 | Welcome | Apr 1, 2005 |
The wind, weak and faint Lingers in the silent hour Occasionally blowing, throwing kisses of love Brushing gently against the leaves Of the lilac tree And the soft ray of the summer sun, peeks Through branches and twigs Finding its way into my skin, kissing gently Giving it warmth.
My back lay in the patio swing, gliding back and forth My head rests on the throw pillow, gazing upon the clouds Pretending to see angels against a pale blue canvas Of the afternoon sky.
The swing comes to a halt But the sweet fragrance of sampaguita continue To tease the heart But it can no longer hold The mind becomes light Slowly fading Giving way to an afternoon nap.  | Jealousy | Jul 25, '08 4:54 PM
for everyone |
Relationships of all kinds are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold on to some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost. ~ Chicken Soup for the Soul
| Details | Jul 18, '08 3:56 PM
for everyone |
I pay attention to details. It is in them that I see God often.
photo: unidentified plant in our front garden | A Babe | Jul 17, '08 5:06 PM
for everyone |
A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men.
~Martin Fraquhar Tupper photo: baby's breath
| Sunset | Jul 1, '08 12:51 PM
for everyone |
As I gaze upon the horizon
And watch the sun set
I feel a short rush of
Life in motion
Same images yet
Each differ in temperament
By the fading of the sun
Colors changing by the second
Until it’s no more
And my soul can rest finally
In full darkness of the night
Until it meets life anew
By the dawn of the next day.
photo: sunset at aran island, ireland taken november 2007
poem: repost 
Children are the bridge to heaven. ~ Persian proverb
A five-year old boy led the fifth mystery of the rosary prayer at our Sacred Heart Prayer Group meeting last night. I wish I could pray like him - with simplicity and innocence.
Photo: taken in Ireland, November 2007 It was a day in the city for Jo-ann, Teddy and Jun. They had lunch at the Signature Room, J. Hancock’s 95th, and then walked leisurely along Chicago’s magnificent mile. It was sunny but on the cool side. After five, I, along with Glory and Julz, met up with them for a concert in the park.  Take a Friend to the Orchestra Jay Fritzker Pavillion Millennium Park
Grant Park Orchestra Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
The evening’s program, Take a Friend to the Orchestra, featured great selections of music giants - Wagner, Mozart, Debussy, Rossini, Barber and Respighi. It was an hour-and-a-half performance with no intermission expect for Kalmar’s introduction which tells a little something about each score.
Dubussy’s Clair de Lune, arranged by Leyden, is truly a great piece. It is sweet, gentle with fleeting moments of sadness yet lovely.
The last three minutes of Rossini’s Overture to William Tell has a lively tempo and quite energetic. It depicts a triumphant return of the Swiss troops on horses gaiting along the Alps’ idyllic countryside at dawn under a thunderstorm.
Adagio for Strings by Barber is of mourning and immense grief. Kalmar said that this music piece was played at the funerals of both Kennedy and Roosevelt. It was also played at Ground Zero shortly after the 9/11 attack.
The finale is Respighi’s synopsis of four sections of The Pines of Rome rendering 23-minute symphonic poems from spring night of soft gentle bliss to the magnificence of sunrise and the poet’s vision of past glories ending with a mighty crescendo thrilling us with gigantic wave of sound depicting triumph and grandeur.
The guys have been friends forever. So when Jo-ann and I came into their lives, we would always be together. When I was away, they’d go out just the three of them. But every time I’m home, we’d be foursome on dates or simply hang out together.
Jo-ann and Teddy settled in Dagupan while Jun and I migrated in the States. For a long time communication was far in between. But every time we were back home we made sure to spend time with them. They lovingly welcome us into their fold and became our second family. Technology got better and so did our long distance communication. When Jun is in the Philippines, he and Teddy are inseparable.
Our kids grew up with stories about them. Pia met them when she was sixteen. Though Ajay has never seen them before, there was instant rapport when they met for the first time for it was simply putting a face into a familiar name.
Teddy is one of Pia’s sponsors at her wedding. We were so happy when they called they were coming. They even extended their trip so we can spend some time together.
We can’t believe that the four of us, now in our golden years, are together again. We haven’t changed much expect for some wrinkles, aching joints, gray hair and a lot heavier. Like the good old days, we still find ourselves loving and caring for one another. We hang out talking and laughing endlessly like teenagers. We reminisce until the wee hours and each has never ending stories to share.
Jo-ann and Teddy are not here for long. Soon they are flying back to the Philippines. Though it will be hard to say goodbye, we are very grateful that in spite of the long distance and all those years, we have remained close friends. It has been thirty-six years and counting. We are grateful too for a wonderful time together. We simply cherish each moment has to offer.
"Friendship that flows from the heart cannot be frozen by adversity, as the water that flows from the spring cannot congeal in winter."
~ James Fennimore Cooper
Photo: kylemore abbey, connemara, ireland.
Ajay knows my love for the sea. So when we headed back to Pia’s from Camarillo, he took the 101 or Pacific Coast Highway. It is a much longer route but a scenic drive of mountains and the sea. Often called PCH1, this is a state highway that runs along California’s pacific coastline rendering some of the most beautiful coastlines.
We stopped at Malibu, a 20 mile strip of pacific coastline. Not only is a beachfront community but there’s also the Topanga Canyon and Santa Monica mountain with multi-million homes with spectacular sunsets and idyllic ocean view.
Two days later in between dates with family and friends, we were back drving along PCH1. This time, Ajay took us, albeit hastily, to Laguna Beach a seaside and artistic community in Orange County. I wish we stayed for the sunset but other matters took priority. 
