Truly Rich and Blessed

When Terrible Things Happen: #PrayforParis, #PrayfortheWorld

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I’m supposed to be working on some articles now (yes, this is the WAHM life for you! Working on a Saturday!). But I couldn’t help sneaking in this blog post, if only to try to put some sense into what I’m feeling right now. I’m sure most, if not all, of you have seen the images and news articles all over the Internet by now — with the hashtag — about the most recent terrorist attacks in Paris, France.

But it’s not just Paris that needs our prayers right now. I saw this on Instagram (on ) and immediately reposted it on :

paris terrorist attacks

In other places around the world, terrible, terrible things have happened… and are still happening as I type out these words. We don’t even need to look further than our own country actually, with all the bad news that we’ve been reading and watching about.

It’s enough to make you think, “Why is all this happening? Where is God in all this? Why is He letting this happen?”

It’s so hard to find answers to these questions at times… especially when it’s our children who ask them.

“Where is God when bad things happen?” we may ask. Jesus Himself assures us in Matthew 28:20:

paris terrorist attacks

He is ALWAYS with us. He will NEVER leave us.

But why is He letting these terrible things happen? Why the Paris terrorist attacks? Why the bombings? The earthquakes? And other natural and man-made disasters and calamities and tragedies?

Why?

To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t think we’ll ever have all the answers to these questions. Not until we see God face to face anyway (that’s if we, well, you know, ever get to Heaven). Just as it’s written in this article from Catholic News Agency:

Fully to understand why God permits anything, good or bad, we’d need to know the whole of His providential plan. But that is something we can’t know until we see God face to face in heaven. Then, presumably, it will become clear how everything fits together in the final fulfillment of God’s will. For now, we can only guess.

I do know though that many, many times, bad things happen because it’s people who do bad things. Like it says in this article, God created us to have free will:

…in order for us to experience love, God bestowed on us free will. But unfortunately, we humans have abused our free will by rejecting God and walking away from Him. And that has resulted in the introduction of two kinds of evil into the world: moral evil and natural evil. 

(Read the rest of the article by clicking on the link above; it’s a good read on why God allows tragedy and suffering. This article from Catholic Stand is another good read: “Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?“)

It is a terrible tragedy when we use our free will for bad or evil, and not for good. I still can’t fathom how people can become so full of hate, and commit terrible deeds especially in the name of God and their faith. It’s sickening and heartbreaking and just plain wrong. 

So I really don’t know what I can do here on this side of the world to help ease the suffering of the victims of these terrible tragedies — except pray. Let us pray. And let us trust in God’s Word:

paris terrorist attacks

And further on in Romans 8, we read:

What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we are being slain all the day;

we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Yes, let’s trust in God’s word. In His love. In His power. Because if we don’t do so, it will be so much harder to face the world… the broken, hurting world that we live in.

To end, I want to share with you these beautiful words from my fellow CatholicMom.com contributor, Lori Hadorn-Disselkamp, who wrote an insightful piece titled, “Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen?“, earlier this year:

I guess we just have to trust that God is with us through it all — the good, the bad and the evil. We must also believe that love will always win out in the end. If we let love rule our thoughts and attitudes then evil will not be able to penetrate our souls and will never truly take over. We will overcome with God on our side.

We must let love rule our thoughts and attitudes. I must remember this, especially as a wife, mom and self-proclaimed “media missionary.” I may not be able to change the hearts of terrorists or even the people around me, but I can do all things with love… especially the things that will help shape my children’s thoughts and actions.

Love will always win out in the end, as long as we let love — TRUE love that comes only from God — rule our hearts, minds, spirits and bodies.

paris terrorist attacks

Let’s keep praying and loving… We’re all in this together!

#KeepingItReal: The Truth About Being A Pregnant, Work-at-Home, Homeschooling Mom

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I honestly don’t know how to begin this post. I actually had to change the post title a few times, because I wasn’t even sure about what I want to write about.

To tell you the truth, when October started, I thought I’d be able to update this blog more often… even if it was just to share how we’re trying to live liturgically despite our failures and imperfections.

“T” is for “Therese” — our simple “cake” to celebrate Saint Therese’s feast day!

