Saturday, October 30, 2010

Lella's Story

Have you ever felt that getting your prayer answered is like pulling out teeth using a pair of tweezers?

Imagine how that goes. You are sweating and doing all sorts of contortions to get the right grip. You even stand on a chair to get leverage. The owner of the tooth has a mouth that’s already as wide and deformed as that of Batman’s nemesis, the Joker, from all the fruitless maneuvers.

For years, I felt that way about my prayer for my livelihood. I even used to say in jest that if my dream were a person, she’d be about to graduate from college soon. It has been that long.

After over a year of attending and serving at the Feast Alabang (originally South Feast), I learned that I had been going about it the wrong way. I was using the wrong tools. Yes, exactly like using a pair of tweezers to pull teeth.

Let me illustrate. I got my Novena to God’s love in 2007. In it I was supposed to write my 7 dreams and pray for them every day. The novena said they have to be specific. For two years, all that was written in my novena was my name. I could not get my dream for my career/ business down pat so I could not complete my novena.

Before 2007 I had gotten into the habit of writing down my prayer petitions at the beginning of each year. I have pages upon pages of dreams written over the years. My prayers have been constant except for this area. My dream would morph into something else as the year progressed. My prayer for my business would get snopaked, crossed out, written over in red ink, pink ink, orange ink as situations changed. Once in a while I’d modify something. That’s not exactly what I want. Or there’s something else more promising. In short, my vision was fuzzy.

Can you imagine the confusion the universe had in trying to deliver this dream? I can picture God indulgently waiting on the side till I can get it right. After all, He knows the dream He has written in my heart.

It was only this year that I finally wrote down my 7 dreams. The mere act of writing them down in that tiny book gave me laser light focus. Suddenly, things became clearer and I was able to move with a purpose. It was easier to eliminate steps that will keep me from my goal. Like will taking a job as a transcriptionist propel me to my goal of becoming a writer? Not if it will keep me from writing – the difficult accents make my ears bleed and turn my brain to soup. It robs me of creativity and the time to write. Any job I take from now on must enhance my ability to reach my aspirations.

Although I had been frenetically, obsessively working for years to make my wishes come true, the fluidity of that dream prevented it from becoming a concrete reality. When I finally decided on what I wanted, I was able to take the right steps.

In just a few months my novena has become colorful. There are now pink tick marks on it. My prayers are being answered one by one:
My elder son graduated from college. Several months after graduation, he got a job even if it was out of season for teachers to be hired. He had an earth angel in Lui, my Caring Group sister. She referred him to her client who owned a pre-school. He also auditioned for the Feast Alabang Music Ministry. Those are checks for my dream numbers one and two.
My younger son finally finished his thesis after being delayed for two terms. Not only that, his thesis won the bronze for animation in the Digicon. In Jesus’ name, he will be graduating this year. Another check for dream #2 coming.
And, as for my dream about my career, it's finally taking off.

The recently concluded talk series on Wish! How to Fulfill Your Heart’s Desire has been such an eye opener for me.
I realized that my stories and prayers flowed from my woundedness – the different trials life throws at me every once in a while.
The image of what I want my life to be is now in high definition – no longer fuzzy and conflicted.
I finally learned God’s will for me. It is not about the minute details but a vision to love like Jesus. He has given me the freedom to decide the “how”.
And finally, when I bloom where I am planted, God will shower me with all the things that are necessary to make my dreams come true.

The talks gave me the tools I needed. I have discovered the art of extracting blessings.

_______________________________________________________________

Hi Lella,
Beautiful story and beautiful writing.
Thank you so much for the encouragement.
Praying for more blessings for you!
Bo

