A dear friend has been painstakingly, enduringly battling cancer for at least a year. It has returned with a vengeance after about a decade of remission. This time, my friend, a spiritual fortress, was daily being battered by the disease. She texted that she was advised to seek hospice care. We prayed for her daily, asking for some alleviation of her pain. Two days ago, Very sadly but expectedly, her daughter texted that her mom was now at peace. Her mom wanted a celebration

My sister texted me a video. The video showed a man sharing a story. He said that one day in February close to Valentine's Day, he asked his students (He was a teacher.) to help him serenade his girlfriend while working at a dental school. (She was a dentist.) The students were excited to join the plan. They were supposed to surprise the girlfriend by singing a love song. When it was time for the chorus, it was the man who was going to come out of hiding, bringing flowers a

Someone asked me recently, "How do I know if something is God's plan for me?" I asked the same question myself many times before. After many years, I believe the answer is to PRAY, PRAY, and PRAY some more. Circumstances will then have a way of arranging themselves so that events will guide you to God's direction. This Lent, I thought I'd start a 40-Day Minute Lenten Reflection series. I began by choosing a Bible verse for the day, nothing more than 20 seconds to read, and

My husband and I were invited to join a medical mission for two weekends in January. We had just arrived from an out-of-town trip after the holidays, and we were just adjusting to our regular routine. We were a little hesitant because it was our first medical mission. But this was what we thought we'd like to do after Paul, my husband retired. He is a doctor by profession, and I am a homemaker. I had no idea what I was going to do, though I thought I would be asked to help i

I was on my first date, after many first dates. I was introduced to a man whose parents knew my aunts. I believe it helped to know something about the background of people one was dating those days. That was in the early nineties. These days, people are braver to date anyone. Talk was the usual. Interests. Families. And birthdays came up. I learned we were both born on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, February 11! Not the same year though. Of course, I instantly had a cur

I have been listening to a clinical psychologist who for me seemed to make a lot of sense. (That's an understatement.). He wrote a book, "Twelve Rules for Life." He was asked which of those rules he thinks tops the others. His answer was, "Always tell the truth. Or at least, do not lie." If things are not grounded on truth, the foundation will collapse in time. Let's take the case for relationships. How could one move forward in a relationship when one knows that the othe

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions? There’s no better time to try something new than on January 1, but by the time half the month is done, many of us have left our resolutions out the door. Whether it’s setting up a new exercise regimen, losing some weight (understandably after the holidays) or developing other new habits, we need all support we can get to enable us to continue with our resolution journey. How about mental exercises to strengthen our goals? H

It was Saturday, the last evening of our Christmas vacation. We were leaving the hotel at 5:00am the following day Sunday with a flight at 8:30am. Arrival in LAX will be almost midnight due to multiple layovers. My husband already got our tickets, and we were ready to go. The boys were not thrilled though because they had early meetings Monday morning. The Christmas gathering with my siblings turned out to be a very blessed reunion, and I had no other words in my heart but a

Visualize this: You lost something so valuable that searching for it consumes you. After weeks of searching, how do you think you will feel after you ultimately find it? Or how do you think Thomas Edison felt when he tried his 10,000th bulb, and it finally lit? Or how do you think Helen Keller felt when she was able to connect "water" with "W-A-T-E-R?" Those were tremendous discoveries! What about the Three Kings when they finally found where the child Jesus lay after weeks,

For many years, my brother lit the evening sky and dazzled our household with his fireworks in Manila. My sister and I were always mesmerized. “Let’s go out and watch the fireworks!” I invited Mom once. She replied,“During the last few minutes of New Year's Eve, your grandma sat on her chair and gave thanks to our Lord for all her blessings the past year. She then prayed for guidance and protection for the coming year. And that's what I am doing before the new year arrives.”

I walked through the "Last Act" shoe sale at Macy's and saw all types of footwear strewn on the floor! I thought that the store employees must be working extra hard these pre-holiday sales. I felt there are things we can do to help make things easier for them. Consider these as small acts of kindness that is only shared between you and Jesus. If we consistently do these small things, they become a habit. And then, maybe these habits will create in us a character that will a