Friday, June 23, 2006

If We Hold On Together



Dear Sharon,
As the title show, I hope you agree with me,
we can make our dream come true.
Love,
Mommy


Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope & glory
Hold to the truth in your heart

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I

Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end
Valley, mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Someone is praying
Please let us come home to stay

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I

For Sharon A Princess on her 21st Birthday


O Lord, you protect me and save me; your care has made me great, and your power has kept me safe.
Psalm 18:35

You are special
Sharon
A Princess

Author: Ma & Pa

We would like you know that
you are a beautiful girl,
charismatic person,
respectful friend,
excellent student,
and lovely daughter.
You are the reason of our lives,
the happiness of our home.
God blessed us bringing you to our lives,
we are very proud of you.
For these and other things
you are very special
MY DAUGHTER
Sharon
A Princess

A SPECIAL PERSON ENTERED MY LIFE
I REMEMBER HOLDING YOU SO TIGHT
I REMEMBER LOTS OF LOVELY TIMES
AND I SHALL ALWAYS CHERISH THEM
IN MY MIND
YOU ARE MY DAUGHTER
YOU ARE MY FRIEND
OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER
WILL NEVER END
I HAVE WATCHED YOU GROW
I LOVE YOU SO
AND I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW
Beautiful Daughter

A precious little flower that is in constant bloom
I watch as yet another milestone around the corner looms.
It seems like only yesterday that we shared a breath
but now it seems like tomorrow you will be twenty one.
A tiny little angel that always is in flight
as soon as you came into my life
you brought me so much light.
Your beauty is so stunning
your smile makes me melt
I'm so proud to be your mommy
It's the best I've ever felt
Oh perfect little princess
with you I'm so in love
every night before I dream
I thank the Lord above.
How did I get so lucky
to have as sweet of a gift as you
If ever you should need me
there's nothing I wouldn't do.
My Daughter
Sharon
A Princess

You'll never really know,
my dear,
Just how much you mean to me,
A mother's love, buried so deep,
That only my heart can see.
When I sit and really stare at you,
All I can do is grin,
Somewhere down deep inside,
I see myself within.
I'd never change a thing in you,
I thank God that your so fine,
Even when your at your worst,
I'm so proud that you are mine.
The roads we have traveled,
were not always that good,
I would take back all the pain you've felt,
Only if I could.
I know that I'm not perfect,
It's the best that I can do,
But everyday,
I thank the Lord,
For a daughter as special as you.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

The Parkash

Deepali, Diyva and Aman, they are the children of Parkash and Urmila, they live in Batam now, they are very close to me, whenever they come to Singapore, I will meet them.The pictures were taken yesterday before they left for New Dehli for a month holiday.
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Bt Batok Nature Park

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Wednesday, June 07, 2006

"Older Brother" Attitudes!

The older brother became angry and refused to go in.
Luke 15:28

There were two prodigals!

The younger brother was guilty of the sins of the flesh;

The older was guilty of the sins of the spirit (attitude).
When Jesus' parable closes, it's the older brother, the second prodigal, standing outside the father's house. When we focus only on our own interests we become like the older brother.
We nurture attitudes of jealousy and selfishness.
Understand this: Christians who possess no greater cause than themselves are usually not as happy as non-Christians who have a purpose greater than themselves.
This "older brother" attitude has three possible results:

(1) It's possible to be a son yet refuse to act like a brother. Outwardly, the older brother was correct, but look at his resentful attitude. A wrong relationship with your brother and sister in Christ always results in a strained relationship with your Heavenly Father.

(2) It's possible to serve God faithfully yet not be in sync with His will. The elder brother had no idea why their father would rejoice over a disobedient son's return. Self-centred, judgmental people never "get it."

(3) It's possible to be an heir to all your father possesses yet have less joy and liberty than one who possesses nothing.The hired servants were happier than the older brother. They ate,laughed and celebrated while he stood outside demanding his rights.

The older brother's attitude robbed him of the blessings of his father, the love of his brother, and the joy of the servants. And an "older brother"attitude will block the flow of God's blessing in your life too.

