Yummy Chocolates!!!

My Home Made Chocolates. Like em?

Happiness

Life can be really funny sometimes. It's can be a roller coaster wherein at one instance you seem to always be at the bottom. And just when you have gotten used to the despondency, suddenly like a rainbow breaking out after the rain, happiness seems to beckon. Like a welcoming light in the sphere of darkness its rays like small hands reaching out to lift you up. But after a long while of being in the dark, it just all seems too good to be true and we hesitate to take the chance to reach out as well for that happiness that beckons. At times it all seems too good to be true and the chance seems so fragile that we fear it will let us down again and put back into that wasteland of gloom.

But as they say, happiness can only be truly appreciated if loneliness has been experienced. And in order for that happiness to be the lasting kind, it has to be cultivated, sprinkled with care and affection in order to grow and bear fruits that will enhance the happiness that already exist.

Healing

Need healing in order to be made whole again.

This is an article I discovered while browsing the net yesterday. Needless to say I can relate a lot to its contents... Healing is the only way...

The Four Levels of Healing."

Sometimes life falls apart and we have to put it back together. When life is broken we want to be made well again. We often seek a cure. To be cured is to eradicate a problem so that it no longer exists. Sometimes we can be cured of our problems. Sometimes we cannot. If we can’t be cured perhaps we can be healed.

Curing and healing are different. Healing is to be made whole, and it is fundamentally a psychological and spiritual process. Healing occurs when we accept the reality of what is and continue to live a full life anyway. Some people live through terrible ordeals and claim that their life was changed for the better because they learned how to become more open and loving. They made fundamental changes in their personality and lifestyle and moved towards wholeness.
Healing occurs at four levels. There is the level of the body and this is what we usually focus on. We seek to make the body well and to be physically healthy.

There are three other levels of healing. These are the emotional, mental, and spiritual levels.
On the emotional level, healing is to be able to accept all of our emotions without judgement and to express them properly to others. It is not to lock them up inside and let them fester. It is not to have emotional explosions. It is not holding back from showing tenderness and love. Emotional healing is being aware of what you feel and being able to engage the emotion. Emotional healing let’s us live fully and deeply.

The mental level refers to our thinking. It is about our attitudes, beliefs, and values. Mental healing is to have the proper perspective on what you are experiencing. It is to understand clearly what is happening and to face it with a positive, realistic attitude. It is to avoid confusion and elaborate worrisome fantasies of what might go wrong. Mental healing keeps you focused in the moment and provides the wisdom needed for daily living.

Spiritual healing brings a deep sense of meaning and purpose. It provides a sense of connection to all that is. It centers you with that which is greater than you – a Higher Power. You are able to look with awe on the simplest events of life and to appreciate the beauty of the smallest moment. No longer feeling isolated you look at the world through the eyes of love and ask, "What can I do for others?"

With these four levels of healing we need to work on each level each day.
What are you doing today for your physical health?
How are you opening to and expressing your emotions today?
Today how will you calm your mind and become focused?
What is your spiritual practice for today? How will you enliven life?

Engage these four levels everyday and you will be taking steps toward your own healing.

The Hour Glass

This is a short story i made several years ago as a requirement in a certain subject. This story is quite meaningful to me and somehow by posting it in here, i hope it will also strike a chord within you and make you reflect and appreciate Life all the more . . .

I have yet to meet anyone like Emily. She was truly unique and one in a million. Though we were only together for a short while, she was one person who had profoundly affected my whole life. Her presence gave more meaning to my life and because of her I did not merely exist, but I LIVED.

I was eight years old when the Portman’s moved in next door. Though it was such a long time ago, I still remember that day clearly as if it were yesterday.

It was a bright Sunday morning; my mom and I were baking some cookies in the kitchen when a huge van stopped next door. I went over to the window and peeked outside and I saw this fragile girl being lifted into an awaiting wheelchair. She was about my age, she had this straight silky black hair that reached only to her chin, her face was pale and had a few smattering of freckles. She had a cute little nose and a Cupid’s bow mouth. The most striking feature she had were her eyes – blue as the sky on a clear sunny day, fringed with long dark lashes. In spite of the obvious fragility of her body, she exuded an air of vitality.

Then I went out to our front porch to get a closer look at the family. One of her brothers was pushing her chair up into the house when she looked in my direction, then on an impulse I waved to her and she smiled and waved back at me.

That afternoon my mom and I went over next door and introduced ourselves. We also brought some of the cookies that we baked that morning.

