Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!!

Happy 2013 Father!!,
Hello! Where is the Parish Priest??
Half hidden among the crowd of well wishers!!

Ending the year  with thanksgiving to God for all his grace and blessings for 2012 and for 2013, we place everything in his Mighty Hands!! GRATITUDE ,APPRECIATION, TRUST & CONTINUED FAITH!!!

The first day of the  new year of 2013  is given to honour a very special woman -Mary, Mother of God!! Let her prayers continue to uplift us!! 

HAPPY & BLESSED 2013,  PEOPLE!!

The AAA = happy family & good relationship with you

Attention, Affection and Appreciation -those are the values sorely needed in today's modern families, so say the  visiting priest to OLL this evening. .I think you hit the spot Father. It is now the in- trend , the  fashion, to be parents in absentia.  ..I don't know if that is the correct word to  use  for parents who substitute their presence with money and gifts..to make up for lack of  parenting  and practice of good family culture. .But then, everyone does it, it has become SO NORMAL and the THING to do- work! work and more work for Money!Money! Money!!!!- It has become Modern Culture.A necessity!!

No choice, people tell me, either you are out there working your butts off, or your family suffers. The logic is that  money is not only the revolving force , it also feed the wants. If you do not have money, you are in no position to provide and  if you do not have money, you cannot give  cherishment.(spelt with a Big M )   and nowadays,  kids and family do expect cherish and love spelt in BIG $$$$$$., so what to do??? Neighbour has a big car, 60 inch TV xtra...

Frankly, we are living in a very materialistic world . so how do we strike a balance?? That's for you to reflect and come up with the answers. We chase after money-so hard that we do not have time to correct our own mistakes, let alone our kids' and straightening out the crookedness in them ...so we just let it be... We come up with reasons  -like "times have changed...we need to move with the times" "those values were old fashioned" ....and so these age old good values, which ultimately bring in respect and goodness and holds the family unit together -slowly and surely  get  erased out from our  daily language and living space. In the near future...perhaps even the traditional family values of honouring father and mother  may disappear as well. It has already started, people tell me...long ago lah!..yet others say. Is that the reason behind the mess and the clutter in our today's living??Everything evolves in a circle...a cycle.. Be aware people!!

If you do not make an effort to integrate the three "A"s into your relationship with the people around you, teach your children  how to value them, ( teach by example ) then I guess, they will never know how to value and apply them to the people in their lives...YOU!!!  Remember, they learn from you. If you do not value good culture and tradition, they learn to discard them and you along with it.What values have they got to teach their own kids, and ones coming after???

Good topic indeed - to talk about and reflect before 2013 comes marching in. Perhaps 2013 is a good time to reinstate good family values, reapply them , teach our kids to discern and know right from wrong...start with loving God and family. May be basic lessons  but basics worthy for the preservation of Family and Home, the Institution of Marriage. and the sanity and worthiness of our future generation..

Good values comes from belief in God!!

From Marie Lee's daily write up-a piece from her Belief Gallery.

New Era-I believe

It's the morning after Christmas.
I stood and watched  as dawn broke into day. 
The birds chirping.....life radiating ,
Buildings still standing,
And people busy going about their businesses.
Not a hair out of place,
No disaster, nor catastrophe ;
The world smiles on,  
in its predictable orbit.


The Mayan soothsaying now firmly 

behind me.... 
A  new  era, of fresh beginning
I welcome in,
From the ashes of  cycle's end
new hope arises,
Heralding new directions .....
the deprived,forsaken, and the lost-

And warmth for those left out in the cold....
When God sends His flourishing grace- 
life and greens, 
the dry, dust filled lands , 
to plump skeletal frames,
And restores them, fortune even  balance.

The time of cherishment has come,
churning favours in, Nurturing  all seasons,their growth and harvest,  And thus sang the Lyrics of Hope and gratitude- Thanksgiving to  Him, Lord -in His abundance and generosity !

My prayer for you Africa, and all you -forsaken, in this season of good cheer that,   that day has  truly  come, and new  hope dawns  and smiles upon  you!!