The Fruit of the Spirit

Those whose lives are guided by the Holy Spirit bear fruit in their lives - the fruit of the Holy Spirit, listed by St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians. There are twelve listed in the tradition of our Church, beginning with the fruit of love or charity, words which are quite misused in our society. For Paul is referring to the love that God shows us by sending His Son into the world to die for us, which of course is much more than just the romantic love we toast on St. Valentine’s day!
Charity, likewise, is often thought of primarily as a monetary donation to some poor person or "charitable" cause. But charity is anything that puts into practice that love we are meant to have in our lives....
It has been said that the infallible sign of the presence of God in a person is an unquenchable joy. Pope Paul VI wrote a beautiful letter on Christian joy in the year 1975, in which he reflected on the life of Christ, which always shone forth with that Christian joy. Why? Because He was secure in knowing that He was loved by His heavenly Father. And so in spite of disappointment in His life, in spite of the hardships of His life, He always shone forth with the joy that marked the presence of the love of God in Him. Our lives should also sparkle with that joy, with that fruit of the Holy Spirit, so much so that others throughout the world, the people that God puts in our lives for a purpose, will be attracted by that joy.
Peace is another fruit of the Holy Spirit, and we recall the Lord’s words that He gives us His peace, not as the world gives, but a deeper kind of peace. More than just the absence of hostilities, Christ’s peace is Shalom, the sense of wholeness that comes when God is wholly with us.
Patience, even and especially when things aren’t going our way! In all of our lives, mishaps happen; in all of our lives, the unexpected occurs. And how we adapt ourselves, how we roll with the punches, shows how much our lives are bearing or not bearing the fruit of patience. So many of the Saints were secure in their patience, even in spite of numerous tribulations and tortures - what a formidable fruit that is!
And kindness - certainly, all of us have experienced many times in our lives when the rudeness of others wore on us, and ate at our hearts, and soured our own outlook, clinging to us like a barnacle. But on the other hand, the kindness of others has often brightened our lives, and that sense of kindness is meant to be brought into every situation in life! No matter how rudely, no matter how inconsiderately others treat us, there is always a kind reply at our disposal, if we are attentive to developing and harvesting that fruit of the Holy Spirit, the kindness that the Lord gives us!
Goodness: the goodness that comes from modeling our lives on the life of Jesus, not being content with just a few good deeds daily, but having the goodness of Christ living in our life in a concrete way that is always inspiring us to see the goodness in others, as well as goodness in ourselves, the blessings of the Lord which are always meant to be shared with others. For if we hoard that goodness, what good does it do? But if we share it with others, it’s a multiplication of a fruit of the Holy Spirit!
Generosity, the fruit of the Holy Spirit that is, in a sense, the sharing of all of the other gifts, of all of those other fruits, the acknowledgment that God has given us more than we need, more than we can even use on our own! And so we have an obligation and a need to share all of our gifts, and not in a miserly way, but in a generous way, a pouring forth to others!
Meekness, an awareness that, instead of always standing up and claiming what is our due, all of us have to remind ourselves that "all is gift," and sometimes that means we have to even forego what is our right, our justice under law, in order to help the world to appreciate the One who died on a Cross, even though He had done no wrong, the One meekly led like a lamb to slaughter.
Faith comes from the awareness that God is here with us. So we don’t have to worry about everything in this world, because our God is here with us! And we don’t have to have the answers to everything, of all the questions that come to us, because our God is here with us, and He knows the answers! We don’t have to have a sense of loneliness, a sense of being by ourselves, because our God is here with us! When that fruit of faith is clearly shining throughout our life, then the whole world sees us as people of faith, and that fruit helps others develop their fruits.
Modesty refers both to modesty of the body (how we dress, how we clothe our body and present ourselves to others) and modesty of soul. This spiritual modesty is the recognition that no matter what great gifts we have been given (and we all have been given such great gifts), that’s what they are - gifts! We would not have them, we would not have the gift of life, if it were not for our loving generous Father and Creator. And so to acknowledge Him as the source of all our gifts, of all our blessing and bear the fruit of modesty in our life.
The fruit of self-control, of discipline in all aspects of life, reminds us that we need not and should not ever be slaves of passion or greed, for grace is never lacking to those who strive for self-mastery in God’s service.
The fruit of chastity is derided by many in our as a rotten fruit, and yet how sweet it is when a person’s life bears that fruit of chastity! Not just the chastity of body, but also the chastity of heart, the chastity of recognizing all that we are as made by God, male and female, in His image, and so presenting His image as He wants it presented.
As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "you shall know them by their fruits!" If we live in the Spirit and follow the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit will blossom in our lives as well!