That first visit was followed by a lot more, especially by me because since then Emily and I had become firm friends. Every time I disappeared from the house, my mom only has to holler “Jancy!” because she knows that I am only next door. Emily was not able to play outside because of her health condition. She had hemophilia – a blood condition when a certain substance in the blood is absent which in turn makes her prone to so much hemorrhage. Emily told me that they moved in order to be closer to the hospital. In a child-like manner I once asked her how she felt about her condition.

" Are you going to die?" I asked her.

She looked thoughtful for a while, "No . . . not yet. It's not yet time. I'm going to prove the doctors wrong you know. They told my parents that I might not even reach the age of eight, well I'm eight now which only shows how wrong they are." she said with determination written on her face.

Then abruptly she said, "Let's nottalk about death anymore, let's just enjoy life for as long as it lasts. Anyway, what are your plans for your future?"

"Well . . . I don't know yet. Anyway I'm not rushing, there is still plenty of time to think about it," I answered her.

She did not say anything to that, but she looked wistful when she said, "You know I really want to become a doctor, I want to specialize in pediatrics. I feel like I am being called to help the children who are sick just like me. I have seen them you know, in the hospitals that we've been to. Some are even a worse case than me and it makes me think that maybe there's something I can do to help ease their pain."

That innocent converstaion that we had stuck to my mind like a glue.

Emily proved the doctors wrong. although there were times I could see the physical pain she was feeling was almost too much to bear, still she held on. Seven years went by and in that seven years she had numerous transfusions in order to replace the bood that she had lost. Emily and I had the same blood type so I gave her some of mine which for me was symbolic because for me it further cemented tthe bond that we already share.

Everything was fine, or so we thought, when Emily's conditon turned for the worst. Then in the twilight Emily finally said goodbye.

I was just coming home from schoolwhen Isaw the ambualnce in fron of their house,then I knew. I rushed into her room but it was already too late,her family was on her bedside crying. I couldn't breathe, my mind went blank but I couldfeel this gaping emptiness inside my breast. Then her mom saw me and she looked into my eyes and said "she's gone". That's the moment I felt my chest explode with great wrenching sobs because my friend is gone forever and I could never see her, or talk to her again.

"No . . . ! I didn't even get to say goodbye. Emily, you didn't even give me the chance to say goodbye...!" I sobbed out.

"It's okay, listen to me Jancy, she understands . . . Emily understands." Mrs. Portman hugged me to her and together we cried for the one we lost.

During the burial, her mom gave mea letter from Emily. That letter was the only thing that helped me make it through that time. It said,

Dear Jancy,

I know by the time you read this I'll be gone. Don't be sad dearest Jan, because you know in your heart that I will always be with you.

You have a future that is bright and promising, do not be afraid. Be strong and courageous for success comes to those who strive hard enough.

Jan you know life is so precious, every waking minute counts. Just like the sands in an hour-glass, there is no way we can stop it from trickling away - a moment, then it's gone forever. Please don't waste a moment of your life dearest Jan.

Don't be sad, I will always be with you . . .

Love, Emily

I still have that letter with me as I stand here today, beside the grave of the girl - my friend who opened my eyes to life. Emily your dream lives in me .

To may dearest Emily - my friend - thank you for stepping into my life. . .

I Want to Go

Why do we feel pain? Why can’t it be all joy and smiles?
Why can’t you see the anguish I am going through?
Help me now or never
Tomorrow might just be too late
For dark clouds are just above…beckoning me to succumb
With us you can rest, they say
No longer will you feel the anguish deep inside
We will be the one to stand by you until the last breath is gone
Comfort you, take away your pain
We will set you free from the burdens that you carry…
And how I want to, I want to be free
Please let me go with you for I feel I can no longer endure
Take away my breath as painlessly as you can
For I want to go…
I want to go where no more pain can reach me
Close my eyes so I will not see and just let me be
I want to go and be free…

Something Beautiful

The Beauty of Love

The question is asked, "Is there anything more beautiful in life than a boy and a girl clasping clean hands and pure hearts in the path of marriage? Can there be anything more beautiful than young love?"

And the answer is given. "Yes, there is a more beautiful thing. It is the spectacle of an old man and an old woman finishing their journey together on that path. Their hands are gnarled, but still clasped; their faces are seamed, but still radiant; their hearts are physically bowed and tired, but still strong with love and devotion for one another. Yes, there is a more beautiful thing than young love. Old love."


this is from inspirationalstories.com

Quote for the Day

LI found this quote early this morning. It's quite inspiring...because when all else fails you'll only have yourself ...


“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”

Question

I just have one question...

Can a person genuinely care for and love another without experiencing pain?

Share your opinion...