My Health

I was feeling very weak and drowsy this past week that I decided to have my blood tested. It is not yet time for my monthly injection of Riccormone that corrects the red blood cell level but already I was feeling dizzy, a sign of low hemoglobin and red blood cell. The result yielded a hemoglobin level of 86, par below the normal value 122 to 162. So, I had myself injected with the medicine that corrects the level. It will take sometime before I will feel strong again. I still try to run errands despite feeling weak like buying groceries and medicines because all our purchases are through credit cards and I have to sign for them. I just try to be very careful and walk real slow. I am just worried that the intervals that I would need injection is becoming shorter. It has been a while since I saw my hematologist. I just subject myself to monthly injection by a friend doctor following the hematologist's prescription as maintenance. I think I should see her soon.
After several years of monthly maintenance my real illness is not yet determined. There is no need for me to determine my illness, as long as I know it is not leukemia.

The Religious Life

We are so lucky in our subdivision to be surrounded by dwelling places of priests and nuns. Whenever I wake up before 6:00 AM in the morning, I try to go to daily mass at the chapel inside the Santa Rafaela Maria House of Spirituality, just within walking distance from our house, run by nuns residing in that compound. For Sunday masses, we go to hear mass at the multi-purpose hall of our subdivision, with the mass being celebrated alternately by three priests residing inside our subdivision, the Spring Of Carmel. With them around, I am always reminded of the presence of Jesus.

Whenever I have the opportunity, I always lead my grand daughter Tiara to the Catholic Faith. We already succeeded in convincing her to go to Sunday Masses. Thankfully, my son share the same views with me regarding sending her to Catholic School.

Last Saturday was Tiara's ninth birthday. The party was very successful without a single drop of rain despite the fact that May is a month with the onset of rains and typhoons. And this is because we prayed for it. The Saturday before May 23, after fetching Tiara from their house (she spends her weekends with us, myself, my husband and Archie her father) we went to the monastery of Santa Clara, were we laid offerings for the nuns to pray to Santa Clara for a successful party for Tiara and that there would be no rain on that day. Each of us wrote separate petitions on a piece of paper, placed the offerings within the folded paper, and dropped it in the petition box. And true enough, our prayers were granted.

I have a fascination with the religious life and I passed the stage in my high school years when I wanted to become a nun. My father, being a Seventh Day Adventist vehemently contradicted when I told him about my desire. Well, it was not God's Will. I will definitely love it when one of my would-be grand children choose the religious life. I will realize my dream through them.

Infatuation

Infatuation
Just attraction
Will not last
Often becomes a past
No regrets we have met
My future you did truly set
Together you and I are not meant
Another one God has from above sent


Written by: Carmen H. Uy

Opening Prayer For A Bible Study

Two days ago, May 12, we had our Bible Study in our house. I hosted it at the carport so as not to disturb my husband Arturo who is sick with cancer of the tongue. There were only four who attended, who are all my neighbors, since some members had outside commitments. Also, our shepherd, Father Blanco did not attend because we were only few and because he could not bring theologians from their seminary to accompany him. The previous day I asked a new member to write the opening prayers for our Bible study since I was not feeling well. Also, on the night we had our Bible study, I asked him to moderate or lead it. But since the members were more interested in discussing the affairs of our subdivision, we ended up feasting on the snacks and discussing problems we have within the subdivision. The reason I am writing this is I found the prayers very inspiring and I want to share it with my readers.


PRAYER
Bible Sharing Group
May 12, 2009

Bless us with Your Spirit, Lord, as we gather once again to reflect on Your Word. The Gospel reading tonight is about selfless love. Help us to understand the meaning of the word "love" as exemplified by Your "dying to yourself that we may live forever." As Fr. Daniel Mahan said in his reflection of this coming Sunday's gospel: "Yours is the greatest love the world has ever known. May we learn to share Your love with others. In so doing, we may bear in abundance the fruit of charity and mercy."

Lord, thank you for the gift of life and the blessing to be among those who know that You are the Son of God.

Lord, we ask for Your mercy for Arturo, and for all our friends, relatives and neighbors who are sick. Touch them with your healing power.

And as we part ways tonight, may your grace of charity and mercy accompany us in our day to day lives.

We ask all these, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.


Prayer written by JT,

Blogger's note: I am calling him JT first because he has not granted me full permision to publish his name yet.

I Have But One Life To Live

I have but one life to live

My remaining days to you I give

Never wanting any other

You alone will be my lover

Ever since we did get married

No other one in my heart I carried

The love I feel for you gets stronger

As we plan our tomorrows together

I know we feel the same way

As we spend together each day

Being always with you as my wish

All moments with you I relish

I pray that there is no end

Days with you the Lord will lend

Happiness with you I treasure

A feeling of love so pure

I have but one life to live

My remaining days to you I give

Offering a love for you alone

Fruit that your presence have sown

By Carmen H. Uy

There Is Faith

When a child lets his mother kiss his wound
to make it heal pretty soon,
or when an old lady crossing the street
hangs on to the hand offered by a stranger,
there is faith.