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Veronica's Life Story

MY LIFE STORY
It all began in September 1987 when I was 22 years young. Out of nowhere, I started to manifest a variety of symptoms - fever, falling hair, loss of appetite, fatigue, weight loss, and rashes on my face. After consulting a doctor who ordered a series of laboratory tests, I was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus for short.
When the doctor told me and my parents the sad news, I felt a sudden tightness in my chest, and I had tears welling up in my eyes. I asked 'Why me??? What grave sin have I committed for God to punish me like this??'. My mother saw me crying so she comforted me and told me that as long as we have faith in God, we can weather any storm.
With this 'condition', I had to make several adjustments in my life. First, I had to change my line of work (it involved doing fieldwork) because I had to avoid sunlight, stress, and people with contagious diseases. My umbrella was my constant companion, rain or shine, and people would wonder why. With these limitations, I could no longer enjoy outdoor activities like swimming and outdoor sports. Getting used to my physical appearance was another major adjustment. Because of the medication (steroids), I had a moon-face, a buffalo hump (hunched back), and a mustache. I gained a lot of weight which caused me to have stretch marks. I didn't feel 'presentable' and my friends hardly recognized me, so my social life was also affected.
Along with these adjustments, I had to get used to a regular routine of check-ups and lab tests, and frequent confinements in the hospital because of the flare-ups. Since western medicine did not offer any kind of cure for my condition, I tried other possible means of cure -- healing priests and alternative medicine -- homeopathy, naturopathy, hypnotism.....but all to no avail.
So I said to myself, if there is no cure for this, I would just have to learn to live with it. It was a rough ride, but I was still able to be optimistic about life in general. This made people regard me as someone with a strong personality. However, I knew that whatever strength they saw in me was really by God's grace. He gave me the strength to endure all those trials and He gave me my family and friends who were very supportive, especially my parents. They gave me their all-out support during this difficult stage of my life. My mother, who used to work as a head nurse, took extra care of me. My father on the other hand, would patiently drive us around for checkups and lab tests. Both my parents also had their own unique strength, and I would like to believe that I inherited both of their strengths. My mother's was defined by her optimism. On the other hand, my father had this certain quiet strength. He always had a calm disposition whenever he was faced with life's challenges.
Due to my condition, I was not allowed to get pregnant because it would be too risky, and also stressful on my kidneys. But being the optimistic person that I was, I told my husband that despite what the doctor said, we were going to have a child. Fortunately, I did give birth to our first baby boy in 1994. We even used the lamaze method!
Then, in 1997, I gave birth to a baby girl. Unfortunately, I had pre-eclampsia and after only 1-1/2 months in the NICU, my daughter died. Of all the trials I went through, this was the worst and most painful. Not only because my daughter had to endure all the pain brought about by IV needles and tubes, but more so because I could not even comfort her through that grueling experience, even if I wanted to so badly. This was because I also had a 50/50 chance of survival. So it was my husband who provided all the emotional support and love that he could possibly give. The only time that I was finally able to hold her was right before she died, as if she was just waiting for me to hold her, even just once, before she finally went home to our Creator.
With my daughter's death and my worsening kidney condition, I felt so helpless and hopeless. At times, I would just cry, and I would sometimes have thoughts of God not loving me because He allowed all these to happen to me. Once, my father saw me crying, so he sat down beside me, comforted me and, at the same time, cried with me. All he could say was the same thing that my mother said years ago (she went Home to our Creator in 1992), that we would just have to keep our faith in God.
Eventually, I was finally able to recover emotionally. I also started feeling better physically. I was able to go back to work and I was even able to give birth to a 'bonus' baby boy, despite the risks of having a third pregnancy. Also, I no longer had flare-ups and my doctor finally stopped giving me steroids.
With these improvements, I claimed that the lupus was gone and that God finally healed me. Finally, I said, my trials were over..... or at least, that's what I thought.
I stopped my regular checkups in the year 2002 because I felt that there was no longer any need for them. Besides, it would be easier for me to maintain a positive outlook with regard to my health if I stopped this 'medical routine'.......it was sort of an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality.
Then in 2007, after five years of a relatively "normal life", I went to see a cardiologist because of palpitations. Because of my lupus, she ordered an ultrasound of the kidney along with an echocardiogram. The ultrasound had shown that my kidneys had shrunken because of the extensive damage done by the lupus. She then ordered me to see a nephrologist immediately.
