Surrendering on Good Friday

If you are Catholic the season for Lent is very important. It starts on Ash Wednesday (February 22, 2012) and ends on Holy Saturday (April 7, 2012).  Easter Sunday then follows as a big celebration.

Lent is the time to remember Jesus Christ and reflect on his sufferings and the life he gave up for us.

Today is Good Friday, a holy day for Christians.  It is when we remember Jesus’ crucifixion.

When I think of the Lenten season I remember my father and his struggle with cancer. Dad was a great father, but like many people, he loved his worldly vices. For many years he did not pray, but during his battle with cancer he suddenly found his way back to God.

I remember clearly Good Friday of 2008.  We were about to visit relatives who were celebrating by their lakeside home.  Before our journey my Dad suddenly took a step back (not in the literal sense because he was in a wheel chair by this time) and proclaimed, “I surrender…”

He never explained what that meant to him, but after that moment he seemed to accept his fate that cancer was going to take his life sooner than later.  He no longer ran after every cure.  He also filled the last days left with so much activities, like visiting family and friends, versus just lying in a hospital bed and feeling sorry for himself.

The moment Dad said, “I surrender”, he seemed to make a pact to himself to really live the last moments of his life with happiness and joy.

Happy Good Friday!  I hope you have a wonderful day!

Dieting and Losing Weight is Overrated

When you have a family member who dies of cancer, you see life differently.

Our society today is obsessed with being thin.  At one point of my life I use to diet and count my calories, but that changed 4 years ago when I saw my Dad dying of cancer.

Dad was not born fat, but in his life he indulged and he was a foodie before that term became popular.  He use to say, “I live to eat” versus eating to live.

His love for food, and an exercise regiment that consisted of only golf, attributed to his portly figure.

The times when my sister and I would tell him to lose weight seem so superficial now, especially since he had 6 months from the cancer diagnosis to death.

In the months during his battle with cancer he lost so much weight and became the gaunt and thin figure that people aspire to be when they deprive themselves from food.

The rapid weight lost was so scary.  When you are sick with cancer you try to avoid losing weight but it is something that is inevitable because the cancer cells are eating away at your healthy cells.  Also, cancer patients tend to lose their appetite so this adds to the problem.

I believe that if Dad was not “fat” he would have died sooner from the cancer.  His fatness helped prolong his life because it prevented cancer malnutrition in the beginning.

I am not an advocate of living an unhealthy life and eating too much, but I believe that if you are chubby it’s okay too.  Give yourself a break from extreme dieting and exercising as there is more to life and living.

Have a great day!

Jacobo Fajardo Puno Genealogy and Many Coincidences that Link the Past to the Present

I am from the Philippines originally.  I live in Connecticut now.  I have chosen to bring up my kids in the US, but I try to teach them about the Philippines and my family everyday.

Aside from exposing them to my local dialect, Filipino, I also gather information about relatives and the Philippines.  I tell them things that a 5  and 2-year-old can understand, but one day when they are older I would like to show them all the information so they can fully appreciate where they came from in the Philippines.

Knowing one’s roots and being proud of where you come from is so important.

Recently, my sister Angela told me about a website that features my great-grandfather, Jacobo Puno Fajardo.

He died a very long time ago, even before I was born.  When I was reading his biography I found it so coincidental how he died on my wedding day, July 23.  He succumbed from cancer and had his final moments at St. Lukes Hospital in Chicago, IL.  Coincidentally, my dad and grandmother (Lolo Jacobo’s daughter) died of cancer in a hospital of the same name, St. Lukes, and at one point of my life I almost moved to Chicago.

I really feel that coincidences have meaning, but it is just a matter of finding out what they are.  If you delve into the past you will find links that are similar and bridge the past to the present.

For instance, I mentioned in a previous post how an aunt who I had not spoken to in years sent me old pictures.  It was so coincidental how both my sister, who lives in California, and I received the pictures via regular USPS mail on my Dad’s birthday. Coincidentally, this aunt’s grandfather is Jacobo Puno Fajardo.

Also, my mother-in-law moved into a house built in the 1760s.  In a hidden wall there was “vintage graffiti” with people’s names.  One of the names was “Macky”, my father’s name.

There are so many more coincidences I could write about, but I will leave that for another day.

If you really look at the details of your life you will notice interesting connections.  For me, the meaning is that there is a greater power that we don’t physically see that connects the past and present.  History has a way of repeating itself, but in different variations.

Thank you for letting me share!  Have a great day!

New Year is Also the Time To Remember Those Who Have Left Us and a Prayer to Sick Dads

My husband and I love watching CBS Sunday with Charles Osgood.  The episode on Sunday, January 1, 2012 spoke about the song “Auld Lang Syne” (Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot”), and how we associate it with the new year.

 

When a new year rings I think of relatives and friends who are no longer with us.  I think of my father who died of cancer almost 4 years ago.  Death ended his suffering from cancer and he was at peace about his fate of dying.  We as a family bonded before his passing and we were happy that he had such a peaceful death.

When 2012 arrived I gave a toast to my father and thought of the song “Auld Lang Syne”.  I also brought out a prayer that my friend Pria, from the Purpose Driven Chef, wrote for my Dad when he just found out about his cancer diagnosis.   Over a delicious dinner Pria not only filled our stomachs, but she fed our soul.

To kick of 2012 I thought I would share the prayer with you.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank you for our time with family. I surrender my Father up to you.

Please fill his heart with your holy spirit and allow him to feel your love, compassion, and forgiveness.

Please speak to his heart as we glorify your name. Give him the strength to overcome all the trials and fill him with peace knowing that you are a great father and have forgiven him for all his sins.

Give our family the strength to persevere and come out victorious throughout all these trials we are facing.

Please fill his heart with the truth that we love him and he has been a terrific father. Speak to his heart and make him realize that you Lord Jesus love him, died for him so that my Father may rest in eternal life with him.

Holy Spirit, please touch his heart and allow him to let go of any unconfessed sins, anxieties, and burdens that fill his heart. Allow him to realize that he can rest solely in you.

No judgment shall be passed and that you love him Jesus and that you have died for him. Soften his heart and allow your power to penetrate the core of his soul so that he may lift up all his heavy burdens to you. Once again, I surrender my father dear Jesus. Please take complete control of his life. Shield him from the evil one and allow him to find peace in your arms. All this we ask in your precious name Lord Jesus Amen.

As you have said, Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Dad, I miss you!  I am sure you are watching us in heaven and enjoying 2012!

Steve Jobs Rest In Peace–Our Prayers are With You and Your Family

Image via Wikipedia

Steve Jobs died today, Wednesday, October 5, 2011.  He had pancreatic cancer.

He was such an inspiration, motivator and a visionary.

In a 2005 commencement address in Stanford University he said:  “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

His words have always inspired me to pursue happiness because it is attainable.

Steve Jobs was also always an inspiration to those suffering from pancreatic cancer and their family around. He was diagnosed in 2003, but survived for 8 years.  My grandmother died 6 months after she was diagnosed from pancreatic cancer.

In the Philippines there is a saying, “Death is not final.  It is just a change of address.”

May you rest in peace Steve Jobs.  Thank you for being such an inspiration.