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

To the People in My Life

My friend send this mail to me, and I find it very meaningful, it might just a story but it touch my heart.

I was out with Sharon yesterday after her 11.30am mass. And we have a very fruitful and quality time together after such a long long time. Just a simple lunch and a nice teabreak at Gelare, it meant so much to me.

Sharon, Thank you for your time! Your Time is the thing I value most!

Here is the story:

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son.

He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him,
"Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday."

Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?" "Oh sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you.
It' s been so long since I thought of him.
I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said.
"I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment.
It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said.

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was the thing I value most," Jack said. It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said.

"I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack disc overed a note in his mailbox.

"Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. "Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life."
A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes,! Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

"Jack, Thanks for your time! - Harold Belser." "The thing he valued most...was...my time."

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.

"Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.

"Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away," Think about this.

You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

1. At least 2 people in this world love you so much that they would die for you. 2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
3. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you. 4. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
5. You mean the world to someone.
6. If not for you, someone may not be living.
7. You are special and unique.
8. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.
10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look; you most likely turned your back on the world.
11. Someone that you don't even know exists, loves you.
12. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
13. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.
14. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

To everyone who happen to read this, hope your day been brighten and might change your perspective on life... for the better.
To everyone who read this: "Thank you for your time."

Monday, June 05, 2006

From God's Perspective

He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.
Psalm 103:7

The Israelites got to see what God did, but Moses understood why He did it. Big difference!
Spiritual perspective is seeing things from God's angle.

Here are four great benefits to seeing things from God'sperspective:

(1) His perspective causes us to love Him more. The better we understand the ways of God, the more we grow to love Him.

(2) His perspective helps us resist temptation. When we look at some of our pleasures from God's viewpoint, we realise that the long-term consequences of sin are always greater than any short-term pleasure. Without God's perspective we follow our natural inclinations. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12 ).

(3) His perspective helps us handle trials. Listen:"In all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans8:28).

(4) His perspective keeps us from error. We live in a society that rejects absolute truth and accepts each opinion as equally valid. The problem is not that our culture believes nothing, but that it believes everything. When you understand why God speaks so clearly about certain things, you're motivated by reward, not fear.
That's why Paul writes,"We will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different, or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth" (Ephesians4:14).

Seeing life from God's perspective produces Spiritual stability - and who among us couldn't do with more of that?

Do You Practice Compassion?

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13

The phone rang in a high society Boston home. A son who'd just returned from Vietnam was calling from California. His parents were the cocktail-circuit, party kind. The boy said, "I just called to tell you that I want to bring a buddy home with me." His mother said, "Sure,bring him along for a few days." "But mother, there's something you need to know about him. One leg's gone, one arm's gone, one eye's gone, and his face is disfigured." His mother said, "It's okay, bring him home for a few days anyway." The son said, "You don't understand, I want to bring him home to live with us." After a long pause the mother began to make excuses, "What would people think? How could we take care of him, given our busy lives?" And the phone clicked. A few hours later the California Police Department called. Again the mother picked up the phone; a voice said, "We have found a boy with one arm, one leg, one eye and a mangled face. He just committed suicide. His identification papers say he's your son." Showing compassion demands dying to self-interest. It disrupts our well-ordered lives. It costs us money we planned to use for other things. It calls for time, often years of care giving, when we feel like we've hardly enough time for ourselves.
What is compassion?
Laying down your life for others!
That's why Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
Do you practice compassion?

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Saturday Outing at Jurong Lakeside Garden


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At the bench facing J C C
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Pepper is so Happy to be out...
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Pepper is so excited...
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Pepper is so lazy..
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Pepper is watching me, what am I doing?
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the bench very near to Japenese Garden
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Beautiful Garden view..........