After only a few checkups with the nephro, I was told that my kidney function was down to 15% and I had to prepare for hemodialysis. This came as another shock to me. Even if I expected this somehow, I thought that this would happen at the age of 60 or even later, not at age 42! Again, I just had to “face the music” because it was practically a choice between life or death, and it was obvious what my choice had to be!
After 8 months of undergoing hemodialysis, I started to experience some difficulties. Instead of using only one arm for the session, both my arms had to be inserted with one needle each because I had a hematoma in my 'dialysis arm'. That meant not being able to move both my arms for 4 hours!! As if dialysis wasn't already difficult enough!!
This made us consider having a kidney transplant, but there were 2 major considerations. First, this was a very costly operation, and second, we didn't have a kidney donor since my siblings were not in the pink of health. So the question now was how to raise the money and where to find a compatible kidney donor........
My husband and I decided to pursue the option of having a kidney transplant. We even coined an acronym for our project and claimed it's success……SKTY09 (Successful Kidney Transplant Year ’09). As mentioned earlier, I didn’t have a living-related donor and waiting for a deceased donor would take too long, so the only option left was an emotionally-related living donor, (unrelated individual who had a strong emotional bond with the recipient) which, in this case could be my husband. It dawned on us that this could indeed be a possibility because we had the same blood type. (By the way, I didn’t ask for his blood type when he courted me :=).
With this new information, we had new-found hope. However, I had mixed feelings about “taking” one of my husband’s kidneys. I didn't want to let my husband sacrifice his kidney for me. Besides, we still had to raise two boys and I didn’t think it would be advisable for both parents to have one kidney each. But being the loving husband and the natural giver that he was, my husband told me that he really wanted to be my kidney donor and he said that it would make him really happy, that it would be a great honor for him to donate his kidney to me, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He said that if we were to tinker with our body, it should always be for the greater good, and, he said, saving my life was definitely for the greater good.
However, I knew that deep inside, he also had fears of his own, so we discussed these with the doctor. We were told that first and foremost, my husband would have to be healthy enough, precisely to ensure us that he would be able to live a normal life even after donating his kidney. Of course, he would have to be more careful with his diet and all, but the doctor would monitor my husband's condition closely. After having been assured about the safety of the procedure, we decided to push through with the transplant and start with the series of tests.
The first two tests determined the compatibility of the recipient and the donor. Waiting for the results of these tests felt like eternity, and when we finally got them, we were so relieved to find out that we were actually a good match!!! “Relieved” doesn’t even capture how we felt at that time, because we knew that the chances of husbands and wives being compatible was very slim (according to studies, only about 1 out of 30,000!!!). So it was very clear, this was definitely a miracle!!!
With everything in place, the doctor immediately set a date for the transplant, which was only 3 weeks away. So soon and we still didn't have any idea where to get the funds!!! We immediately put up our own angel network. Our family, friends, and relatives gave their share and we were able to raise enough for the hospital to admit us for the operation.
Thus, I had my kidney transplant on April 16, 2009, and the transplant was a big success!! My creatinine before the operation was already 13, but only 24 hours after the operation, it came down to 3 and 2 days after, went down again to 0.9 (normal range is 0.5 to 1.3). Also, right after the operation, I had several liters of urine output! Since that time, the doctors have been very pleased with my recovery and my life has never been better. It’s funny, but I had almost forgotten how good it felt to urinate a lot!! And urinating was an unlikely reminder for me of how grateful I am for this wonderful miracle!!
I am currently living a healthy lifestyle. I walk and jog 3-4 km regularly, after which I do a cardio workout. I also go biking with my husband and kids. Also, my energy level has greatly increased and I don't tire easily anymore. In fact, I was able to join two fun runs already. My blood pressure and creatinine are now under good control. I no longer have anemia or gout attacks and my complexion has a nice healthy glow. Best of all, I don’t need to undergo that grueling procedure of hemodialysis anymore!! Sometimes, people would say that I even looked healthier than them.
I feel really blessed to have had this transplant! Most especially, I feel blessed to have my angel….my husband. He is truly a giver, truly selfless…….a beautiful soul. His selfless sacrifice is the ultimate proof of how he is really living up to a promise he made to God several years ago.... He asked God to give me to him and he promised that he would take good care of me.
God is also definitely taking good care of me, as evidenced by all the blessings and miracles that I have received. Despite my doubts, despite all the questioning, the anger and frustration, the wavering faith, and despite my weakness, God’s love remains unwavering, unceasing, and unconditional. Indeed, we must always keep the faith because God is always faithful!
Now, I am living and enjoying life to its fullest because this is the best way to thank God, my parents and family, friends and relatives, and my dear loving husband, for making this wonderful miracle happen.

