In observance of Lent

I am away on facebook and other social media.   For urgent matters, please email, text or

viber me as necessarry.   Thank you for your kind understanding.

Cheers,

Cecilia

Ash Wednesday, 5 March 2014

PHILIPPINE FUND RAISING UPDATE:
Great night watching Lucid and Crossfire bands performed. Everybody seemed to have enjoyed the evening. For transparency purposes, the total amount collected for this fund-raising amounted to £2,377.24. 348 Tickets @ £5 totalled £1740 plus raffle sales of £170 and cash & cheque donations of £467.24. Some incurred expenses have been deducted: £400.- Shanklin Hire, £253.- Public liability insurance, £60.20 –Printing/Stamps/Advertising £45.00– Food/Drinks (plus £50 for remaining unpaid tickets). The remaining total collection has now been distributed to the four Filipino Island residents (Aloha Bueno Busby, Gerlie de la Cruz, Fidelina Travis, and Jelly Dechoza Bernaldez). These friend’s families have been severely affected by the said typhoon).
Sincere gratitude to all the generous raffle sponsors/donors:
1. Naturally Newborn
2. Cheap Thrills
3. Brian/Ching Absalom
4. Mimi Cass
5. Joveliet Tompong
6. Yan Woo Restaurant
7. Anonymous
8. Anonymous
9. Social Club-Neutrik
10. Anonymous
11. Anonymous
12. Anonymous
Thank you also to Chairman Ian Ward of the Isle of Wight Council for gracing the occasion and being our guest of honour. Most of all, I commend and salute these two bands really for putting up a great show for a worthy cause. Last but not the least, thanks to all those who came and supported this project!
NB -a full press release came out in the County Press dated 28 Feb. 2014 and facebook account.

                       SUNDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2014 at 5:30pm, SHANKLIN THEATRE

Main Attraction: LUCID
Supported by: Crossfire
Ticket at £5.00 -it would be great if you could donate more.  Plus raffle draw (prizes from generous donors most welcome too – please contact 07885764727)
Tickets available at Shanklin Theatre, c/o Aloha Bueno Busby (East Cowes), Fidelina Travis (Sandown), Marivic Pungtod (Ryde), Gerlie DelaCruz Custodio (Wooton), Cecilia Quesada Shaw (Cowes) and yours truly.

Perhaps best CHRISTmas gift you could ever give esp for music lovers….

So come buy your tickets now before they run out!!!! First come first serve basis! Non-reserved seating so be there early.

Big thanks to everybody for this joint effort and those willing to help make this happen)

Final note: Recipients, donors and expenses will be published for transparency!

To all fellow countrymen!
Taking on board this strong message:
“As a sign of our solidarity with the victims of Typhoon Yolanda, as a humble equivalent of the “minute of silence,” may I suggest that we refrain from posting, for the next 7 days, photos of our sumptuous meals or delectable coffee drinks? Instead, let us volunteer, donate, reduce our carbon footprint, or pray for the relief and recovery of the survivors.” RSA/ADSA Loyola Uni, Philippines

Have you ever met someone you think the person is not what you imagine he or she is? I had an unforgettable incident with someone I made a wrong judgment call and often strike my breast when it would come to my mind seeing him as the most selfish person I had ever met in my whole life.  (Me a culpa again!)    Yet deep within, I knew he was not that real sort of man, why because he was a mate of hubby.   [Pardon me, I do not want to blow my own trumpet but by nature my husband is a good man with a big heart.]   Because I believe in the premise that, tell me your friends and I tell you who you are,’ I was curious to discover why the brokenness that caused him to be such.    Perhaps, God assigned me to be the instrument that would help him unravel his goodness within.   Indeed everyone is gifted with the image and likeness of God.    As limited as we all are, we should be looking at the elements of good and bad within from time to time.  It was a big challenge for me even for my spouse as well.

So the time has come, we crossed path and had to be friend him even though he would not want anything to do with me; perhaps the key factor that would dramatically help change the course of his life.   At a welcome party, married couples along with other family circles were around.   Everybody was bubbly except him as I went along meeting all of them.   He was quiet and grumpy that evening yet I urged myself to go to him and introduced myself with the presumption perhaps he was jealous of me.   I asked him why he looked sad.   I reassured him nothing has changed as everything would still be normal.   He could come around any day he wished or when they would want to go out.   I felt that he did not like me from the first moment I was introduced to him, even though he is known as the best buddy among the three brother musketeers’ friends; he probably thought their friendship would have ended once we remarried.   Time proved him wrong as things was normal and even happier.   He would come and call the house anytime he liked and even had drinks on some evenings as the usual.  

