At Home with Priscilla: My New Coat, God

In Memoriam

PRISCILLA

(1928 - 1979)

Born and raised in Balintawak,
Escalante, Negros Occidental,
Philippines

Married a widower,
Kung Yu (Juan),
a Cantonese immigrant,
from Guanzhou, China.
His children from
previous marriage:
Be Kim (Expectacion),
Be Lee (Elizabeth),
Bi Kok (Salome),
and Bin Bingbing (Lolita)

Migrated to Dansalan, Marawi City
after World War II, opened up a
bakery and a grocery store
in a thriving locale along lake Lanao.
Their married union bore:
1953 Chen Xing (Teodoro),
1956 Chim Pang (Marcelino)
1957 Sinon (Ananias Angelo)
and Simeona (Anselma Angeli)

Migrated in the late 1950's
to Zamboanga City, La Ciudad de Flores,
Philippines. Four siblings were born:
Solomon
Francis

Jacinto (+died as a baby)
Maria Dolores

Life was indeed tough in raising a big family.

She kept her faith as she raised her children with Christian values and formation.

Hardships became bearable as everyone shared the chores and responsibilities, helping each other cope with the difficulties of time. Unity became our coat of arms as the family struggled through adversity.

The test of time came in June 20, 1975. The unexpected happened: Kung Yu (Juan) passed away, leaving behind a family in difficulties.

In June 18, 1979, Priscilla bade her farewell.
She endured real life with deeper faith and devotion to God. When she left that day, Priscilla assured everyone that all her prayers and aspirations would reach their fulfilments at the right time. Her final words continue to thrive even today.

HER DEMISE BECOMES OUR
VICTORY

She died - this is the way
she died;
And when her breath
was done,
took up her simple wardrobe
And started for the sun.

Her little figure at the gate
The angels must have spied,
Since I could never find her
Upon the mortal side.
[Emily Dickinson]

And the rest is history

MOTHER

M is for the million things she gave me;
O is only that she's growing old;
T is for the tears she shed to save me;
H is for her heart of purest gold;
E is for her eyes with lovelight shining;
R is for right and right she'll always be;

Put them all together, they spell
"Mother," the name that means
all the world to me.

The following insights and ideas were important values instilled and taught through our growing years. There were many situations, the ups and downs of life, the values and character forming were inherent to these growing years. Lifetime lessons were taught in passing, just like a jigsaw puzzle, that needed trial and error to fit in to a wholesome formation. As years went by, discipline and personal responsibilities were daily foods for thought to instill a deeper commitment within us.

Priscilla's deep faith and devotion to God kept her firm and stable in her prayer life despite the many obstacles and financial difficulties. Her serenity provided so much peace and inspiration to everyone. Her simple ways inspired us to help and be supportive to each other. All through the years, her dreams and aspirations continued to reach their fulfilment. The effects of her prayers continue to pour endless blessings even until today.

All the words are finally put into writing for the next generation to come. Priscilla's Life will always thrive within us.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

My New Coat, God

I have a new coat, it was designed by God and given to me by Jesus Christ.
All I had to do to receive this coat was to believe in God's only Son.

I find it fits me perfectly unless I allow myself to become puffed up with foolish pride,
then it's too tight. If I walk with my head high, trying to be above those about, then it is too short. But if I walk humbly as I should before God, it fits me just right.

How is the coat made?

The shoulders are wide and roomy so that I can help my fellow man carry his burdens.

The collar is made of God's mercy, yes, the mercy of God's promises.
First that I may become his child and second, that I will one day dwell with Him in that home prepared for His saints.

The cuffs are narrow, so that there is no room to tuck away grievance and hard feelings toward my neighbors.

The pockets are oversized, One is for the love of God; the other is to hold my love for my fellowman and all humanity.

There are three buttons on my coat, which stands for faith, hope and charity. I check on them often so that none becomes loose or lost.

The lining is made of God's forgiveness, which I need so often that I want it next to me at all times.

The belt is made of God's love that encircles me everyday.

The material is thick enough to protect me when the storms of life come my way, but not too thick that I will not be able to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit who guides me.

There are many threads in my new coat, but not one thread of doubt that God's promises are true,

Do you wonder about the color of my coat? Why, it's the color of Jesus' eyes that must sparkle when a lost soul accepts Him.

I will need my coat all through life. When I travel through the valley of death and when I view the future, I will always wear my new coat.
(Author Unknown)

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Life is a beautiful lyrics

It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen
It takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I'm saying
It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
And it takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la

It takes a night to make it dawn
And it takes a day to make you yawn brother
And it takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other
And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
And it takes some fears to make you trust
It takes some tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to HAVE it polished
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la laIt takes some silence to make sound
And it takes a loss before you found it
And it takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to MAKE a mountain
Ah la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la life is meaningful
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la life is meaningful
Ah la la la la la la life is full of
Ah la la la la la life is so full of love
Ah la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life is meaningful
Ah la la la la la life is full of
Ah la la la la la life is so full of love

The Boy Who Kissed His Mother

She sat on the porch in the sunshine,
As I went down the street-
A woman whose hair was silver,
But whose face was blossom sweet,
Making me think of a garden,
Where, in spite of the frost and snow
Of bleak November weather,
Late, fragrant lilies grow.