_______________________________________________________________

Hi Veronica,
Your story is inspiring.
Your strong faith in God shows throughout all your trials!
I honor your husband. Both of you are blessed.
I praise God for your victory!
Blessings,
Bo

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Erika's Story

Dear Bro. Bo,

My name is Erika, I'm 21 years old. I'm a fresh graduate and I am immensely enjoying the blessing of getting two jobs which I enjoy. While I believe that everybody deserves to be doing what they love because it simply means it is what God has so willingly bestowed upon them (God's plan is in your deepest desire), I have had my own share of downs, not in the process of getting to do what I love but more of this: while I get to do what I love, another person who I believe also deserves to be in this position is no longer here. Let me share to you my story.

I was in sixth grade when I first met my best friend. At that time, I just know her as the smartest girl in our level. It was not until first year that we got together. Our first day of high school found us spending time together at the first recess session. It all started with a smile, as she was seated in front of me. I kept wondering why this girl kept turning around smiling at me. When our math teacher called her and told her to list a set of five representing her friends, I was surprised when she wrote my name as the fifth friend, as we barely talked in sixth grade. It all started from there.

She and I became best friends all the way through high school. We were the dynamic duo, always in school competitions together, workshops; we would always study together, be supportive in our individual endeavors, etc. She was the person with the big brain, the even bigger heart, with a smile that can light up the room. She was a well known pessimist because she doesn't want to end up disappointed. I would always be the optimist, the ambitious one, the one who would get out of her comfort zone just to prove a point. We were both grade conscious, (she more than I), and we both ended up with honors at our graduation. She had more than 10 medals, apart from being valedictorian. She was the school's biggest achiever and everybody was so sure she would graduate college with high-flying colors and eventually become a successful doctor.

We parted ways in college since I got admitted to UP Diliman. She stayed in the province to study MedTech as a pre-med course. Even with that distance, we remained as close as ever. At those days when I would come back to the province, I would always make sure I'd meet with her, and we would go to our Alma Mater just to visit and give an update on each other's college life. Those days, she would rant about studies, about how frustrated she is, how she would read a book from cover to cover but still get some test items wrong. I would tease her often because of her overly grade conscious attitude, and she'll eventually realize how silly she sounds and laugh it off.

I would always be very comfortable being with her. I would share and rant about studies and love life and my college adventures. She was also very religious, an avid fan of Mama Mary and she would always pray before exams and competitions. She would always encourage me to join her in prayer, and I am always very much willing to do so.

This girl changed my life. I loved her dearly. She was the perfect best friend because I loved her despite her flaws. I had them, too, but in her eyes, I was also perfect. I remember in one of her letters to me, she told me "Never mind what other people say for what they have seen is only your surface. There is something very beautiful inside of you that only the ones who truly love you, sees." Those powerful changed the way I do things, the way I see people, the way I see myself. My best friend loved and accepted my for who I am, and she sees right through me, and beyond my flaws. She focuses on every person's beauty.

I went back to the province in December of 2009 and I got to see her (of course.) After our visit to our alma mater, she went to confession. I had already planned to have confession with my family so I just accompanied her to a small chapel at a university center. After that, we met with a couple of friends and then went home. Before we parted ways, we hugged, as always. She hugged me really tight that day, and I told her I will see her in March.

Last March, we were already near our graduation day. I went back to the province to be with my family and to spend time with some of my friends before going back to Manila for my graduation ceremony. Being a film major, I had already successfully defended my thesis production. Upon going back to the province, I only had my written thesis to go.

I was in the middle of writing my thesis when a friend suddenly popped up of facebook chat at 10am, telling me my best friend was rushed to the hospital due to formalin intoxication. She had decided to take her own life.

I rushed to the hospital to find my best friend on life support. The once dynamic, always full of spirit girl, now laying down on a hospital bed, with a toxic chemical rushing through her veins, binding with her blood, destroying her organs little by little. Her mother saw me in my shocked state and told me to come closer to her and talk to her. I did not know what to say. So instead of asking why, I just told her, "It's going to be okay, I'm here."

At about quarter to 11pm, although I did not want to be, I was already convinced that she might not make it. So I called our parish priest to give her absolution. Her parents agreed and so she was given blessings and prayers. I went home after the blessing, at 11pm. At 11:11pm, they had pulled the plug. I lost my best friend of eight that years that day.

The circulating news was that she got very frustrated with one of her grades and that one of her professors told her that she was not going to be able to be cum laude anymore. I know what being at the top meant for her; it was only then that I realized that she had equated being at the top with everybody's acceptance. Upon hearing this news, as she reviewed for her finals with some friends, she threw up her hands in the air and told everybody that she was tired.

She didn't talk to me about this; when before, she would. I had no idea that it was already getting to her that much; so much that it would be enough to make her believe that dying would be her only way out. Of all people, I did not ever think she would take her own life away. I believe there is something even deeper that went on there, she just didn't want to share it to anyone... although I wished she did. Even not to me, to anyone she'd be comfortable sharing it to.

