Living A Dream

I am so happy for my mom. After decades and decades of hard work mixed with disappointments, frustrations and tears -- she finally was given the opportunity to travel outside of the country. For the longest time my mom has been waiting for her passport to be approved and released. Due to our British lineage, it has been extremely difficult for most of us in the family to travel. Good thing I was able to settle this issue at an early age when birth certificates need not be authenticated by the NSO (National Statistics Office), and an appearance at the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) was all it took for the government to issue me my passport. But for my mom, it was a painfully long process. It took more than 10 years before she was finally granted access to the world, and she well deserves all the travel opportunities that are coming her way now because she waited far too long to be held back!

Mommy left for the US last July 19 to attend several business meetings in various States in the East and West Coast. I was so excited for her because it was her first time to ever leave the country, and she was already flying Business Class and First Class to several destinations! And because this was a one-month all-expense paid trip, she is being treated to the finest hotels and restaurants in each State. Allan and I were so involved in the preparations for her departure and arrival in Michigan, we made sure that she was met by my brother-in-law and his family, and treated to the sights and shopping places all over Detroit. She had so much fun in Detroit, and that was only her first stop! She's only been in the US for slightly over a week, and already she's gone to Detroit, New York, Connecticut, Memphis, New Jersey and today she's in Kentucky. Tomorrow she'll be going to San Francisco to meet up with her friends, and their hosting her stay before she moves to Los Angeles. I can't wait to see all the pictures she's taken and to hear all her wonderful stories about her first international travel. As soon as she gets back, she's scheduled to go to several Asian countries, Bangkok and Hong Kong included. What a jet-setter she's turning out to be! Hehe.

After several years of waiting, she's suddenly exposed to so much more beyond the walls of her hospital and her office. It's just so wonderful that she's finally living her dreams of traveling, and it's even more wonderful to know that this is all just the beginning for her. I look forward to being able to travel with her and explore new worlds, new cultures and new experiences. She deserves every minute of joy she is feeling right now, and I thank God that in His proper time, He does fulfill his promises to make your dreams come true. ;-)

Thankful In Every Situation

The weeks just get busier and busier, and try as I will, I seem to always fail making time to post a blog entry. My apologies for the delays.

I want to focus my Thankful Thursday post on being thankful in situations where the frustrations tend to outweigh the accomplishments. We neglect to see the "light at the end of the tunnel", the "silver lining behind every dark cloud", the "glass being half-full" and all the positive aspects of a situation when we are confronted with obstacles. We forget that in all circumstances that life throws our way, God is near and is just waiting for us to let go off our worries, our doubts and fears. We forget that everything has an end, and that "this too, shall pass..".

I am thankful for every waking moment that i spend with my family, every free hour I have for myself to restore my mind and body, every available evening I have to see friends, every spare opportunity to watch my favorite TV show or DVD, every minute of sleep I get, every day I wake up feeling healthy and strong. Life is good -- we all just have to see the joys and reasons to be thankful in the dark as we do in the light. :-)

Happy weekend!