I thought I would finally be able to write about the different events I was able to attend recently, like the , and the first Blissmakerie for this year (which I was finally able to write about for Philstar.com after almost a month — eek!)…

keeping it real

With my fellow Blissmakers at the September 2015 Blissmakerie (Photo grabbed from Rhiza Oyos on Instagram)

I even thought that I could (maybe!) write about all the blessings (i.e. gifts!) I’ve received lately… like the healthy and yummy juices from Juice Hut Manila, or the other goodies from Urban Essentials, TAN Homeschool, Franciscan Media {c/o my AWESOME CatholicMom.com editor Lisa Hendey!}, Mighty Baby PH, and so on!

BLESSINGS

Thank You, Lord, for all these blessings and so much more!

But, as usual, life happened. It still does… every single day.

Most days pass by in a blur actually. And when people ask me how I’m doing, especially since I am now around 6 and a half months pregnant (and HUGE for Baby’s age, me thinks!), I usually answer:

“I am/we are OK, by God’s grace. Taking things one day at a time.”

Because that’s really how it has been lately. I’ve been just getting by each day… knowing that I can do only so much (or so little, haha! Thank God I have such a helpful and supportive husband, plus parents and siblings who are always willing to take care of the kids when needed!).

I post about my reality sometimes on  and Facebook (I’ve recently changed , by the way!). I use the hashtag #keepingitreal, because I want other people to know that I’m not “perfect,” nor is my life perfect.

I don’t have the perfect marriage, nor perfect kids. I’m certainly not “Supermom” (remember there’s only ONE “Supermom” in my book!).

Our humble home is far from perfect — it’s often messy, and is in dire need of decluttering and deep cleaning! And our homeschooling days? Certainly not Pinterest-worthy, or even social media post-worthy most days!

So, am I complaining?

Nope. Or at least I’m trying not to.

Because I know that the state of “being” I am in right now is a blessing. Whether I am aware of it or not on most days, it’s part of God’s plan for my life.

Being pregnant right now is a blessing… even if, initially, I had different reactions and feelings about it — but that’s for another blog post! The ability to bear the gift of life in my womb, and to nurture that life, is a blessing.

babyboy

We’re having a boy, by the way! 🙂

Being a work-at-home mom right now is a blessing… even if there are moments when I just want to tear out my hair in frustration over toddler-caused interruptions and cry over missed deadlines and never-ending-to-do-lists! (I’ve actually done the latter quite a few times!) The ability to do meaningful work that also helps provide for our family’s needs is a blessing.

keeping it real

Mustard Magazine is on the list of finalists for Best Children’s Magazine at this year’s Catholic Mass Media Awards! Yay! 🙂 #proudeditorinchief

Being a homeschooling mom right now is a blessing… even if most of our homeschooling “lessons” these days are just focused on the “4 R’s for Early Learners” of Susan Lemons — relationships, routine, readiness, reading aloud — even if 2 out of 4 kids (yes, we count the one in utero already!) are no longer considered “early learners” or preschoolers! You could also say that we try to be consistent with daily “lessons” for these 4 R’s: Religion or Christian Living Education; Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic (Math). The ability to to teach our kids at home and everywhere else we may be, and to learn new things with them, is a blessing.

keeping it real

Teaching math, reading, and life skills using Bug-opoly! 🙂

So what is the point of this #keepingitreal post, dear friend? 🙂

Well, it’s simply this:

keeping it real

The truth about being a pregnant, work-at-home, homeschooling mom (with no hired helper!) right now is this… it’s tiring. It’s overwhelming. It’s frustrating. It’s maddening. But it’s also soul-refining… heartwarming… refreshing… inspiring.

Only by His grace.

So lean in, friend… I know you and I are in totally different situations right now, and the “season” of life I am in now isn’t the same as yours. Whatever it may be, lean into the season you’re in now. Embrace it. Lean on Him; seek His grace. He’ll see you (and me!) through.

keeping it real

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Honestly, I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back here again to write a post, but I do hope you’ll stick around — God’s been pushing me to do something different with this space, and I would love for you to be “here” when it becomes a reality! 🙂

keeping it real

In the meantime, if you want to see more of my writing elsewhere, be sure to check out Smart Parenting and Philstar.com, to which I contribute regularly! Thanks for being “loyal” all this time — hope to “see” you again soon!

P.S.