I did not know what to do. At her burial, I stared at the coffin for a very long time wanting to believe it was just a nightmare, but it wasn't. Time passed, I am still trying to heal. Sometimes I would forget about it, but it all goes back when I am alone or when I am reminded of her. The pain of losing her grows, but the confusion grows with it. The day before her burial, I had a dream that she was all burnt, surrounded by fire, carrying a big cross upon her back. I took this as a sign that she needs so much prayers. Everyday after that, I prayed for her. Praying for her helped me believe that God will be merciful to her. I know that suicide is a mortal sin and people say that people who commit suicide might have gone straight to the fire. Although people say that at least she's in a better place now or that she is at peace, I am very much bothered by how she ended it all by herself. Because as far as I know, you are not at peace with yourself if you went to the extent of wanting to end your own life.

Praying helped me a lot through these past seven months, but very recently I am again very much bothered by losing her. There are so many times when I question her, I ask why she decided to leave. Because it's not that she just passed away... It wasn't God's time for her to go... she decided on it herself.

It's just that, even beyond death I still want to be there for her. The image that I had in one of my dreams when she died again got back several times these days.

What even hurts more now is I want to understand, but I can't. I wanted to let it go but I'm finding it hard to. I pray for her everyday. But it seems these days, she has been appearing to me through that very disturbing image. I'm bothered because, when she thought that death can solve all of her problems, taking her own life away might just lead her to a far worse place.

What's giving me hope is the fact that she was given absolution before nanay and tatay pulled the plug off. I pray that somehow, God forgave her after the injustice that she did to herself. I pray that even upon her last breath, she regret what she has done and asked for forgiveness.

I've been praying so hard these days because I want her to be at peace already. Until that image in my head stops and clears out, I'm just not sure if she's already happy. Even beyond this life, I still want to be there for her.

I all these are again coming back to me after seven months guess because in 33 days, she will have turned 21. So many happy memories from 8 years flood back in my mind... that made me miss her. Somehow maybe she sensed that and she came to me in that bothersome image, needing help. I just keep saying this in my dreams "Don't worry, don't worry. We'll make this right."

God's mercy is beyond our understanding... so I'll leave her in His hands. I just hope that in His time and with all of our prayers, she will finally appear to be at peace... telling me that she's okay. I am praying that all the talk about the beyond-death consequences of suicide will be put aside and that my best friend will finally have that eternal rest.

I am enjoying life, my family, my friends and my career... I get sad when I see her colleagues in pictures during their oath taking to be medical technologists, some preparing for medical school. I am always thinking, had she been here, she should have been one of them. I should have been celebrating with her. Then again, sometimes I would blame myself, I could have been there for her more often. Maybe, just maybe, I could have done something. She went through some sort of manic depression. She, of all people, doesn't deserve that.

I am asking for your prayers for her, brother Bo. And may I also ask for you to pray for those she left behind. She was an only child, and it is most painful for her parents. I include them in my prayers all the time.

And may I also ask for you to pray for me, too. That I may be able to be at peace with this, that I may be able to accept it slowly but surely. Beyond that, I hope that God will answer my prayers, for His mercy, for His forgiveness for my best friend. I miss her immensely.

Thank you, brother Bo. I hope you can also enlighten me.

Sincerely,
Erika Alvarez

_________________________________________________________________

Hi Erika,
Your words are beautiful.
Your love for your friend.
Your struggle to search for answers for questions that are really very difficult to answer.
Yes, God is forgiving.
And I believe your friend has been forgiven and is now in God’s Love.
Still, missing her will be part of the consequences of her imperfect choice.
I pray for her family.
I pray for their healing.
In Jesus name.
Blessings,
Bo

Friday, October 8, 2010

Lou's Story

"Hi Bro Bo,

I’ve known u since I got a mail from a friend about your blogs and site. Til’ then I've read ur inspiring blogs.. I really love it. Part na nang daily life ko ang pagbasa nang mga blogs mu.

Just this year I added u on my facebook acct. And I just want to share and to know ur advices about this ""How To Be Really, Really, Really Happy"". I’m not expecting to have ur book, for me’ reading ur blog on site’ sapat na sa akin... kasi hindi ko din alam kung saan mabibili yung libro mo.. Madami guro kaming nagpadala sayu ngayun.. at sana mababasa mulang ang letter ko.

I’m here in UAE. (hope u won’t published my Identity) Just want to share about my life to u thou I really don’t know u personally but I know’ you’re like friend, sa lahat ba na mababasa sa site mu para na ring kilala kita.. It helps a lot to the people that could enlighten their minds.

