Truly Rich and Blessed

What Is True Love?

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February is popularly known as the “love month” because of Valentine’s Day falling on February 14. It’s the time when many people celebrate love and being loved, so businesses take the opportunity to market their products and services all in the name of “love.”

But really, let’s think about it for a moment: What is love? True love? Is it what the secular world says it is? Is it all about feelings and emotions, and falling head over heels? Or is it something more than that—beyond the fairy tale and telenovela type of love that is portrayed on TV and movies?

As Catholic Christians, we are called to believe that yes, love is indeed so much more. It is not just about feelings and emotions. Let’s take a look at God’s Word to learn what true love really is. One of the more well-known Scripture passages about love can be found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

True love is patient and kind.true love

If we truly love someone—and I don’t mean just our spouses or boyfriends or girlfriends, but anyone whom we claim to love, like our other family members and friends—we must learn to be patient with them. We must show kindness even if it is difficult to do so at times. God even calls us to extend this patience and kindness to strangers, especially those in need.

True love is not jealous, not pompous, not inflated, not rude, does not seek its own interests, is not quick-tempered, does not brood over injury, does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

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True love is all about being confident in one’s relationships—there is no room for jealousy when you truly love someone. It’s about being humble and respectful, always looking out for the well-being of the other. When we truly love others, according to Jesus’ teachings, we also don’t bear grudges against them but learn to forgive them. We do not rejoice when our loved ones do bad things or fall into sin; instead we try to help them to do what is right.

True love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

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True love can withstand the test of suffering—we do not just abandon our loved ones when they face trials and difficulties, but stand by them and support them all the way. We endure all challenges together, believing and hoping in the beautiful plan of the Lord for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11). We endure everything that comes our way, because we know that our God—who is the Source of true love—will sustain us and help us.

True love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

True love–love that is based on God’s love for us—will never fail. “Prophecies,” “tongues,” and “knowledge” mentioned in 1 Corinthians are actually gifts of the Holy Spirit—but without love, these are useless. Indeed, to answer God’s call to serve others, we must first allow Him to fill us with His love.

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To end, let’s look at the following quotes about love from different saints, and try to live out these quotes—plus 1 Corinthians 13—not just during Febibig, but every day:

“Pure love… knows that only one thing is needed to please God: to do even the smallest things out of great love – love, and always love.” — Divine Mercy in My Soul, St. Faustina

“Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor… Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.” — Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” — St. Augustine of Hippo

“There is no place for selfishness—and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice.” — Saint John Paul II

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As Ash Wednesday falls on February 14 this year, let’s make the effort to show God how much we truly love Him by observing the Church’s teachings on fasting and abstinence, and keeping the day solemn and holy in observance of the beginning of Lent. If we want to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our loved ones, we can do it earlier. This is one way we can show our true love for the Lord. If you’re looking for more resources that tell us why observing Ash Wednesday / Lent is more important than celebrating Valentine’s Day, go here, here and here.

*This article also appears in the February 11, 2018 issue of the Bulletin.

3 Ways to Increase Your Family’s Focus on Faith

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Our family doesn’t really “do” New Year’s resolutions. Instead, we have an annual family visioning and goal-setting activity, during which we look at the previous year’s goals and accomplishments, list down our past blessings, and write down our goals and plans for the year ahead. It’s something we started two years ago, and I thank God that the kids look forward to it every year now.

We did our family visioning and goal-setting activity during the first weekend of January, and one of our family’s goals was to increase our focus on our faith. Here are a few things we plan to do, that will hopefully help us achieve that goal:

1. Commit to individual prayer time.

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We usually pray together as a family in the evening, and since the kids are homeschooled, I also pray with them in the morning and at three o’clock, the Hour of Divine Mercy. Now that our first two kids are older, we are also trying to teach them the value of having your own prayer time. So that is one of our goals: To develop our individual prayer time. (Because, to be perfectly honest with you, there are days when I neglect to have this personal time with the Lord! 🙁 #KeepingItReal here.)