If you want to catch me in person, I’ll be speaking at the “Ready For The World: Philippine Homeschool Conference 2015” this Saturday, October 17. My talk is primarily for those who are exploring homeschooling or are just starting out. 🙂 If you’re already homeschooling though, be sure to catch the other talks! Hope to see you there!
keeping it real

READ, WATCH and REFLECT: Even Jesus Needed Help

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I have another confession to make: I can be a bit proud at times, meaning to say not humble. I often depend too much on my own abilities, skill and talents, and fail to depend more on God’s power and provision. So, when things go wrong, I usually blame myself, and end up feeling down and depressed.

Here’s the thing: We all need a good dose of humility. We all need to learn to be humble, and accept the fact that we need God’s help ALL.the.time. Yes, even in our day-to-day, “mundane” routines, we need Him and His grace.

The sad truth, though, is that we usually fail to see that we need God’s help when we are too busy; when we are too focused on “doing” rather than “being” — especially being in God’s presence.

Well, here’s another truth we should remember: Even Jesus, who was God Himself, needed help; He needed to be always connected to God; He always prayed and sought God, especially during the times He knew He would need God’s help. One example of those times was when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane — He knew the time of His suffering and death was near.

"Agony in the Garden" by Adriaen van de Velde via WikiArt

“Agony in the Garden” by Adriaen van de Velde via WikiArt

To help drive home this point — that even Jesus needed help, thus, we need to seek God’s help too — here’s the latest episode of “The Truly Rich Mom Show” — I pray it will encourage, inspire, and empower you somehow:

May we never, ever forget the power of God’s grace, help, and provision — may we always strive to be humble and declare with all our hearts, “Lord, I need You!” I love this song by Matt Maher, actually — this is the cry of my heart this very moment:

Do you need God’s help in a special way right now? Do you have a specific prayer concern that is on your mind this very minute? Please feel free to let me know in the comments, so we can pray for one another!

Oh, and if you feel that this post may inspire and bless others, please feel free to share it! 🙂 God bless us all!

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Special thanks to Elin for sponsoring my top for this episode! 🙂

For fabulous and functional options for your wardrobe, please visit Elin’s website or click on the image below. 🙂

Elin logo new

READ, WATCH and REFLECT: Your Trials Can Become Your Treasures

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It’s already the middle of August, and I can NOT believe how quickly time has been flying by! Pretty soon, it will be September, and everyone knows that the “-ber” months whiz by fast, often in a frenzied flurry in preparation for Christmas! (I know you know what I mean! 😉 )

Our family experienced “mini-trials” — one after the other — starting the last week of July. If you get my updates  (and, recently, !), you’d already know what I am talking about: Our kids got sick, one after another — when one child would be almost 100% OK, another one would fall ill. 🙁

Screen shot 2015-08-16 at 8.29.36 AM

The last “victim” – he bounced back the most quickly, actually! Probably because he is older and more resilient?

It was NOT a fun experience at all, but I still praise God that they bounced back quickly after starting medication, and that Anthony and I had the strength to take care of them. That’s why I call what we went through “mini-trials” — I know there are people who are going through even bigger challenges as I write this.

I know that there are parents who have kids with incurable diseases; whose kids are missing; whose kids are victims of horrible, unspeakable crimes against humanity (like the Yazidi girls who are taken into captivity by ISIS to become sex slaves); whose kids go hungry every day; whose kids get sick but they cannot afford to give them proper medical care; and so on and so forth.

Our trials can seem petty when we think of the larger picture actually. But when they are there, right in front of us, “mocking” us, sapping us of our strength, threatening to overcome us, we often forget that there is Someone who holds us in the palm of His hands. 

Someone who understands our pain and struggles — even if we do not and cannot understand them ourselves. 

Someone who can give us rest, and who embraces us as we are.

Someone who can help us turn our trials into treasures.

You know who that Someone is, right? If you don’t yet, He’s waiting for you to say, “Hi… can You please help me?”

And just to give you a different perspective on the trials and challenges we face every day, here’s the latest episode of “The Truly Rich Mom Show:” Your Trials Can Become Your Treasures. I pray that you will be blessed, inspired, encouraged, and uplifted by it somehow:

Let’s always remember that no matter what our circumstances, God can make all things new (Revelation 21:5). He can turn a harmful experience into something good, like He did with Joseph the Dreamer (Genesis 50:20).

