A Work in Progress

I have been on hiatus from blogging for quite some now... 2 months and 1 week to be exact.  I just had so many things going on and it overwhelmed me to the point where each day passed by in a blur.

The past months I felt like I was walking on thin ice and any moment I could just fall deep down in cold waters and sink into oblivion.  There were days when I wanted to just crawl into a ball and cry myself to sleep.  But most days I carry on with my life trying to be okay because I had to be for the sake of my loved ones.

  I thank God for work because it kept my mind from all the things I did not want to think about.  But sometimes the painful memories finds itself slowly into consciousness and I battle with myself every time the hurt sets in.

You may see me with a smile on my face, but behind those smiles is a woman who has gone through her worst nightmares but managed to wake up from it and face a brand new day.  

Things are much better now.  Everything is where they are supposed to be.  I thank the Lord for giving me the strength to face each day with a happy heart.  Of course there are bad days but I never let it get the best of me.

I have learned that every day is a work in progress.  That we should learn to live each day as it comes and try not to worry about what happens next. I too am a work in progress. There are times when I fall into the sadness spell, but I guess that is okay as long as I know how to snap out of it before it eats me up whole.

In summary, I guess no matter what you have been through, no matter how difficult things are right now.  I promise you, things will be okay.  You will be okay.  Believe me I have been there, and I can say that I am more than okay.

Loving With Your Heart or Mind?

How do you love someone?  Do you follow the famous line which says, "I love you with all of my heart"? Or would you rather have someone tell you "I love you with all of my mind"?

When we initially  fall in love with someone, it is more "feelings based".  So we rely more on what our heart feels rather than on what our mind dictates.  The best part about loving and being in a relationship is usually during the early part.  It is during this phase where you only see the good side of the relationship.  It is also during these times that you both find out things you both like to do together, traits that you appreciate in each other, which would eventually help you both establish a bond that would help strengthen the relationship.

But the real challenge begins when you both discover more about each other.  When you find out things you never knew existed.  When you are both faced with difficult situations that test how you feel towards each other.  Most of the time, these situations may not only test your relationship, but your character as well.  I guess it is during these times when we would rather have our mind work over our heart.

 The heart who has experienced pain may not know what is right from wrong.  All it knows is that it is hurting and may not be able to make a rational decision.  The heart who has been given too much attention by another may eventually give in and forget that he already belongs to someone else. And the heart who is madly in love gives more than what is needed in a relationship leaving her with nothing for herself.  Oftentimes we do something based on how we feel, not realizing that we end up hurting others, or worse hurting ourselves in the end.

Our feelings falter from time to time, so when we love someone, we must commit not just our hearts but more importantly our minds into the relationship.  When we always keep in mind why we love someone, we learn to look beyond the hurt, the anger and the imperfections.

So when you love someone, love not just with your heart, but keep your mind in the equation as well.  This might help keep a lasting relationship or it just might save you from being in the wrong one.

The Things We Do For Love

There are endless possibilities of what a person can do when he's in love.  One can be inspired and do great things, or desperate enough to do something stupid.  I myself have done things I can be proud of, and a few foolish things that I can just laugh about, all in the name of love.

"How Were You Bitten By The Love Bug?".  This was the title of an essay writing contest I joined 13 years ago.  I remember joining the contest hoping to surprise someone, and luckily my story was among the few that was chosen.  The prize I got was a pair of Russ love bug stuffed toys (which I still have until now) and having our story and photo published on the lifestyle section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Love makes us do things we normally would not have the courage of doing. So hopefully whatever it is we do for love, it would end up to be something we could fondly look back to every now and then.

The photo below brings back happy memories of how it was back then... young, carefree and in love.

Happy Hearts Day everyone! Stay Happy ♥

Don't Give Up On Your Person

One of the easiest things to do in life is to "give up".  

When you can't seem to find your keys or when you don't know how to fix something that's broken, you give up.  

It's sad that there are people who give up so easily.  They don't bother to put up a fight thinking that it's a waste of time and emotion.  But sometimes it's what we need to get to where we really want to be with someone.  In relationships, we need to hang on a while longer and not give up on someone so easily. 

People go through rough patches in life.  They would seem to be in a dark place not knowing who they really are.  It  can break them apart and sometimes they are never the same again.  

