Celebrating LIFE Archives - Truly Rich and Blessed

Truly Rich Reflections: It’s All About Love — How Lent and Valentine’s Day Are Connected

February 14, 2013 by Tina Leave a Comment

I believe it’s no coincidence that the readings for today, Valentine’s Day, speak about choosing life and love.

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

“Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy. If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy. I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Gospel Reading: Luke 9:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly andbe rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?”

Some people may be thinking, “How can we reconcile the solemn observation of Lent with the lovey-dovey ‘commercialized’ celebration of Valentine’s Day?” Actually, many of us Catholics may not know this, but St. Valentine’s Day has actually been officially removed from the Catholic Liturgical Calendar (you can read more about that here; thanks to Jennifer of Catholic Inspired for the link!).

Well, let me say it plainly for you:

It’s all about LOVE.

Lent is a time for repentance, fasting, sacrifices, more prayer, more good works, etc. Yes, true. And many people may feel gloomy just thinking about it.

But if we focus on the reason behind it all — all the seemingly “burdensome” things associated with Lent will not seem so heavy after all.

So what IS the main purpose behind Lent?

It is this:

We are called to choose the Lord. To choose love. To choose life. To deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him.

Not with a heavy heart. Not with a sad face. Not with a “Look at me! I’m holier than thou!” attitude.

But with hope, joy, humility. 🙂

Whatever we choose to do today — whether we’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day with our loved ones or not {we’re not 😉 — though we usually don’t every year anyway}, let’s remember to choose love over hate; life over death; selflessness over selfishness; humility over pride.

And we will reap the fruits of love, faith, hope.

God bless, everyone! 🙂

{Photo source: http://www.skywriting.net/inspirational/poems/help_me_Jesus.html}

August 14, 2012 by Tina

If you’re a breastfeeding mom like me (yes, our three year old daughter still breastfeeds!), you’ve probably heard of the “.” If you haven’t, Jenny Ong of Chronicles of a Nursing Mom has written extensively about it on her blog here. Basically, the bill will water down the existing Milk Code, which essentially regulates the advertising of breast milk substitutes, including formula milk.

Since it’s breastfeeding month and all, this is the BEST time to reiterate again why we are for breastfeeding. Yes, there are instances when mothers are unable to breastfeed, or choose not to, and we are definitely not in the position to judge nor condemn them. I, for one, would like to say that I truly believe that God created me as a woman for a great purpose. Being a woman is a gift, and it is something that should be celebrated and treasured. And I believe that breastfeeding is part of that gift.

As women, our very bodies have a divine purpose. God created every part of our bodies for a very special purpose. Below is an eye-opening, inspiring excerpt from the Theology of the Body website (I’ve highlighted the parts I like the most in yellow):

Every fiber of a woman’s being cries out for connection, for relationship. This distinctively feminine orientation has been poo-pooh’d in recent decades, claiming it makes a woman weak and dependent. The solution has been to downgrade her need for relationships and upgrade her ability to accomplish and achieve. However, there’s an undeniable aspect of a woman that can’t be swept under the carpet or deleted from her life – her body…

The structure of a woman’s body is made for union, for connection. The act of intercourse happens within a woman’s body as does the union of egg and sperm. The rapidly forming embryo unites itself to the lining of the womb and remains connected through the umbilical cord. In breastfeeding, the woman and her child are connected heart to heart and flesh to flesh for love and nourishment.

There is no shame in being a woman. Only women can receive new life into the empty space within. Only women can make a gift of self so that others can receive the gift of their very lives. A woman’s body “speaks” the language of receptivity and relationship.

This is me breastfeeding Tim at three months. 🙂 I know I have posted this photo before in older blog posts and articles, but I really have very few breastfeeding photos! 🙁 Sad, huh?! 🙁 Oh well, I’ve taken lots of photos in my heart and mind! 🙂

We are made to receive life and sustain life! To nourish one’s children through breastfeeding is one of the most concrete signs of this fact — God can use us to sustain life! 🙂 Isn’t that something worth celebrating?

I’d like to share with you some of my breastfeeding-related posts:

BFFs Unite — True Breastfeeding Stories: and
Raising Pro-Life Kids — My Natural Birth and Beginning Breastfeeding Story

How to Breastfeed Your Baby in Public
It Takes a Village to Raise (and Nurse) a Child
Truly Rich Tips — How to Get Others to Support You in Breastfeeding
On Extended Breastfeeding — A Perfectly Normal Thing to Do
Truly Rich Tips — My Top 5 Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

Of course, since relief operations are still ongoing for the victims of the recent habagat and floods in the Philippines, I also want to remind you guys that breast milk donations are still being accepted. I wrote a post about that here, but there’s more updated info on Chronicles of a Nursing Mom here.