 
Every Spring, a cardinal rests on our patio for a day or two. Sometimes we wonder if it is the same bird that comes year after year but we’d like to think that it is so. This past Spring is no different. The cardinal came, pecked the ground and rested on the grill sometimes on the patio furniture. Its color is so striking. I happened to be home to snap some pictures. I was happy that it kept still as if it knew that I was there to shoot photos. Jun and I are not bird enthusiasts. We never paid much attention to the comings and goings of birds in our property. There are a lot of them since we had the bird feeder. There is continuous chirping, singing and whistling. It’s almost like a concerto that we’ve gotten used to over the years. We don’t even know what kind of birds we have with the exception of the cardinal. That we know because of its fiery color and crest. A week or two passed and we noticed that the cardinal was still there. Could it be another one? The answer came in a surprise when Jun found just outside our breakfast nook window a nest where the same bird brought food to its nestlings. Then there was another, more of a brighter red, looking from a distance, like a guard fiercely defending its breeding territory. We didn’t dare go near but we took photos very discreetly from the house. Jun made a sign for the gardeners not to mow our loan just as not to disturb this young family. Can you tell how many beaks there are? I was a little sad when we left for California. I was sad for not being able to witness these young birds grow old to leave the nest. For surely enough, we came home to find them all gone, their nest abandoned and empty. |  | May 11, 2008 - St. Paul the Apostle Church, Davenport, IA
A very holy day for our new priest - Pentecost, His First Holy Mass, Mother's Day! |
| | May 10, 2008 - Sacred Heart Cathedral, Davenport, IA
A doctor of medicine back home, Jo came to study for a PhD in genetics at the University of Iowa. After the first of a two-year program, he can no longer restrain his calling to the priesthood. It was so compelling that on Pentecost he finally decided to go for it. Abandoning a very promising career in medicine, he entered Mundelein Seminary in the fall of 2004.
Four years later, he is ordained a priest. Fr. Joseph is now a doctor of both the body and of the soul.
It is a privilege to witness his ordination.
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A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~ tenneva jordan Have a great and wonderful Mother’s Day! 
Yesterday, Lou pointed me to scrapblog.com. Today, the boss is out so I decided to learn new stuff. LOL! My first subjects are my friends Rida and Brenda. I know they’ll be in for a surprise. Thanks to Lou for this is so much fun!
it is lifeless defeated by the severity and harshness of winter but even in the face of death it comes back slowly to bring its promise and claim life again with vivacity and joy… | Finally | Apr 17, '08 1:00 PM
for everyone |
Ah…..finally. The sun is out, bright as ever. The warm afternoon rays filters through. I open the windows to let the fresh air in. I stand by the sill allowing the gentle wind brush my cheeks. It is warm, no more bone chilling air. The kids, three of them, from my neighbors within the cul-de-sac are out playing. Their little voices are music to my ears. Sweet. Angelic. I smile as I watch them romp by the lamp post. They glance at me and I wave to greet them. They can’t be happier. After all, they were cooped up during the long, harsh winter. The pond comes alive. No more sheet of ice. No more powder of snow. Then there are the birds. They’re back. Chirping, twittering. Oh, there are quite a number of them. The bulbs are sprouting from the earth. I await the peonies’ rebirth. The once lifeless twigs and branches appear dotted with green. The leaves are forthcoming. From a deep slumber, the proud and tall magnolia tree is coming back to life. The buds are almost ready to burst. Soon, delicate scent from white satin flowers wafts across the upper rooms. There will be sweet smell. Romance will fill the air. It is Spring. My heart sings. | Grateful | Apr 7, '08 12:45 PM
for everyone |
I was so happy for Lou when she finally met Lynette. She told me how she enjoyed meeting them and how she wished they had stayed longer. She had nothing but wonderful stories to tell. She got me so excited that I had her promise to call me the next time Lynette, Allysa and Lita come for a visit. It didn’t take long for Lou to fulfill her promise. A couple of days later, she called to tell me that they were coming back to Chicago for the weekend. I immediately called Lynette and told her that I won’t take no for an answer. So Saturday, in our house was Lynette, Allysa, Kendall (?), Lita, Lou, Fr. Sunny and our FSN group. (http://lmariano.multiply.com/photos/album/514) Meeting them in the flesh is a happy and wonderful feeling. Hugging them came with incredible ease. They are simply beautiful and good hearted people. I must add that Allysa is a stunner. Like her mom, she is just so pretty and charming. Lita is very warm and as beautiful. It was truly a pleasure having Lynette, Allysa, Lita and Kendall (?). We look forward to their next visit and hopefully, soon. We’ll make more time to ourselves and have Lita sing us a tune. Multiply is such a great medium. Jun and I just gained an amazing family and we are grateful. My latest test result shows my cholesterol count is back to normal level. Three months on the pill, watchful diet and exercise did it. I also lost weight during the process. My doctor got me off the pill but quick to warn that I must continue to watch diet, maintain weight and exercise regularly, or else…. I find it easier to exercise in the summer. The days are longer and I tend to be more active. I may not have worked out the conventional way but I sweated out. I was on the go, hit golf balls and worked the yard non-stop. Exercise has always been my challenge. Now that the days are much shorter and colder, my body seems motionless. Even unmoving. As if it wants to plunge into a deep slumber. I definitely do not want to go back to the pill. But it is not enough motivation to get me off my feet. Jun bought me a couple cd’s of home video dance workouts but I have not started yet. Curling up in bed with a good magazine is far more inviting than shaking off my booty in front of a tv screen.
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