2. Commit to reading Scripture every day.

This is something all of us need to work on, including me and my husband. We bought our son his own Bible for this purpose, too, though he also has different Scripture-based devotionals that he can use. Our daughter also uses a Scripture-based devotional, and we do our best to read and reflect on the daily Mass readings together as part of our “Together Time” (a term which we use for our homeschool “Morning Basket,” since we rarely do it in the morning!).

Some of the books we used for "Together Time" last year. Didache is a Scripture-based devotional.

Some of the books we used for “Together Time” last year. Didache is a Scripture-based devotional.

“Do our best” is the operative phrase here, and some days we fail to do this, so this year, we hope to improve in this department!

3. Go to Confession and Adoration more often.

As Catholics, the Sacraments are very important to us. We hope to be able to go to Confession more regularly (my husband, me, and our eldest), and we also hope to go to Eucharistic Adoration at least once a month. This year, we are also preparing our second child for her First Holy Communion, so being a witness to her (and the other kids) when it comes to fostering a love for the Sacraments is really important.

In addition to the above, we also plan to continue practicing Liturgical Living, reading faith-focused books together, and serving the Lord in our community and in other ways.

So, in case you want your family to be more focused on faith this year, I hope you find these tips helpful somehow. Remember, even the simplest things matter—as long as they help draw us nearer to Jesus! Oh, and if you’re looking for more resources, I recently discovered Pure Flix, which offers educational movies that are faith-based!

Please feel free to share this post with others if it has inspired or helped you in any way. God bless you!

Our Discoveries: Nature to Nurture Multi-Surface Cleaner

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In the About page of this site, I mentioned that being “Truly Rich and Blessed” is all about:

GROWING OUR FAITH, LOVING OUR SELF, STRENGTHENING OUR RELATIONSHIPS, MAXIMIZING OUR RESOURCES, AND DELIGHTING IN OUR DISCOVERIES AND EXPERIENCES.

When it comes to Our Discoveries and Experiences, my aim is to look at different products, services, and other matters that help “enrich” our lives. One such “discovery” is Nature to Nurture Multi-Surface Cleaner, one of my new favorite natural cleaners. (I’ll share why in a bit!)
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But first, let me explain a bit… you may be wondering how something like a multi-surface cleaner helps “enrich” our lives. Sounds kinda weird, doesn’t it? Or does it?

Well, personally, when I use the word “enrich,” I mean my life is made a bit better and even a bit “easier”. And using Nature to Nurture’s Multi-Surface Cleaner has certainly made my life better and easier. Here’s why:

1. It’s plant-based and safe even for little hands to use.

Nature to Nurture’s Multi-Surface Cleaner uses tea tree essential oil as its anti-bacterial agent. You can use it so safely clean high chairs, toys, cribs, countertops, walls, furniture, appliances, electronics, outdoor toy sets, gears on bikes, and even saint statues! (See below. 🙂  Our toddler loves to help me clean up, especially when I let him spray surfaces and objects with Nature to Nurture’s Multi-Surface Cleaner! I don’t have to worry about nasty chemicals getting onto his skin either—we just wash his hands afterwards, easy peasy!)

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You can also use the cleaner on surfaces like granite, sealed stone, glass, painted surfaces, stainless steel, porcelain, floors (hardwood, tile, laminate)—doesn’t that make your life oh-so-much easier (and thus, your life is “enriched” a bit)?

2. It makes cleaning up hassle-free.

Nature to Nurture’s Multi-Surface Cleaner automatically comes in a spray bottle, which makes for easy clean-ups. It effectively removes grease and deep-seated dirt on different surfaces. We use it all the time on our Comflor playmat (which I’ve written about before),  and because we use our playmat all the time, we need to make sure it’s always clean.

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Our daughters are usually the ones assigned to help keep the playmat clean (though the toddler often tries to grab the Multi-Surface Cleaner spray bottle from them when they are cleaning it! Ha, ha!). I make sure they use a dry, clean cloth with the Cleaner—otherwise, they’d be spreading dirt on the playmat if the cloth used is dirty. I ask them to clean the mat in the morning and before we use it for other purposes, like preparing vegetables for cooking (yup, we really use our playmat in different ways!).

