Gratitude Challenge 7 (Last Day)

Day 7 of the Gratitude Challenge

1. Grateful that the God we serve created sabbath - a day of worship and rest in the presence of the Lord.

2. Thankful for His Word that has the power to create and make things possible.

3. Full of gratitude for His laborers in His vineyard. Surely, their labor is not in vain.

I'm thankful to all of you my dear readers for reading my gratitude challenge posts. I hope that in one way or another I have inspired and encouraged you to be grateful even for simple things. This may have ended but I pray that the spirit of gratitude in our hearts remain. Again, thank you.

So, what are you grateful for today? :)

Gratitude Challenge 6

My 6th Day of Gratitude Challenge

1. Grateful for "pit stops"; hubby gets to recharge then drive again.

2. Thankful for the Hillsong music; it makes hubby awake as he drives (at this hour) while lulls baby (and me ?) to sleep. Heehee!

3. Full of gratitude for every simple joy that God sends our way while on this road
trip back to Manila.

Note: This gratitude challenge was written when we were still residing in Manila.

Gratitude Challenge 5

Here's my 5th day of Gratitude Challenge:

1. Grateful that we (daughter and I) get to tag along Daddy once in a while on his mission trips. Besides the opportunity to see other places, it's the bonding moment with him that we are looking forward to.

Dasol, Pangasinan

Daddy as he prayed for the kids

2. Thankful that we can use travel time as learning time for our daughter. When we saw the rice field, I told her it's where the rice we eat is coming from. She started asking why and that hinted me to discuss with her the different processes that occur before it reaches our table. Her answer was precious: "Mom, I want to plant then harvest then cook the rice. I want (to) do it." 

"Mommy, the grass feels good on my feet."

"There's my shadow."

"I like this, Mom."

 

"Let's go to the beach and play sand."

3. Full of gratitude for people who welcome us (when we travel) to their house because of their love for Christ. Being away from home is really a challenge. However, meeting people who make you and your family feel at home makes it pleasurable

Our little ladybug together with the daughter of our host and some of the kids they (family) minister to.

"Ate, I can play with this?"

She asked if she could "play" the piano and she was allowed to.

So, what are you grateful for today? :)

Gratitude Challenge 4

My 4th Day of Gratitude Challenge


1. Grateful that I can cuddle and kiss my daughter to my heart's content. It's priceless! Time flies so I do it as much as I can and while she still wants it.

2. Thankful that I get to be hugged and kissed back by my baby. Who cares about wet cheeks and nose? It's precious! Haha! She specially likes to do "kiss nose" which she learned from her dad.

 3. Full of gratitude that my daughter always looks for "mommy" (me). It warms my heart. I hope she won't get tired of doing it when she's a little bit older. I know I'm gonna miss that if ever.

I know it's all about my daughter. She could be so "makulit" when she's up and about, and I'm not going to lie, she could get on my nerves at times, but as her mom (and just like any other moms to their kids), I love her with all my heart. After all, she's the reason I am called a mom.

So, what are you grateful for today? :)
 

Gratitude Challenge 3

Here goes my day 3 gratitude challenge:

1. Grateful for the ‪provincial life I'm living right now (at the time I was in Laguna, Philippines). Far from the pollution and noise of the city, I'm awakened by the chirping birds by the bedroom window; I witness the changing hues/colors of the sky; I can breathe in and breathe out without worrying what goes into my lungs; and most of all my daughter can run freely in our garage or veranda.

 

2. Thankful that I get to look after my daughter and witness every milestone she hits. I feel so blessed that I was given this opportunity by the Lord. Others may say "sayang" (waste) because I could have worked and earned to help ends meet but I don't think and feel that way. I say I'm blessed because God led me to this path and where He leads, He provides.

 3. Full of gratitude that God endowed me with so much breastmilk that I can still breastfeed my daughter even at her age (3 years old). To be able to breastfeed her this long is really a blessing, not only financially but emotionally as it deepens and strengthens our mother-daughter relationship. I would never trade this for anything.

What are you grateful for today? :)

Gratitude Challenge Day 2

Hello, dear readers! I am sincerely sorry for the delay in my posts. As I have mentioned in my previous post, constant changes are occurring in my life; my small family moved from one country to another, then from one city in this country to another. The challenge? There was no internet connection right away. But thanks to my little brother (who isn't little anymore) who made it possible. So, here I am again. And as I have promised (before), I'll be posting the rest of my Gratitude Challenge every day. Thank you for dropping by. :)

1. I am extremely thankful for families that God let me be part of; my immediate family (Daddy, Mamu, Ate and her family, my brothers (their respective families) and my in-laws.

With Mamu, our little ladybug, my sis-in-law and my niece

 2. I am so grateful for friends who have been with me through thick and thin. They are some of God's wonderful gifts. Trust that I have been the kind of friend that they wished to have.

