also greet them.
  • A man never carries a woman’s handbag. However, he can take her coat to carry it to the cloakroom.
  • Don’t invite a girl on a date if you’re going to be texting all the evening.
  • In the cinema, theatre, or concert hall, you should move to your seat facing those sitting. A man goes first.
  • A man should never touch a woman without her permission. This means that it is unacceptable to: hold her hand, touch her during a conversation, and push her or take her hand above the elbow (unless a man is helping her to get into or out of a car, or cross the street).
  • If someone calls to you rudely (’You there!’), you shouldn’t answer. Be a model of good etiquette and polite social manners.
  • The golden rule when using perfume is moderation. If you can still smell your perfume in the evening, everyone else is already tired of it.
  • A well-bred man will always show proper respect to a woman.
  • In a woman’s presence, men may only smoke with her permission.
  • Whoever you are — a company director, an academician, an elderly woman, or a student — when you enter a room you should be the first person to greet everyone there.
  • Respect the privacy of correspondence. Parents shouldn’t read their children’s letters. Couples should show the same respect for each other. Сhecking someone’s pockets in search of love notes, letters, and other things is extremely rude.
  • Don’t try to chase fashion. It’s better to wear nice, even if not fashionable, things than look awful in a brand-new suit.
  • If you’re forgiven after you’ve apologized, don’t touch the offensive subject again just to say you’re sorry. You should try to avoid such mistakes in the future.
  • Avoid laughing and talking too loudly, as well as staring at people — it’s insulting.
  • Don’t forget to thank your loved ones, relatives, and friends. They help you not because they have to. It’s their desire. Appreciate them.
As Jack Nicholson, an American actor, said:
’I think much of decency. How to pass a plate. Not to shout from one room to another. Not to open a closed door without knocking. Let a lady pass. The aim of these endless simple rules is to make life better. I pay close attention to my manners. Etiquette matters. It’s a simple and comprehensible language of mutual respect.’
Let’s respect each other!

Matthew 6:33


Your great-grandfather's (Dr Gadiel T. Isidro) annotation explains this verse like this:
This is the proven principle of having all our needs provided by God. Let us put God first in our lives. He should be our priority. Then our legitimate needs will be provided.



Good advice...


The 12 Days of Christmas


The song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the Church.

The "True Love" one hears in the song is not a smitten boy or girlfriend but Jesus Christ, because truly Love was born on Christmas Day. The partridge in the pear tree also represents Him because that bird is willing to sacrifice its life if necessary to protect its young by feigning injury to draw away predators.

According to Ann Ball in her book, HANDBOOK OF CATHOLIC SACRAMENTALS:
The two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments
The three French hens stood for faith, hope, and love.
The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The five golden rings represented the first five books of the Old Testament, which describe man's fall into sin and the great love of God in sending a Savior.
The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience [Forbearance], Goodness [Kindness], Mildness, Fidelity, Modesty, Continency [Chastity].
The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.
The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful Apostles.
The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles' Creed.

Original Source: Fr. Calvin Goodwin, FSSP, Nebraska

Friday, December 2, 2016

COMING HOME


I heard this song for the first time today and
instantly fell in love with it!!

COMING HOME by John Legend

A father waits upon a son
A mother prays for his return
I just called to see
If you still have a place for me
We know that life took us apart
But you're still within my heart
I go to sleep and feel your spirit next to me
I'll make it home again
I pray you'll fall in love again
Just say you'll entertain the possibility
I learned enough from my mistakes
Learned from all I didn't say
Won't you wait for me?

It may be long to get me there
It feels like I've been everywhere
But someday I'll be coming home
Round and round the world will spin
Oh, the circle never ends
So you know that I'll be coming home.

We fight to stay alive
But somebody's got to die
It's so strange to me
A new year, a new enemy
Another soldier gone to war
Another story told before
Not it's told again
It seems the wars will never end
But we'll make it home again
Back where we belong again
We're holding on to when
We used to dare to dream
We pray we live to see
Another day in history
Yes, we still believe.

It may be long to get me there
It feels like I've been everywhere
But someday I'll be coming home
Round and round the world will spin
Oh, the circle never ends
So you know that I'll be coming home.

I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming
You know that I'll be coming home.

It may be long to get me there
It feels like I've been everywhere
But someday I'll be coming home
Round and round the world will spin
Oh, the circle never ends
So you know that I'll be coming home.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3owa7c-eFM0

Published on Jul 27, 2012

Today's verse...