the long hiatus is over.
come and visit me here at The New Breathing Room
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Monday, August 14, 2006
Bye
daddy and me singing "how did you know"on his surprise birthday and reunion celebration
photo by patrick frias
On the second anniversary of The Breathing Room, I bid farewell to you, dear reader. But this is not really a goodbye, just a transition post, because I am dramatic like that. Heehee.
It all started exactly two years ago to this day. I was writing a love note for my dad, it was for his 65th birthday.
We just celebrated Dad's 67th together with the Pineda Clan last Saturday and what a glorious celebration and grand reunion of long-lost family it was.
I could not think of a more fitting time to say goodbye to this blog which has become so much a part of my journey in growth, in healing, in learning more about God's Love everyday.
It has spanned two years, 730 days, a family 0f three moving to a new country, two new births, three homes, over a dozen new friendships, countless realizations, joys and sorrows. Sometimes I soared so mightily I glowed, sometimes I tripped so badly I bled, somehow remembering to breathe through it all.
Tears of joy and celebration flow from my eyes as I write my farewell piece on TBR. A final tribute to my first blog. This may be an electronic, inanimate entity but, by God, I share in all honesty how TBR has been a living, breathing thing in my life on more occasion than I can remember. It has saved my sanity on many a difficult day especially during the early months of adjustment in a new dwelling place away from family and things I have known all my life.
To Jen Gray, for in the beginning, there was her blog and her words, always encouraging, always brave, gently kicking my butt (!), telling me to "Go, girl. Go for it." To SARK, Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy who continues to shine her rainbow colors on dreamers like me and gently prodding, gently coaxing us to go out there and "do more things...badly." for it is in not being afraid and following one's bliss fearlessly that we are able to SHINE our true Light. Then followed a host of other bloggers - all listed under my favorites on the right - who generously shared with me their lives to let me know that I was not alone. Yes, we may all feel that sometimes, but now I know, we are never, NEVER alone even on the darkest nights of the soul.
My cyberpals who deserve way much more than mere mention of their names here: Allison, Leonie, Tracy, Kevin, my life-coach, Julie, my cyberpals on Flickr: Carol, Adrienne, Heidi, Christina, Qing, and many more artistics souls who continue to inspire me creatively.
Oh there are so, SO many, my friends from church in Woodbridge, April and Marge who, through their families caring and generosity and lutong bahay, have quench my thirst for family and community many a dark night. My family who are the main characters in my life story: my life-partner, Jack, my darling kids: Sol, Oona and Joshim, my second family in Toronto, the Azimi's who are my strength and my constant support. Last but not least, my beloved Pineda family and my sisters Leslie and Joey especially for without them I am nothing.
A new chapter awaits somewhere, someday - The Living Room, perhaps - one with much more passion, much deeper breaths and always the presence of the One from which all good things come.
All Glory and Honor to God Almighty from Whom all good things come forever and ever. Amen and AMEN.
********
peace
love
joy
~iKat
********
Monday, June 19, 2006
daddy's girl
My Dad and I.
I was one year old.
The year was 1969.
I've yet to ask if the red bike's his.
I think if was the neighbor's
As my mom told me once...
Lovin my red shoes. :-)
Love you, Daday!
Miss you and Mom a lot.
(and Les and Jo and Rands and CPK! hahahaHA!)
Friday, June 16, 2006
Hiya, Toes!
oh
why the haiaut - haitus - hiatoes... *sigh*
break, you ask?
i'm tweaking my writing style.
more like, my writing intent.
so for my thousands of readers who lurkingly miss me: (i know you're out there because my counter's still moving! :) and I do have relatives, you know.)
i'm still here *waves*
and i'll be back.
after my brief
...tweak break.
see ya soon, bebes!
Note: FYI, no, FMI! (for MY information)
it's HIATUS. lol
Thanks, you guys.
********
peace
love
joy
~iKat
********
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
the black dot
tell me what you see
yes, ma'am
i, too, saw "a black dot".
what do you expect?
it was right in the middle of the white space
besides
i am trained to look for, connect, press on the dots
i am programmed to see what's right in front of me
i am predisposed to watch the swirling vortex
thus inevitably get swallowed by it
whole
the black dot
it is so crisp and clear and, well...dotty
how could one not notice
right?
wrong?
a friend of mine sent me the following e-mail
a much-needed reminder
of how i tend to look at things
i know, the story's a bit long
but so is my share of dots!
The Tiny Black Dot
During some of my presentations, I take an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of white paper and make a little black dot in the middle.
Then I show the sheet to people in the audience and ask them what they see.
The majority will say that they see a black dot. Very few, if any, will tell me that they see a white sheet of paper with a tiny black dot.
We tend to look at our lives in very much the same way. We have our health, enough food to eat, a job that pays the bills and allows us some leisure activities, but we don't focus on that. We don't appreciate that.