The moment of reckoning came; he had a heart to heart talk with my husband expressing his desire to meet someone like me preferably marriage potential.    He realized how happy and contented his friend married to a Filipina and he wanted to give himself a second chance. I introduced a missionary from the Philippines who were a friend that came for a visit in the UK.   To cut the story short, this British guy got married to this friend of mine and the rest is history.    Life has significantly changed onwards.

‘This is not what I wanted,’ would be the epitaph of this friend when he dies.  Yes, he jokingly says would be his ultimate wish in case his life ticks up.   Indeed when you reflect in truth, the real happiness and fulfilment in any love relationship more so especially for husband and wife is this- love unconditionally or be unselfish and wish the best for the other half.   And now he is the ideal husband any woman could long for I tell you.   He is very loving and attentive to his significant other and a picture of contentment rests on him too.   To be specific, his choices are often geared on doing things that would make her spouse or anything beneficial including her circle of influence.  I believe this is the so called unconditional love that our Lord Jesus Christ is teaching us.   We all know that our Lord died on the cross as a ransom for all us saying in the words of the gospel [John 15:13- ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’]  

Finally, lest we forget that we get the satisfaction when we are able to give, without counting the cost.   But of course this can be balanced in life wherein give and take attitude should be the yardstick.  Ultimately do not forget that we have to leave something for ourselves too (self-respect is vital tool in any relationship!).  

Suggested Songs:   Love Song by Carpenters, You light up my life by Debbie Boone, and I will remember you by Amy Grant (This article was submitted for a radio program reflection moments w a Paulinian sister)

Cecilia Aguilar-Herbing

22 December 2012

The Christendom will be celebrating in a few weeks’ time the great Feast of Christ of the King.   How relevant is this in my life is the question that pops into my head every time I am in deep thought or more so when a major decision has to be made.   In the normal day to day activities, doing the mundane things which sometimes leave us tired, stressed and even drained, we cannot help but wonder.  It is a question as to what the end goal and why one feels that way is probably because of some emptiness deep inside the inner core.  

I feel grateful each time and really awed with the marvels of why I have never truly gauged that there’s a vacuum within.   Thank God for the mighty One who I always think rule my heart.   I know it is the gift of faith and I humbly recognize that without God I am nothing.   So, it is important to let God be in control.   Yes, let him be the true King that rules our hearts.    For when one recognizes one’s limitations and nothingness, allowing God to be the mighty one that moves, guide and direct our life’s decisions, operations or anything that we do in our lives then we begin to see the light and value of life’s events.    We must be humble all the time because God does not want to enter into the heart of someone who is arrogant, proud and curious about everything. 

Moreover, Jesus Christ is the one who has the legal right to rule our lives and our weary hearts, as He is the King of Kings.   He is our Creator and the Author of Life.   He created us through the image and likeness of God; therefore He wants us to be like Him.   We must therefore, allow Him to penetrate and be likened to Him.   Only if we respond to the graces offered to us each day, in good moral standing and with faith, hope and love out of the depths of our inner selves can this happen.   If we free our lives from too much worldliness, pride and most of all from sins that drive us away from being close to the Mighty King, then we are geared towards holiness and the path of salvation.   This means we can attain our eternal reward in Heaven.  

I can observe that when a person has truly surrendered himself to God as His true king and ruler of his life; this person becomes attuned to Him.   Of course, he is mindful too that he is under the mantle protection of our blessed Mother Mary and always invoking the Holy Spirit to be at his midst each time.   Yes by doing so, you can tell he is truly a prayerful person living what he prays for and always touching base with God’s emissaries.  Then in actual fact, he is grounded, level headed and godly.   He neither is not judgmental, critical nor forces himself on others.   He has the good vibes and can jell with anyone without overdoing things.   He is just into things as they say.    And the people get drawn to him, not literally to his egotistical self I truly can say; but he draws closer people to God, because they see that God is so much alive in that person.   Well, in the end it is you and me loving one another and bringing each other closer to God and when we do, we will have our fair share in the eternal rewards in Heaven!

ow rHH

On going really but more so now in this year of 2013, we have Pork Barrel scam/massive corruption, civil unrest in the south, typhoons, just a few hours ago the onset of earthquake in Cebu and Bohol !!!! Name it, we have it all and what else –anything more we can weather them….

p. 195 of 365 Days….The land of my birth, the Philippines* is a far cry from the genuine freedom hoped for…..Up till today, as in the other days while here…my heart and prayers go out to my poor fellow countrymen. 
                                                              

                                                                                                             A plea for patriotism!