I’ve been working on a new blog since February this year. Although not completely done yet in terms of links and design , I’ve done some postings  for the past couple of months. My new blog focuses on Catholic and family life and education .

Here’s the link :

http://preciousmoments-linda.blogspot.com

This new blog does not mean I will abandon my stblogs account. I will continually make postings  as often as my time permits.

I’m very busy at the moment.  A Touching Christmas Story will fill the emptiness of my post today.

Thank God for yesterdays one day school holiday. I  was able to take a break after completing my first two days of work and finishing the housework left unattended during those couple of days I was away from home.  It also gave me the opportunity to plan my  schedule further and spend some time with my family even for a day only. A day well spent and another busy day ahead of us today.

I’m writing this post from work. It’s my first day of work after nine years of being a full-time mom to my son JM. I’m now in the stage of balancing motherhood and career. And I hope I can do this task well. I’m done being a high school teacher and a university lecturer before my son was born nine years ago. And it is my desire to  work in the academe once again that motivated me to enter the teaching profession before the end of this year. There’s a lot of things to look forward to in my career and in my home life. Changes in  family and home life and challenges that lies ahead makes me plan well ahead to minimize any difficulties we are expected to encounter. I  pray for God’s blessings and guidance on my new job and continued blessings on my family as well.

We’ve been waking up to really cold and foggy mornings, experiencing short days and long nights and our thick clothes are now out of the closet because of the cold weather. One of the signs that Christmas is just around the corner. Quite ironically, shopping malls in this predominantly Buddhist country are all decked up for the coming holidays since early this month.  Christmas decorations are sold everywhere you go, church choirs practicing Christmas carols, Christmas songs being played in the airwaves, people doing their  early Christmas shopping  and many other signs that the most awaited day of the year is fast approaching. Have we ever thought of the relevance in our lives  of all these visual signs of Christmas ? Do these reflect the real meaning of the season dedicated for the birth of our Saviour ? These things being part of our culture, we cannot avoid. I myself, do my yearly Christmas shopping early, mail cards a month before Christmas and decorate my home early for the holidays. But these do not mean that I give more importance to the “physical” aspect of Christmas. I do these things way ahead of time, to give me an  opportunity to contemplate more on the real meaning to the season. The “physical” aspect of Christmas is in my opinion a distraction that prevents us from reflecting on the spiritual meaning of the birth of Christ. I think we Christians should focus more on the real meaning of Christmas and  we can  start Christmas this year.

JM’s toys and books shelf.

 ” Your adornment must not be merely external — braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. “

- 1 Peter 3:3-4

Modesty can be expressed in many ways , but is primarily expressed by the way we dress. Modesty in dress sends a message of purity and honor. It puts an emphasis on and values the inner person over outward attractiveness. It says that a person is worth far more than what meets the eye. There is a depth of character that rises above beauty or charm. When we dress modestly, we are saying that we posses inner qualities for which we should gain appropriate attention and value from others. It can be difficult to maintain modesty when we think of it in terms of it being “limiting.” But if we consider the personal rewards of modesty — self-respect, honor, and self-control — the price is too high not to be modest. Don’t Shortchange Yourself. The way you dress advertises your standards. Send the right message.  Catholic Modesty  offers resources for modest clothing and books on Christian modesty. Catholic Modesty  , the website and The Forgotten Virtue : Modesty  offer  additional readings on the topic.
 

I’ve been doing a lot of nature watching for the past week now, and what particularly interests me is the sky at dusk. With shorter daytime and longer nightime and the sun’s glare not so strong as in summertime,  we can view the sun without straining our eyes  in all it’s magnificent glory. The photo above shows the sun setting at past four p.m. today in yellow and orange tinted skies.  

I cannot imagine how a squirrel can feast on the thick (really thick) and thorny skin of this  gigantic  Jack Fruit .  The  little creature has been working  on the fruit for days now and it seems to me nothing on earth can make him stop from doing so. Is it the fun of chewing the fruits skin ? or the irresistible taste of the fruit ?

I first noticed this boat that sells ice cream nine years ago . That time I thought the idea of selling ice cream  in a boat was something unique and different . Not anymore , since my house is nestled in the banks of a canal , it  became a common sight for me  to see almost every commodity being sold in a boat.  Since then , I became a regular customer of this guy selling coconut flavored ice cream. The boat would pass by my house late afternoons with the loud ringing of his bell. No longer unique to my sight, but his ice cream is simply delicious !

This is how our front door looks like in a late afternoon at the start of the dry, cool season. It’s  too early to turn on the evening lights, so I sit in one corner and watch the sunlight at the days end illuminate our front door. I love doing this when I’m not busy, it gives me a feeling of calm and peace , and not too soon , darkness will take the place of the beautiful light illuminating my door.