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 3. It’s economical, effective, and environment-friendly.

For only P199.00 for a 510-ml spray bottle, the Multi-Surface Cleaner really provides value for your money. I’m sure even non-parents will find it super useful and economical, and the bonus is it’s not just safe to use but it’s super effective, too! Tea tree oil, one of its main ingredients, is known for its “antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.” It’s also biodegradable, so you can be sure that you are not spreading any bad chemicals into the environment.

All of these factors combined really make Nature to Nurture’s Multi-Surface Cleaner “worthy” to be on “Our Discoveries and Experiences” list. Because, again, whatever helps make our lives better and “easier” is something that can enrich us! (Catch my upcoming posts about Nature to Nurture’s other products coming up soon. Honestly, all of their products are really worth recommending! And I’m not just saying that because this post and the upcoming ones are a collaboration between me and Nature to Nurture—we’ve been using their products even before this collaboration!)

Find out more about Nature to Nurture via their website. Or check out their products in person when you visit The Parenting Emporium, your one-stop shop for all things parenting-related!

Family and Finance: What You Need to Know About Reverse Mortgages

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You may have read the title of this post and wondered, “Reverse mortgages?! What’s that?!”

Well, don’t worry. If you did that, I did the same thing, too, when I first heard the term.

So I turned to Google and found this definition of what a reverse mortgage is from a report published by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau:

A reverse mortgage is a special type of home loan for older homeowners that requires no monthly mortgage payments. Borrowers are still responsible for property taxes and homeowner’s insurance. Reverse mortgages allow seniors to access the equity they have built up in their homes now, and defer payment of the loan until they die, sell, or move out of the home. Because there are no required mortgage payments on a reverse mortgage, the interest is added to the loan balance each month. The rising loan balance can eventually grow to exceed the value of the home, particularly in times of declining home values or if the borrower continues to live in the home for many years. However, the borrower (or the borrower’s estate) is generally not required to repay any additional loan balance in excess of the value of the home.

I also happened to receive this article from Nathan Hoffman, someone I recently got acquainted with via e-mail. Sharing it here with you all, in case some of you may find helpful.

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Important Points About Reverse Mortgages

If you are looking for a home loan that won’t require you to pay a little back each month then a reverse mortgage might be right for you. The loan involves borrowing money based on your home’s total value and spending it for whatever purposes you desire. By converting the equity to cash you can relieve some of your financial tension during retirement, but there are several other things you must know before signing a reverse loan agreement.

You Must Meet Reverse Mortgage Qualification Guidelines

Reverse mortgages, which are also referred to as home equity conversion mortgages, are only available to those who are at least 62 years of age. Therefore, it is possible to apply for one jointly with your spouse, but you both must meet that age requirement in order to do so. If one of you does not meet the requirement then a joint mortgage agreement will not be allowed.

You must also be aware that anyone signing the loan agreement must maintain primary residency in the home in question. Rental properties and vacation homes are not eligible for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage or HECMs. You also cannot take out a reverse mortgage in your name on a property occupied by friends or family members unless you also live in that home yourself.

You Will Not Automatically Qualify for an HECM Solely Based on Age and Residency

Home ownership and residency, as well as meeting the age requirement of 62 years will not guarantee that you can receive an HECM. Your home must actually have a large amount of value which can be converted. A property with little monetary value cannot be used to obtain a reverse mortgage.

Additionally, as the recipient of a reverse mortgage you will still have the responsibilities of home ownership. Those responsibilities include paying tax and insurance bills. If your potential reverse mortgage lender does not feel that you have significant income sources to cover those expenses your loan request may be denied. However, your lender may give you the option of still receiving the loan but automatically using some of the loan money to cover the costs of those ongoing bills.