When a boy leaves a note for Santa
beneath the Christmas tree,
or when a girl scout knocks at your door
to sell cookies,
there is faith

When a poet writes a poem praising God
thru his verses,
or when a singer performs
hoping to capture an audience,
There is faith....
And in simple things around within our reach

Portrait Of Jesus

In one of the blogs I posted before, I mentioned of painting Holy images. I painted the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary before in my inspired moods, and with my hands not shaking. I also asked another artist to paint another portrait of Jesus. I brought it to the Christ The King Seminary Store at E. Rodriguez around three weeks ago. I was a little disappointed with the one in charge of the consignments because she kept on repeating very expensive even though I priced it very low already. So we ended up with my labor for the two paintings costed at less than the minimum wage and not a single centavo profit with the other painting done by the other artist. I left it with them just the same.

When I sold two paintings recently, not mine and to be picked up next week by the buyer, I was thinking of advertising at Ebay the paintings under consignment at the seminary since my Ebay stocks is running low. I cannot use the money I will earn at Ebay to buy new stocks since it will be allocated for another expense. So I planned on pulling out the paintings and went there. I already told the lady who approached me that I will be pulling out the paintings and I was directed to a corner. And behold, there were the paintings displayed prominently among the garments of the priests looking so holy especially the portrait of Jesus done by the other artist. I felt that the three paintings have found their home and told them I will not pull them out anymore and to just call me up if they think I have to pull them out already. They told me it is up to me when I want to pull them out. I am inspired to paint Holy images again even though it does not pay well. Blessings will come in other ways.

Another Dream To Reach For

I posted a poem at fanstory.com and I got a good review from another member who is also a music composer. As I gathered from her profile, she started attending music composition in a school at the age of 46 and started her career from there. I don't intend to compose music myself being always off-key when singing but at least I can try to write some lyrics for my son Archie to start with. He won the song composition contest, first prize, in their school during college at Ateneo, with Jose Mari Chan, a leading Filipino composer as one of the judges. Archie can give melody to the lyrics I write and if fate is on our side, he can try to sing it at Party Avenue, a bar near Timog where he performs solo every Wednesday. So for two nights I wrote lyrics for thirteen songs without sleep. I showed it to him and he liked the themes of two of them but he says that I have to improve on the structure. He advised that I listen more to music to have the feel of it. I have not been listening to music for sometime now. It is not yet too late to start. Well another dream for a willing heart.

Unlucky Day

Today is not my day! It is my unlucky day. I advertised the collection of paintings I have at home and what do you know? The telephone broke down the first thing in the morning. I reported it to PLDT at 8:30 AM and followed it up two times but nothing happened. No lineman appeared the whole day. I had to pay 208 php to Manila Bulletin to place the advertisement and nothing happened. It was not the money but the disappointment I suffered after anticipating for so many days for the possible patrons who could have called up after reading the ad and visiting my website. Now I have to wait two weeks before I can advertise again.

Due to better response from the readers during Sundays just after payday, I usually advertise during those times. I have tried so many years before of advertising my paintings in the papers but I did not get good feedback. Now that I have a website http://art-nook.com/ I tried advertising again this time and see if I can sell paintings through it. But then, the telephone broke down. Also, it is the day of Pacquiao's fight which I forgot when I placed the ad. People would not bother to read the ads the morning of the fight. Well, it is Pacquiao's day, but not mine. Better luck next time.

Writer's Site

I subscribed to writersmarket.com, an on-line site that has a collection of names and contact addresses of book publishers and consumer magazines, that it displays alphabetically upon request. I am particularly interested in having my collection of poetry published. Some pay the minimal amount of $5 for each poem with some paying only with magazine copies. But some pays as much as $300.00 minimum per poem. Wow! If I can cook up two poems a day and if they will be willing to buy it I will earn $600.00 a day. That is approximately 27,000.00 php and 810,000.00 php a month. My family and I will live like royalties! That will be a welcome change. With no income and with the savings being drained out slowly, that is a much needed break. Wishful thinking! But dreams are meant to be indulged in. That supplies the much needed drive of any aspiring writer to keep on producing. But the problem with my talents is that I have too little of everything. A little bit of talent in writing, and a little bit of talent in painting and a little bit of talent with numbers. Jack-of-all-trade, a genius in none. Imagine, if all of these talents were concentrated in one I will be famous by now! Well, God has his reasons and things will come in His own time. I am willing to wait even if it takes forever.