3. I am thankful for people whom God has used to make me a better, stronger, gracious and loving person.

Some of my former colleagues

What are you grateful for today? :)

Note: Please note that the pictures are the only ones I have right now. It doesn't mean that just because someone (a family member or a friend) is not in the picture/s doesn't mean I don't consider him or her a family or friend. Thank you for understanding. :)

Gratitude Challenge

Hello there! Yay, I'm finally back! Haha! It's been a looong time. Things have been in a state of flux lately and it's just now that I'm starting to get to adjust with these many changes. I'm not sure though if these life alterations are for good... Well, no matter what, I know that the best way to respond is to be grateful... always. After all, the only constant thing in this world is change, isn't it?

If you're familiar with the ''Facebook Challenges'' that is going on for some time now, well I was one of those who have been nominated to join the ''Gratitude Challenge''.  I feel so blessed to be part of this. I would like to share it with you all. It's a 7-day challenge, so expect a post from me everyday (that means you have a valid reason to visit my blog every.single.day). Yay! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Day 1 of Gratitude Challenge
1. I'm grateful for each day that God is giving me; that He wakes me up each morning and gives me
    life.

2. I'm grateful for my husband Wilbert who loves me and whom I love.
3. I'm grateful for our daughter who is a constant reminder of a promise-keeping and miracle-working God.

So, what are you thankful for today? :)

Grateful for Today

If you have been following me in Instagram and Twitter, you may have noticed that for a couple of months or so, I have been using the #grateful #gratefulfortoday hashtags. I woke up one day realizing how blessed I am to be receiving blessings, from the most incredible to the simple ones, that I believe being thankful is the only way to receive such goodness coming my way.

Some might argue (?) that to be grateful when all the good things in life are going your way is just natural. But that's not what I'm saying. What I am saying is: start living a life of gratitude and see what it does to your life.

It makes you see the beauty in the mundane. 
The world may not be perfect, but when you have an attitude of gratitude you begin to see the exquisiteness of things around you.

Patterns. While we were staying in a bed and breakfast hotel in Cebu

My daughter's find from Book Sale

You appreciate each day given to you.

You don't have to be terminally ill just to comprehend how beautiful life is. Things may not be always going your way but a thankful heart will invariably see the purpose in every circumstance.

The more you are grateful, the more you give. Therefore, the more you receive.
I have experienced this countless times. You don't wait for the blessings and then give and  then be thankful. It's the other way around, I believe. Be grateful. Be a blessing. Be blessed.

How about you? Are you grateful for today? What makes you grateful? Would love to hear from you. :)

Note: Please feel free to use #gratefulfortoday in your social media posts. Let's spread the spirit of gratitude! Thank you. :)

An Unexpected Blessing: How I Celebrated My Birthday "Unexpectedly"

I just noticed that since the time I told myself to be grateful even for simple things, I have also started feeling blessed. Last June 9th, I celebrated my 39th birthday (yes, I am not ashamed of my age, haha). And although I (and my sister) sponsored a birthday giveaway, I didn't have or buy something for myself, and that's totally fine with me. On that day, my husband and I didn't prepare a special menu or the usual "handa", no plans whatsoever. I was simply glad and grateful to wake up to another day given to me by God, that in itself, for me was already noteworthy. That day was also made one-of-a-kind by the hugs, kisses and untiring "Happy birthday, Mommy!" greetings of my daughter, my husband's bear hug and sweet kisses (of course), sincere greetings from my family and the 100+ greetings and wishes on my Facebook wall from friends. How could I ask for more? :)

Then on that same day, three minutes before two in the afternoon, an unexpected text message came. It was unexpected because this person, I know, is a very busy one. I didn't expect she'd greet me on that day, that she'd remember.She was my head pastor in Laguna. She was a mentor and friend. :)

Unexpected text message :)

So, after our exchange of text messages, we came up with a decision to meet that night for she and her husband were already in the metro (Ortigas, to be exact). We met and dine at Tong Yang in Megamall. To tell you honestly, that was the first time (again) my husband and I have been to Tong Yang. The last time was when our baby was not yet here. It was our daughter's very first time and she enjoyed the food, the company and the experience. We all did, actually. It was truly a blessing, an unexpected one.

With Rev. Virgie Hernandez and her husband Bro. Bong

After hours of eating (haha!), I was greeted by the waiters and staff of Tong Yang, which by the way came also as a surprise. I know a lot of restaurants are doing this but at that moment, I was oblivious to that fact, heehee. For some reason it didn't enter my mind that such thing was going to happen. Surprise! Surprise! :)

Yours truly

With my loves

I'm blessed beyond words for all the good things that God has done and continues to do in my life. My life may not have been a luxurious one, still I find myself blessed. I guess it's in the simple things that one can really find bliss. So blessed, so grateful. Grateful to God. For everything. For His wonderful servants, Ptra. Virgie and Bro. Bong Hernandez. For my husband and daughter. For my family and friends. I am not a saint but the Lord has blessed me with undeserved favor (that is, grace) and unexpected blessings.

Glad and Grateful You Are My Daughter's Dad

When I saw you held Wynona in your arms for the first time, I knew you'd be a great Dad to her. You did an awesome job that day and you continue to do so until today. Happy and blessed Father's Day to you, Babe. I'm so glad and grateful you are my daughter's Dad. Butchik and I love you to the moon and back! :)

Mommy and baby's art & craft for Father's Day

My Loves