Asking your thoughts on how just to be happy... Simple lang naman ang gusto ko sa buhay.. Have a Happy Family. Both my husband and I decided to live here after I gave birth to our son. . . Pero nong una’ nagtatrabaho ako dito at umiwi sa Cebu nong 6mos pa yung dinadala ko until I gave birth. This was the part of my life that I’d longing for his time and care since naiwan ako sa pinas. November of last year kaming buo dito. At first, I know life abroad isn’t that easy.. ikaw lahat. I have a reason nga hindi na pupunta didto, but since he asked me and It’s time to build a family on our own, I said Yes. I’m expecting a lot from him to have more time in building a family with our son. But I’m disappointed, almost a year na kami dito,, but sad to say’ still searching for happiness. I thought pagbuo na kayo okay na lahat, pwed na lahat.

Having a fight about this issue with my husband, akala ko maintindihan nya ang lahat na ninais ko. Inintindi ko nalng na adjustment sa amin. But till now, I’m always longing for his time and care. Ang problema lang kasi is lahat sa kanya importante ang trabaho nya.. He dedicated more of his time at work. Daily for Overtime, and Restdays (fri and Sat) will be a Working Days for him. May mga time kaming makapagbounding pag-ini-insist ko ang gusto ko. Sapat na sa kanya maibigay nya ang material na bagay sa amin. Sapat na sa kanya na makita nya kami sa paglabas nya sa bahay and after his work. But I really need him, sya ang gusto ko. Hindi ang material na bagay. Hindi naman kasi lahat nang happiness you’ve longing for is makukuha sa material na bagay. Hindi niya ako maintindihan dito. Pero pinipilit kong intindihin sya and his work. Para bang between his career and family, mas mabigat ang career nya.

Always trying to let him know how important to have a time for family. Yung blogs mo about family, relationship and children ini-email ko sa kanya para mabasa nya while working. Pati quote ni Bryan Dyson (former CEO of coca-cola) “You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four Balls – Family Heatlth Friends and Spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it.’ Work efficiently during office hours and leave on time. Value has a value only if its value is valued”. Everything I did to help the situation was of no avail. Nothing worked. Malaking bagay daw sa buhay namin ang trabaho nya’ kaya he worked hard for it pero halus walang oras na talaga sa amin. Ni hindi na kami makapagsimba dito since Sunday is start of work so nagrorosary na lang akong mag-isa.

I get jealous if I’ve seen some picture of my friends having more time with their kids. Maski sa kapatid kung mga lalake sa pinas thou their earnings ay hindi sapat nga mabibili nila lahat pero makikita kong masaya sila. And I feel pity for myself na kung saan buo kaming tatlo dito’ kunti lang yung bounding moments namin. This must the time sana that my child will experience the care and love of his parents. Ito ang pakakataon nga buohin ang pagkatao nya with his both parents on his side. For many attempts, nga mababago ang flow ng buhay namin, gusto ko nalang maging manhid sa lahat and to accept that this is my life with him. Even ramadan time thou working hours cut-off is until 3pm, he extended his time until 6pm as usual working time. Sa utak ko binabalak kong magtrabaho uli’ at hindi na sya intindihin for he could feel’ kung anong kawalan ang walang time sa isat-isa but my son will be the one who will suffer for this plan. I decided na uuwi na this september after ramadan. I’m always praying that he would realize kung gaano talaga ka importante ang family sa kanya. If nasa cebu na kami’ kung wala na kami dito sa kanya, mami miss nya kami. Sayang ang ibinigay na panahon sa aming tatlo.

But I’m still hoping for the best for us with our son even we’re apart. I will try nga magampanan ko ang pagiging Ama sa aking anak. Ganito talaga siguro ang buhay OFW ang partner mu. Children will grow old na konti lang yung time maexperience if isa sa parents nya ang wala. Simple lang naman ang gusto ko ang buo at masayang pamilya… that’s why I share this to u Bro Bo, I need your advise on how could I be happy if my partner wont give his time. Hindi nalang yung be really really really happy. Just to be happy for my life that I want. I am always thankful for GOD that he showered more blessings to us but I always pray to God for this “ Happy Family for a Happy Life”.

Thanks for reading and spending time with this letter of mine.

More power. God Bless.
Lou"

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Hi Friend,
I feel your pain.And I can only offer you my prayers.I will pray for a transformation for your husband’s heart.May he learn the supreme importance of relationships in life.While waiting for this transformation, just love him.Instead of nagging him, appreciate him for whatever little time he gives you.What gets appreciated gets repeated.Even if it’s just a few minutes with him, be happy and show it.Thank him that he’s there with you.

Praying for you,
Bo