Sometimes, He allows us to go through trials to strengthen our faith.

Screen shot from the USCCB website

Screen shot from the USCCB website

Sometimes, His reasons may not be clear to us, but we just need to trust Him, and continue praising Him “in the storm.”

TRM-Praise Him in the StormSometimes, we just need to cling to Him, and believe that He, our Good Shepherd, knows what He is doing. We just need to trust that He is, and always will be, at our side to give us courage.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall notAnd when we fail to do so — when we forget about Him, and His saving grace and love, and His strength and power — I pray that we at least remember that His love endures forever and ever and ever.

HIS LOVE

So I invite you today, friends, to join me in thanking and praising our God, our King, our Savior, our Healer, our Protector, our Provider, our Greatest Lover, our Faithful Friend. Let’s offer our trials to Him, and ask Him to help turn them into treasures — for our good and for His greater glory! Let’s also pray for others, who are going through trials — especially really challenging, life-threatening, seemingly impossible-to-overcome trials — they need all our prayers!

And if you’re going through trials right now, I want you to know that I’m praying for you. (Thanks, by the way, for praying for me and my family!) If you want to share your burdens with me and ask for prayers, please feel free to leave a comment or get in touch with me privately. Oh, and if you think this post will bless someone somehow, please do feel free to share it! 🙂

WATCH, READ and REFLECT: Embracing Our Vocation

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Some of you may be wondering what’s been happening over here in my little corner of the world during the past 11 days… well, A LOT, that’s for sure! 😉 I have so, so much to share with you, friends, but, as usual, I don’t even know where to begin!

So, while I try to get my thoughts sorted out — and fight off this fatigue that has built up over the past weeks because of  (work that I am growing to love, by the way… but more on that later!), plus think of loving but firm ways to express my views about the current “issue” that has been taking the world by storm (though this post and this one are good reads, for starters) — do allow me to share the latest episode of “The Truly Rich Mom Show” with you:

Now, more than ever, there is a need for us to embrace our vocation in life. And if you don’t know what your vocation is yet, it’s never too late to discover it. Ask God to help you do so; ask Him to reveal it to you.

Ask yourself these questions, too: “What are you called to do? What is it that you are good at? What is your life’s work, your mission, your calling, your function in life? How can you bless the world?”

Also, take note of this:

vocation

(Plus, read this article by Bo Sanchez, where he encourages you to seek your purpose and mission in life.)

Ironically, as I write this, I realize that I haven’t been embracing my vocation as a wife and mother 100% lately.

In fact, watching myself speak with so much confidence in the video above, I realize that I have actually been on “survival mode” lately (a term I learned from Tami Kiser, the organizer of the Catholic Conference 4 Moms, of which I was privileged to be a part earlier this year).

I have forgotten to look at the deeper meaning of all the chores and child-raising that I do (plus my work, of course!) — which has led to much frustration, and even lots of tears on my part! (Thank God for my husband, who is my “rock” during such crazy days, and for my parents and siblings too, who have been uber supportive of me!)

So, in a way, this post… this episode is as much for me as it is for you, dear friends. Especially for you, dear, sweet fellow mommas out there. Let’s pray for one another, yes? Let’s pray that God will use us and help us embrace our vocations, so that we can, as I said in the video, “become fully alive… become on fire for Jesus”!

Do I hear an “Amen”? “Shout” it out in the comments! Or feel free to shoot me a message here or on .

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P.S. In light of recent events, I think it is most fitting that we have just entered into the month of July, which is traditionally dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus.

During this time of spiritual warfare, this time of what seems to be “dark” days, let us seek Our Lord’s protection, through His Most Precious Blood:

Lord Jesus, by faith in Your merits, I now take Your Precious Blood and sprinkle it over myself and my family right from the crown of my head to the very soles of my feet. I claim total and complete protection for my life and my family.

Lord Jesus, keep me free today from evil, sin, temptation, satan’s attacks and afflictions, fear of darkness, fear of man, sickness, diseases, doubts, anger, all calamities and from all that is not of Thy Kingdom.

Fill me Lord Jesus with the gift of Your Holy Spirit, and grant me the gift of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and discernment, so that I will live today in Your glory by doing that which is right.

I praise You, Jesus. I thank You, Jesus. Amen.

*Prayer source: MiraclesFulfilled.Blogspot.com

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