I hear a footstep behind me,
And the sound of a merry laugh,
And I knew the heart it came from
Would be like a comforting staff
In the time and the hour of trouble,
Hopeful and brave and strong;
One of the hearts to lean on
When we think that things go wrong.

I turned at the click of the gate-latch
And met his manly look;
A face like his gives me pleasure,
Like a page of a pleasant book;
It told us of a steadfast purpose,
Of a brave and daring will -
A face with a promise in it
That God grant the years fulfill.

He went up the pathway singing.
I saw the woman's eyes
Grow bright with a wordless welcome,
As sunshine warms the skies.
"Back again, sweetheart mother,"
He cried, and bent to kiss
The loving face that was lifted
For what some mothers miss.

That boy will do to depend on,
I hold that this is true -
From lads in love with their mothers
Our bravest heroes grew.
Earth's grandest hearts have been loving hearts,
Since time and earth began.
And the boy who kissed his mother
Is every inch a man.
[Eben E. Rexford]

Home

I came back late and tired last nightInto my little room,
To the long chair and the firelight
And comfortable gloom.
But as I entered softly in
I saw a woman there,
The line of neck and cheek and chin,
The darkness of her hair,
The form of one I did not know
Sitting in my chair.
I stood a moment fierce and still,
Watching her neck and hair.
I made a step to her; and saw
That there was no one there.
It was some trick of the firelight
That made me see her there.
It was a chance of shade and light
And the cushion in the chair.
Oh, all you happy over the earth,
That night, how could I sleep?
I lay and watched the lonely gloom;
And watched the moonlight creep
From wall to basin, round the room,
All night I could not sleep.
[Rupert Brooke]

HAPPINESS

HAPPINESS is like a crystal,
Fair and exquisite and clear,
Broken in a million pieces,
Shattered, scattered far and near.
Now and then along life’s pathway,
Lo! some shining fragments fall;
But there are so many pieces
No one ever finds them all.

You may find a bit of beauty,
Or an honest share of wealth,
While another just beside you
Gathers honor, love or health.
Vain to choose or grasp unduly,
Broken is the perfect ball;
And there are so many pieces
No one ever finds them all.
Yet the wise as on they journey
Treasure every fragment clear,
Fit them as they may together,
Imaging the shattered sphere,
Learning ever to be thankful,
Though their share of it is small;
For it has so many pieces
No one ever finds them all.
[Priscilla Leonard]

TOMORROW

It is tomorrow that fills men with dread.
God is already there.
All the tomorrows of our life
have to pass Him before they can get to us.
[F. B. Meyer]

BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART
[Author: Unknown ]

Believe in your heart
that something wonderful is about to happen.
Love your life.
Believe in your own powers,
and your own potential,
and in your own innate goodness.

Wake every morning with the awe of just being alive.
Discover each day the magnificent,
awesome beauty in the world.
Explore and embrace life in yourself
and in everyone you see each day.
Reach within to find your own specialness.
Amaze yourself and rouse those around you
to the potential of each new day.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect;
this is the essence of your humanity.
Let those who love you help you.
Trust enough to be able to take.
Look with hope to the horizon of today,
for today is all we truly have.
Live this day well.
Let a little sun out as well as in.

Create your own rainbows.
Be open to all your possibilities;
all possibilities and Miracles.

Always believe in Miracles.

LIFE

Life is simply a matter of concentration:
You are what you set out to be.
You are a composite of the things
you say, the books you read,
the thoughts you think,
the company you keep, and
the things you desire to become.
[B. C. Forbes]

Success
[Robert William Service]

You ask me what I call Success -It is, I wonder, Happiness?
It is not wealth, it is not fame,
Nor rank, nor power nor honoured name.
It is not triumph in the Arts -Best-selling books or leading parts.
It is not plaudits of the crowd,
The flame of flags, processions proud.
The panegyrics of the Pressare but the mirage of Success.
You may have all of them, my friend,
Yet be a failure in the end.

I've know proud Presidents of banks
Who've fought their way up from the ranks,
And party leaders of renown
Who played as boys in Shantytown.
Strong, self-made men, yet seek to trace
Benignity in any face;
Grim purpose, mastery maybe,
Yet never sweet serenity;
Never contentment, thoughts that bless -
That mellow joy I deem Success.

The haply seek some humble hearth,
Quite poor in goods yet rich in mirth,
And see a man of common clay
Watching his little ones at play;
A laughing fellow full of cheer,
Health, strength and faith that mocks at fear;
Who for his happiness relies
On joys he lights in other eyes;
He loves his home and envies none. . . .
Who happier beneath the sun?
Aye, though he walk in lowly ways,
Shining Success has crowned his days.

OUTLOOK

Forget each kindness that you do
As soon as you have done it.
Forget the praise that falls to you
The moment you have won it.
Forget the slander that you hear
Before you can repeat it.
Forget each slight, each spite, each sheer
Wherever you may meet it.
Remember every kindness done
To you, whate'er its measure.
Remember praise by others won
And pass it on with pleasure.
Remember every promise made
And keep it to the letter.
Remember those who lend you aid
And be a grateful debtor.
Remember all the happiness
That comes your way in living.
Forget each worry and distress;
Be hopeful and forgiving.
Remember good, remember truth,
Remember Heaven's above you,
And you will find, through age and youth,
True joys and hearts to love you.
[Priscilla Leonard]