You May Not Have Multiple Mortgages if One is an HECM

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If there is already a standard home mortgage on your home you may not be eligible for an HECM. If your reverse mortgage lender is willing to give you a reverse loan there will be a mortgage repayment requirement. Under the terms of the requirement the lender will give you reverse mortgage money with the stipulation that a portion of the funds must be used to pay off the original mortgage balance right away.

Not All Lenders Offering Reverse Mortgages Are Government-Monitored

There are some reverse mortgage lending companies which are monitored or insured at the federal level. However, there are also many private lending companies offering such home loans. Private companies may not adhere to the same standards as government-monitored companies. In fact, there are also many supposed reverse mortgage lenders who are actually scam artists. Therefore, you must research the history of the lending company itself before signing up for a loan with a particular lender.

A Reverse Mortgage May Negatively Impact Your Family in the Future

Before obtaining a reverse mortgage you must understand that the balance will come due whenever you cease to live in the home. Although your family’s assets cannot be impacted by your HECM, your home itself can be sold when you no longer live in it, even if members of your family still live there. In order to maintain residency in the home your family members would then have to pay off your loan balance on your behalf.

For more finance-related articles and tips, please feel free to check out our Finances category here on TrulyRichandBlessed.com. Thank you and God bless us all!

 

Caring for Our Resources: How to Have a More Eco-Friendly Home

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Believe it or not, our homes are part of “our riches.” They are part of the “resources” we talk about here on TrulyRichandBlessed.com. Our environment is also part of our resources, because God gave us everything around us to help us—but we must take care of these resource, too.

I don’t know about you but my family and I have started becoming more conscious about caring for the environment, starting in our own home. We do several things but I thought I’d share three things with you—these are simple steps that we can take, and I’m glad my acquaintance Molly Kay laid these out in her guest post for today:

3 Small Steps towards an Environmentally Friendly Home

A new year means new opportunities to make a difference for the Earth and those who inhabit it. Making a difference may seem like a daunting task at first, but there are small steps you can take in your own home that can have an impact on your life and the lives of others in the long run!

Make the switch to LED light bulbs

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A quick and easy way to make a change in your home is switch all your light bulbs to LEDs (light emitting diode) bulbs. LED bulbs can reduce the amount of energy you are using on lighting by up to 90%. You can find LED bulbs at any hardware or convenience store, but over time you will be purchasing light bulbs less.

LED bulbs last on average much longer than the typical incandescent bulb. Of course, making a habit of turning off the lights when you leave a room, or keeping the lights off when natural light is available, can also greatly reduce the amount of energy your lighting fixtures are using!

Make your own natural cleaning products

Advertising may trick you into thinking you need cleaning products with special ingredients to take care of your everyday messes. In truth, fancy cleaning solutions are more expensive and add unnecessary chemicals to the air we breathe.

Create a mixture of white vinegar and water for a natural cleaning solution that can cut through grease, dirt, and mildew just as easy as store-bought products.

Baking soda is another agent that non-toxic and does a great job on grime and acts as a natural deodorizer. This change will improve the air quality for your family and the environment without too much effort on your end. Take a look at this article for more organic solutions and air fresheners.

Incorporate organic sheets and eco-friendly furniture

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Whether we realize it or not, our skin is constantly coming in contact with fabric in our homes. The fabric that covers the furniture that we sit on can have an impact on the health of our skin and the quality of air we breathe. Investing in eco-friendly products can improve the long term condition of your health and decrease your carbon footprint!

Consider investing in eco-friendly towels and sheets, like those from Coyuchi. The process by which they make their products is done with sustainability in mind, and their materials are always organic.

For the furniture that your family comes in contact with every day, take a look at products from Arhaus. Their sectionals are made with organic fabric that is easy on the skin and the air. The furniture from Arhaus is inspired by the outside world and they are involved in a few environmental initiatives that reflect their mission.

One small step at a time

Remember, every little thing we do to help the environment counts—so let’s do what we can to take care of it, because it’s one of the greatest “riches” we—and our kids—will ever have!

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