Also, if you’re a regular reader of Smart Parenting’s website, a fellow contributor, Abby Manalang-Villarica, shared her opinion of why she is against the Monster Bill. It makes for a good read, and you can find it .

Breastfeeding month isn’t over yet, and there are so many ways we can still celebrate it! 🙂 One of the simplest and best ways? Keep breastfeeding our children! 🙂 (If you are still breastfeeding!)

P.S. There is another “monster bill” that is in Congress now and I’m sure you guys have read my posts about it on Twitter and Facebook and even on this blog. (This document here best describes my stand against the bill.) You’ may have even watched footage or read news articles about Senator Tito Sotto’s recent speech about it. Whatever your opinion about the RH bill is, I hope and pray that we keep not just our minds, but also our hearts, open. For starters, I’d like to invite you to read this article here by Janet Smith, associate professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas. She writes about not just the effect of contraceptives, but the mentality that comes about with using and promoting them.

Three Years of God’s Amazing Grace and Blessings: Rysse’s Birthday Giveaway! :)

July 4, 2012 by Tina Leave a Comment

Our “little flower” turns three today.

I can’t believe how fast she’s growing. Slow down, please, Time. Slow down. *sniffs*

Newborn Rysse and Rysse at three. *sighs*

I can still remember vividly her birth — which was all natural, mind you! (Eeep!)

And how our lives were never the same again after that. (Just as it changed when I gave birth to her Kuya Tim.)

Really, thank You, Lord for the gift of life! Which we celebrate today, in a very special way. 🙂

And since I feel soooo blessed to have this little girl in my/our life/ves, I want to share my joy with you by giving away A YEAR’S SUBSCRIPTION TO MUSTARD MAGAZINE, the award-winning inspirational children’s magazine published by (none other than, ahem, ahem) Shepherd’s Voice Publications! (Yes, that’s where I work now. Shameless plugging, I know! 🙂 LOL!)

And, since Rysse is our baby no. 2, there will be TWO winners for this giveaway. 😉 Yipeeee!

I wanted to share what the magazine looks like through PDF files, but I can’t do that right now. So, I tried to take some pictures instead. These are from the June 2012 issue (which is my maiden issue as the managing editor, praise God!). Sorry if they’re a bit blurry. 😉

And now, for the giveaway!

Here are the details:

ELIGIBILITY AND CONTEST PERIOD

Eligibility: The contest is open to Philippine residents only.

Claiming of giveaway prizes: Winners will be notified via e-mail. I will shoulder the shipping fee for the winner.

Contest period: Contest will run from July 5 to July 19, 2012. The winner will be announced by July 19, 2012 on .

MECHANICS

Please follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. (And do say a prayer for our little girl today, please? Thanks so much in advance for doing so!)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Truly Rich Tips: When It Comes to Parenting, It’s the Little Things That Matter (Parenting Lessons From My 87-Year Old Grandfather)

March 12, 2012 by Tina 1 Comment

My family on my mom’s side celebrated my grandfather’s 87^th birthday last week. It was a fun, chaotic evening, with the adults enjoying the Vietnamese fare we ordered (in memory of my grandfather’s 13 years in Vietnam, where he worked as a communications engineer-of-sorts) and the great grandkids “wreaking havoc” / playing noisily and excitedly together.

Ama’s birthday cake (from us, the Santiagos) – he’s actually 87! We put the wrong age on the cake! LOL!

Ama blowing the candle on his other birthday cake – with my mom and Rysse beside him.

Still handsome and dashing at 87! 🙂 Praise GOD!

I’ve always had good memories of Ama, which is what we call our grandfather. My siblings and I grew up in Brunei and would always relish the times when we’d come home to the Philippines for vacation. We’d usually stay at my maternal grandparents’ home in Malolos, Bulacan, and I have fond memories of Ama and Ina (my maternal grandmother, who is now already in heaven, God bless her soul) being so accommodating and caring towards us, their grandkids.

Ama, at 87, with a few of his great grandkids.

(This is an excerpt from my post last week on philstar.com’s unBLOGGED section. You can read the whole thing here. Special thanks to my cousin, Jam Crisostomo, for the awesome photos! 🙂

A Birthday Tribute To A Man I Love (And It Ain’t My Hubby This Time!)

December 19, 2011 by Tina 1 Comment

I have blogged about him before here, though I only mentioned him briefly. I also posted a picture of him, along with my other siblings here, when I shared about a “family-reunion-of-sorts” earlier this year.

