my mother, my daughter, myself

it always amazes me that when i was younger i was absolutely sure that i was completely different than my mother in all ways. but now that im a lot older and a little bit wiser,i know that is simply not true. so often now when i laugh i sound like my mother, when i speak i hear her ideas emanating from my mouth and when i give my daughter advice there are many times i tell her the same things that my mother told me.

equally interesting is the fact that when my daughter was younger, i used to look at her and listen to her and think that she was nothing like me, and that i wished she was at least a little like me. now that she is older and i take the time to listen to her thoughts and hopes and wishes, when she laughs i hear myself and when she speaks i hear myself and some of her ideas are the same as mine.

i've heard many times adults make comments about how their parents were being completely wrong in just about everything, but now that they are older they are surprised at just how smart their parents are actually. so i feel sure that there were many times my daughter thought the same when she was younger. even though we do not openly disagree all the time but we still had our moments. often she kept her opinions to herself when we disagree and she thought i was completely off-base with my comments/opinions. now however when we speak, since i hear many of my opinions and thoughts in her voice, it would appear that we've reached the place in our relationship where we mutually respect each others opinions because quite frankly so many of our opinions are the same. so now i come to think !....what does all these mean? it is likely that much of what we think and do and say have been formatted in our minds by the people who helped us grow up? so this does not surprise me at all, now when i hear my daughter say something that my mother use to tell me too.

my mother, my daughter, myself--we are all bound together by family ties; all different in many ways, yet also all alike in many, many wonderful ways.

a very special poem for a very special mom

there are so many moments

when i wish you knew... how much you matter to me

and how much i thank you for being such a wonderful mother.

if there is happiness in my heart,

it's because you help put it there.

if there is gentleness in my beliefs,

it's because you showed me how to care.

if there is understanding in my thinking,

its because you shared your wisdom.

if there is a rainbow over my shoulder,

its because of your outlook and your vision.

if there is a knowledge that i can reach out -

and i really can make some dreams come true -

its because i learned from the best

teacher of all.

i learned... from you.

in the times of my life, whether we are near or

far, please remember that there could never be any mother more

wonderful... than the one you are.

- chris gallatin

my dear lord,

the above is specially dedicated to my mom who has gone before us. dear lord, please place her in your heavenly kingdom. she is a special mom, always putting her children first before herself. i love her lord. she is the best and i want to thank you for giving me such a wonderful mom. i love you mommy mary koek.

happy birthday vivienne

this time around is my sister's birthday. 15march,2010 was her happy day and this is my wish for her...

BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS

instead of counting candles, or tallying the years

contemplate your blessings now, as your birthday nears

consider special people who love you and who care

and others who enriched your life just by being there

think about the memories passing years can never mar

experiences great and small that have made you who you are

another year is a happy gift, so cut your cake and say "instead of counting birthdays

i count blessings everyday!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear sister

happy birthday victor

feb28,2010 was my brother's birthday. wanted so much to be the first to wish him but have to admit i was 14days late. but a day didn't pass that i forgot this special day. here is what i had to say...

to a brother that is caring

to a brother that is full of love

to a brother who can make me laugh when i am sad and protects me when i am threatened.

to my brother for all those times you stood by me and helped me out

for all those times when i pulled away and you pulled me back

and for all those times i thank GOD for a brother like you

i am glad you are my brother and i wanna thank you for everything!

HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY!!

Understanding our children

There is something remarkable about gaining that extra insight into personalities be it our own, our loved ones or friends. We will certainly benefit most when we better understand how a person function, what are their likes/dislikes. We need to know why children behave the way they want, what makes them show tantrums one minute and are like an angel the next. It is important to know what actually makes children 'tick'. We cannot just play the guess-work out of raising children. Parents must build that communication level in the early years of the child's development. With these trying time, parents must start early. Don't wait until it's too late;
remember it is never to early no matter how old your children are.

Parenthood and caregiving are the most important experiences we encounter in life. But sadly to say, most of us have little knowledge and less experience in handling these sort of challenges.
During past decades children are expected to follow in their parents footsteps. Now with much less restriction in our society and more recognition place on individuality, the problems of parenting and teaching and also counseling have grown tremendously. Our children are exposed to more; are certainly more aware thanks to computers and have more potential than ever before to rise or fall! It has in all become more challenging to the parent in this new millennium.

Each child is a complete and unique individual and should be treated and handled differently. Children are said to be merely small adults in the process of becoming, only with much less experience/wisdom. Parents must therefore show the way through example, love and understanding. Parents should have the interest and take time to help children to grow into happier and more secure adults....the future of our world is dependent on it ! Lets join forces and work within our borders and community and ensure the success of this all.

I wish......

I wish i could build me that dream home, then i would fill it with my favorite people and all my happiest memories
I wish i could take back all those times when we hurt one another, then i would exchange them with words like "i love you" or "im glad we are family"
I wish i could guarantee that we can have all the tomorrows we ever want but i can't change the past or more predict the future
So i will just say "i love my family and am glad to be your sister."

I believe...............

I believe there's always hope when all seems lost,
I believe in dreams and plans and wishes can all come true
I believe in miracles and in magic too
I believe in family and seeing happy smiles
I believe in turning negatives to positives in life
I believe in looking farther up, the farther down we get
I believe when someone hurts us we should forgive and forget ( but this is hard to do because MAN remain trapped in a cycle of hurting back whenever they are hurt)
I believe love should prevail at any cost
I believe in saying what you mean and meaning what you say
I believe a better attitude can make a better way
I believe in viewing life as a journey that we're on and looking at our troubles as another stepping stone
I believe that everything in life is what its meant to be and that there is a GOD somewhere although He's hard to see
I believe that i am me therefore i should do all that i can to be a better piece in the puzzle of God's plan
I believe that we should learn even one new thing about ourself everyday
I believe we should handle one situation with another person a little better than we did before, it will then be a successful day
I believe we should resist indulging in an old, unhealthy pattern of behavior and instead choose a new one
I believe learning to love and respect ourself means beginning to see ourself through God's eyes
I believe we should be grateful for the gift of being alive and for the opportunity to learn and grow
I believe we should do all that we can to make this world a better place to live in and if all seems lost just reach out to the Lord for he is your guiding light when you are in darkness and a strength to be reckon with without any doubt !