Instead, we concentrate on the tiny black dot - the 10% in our lives that we don't like ... or the things we wish we could change.
By concentrating on the 10% that represents our problems or things we don't like, we develop a negative attitude and feel lousy. Plus, there's a universal principle that comes into play: we attract what we think about most.
By focusing on what is lacking in our lives, we create more experiences of scarcity.
Think about your life. Are you paying too much attention to the 10% that isn't what you want it to be ... as opposed to the 90% that's going well?
I'm not saying we should ignore our challenges or things we'd like to change. But if we paid a lot more attention to the 90% that IS working, we'd have a better attitude and we'd get better results.
When it comes to your job, do you concentrate on all the positive aspects of your position, or do you gripe about
your salary and your co-workers, or the fact that someone
else got the promotion you wanted?
What about the basic necessities of life? Do you feel gratitude every day for the food you eat, the clothing you have, the roof above your head... or do you take all of these things for granted? Worse yet, do you complain that you don't have more?
And let's not forget your body and your health. How much time do you spend thinking about what IS working? Your body is a miracle, make no mistake about that. There's nothing "ho-hum" about your body and its day to day operation.
Albert Einstein once said that there are two ways to live your life - one way is as though nothing is a miracle - the other is as though everything is a miracle.
Most of us walk around with a ho-hum attitude about the miracle of our bodies. We treat this amazing creation as if it's no big deal.
Consider this: your heart is only the size of a fist and yet it pumps blood through your body. Every day, the heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood and beats about 100,000 times.
That's just in one day.
In one year, that amounts to 36,500,000 beats. And in most cases, the heart just keeps on beating 36,500,000 times a year for many decades. Stop for a moment and recognize the enormity of this miracle.
And, of course, you don't have to change any body parts or beat your chest manually to keep your heart going. It automatically beats and sends the blood through your body with no effort on your part.
Now, let's consider your brain. The brain and spinal cord are made up of many cells, which include neurons. There are about 100 billion neurons in the brain. 100 billion! Neurons are nerve cells that transmit nerve signals to and from the brain at up to 200 miles per hour. Isn't this amazing?
Of course, your ears ... your eyes ... well, I could go on all day about the miracle of your body and how we take it for granted. Just one final example to drive the point home.
When you get a cold and have difficulty breathing for a few days, I bet you'll often tell everyone that you are congested and don't feel well. When the cold clears up in a week and your breathing returns to normal, you probably don't say: "My breathing is perfect today! I'm able to get all the oxygen I need!"
Why does it make sense to complain about your breathing for the one week it is impaired ... while failing to acknowledge the other 51 weeks when your breathing is full and healthy?
Stop taking this incredible body for granted. Appreciate all the things that ARE working! You're a walking miracle, and part of an extraordinary universe.
Some of you may feel that ignoring the black dot is not the answer - and that you need to focus on the black dot to improve certain conditions in your life. Well, if you choose this route, here are three strategies you could use:
1. Worry about the black dot.
2. Complain about the black dot.
3. Take some proactive steps to eliminate or reduce the black dot.
The only strategy that makes sense is #3. Yet many people select strategies #1 and #2, which only makes them more miserable.
Be brutally honest with yourself. Are there any areas of your life where you're ignoring the large white sheet and seeing only the tiny black dot?
Do you see the faults of those at work or at home, and seldom affirm people for their positive contributions to your life? If you're like most of us, you have an abundance of blessings, yet you're often blind to them.
If you've been staring at some tiny black dots recently, take responsibility for that. And recognize that nobody is forcing you to keep your eyes on the black dot.
You've developed the habit of focusing on the negative and your life (and the lives of those around you) will be greatly enriched if you start to shift your vision toward the white sheet.
You have a choice. You can keep staring at the black dot and telling others about all the things that are wrong in your life, or you can begin to appreciate your many blessings.
Sounds like a pretty easy choice to make, doesn't it?
-- Jeff Keller
(c) Attitude is Everything, Inc.
thanks, nelo.
may you and i see more of the white paper in our lives
:-)
and a belated happy, happy birthday to my dearest marjorie.
definitely one of the whitest of the white blessings in my book!
;-)
what do you see
what do you see
do you see what i see
what do you see
what do you see
what do you see
do you see what i see
do you see me?
********
peace
love
joy
~iKat
********
yes, ma'am
i, too, saw "a black dot".
what do you expect?
it was right in the middle of the white space
besides
i am trained to look for, connect, press on the dots
i am programmed to see what's right in front of me
i am predisposed to watch the swirling vortex
thus inevitably get swallowed by it
whole
the black dot
it is so crisp and clear and, well...dotty
how could one not notice
right?
wrong?
a friend of mine sent me the following e-mail
a much-needed reminder
of how i tend to look at things
i know, the story's a bit long
but so is my share of dots!
The Tiny Black Dot
During some of my presentations, I take an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of white paper and make a little black dot in the middle.