If your person seems to be going through a tough time, be patient with them.  If they drive you away, keep your distance but let them know that you are still there.  They may not say it out loud, but all they need is to know that they are not alone.

Giving up on someone you love is not an option.  There are times when you feel you are looking at a stranger, but somewhere inside is the person you loved, you just need to find a way to reach out to your person.

17 Going Steady

Relationships are always a work in progress.  If you want your relationship to last, you must commit yourself to making things work out between you and your partner no matter what. Being in a relationship means one must be ready to face disappointments, heartaches and broken promises.  But it also means being able to have someone to laugh with over silly jokes, someone to hold your hand and make you feel that things are going to be okay.

Ross and I have been together for 17 years as a couple.  I must say that we've gone through so much.  We've gone through every arguments and fights.  We have had our share of laughter and tears.  We have seen the best and the worst in each other.   There were moments when I wanted to give up on us, but I know that I would end up hurting myself more if I did.

They say that the only thing constant in any relationship is that it changes.  It's either you fall more deeply in love, you grow further apart or you end up hating each other.  At this stage in our relationship I can comfortably say I don't want  things to change between us.  Our love is not perfect, but it's real, and in this crazy world what we need to get through life is something we can hold on to when things get rough.

 Let's keep things steady between us...

My Favorite Movie Quotes

One of the things I love most is watching movies!  I could probably stay in the house all day, propped up on the couch, munching on chips just watching old movies!  It could be any genre, but what tops my list would be romantic films.  I don't know, I guess I'm just a sucker for love and even if sometimes what happens in movies can never happen in reality, doesn't matter.  I will always be a fan of love and all it's splendor!

Here are some of my favorite quotes from romantic movies that I've watched. 
 

  


"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more; that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. That's what you've given me and that's what I hope to give to you forever."

“I finally understood what true love meant...love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be.”

 "I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it."

 "I would rather fight with you than make love to anyone else."

"I vow no matter what challenges might carry us apart that we will always find a way back to each other."

















And lastly, from the movie P.S. I love you.  This was the letter written by Gerry played Gerald Butler to Holly played by Hillary Swank.  I was crying buckets watching this movie.

 "Dear Holly, I don't have much time. I don't mean literally. I mean, you're out buying ice cream and you'll be home soon. But I have a feeling this is the last letter, because there is only one thing left to tell you. It isn't to go down memory lane or make you buy a lamp. You can take care of yourself without any help from me. It's to tell you how much you move me, how you changed me. You made me a man by loving me, Holly. And for that, I am eternally grateful... literally. If you can promise me anything, promise me that whenever you're sad, or unsure, or you lose complete faith, that you'll try to see yourself through my eyes. Thank you for the honor of being my wife. I'm a man with no regrets. How lucky am I? You made my life, Holly. But I'm just one chapter in yours. There'll be more. I promise. So here it comes, the big one. Don't be afraid to fall in love again. Watch out for that signal, when life as you know it ends. P.S. I will always love you."

When Loving Brings You Pain

Crazy as it sounds, but for me a person can say that he or she has truly loved when they have been hurt or when they have felt the pain just by loving someone.  It does not necessarily need to be a great deal of pain, but even just the slightest disappointment you feel when he forgot to call you when he said he would, or the hint of jealousy when he starts to notice other women aside from you.  It is a sign that you are starting to feel for that person.

When you love someone, you make yourself vulnerable to so many emotions.  It can either help you be more mature or it can also break you into pieces.  Do we really need to get hurt in the process of loving someone?  Not necessarily, but you should always be ready to accept that with love, comes pain.  Because if you think that loving or being in a relationship is always happiness and sunshine, then you must have been living in a world of make believe.  

What I think we should always remember, is that getting hurt is a natural process.  We all go through pain at some point in our lives, but does that mean that we should give up loving someone completely?  Definitely NOT.  Holding on when things get difficult somehow measures how we love someone.  The reason I am saying this is personally that is how I am.  

I guess we can justify the pain when we see that being with the one who hurt us would eventually change the person for the better.  But if there is no more loving and you only feel the pain, then it's better to let go while you still can, because you might just be too broken to even pick up the pieces for yourself.