Yep, you guessed it right!

This blog post is dedicated to my Kuya (older brother), Joam (or Jose Amado).

Kuya with Ate, circa 1979 (he looks a bit like me when I was that age!)

Kuya and I were born four years apart. I don’t remember anymore if we were close when we were growing up in Brunei, but I do remember feeling sad when he (and my older sister) had to leave for the Philippines to study. At that time, my parents thought that it would be difficult for them to take up high school in Brunei, so they went home and stayed with relatives while they were in high school (and college).

The four Santiago siblings – that’s Kuya with his arm around me. Can you see the resemblance? Well, aside from the “Beatles-style” haircuts! LOL! Mama was our official haircutter then! 🙂 He he!

As a kid, I remember how Kuya‘s funny antics would leave me and our youngest brother, Jay, laughing till our sides ached. I remember how he’d “practice” his WWF wrestling moves on us (Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Jake the Snake Roberts were among our favorites, LOL!).

Remember him, Kuya? LOL! 🙂

I remember how we, including Ate, would dance and sing along to whatever music would be playing on the stereo when we’d wake up on Friday mornings (which is part of the “weekend” in Brunei, where people working in the government, like our parents used to, have no work, aside from Sunday. Students also have no class on Fridays. Papa would usually play music from his CD collection on those days). The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Madonna, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, Nat King Cole – just some of the performers who’d “accompany” us while we moved and grooved! (Oh yes, all of us were “bitten” by the performing bug early on – though it’s only Kuya and Jay who officially are in “showbiz”! Naks!)

Kuya, in the top row, before one of his onstage performances as a Happy Kindergarten student (we LOVED that school! hehe!) – it was an unforgettable night for us all! It was raining hard, and the stage collapsed!

My brother, the voice talent, dubber, and scriptwriter 🙂

According to my brother: His first (and last!) attempt at modeling. LOL!

In fairness, doesn’t he look like a total celebrity hunk here? 😉 (Ok, I’m biased!)

I remember, too, all our ups and downs (and even “sideways” and “all-arounds”) of living together here in the Philippines. While taking up my university studies, I lived with Kuya and his family for quite some time – from our teeny-tiny apartment behind PWU, to our apartment in Singalong, to our rented house in Dao, to another apartment in San Roque, Marikina – I’ve been blessed to be part of his life in a lot of ways. Though on hindsight, I sometimes wish I had BEEN THERE more often for him and his family, since, as a fulltime missionary to the youth back then, I was usually not at home a lot! (Sorry, Kuya!)

But anyway, like I said in the title of this post, this is a birthday tribute for Kuya. So, here goes:

Dear Kuya,

I thank God for the gift you are to our family, to YOUR family, and yes, to the world! (And not just the dubbing/scripting world, ha!)

Thank you for being a living reminder of how God gives us second chances every day. Ya know what I mean! (Hey, we both caused Papa and Mama a lot of pain! Ya ain’t the only one! Haha!)

Thank you for being a great dad to your kids. You are one of my IDOLS! (Well, in some aspects! Heehee! Loveyah!)

Kuya with his kids 🙂

My 11 yr old niece, Bianca, wrote this about my brother a couple of weeks ago.

Thank you for being one of the “pillars” among the Agoy cousins. Well, the Agoys in general. Your love and concern especially for extended members of the family truly rocks! 🙂

The Santiagos of Bicol call ourselves “Agoys.” Kuya stayed in Bicol during most of his high school and college days. Among the four of us siblings, he is the closest to our Santiago cousins. 🙂

Thank you for being there for me during all the turbulent times of my college life. Especially the ones that involved guys! LOL! Thank you for your support of my relationship with Anthony, who is now my hubby!

Thank you, too, for entrusting me to be Bia’s godmother. I know I haven’t been a good one most of these years, but I’m vowing to change that starting now. *winks* Thanks, too, for being a great Tito to our kids. 🙂 Especially for taking them along with you to family trips every now and then. For bringing them (us) home when it’s late at night and we’re at Barcelona. 🙂

You know, there is a lot to be thankful for.. and there’s a lot more I could say – but I’m speechless right now. (Plus, I need to get ready for work! LOL!)

So, I hope this song says it all:

Remember, everdearest Kuya, YOU ain’t heavy, YOU’RE my brother! And I thank GOD for you, and your family, every single day! Happy, happy, happy birthday! We love yah! 🙂

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows when
But I’m strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We’ll get there
For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

If I’m laden at all
I’m laden with sadness
That everyone’s heart
Isn’t filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

It’s a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we’re on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
Doesn’t weigh me down at all
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

He’s my brother
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother…