Circus Keeps Coming Back, But Childhood Doesn’t

As a child, it always gives me a feeling of joy whenever our town fiesta is approaching. With the pre-fiesta activities, Carnaval, circus and the many fun games and rides, I'm always excited.

The story below gives you a great example when you come across the same situation. Fantastic parenting tips for growing positive kids.

When I was around thirteen and my brother ten, Father had promised to take us to the circus. But at lunch there was a phone call: some urgent business required his attention downtown. We braced ourselves for disappointment. Then we heard him say, "No, I won't be down. It'll have to wait."
When he came back to the table, Mother smiled. "The circus keeps coming back, you know."
"I know," said Father. "But childhood doesn't."

-Arthur Gordon

Jesse Cadelina
http://gearedforward.blogspot.com
Bringing family life to a higher level.


Source: Stephen T. Covey, Everyday Greatness
Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25578802@N04/29158639432

Like us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/gearedforward

Raised in an abusive home, daughter shows the highest form of magnanimity

This not ordinary story will put you into a shocked mode. A young woman despite the bitterness she felt towards her parents choose to show the highest form of magnanimity. And that is forgiveness.


So short, yet full of emotion and wisdom.

Read it!

"The highest form of magnanimity is forgiveness.

Raised in an abusive home, a young woman felt bitterness toward her parents. But when diagnosed with breast cancer, she determined to love them in spite of the past.

Each morning as she left for work she'd tell her mother she loved her. Her mother never answered.

Then one day, after about three months, the daughter was late for work and rushed out of the house. Her mother hurried to the door. "You forgot something," she yelled. "What?" the young woman asked. "You forgot to say I love you." They embraced. They cried. They healed."

-Bernie S. Siegel, Prescription For Living

Source:
Everyday Greatness, Stephen R. Covey

Photo credit: flickr.com

My heart lifts with joy, I gave her a double high five

Last night me and my family went to a small gathering/meeting of learning. They called it "The Feast Video CDO-Central", a Catholic prayer meeting of The Light of Jesus Family. With a tagline, "Blessing in a single click".

We were there to support the group and to our eldest daughter who was invited to play the violin.

I was not expecting for something great to happen. Just to support. My presence would somehow encourage our daughter to perform well. And she did. Yes, she did her best.

It is our mission to raise our kids positively. But we are constantly challenged at home. How well do we raise them? Not so well. They don't always follow what we say, but they always follow what we do.

That's reality. So, we tried to speak what we do at home.

Thankfully, by the help of other people, the people we associate the most with, the books we read, seminars we attended helped a lot in our daily approach to raising positive kids.

Last night was a blast. Yes, it was!
Our kids, the three of them were listening to the amazing talk of Bro. Bo Sanchez entitled, "Freaky Siblings".

I was there at the back listening to the talk and it hit me, in one way or another I was a freaky sibling too.

The best thing happened. Do you want know what?

Ask me what?

I was surprised. Yes!

The message of the talk was all about, "Ako Taya". In other words, someone has to sacrifice. Someone has to be Jesus.

If you want unity in your family. If you want unity among your siblings. Someone has to say, "Ako Taya". Someone has to sacrifice.

When we got home this was what happened, listen carefully.

I brought with me coloring papers as requested by our second daughter. So, I brought not only for her, but for the three of them. To play no favorites. Another lesson from the talk.

This was what happened, there were nine pages of Barbie coloring papers for our two daughters and four cars coloring papers for our son.

Then I said to our eldest daughter, "Ate, you let your younger sister choose first and what remains will be yours but it should be half. Then the younger sister said, but Papa we have here nine pages of coloring papers, four for me and four for Ate, still we have one extra.

Before a word comes out from my mouth, the eldest, the Ate said, "imo na ang extra one" take it, take the extra one. Five for you and four for me.

Wow! My heart lifts with joy. I gave her a double high five!

Our eldest daughter listened to the talk of Bro. Bo Sanchez earlier at "The Feast Video CDO-Central.

She said, ako taya!

She made the sacrifice for the unity of the two of them. She was Jesus to her younger sister.

Let's pray?

Father in heaven, thank you for the many opportunities of learning You have laid for us. The people You have sent to help us with this journey called life. Thank for Your unending Love. Amen.

Subscribe to our newsletter, click here... Yes, I want to Subscribe!

Bring your family life to a higher level.


Jesse Cadelina
Geared Forward
jessecadelina@gmail.com
+639167125589


P.S. Join the weekly Feast Video CDO-Central every Tuesday 7:00PM at Rich Manor, Corrales Avenue.
P.P.S. There's also a live Feast. The Feast CDO, every Saturday at SM CDO Cinema 3, 4:00-5:30PM 1st session, 5:30-630PM Holy Mass, 6:30-8:00PM 2nd session.

*If you have any questions or clarifications, feel free to contact me.

Subscribe to our newsletter, click here... Yes, I want to Subscribe!
Like us on Facebook: FB/gearedforward

My Little One, a Father Sings to His Sleeping Child

A father who sings a beautiful song to his son. So amazing that you won't regret spending a minute reading the lyrics of his song.

Let's see if you won't shed a tear after reading.
So sit back, relax and fastened your emotional belts.

In the Yiddish song "Mayn Yingele" ("My Little One"), a father sings to his sleeping child:

I have a son, a little son,
A boy completely fine.
Whenever I see him, it seems to me
That all the world is mine.
But seldom, seldom do I see
My child awake and bright.
I only see him when he sleeps;
I'm only home at night.
It's early when I leave for work;
When I return, it's late.
Unknown to me is my own flesh,
Unknown is my child's face.
When I come home so wearily
In the darkness after day,
My pale wife exclaims to me:
"You should have seen our child play."
I stand beside his little bed;
I look and try to hear.
In his dream he moves his lips:
"Why isn't Papa here?"

That song was written in 1887. Today, Papa and Mama are no longer in the sweatshops, but the anguish of the parent who has impaled himself on the sword of ambition has not changed. It has merely changed address.

-Jeffrey K. Salkin, Being God's Partner

Source:
Everyday Greatness, Stephen T. Covey



Photo credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45877066@N06/9068809828
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29712408@N02/4653408030

6 Tips on How to Move On With Life from Past Broken Relationship

I came across a young professional and ask her to share how she was able to move on in life from her past broken relationship. And so here it is, this will help you in your journey towards freedom.

Moving On With Life

I will be honest with you. Moving on is not easy. Up until my experience with M, I always thought that moving on has been just a matter of putting the past behind you and looking forward to the future. Sounds easy, right? But while that does help, you have to understand that there’s more than meets the eye. There were times, even two years after our ordeal, when I thought I had moved on only to realize that I had past baggage to deal with. Ultimately, this process helped me recover completely and finally move on with my life. It can also work for you after a tragic ordeal like losing family or ending a relationship.

6 Tips on How to Move On With Life

1. Clear your baggage. Every broken relationship comes with baggage that’s a mixture of sadness, disappointment, melancholy, wistfulness, hope and regret. It also includes deeper emotions, especially if the relationship was intense. Rather than block them out, it’s important to embrace and accept these feelings. Once you have connected with them, slowly let them go.

2. Realize he/she is not the one for you: Part of the reason I couldn’t move on sooner was because I kept seeing M as the one for me. But with time, I came to realize that if someone is not 110% sure they want to be with you, then the two of you aren’t meant to be.

3. Share with close friends: It helps a lot if you have close friends with whom you can talk to. Looking back, I don’t know how I could have survived the ordeal if I didn’t have my close friends to talk to and support me.

4. Reduce contact with him/her: You do not want to expose your emotional wounds to the very things they are susceptible to and that includes your ex. If that's what it takes, then you have to reduce contact with him/her otherwise you will just spiral again and again.

5. Forgive him/her: I once came across this statement that you refuse to forgive yourself if you refuse to forgive others. For what it’s worth, when you are angry with someone, you have to remember that the only person carrying bitterness around is you. So why not forgive them, and hence yourself?

6. Meet new people: It’s easy to get stuck in your head dealing with your tragic ordeal. Meeting new people helps remind you that there is a whole world out there that you are missing out on. Go on an amazing adventure of getting to know new people and understanding life from a whole new angle.

Photo credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85608594@N00/27109924255
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8176740@N05/6351061190
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24147261@N02/4492991312

City Walk on Father's Day, City of Golden Friendship

I woke up early this morning. Yehey, praise God!

I learned that successful people are early rising and because I want to become one of them, I'm learning there ways.

The night before, I played with our kids the "Pinoy Henyo", it was fun. Before they went to bed and I to the floor, lol, because me and my wife sleep on the floor. They wanted us to go walking early  in the next morning. And so, I made this an inspiration to wake up early and I did, yes! I did.

After a while the kids also woke up and I received their "Happy Father's Day" greetings and so with my wife. It feels good, yes it is.

Thank you Lord for the gift of family, the gift of inspiration.

When I lost energy, my family is there to give me the strength to move on.

Watch this video and walk with us as we go through the "City of Golden Friendship".

If I Had My Life To Live Over

If I Had My Life To Live Over
By: Erma Bombeck

Someone asked me the other day, if I had my life to live over, would I change anything?

No, I answered, but then I began to think...

If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner, even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
I would have eaten popcorn in the "good" living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television-and more while watching life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was my only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my child kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."
There would have been more I love yous, more I'm sorrys, but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it, live it, and never give it back.

Source: Everyday Greatness, Stephen R. Covey


You still have the time to change the "If''s" to "Next time."

Like this one, next time, I'll talked less and listen more.
Next time, I'll invite friends over to dinner.
Next time, I'll listen to my grandfather.
Next time, I'll light that pink candle sculpted like a rose.
Next time, I'll sat on the lawn with my children.
Next time, I'll rest in my bed when I'm sick.
Next time, I'll cherish the impetuous kiss of my child.
Next time, I'll say more I love yous and I'm sorrys.
Next time, every minute, I'll look at it and really see it and live it.

You still have the time to change "if" to "next time."

Photo credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33227787@N05/25889334040
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7466314@N05/3156438550