Then I show the sheet to people in the audience and ask them what they see.
The majority will say that they see a black dot. Very few, if any, will tell me that they see a white sheet of paper with a tiny black dot.
We tend to look at our lives in very much the same way. We have our health, enough food to eat, a job that pays the bills and allows us some leisure activities, but we don't focus on that. We don't appreciate that.
Instead, we concentrate on the tiny black dot - the 10% in our lives that we don't like ... or the things we wish we could change.
By concentrating on the 10% that represents our problems or things we don't like, we develop a negative attitude and feel lousy. Plus, there's a universal principle that comes into play: we attract what we think about most.
By focusing on what is lacking in our lives, we create more experiences of scarcity.
Think about your life. Are you paying too much attention to the 10% that isn't what you want it to be ... as opposed to the 90% that's going well?
I'm not saying we should ignore our challenges or things we'd like to change. But if we paid a lot more attention to the 90% that IS working, we'd have a better attitude and we'd get better results.
When it comes to your job, do you concentrate on all the positive aspects of your position, or do you gripe about
your salary and your co-workers, or the fact that someone
else got the promotion you wanted?
What about the basic necessities of life? Do you feel gratitude every day for the food you eat, the clothing you have, the roof above your head... or do you take all of these things for granted? Worse yet, do you complain that you don't have more?
And let's not forget your body and your health. How much time do you spend thinking about what IS working? Your body is a miracle, make no mistake about that. There's nothing "ho-hum" about your body and its day to day operation.
Albert Einstein once said that there are two ways to live your life - one way is as though nothing is a miracle - the other is as though everything is a miracle.
Most of us walk around with a ho-hum attitude about the miracle of our bodies. We treat this amazing creation as if it's no big deal.
Consider this: your heart is only the size of a fist and yet it pumps blood through your body. Every day, the heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood and beats about 100,000 times.
That's just in one day.
In one year, that amounts to 36,500,000 beats. And in most cases, the heart just keeps on beating 36,500,000 times a year for many decades. Stop for a moment and recognize the enormity of this miracle.
And, of course, you don't have to change any body parts or beat your chest manually to keep your heart going. It automatically beats and sends the blood through your body with no effort on your part.
Now, let's consider your brain. The brain and spinal cord are made up of many cells, which include neurons. There are about 100 billion neurons in the brain. 100 billion! Neurons are nerve cells that transmit nerve signals to and from the brain at up to 200 miles per hour. Isn't this amazing?
Of course, your ears ... your eyes ... well, I could go on all day about the miracle of your body and how we take it for granted. Just one final example to drive the point home.
When you get a cold and have difficulty breathing for a few days, I bet you'll often tell everyone that you are congested and don't feel well. When the cold clears up in a week and your breathing returns to normal, you probably don't say: "My breathing is perfect today! I'm able to get all the oxygen I need!"
Why does it make sense to complain about your breathing for the one week it is impaired ... while failing to acknowledge the other 51 weeks when your breathing is full and healthy?
Stop taking this incredible body for granted. Appreciate all the things that ARE working! You're a walking miracle, and part of an extraordinary universe.
Some of you may feel that ignoring the black dot is not the answer - and that you need to focus on the black dot to improve certain conditions in your life. Well, if you choose this route, here are three strategies you could use:
1. Worry about the black dot.
2. Complain about the black dot.
3. Take some proactive steps to eliminate or reduce the black dot.
The only strategy that makes sense is #3. Yet many people select strategies #1 and #2, which only makes them more miserable.
Be brutally honest with yourself. Are there any areas of your life where you're ignoring the large white sheet and seeing only the tiny black dot?
Do you see the faults of those at work or at home, and seldom affirm people for their positive contributions to your life? If you're like most of us, you have an abundance of blessings, yet you're often blind to them.
If you've been staring at some tiny black dots recently, take responsibility for that. And recognize that nobody is forcing you to keep your eyes on the black dot.
You've developed the habit of focusing on the negative and your life (and the lives of those around you) will be greatly enriched if you start to shift your vision toward the white sheet.
You have a choice. You can keep staring at the black dot and telling others about all the things that are wrong in your life, or you can begin to appreciate your many blessings.
Sounds like a pretty easy choice to make, doesn't it?
-- Jeff Keller
(c) Attitude is Everything, Inc.
thanks, nelo.
may you and i see more of the white paper in our lives
:-)
and a belated happy, happy birthday to my dearest marjorie.
definitely one of the whitest of the white blessings in my book!
;-)
what do you see
what do you see
do you see what i see
what do you see
what do you see
what do you see
do you see what i see
do you see me?
********
peace
love
joy
~iKat
********
Friday, May 26, 2006
normal day
Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.
Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.
~ Mary Jean Irion
quote from my angel of a cyberpalJen Gray's website
she totally rocks...yes, even on a normal day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)