Sunrise with the Kids

I was compelled to write this. You know why? I couldn't pass up the chance to write on a day that only come by once in a hundred years. Have you all noticed that it's October 10, 2010? Yes people, it's 10/10/10. Yesterday, I brought my kids to the roof to watch the sunrise with me. I want to share with you a few pics. :)

 

It was nice watching the sunrise from the roof. The change in the color of the sky and in the shape of the clouds was so evident, so clear, and so beautiful. Isn't God such a wonderful and master Creator?

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

~ Psalm 19:1 NIV

The Eyes of the Lizard

My mom used to tell this story to us when we were children. It was about her eldest brother when they were still children, when her youngest brother was still in my grandmother's womb.

A beautiful day, and three children were out playing under the sun. Evans, their mother, was mixing warm milk for the young ones, and putting it aside to be drank later. A few minutes passed by and finally, it was time for the young ones to come inside.

"I just mixed two glasses of milk. Do you mind sharing yours with Meekai, Kook?" Evans asked Kookoy, the eldest son, as she gestured towards her youngest daughter, Meekai. But Kookoy was very thirsty and didn't want to share...

"Fine then, Karen, share with your sister." Evans sighed to my mom. Kookoy smirked and drowned the glass, tasting the sweet delicious milk as it sled down his throat.  But wait...what's this? As he drank the milk, two pairs of eyes stared at him from inside the cup. The eyes of a lizard.

"Gah!" Kookoy spluttered, coughing. He ran to the sink to get the taste off his tongue, disgusted. But it was over, he had already swallowed some of the milk. That lizard must've went to the milk while it was still warming and must've died because of the hotness of the milk. If Kookoy had just shared with Meekai...if they had separated it into two separate glasses,  they would have seen the dead lizard. But no, he decided to be selfish, and he got his prize.

How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

~ 1 John 3:17

Recognizing my Mom

I have a picture standing here in my Grandmother's house about me when I was a baby. I was lying stomach down on the bed, staring at the camera with big eyes. The story behind that is simple, and has been told to me over and over again. My grandmother says it was the first time I rolled over. So when, she saw this, she grabbed her camera and CLICK! documented my first roll-over photo. It's one of my childhood memories that I don't remember, but know about anyway.

Another story told to me about my grandfather is how smart he thought I was when I was younger. He said that when we were visiting in Singapore when I was still a baby, there was a time when my mother and grandmother went shopping and left me with my grandfather. A few minutes later, I started crying and he tried to comfort me. He rocked me, danced me, sang to me, played with me, and everything else. But I wouldn't stop crying. Then, my mom came home and I immediately stopped and stared at her. Needless to say, my grandfather was surprised and impressed. I wonder just what I was thinking about then and how I was thinking. When I did a little bit of research in the internet, I came up with this;

Determining when babies begin to recognize people and places has been a subject of much research over the years. Most of the research shows that babies begin to recognize their mothers face early in life, but recognition of other things takes significantly longer. Also, it depends on the person and place as to when the baby will recognize it. Parents are recognized within the first week of life and doctors believe the baby recognizes mom within the first days. However, grandparents, aunts, cousins, friends, and others will be recognized during the babys first year of life. Sometimes babies recognize these individuals within weeks if they spend a significant amount of time with the baby. For other babies who dont see these individuals on a regular basis it takes longer. 

~ for the link to the article, click HERE

Wow, my curiosity to how babies think just heightened a lot.

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.
~ Proverbs 17:6 ESV

Family Games

Family games are important in a child's life. They look back on it and think of it as happy times/bonding times. Some of the things I remember of my childhood were the times when we'd play "Water water go stop." with my family. The rules are simple, one of you should be the "it" and get blindfolded. Let's say for example's sake that you're the "it".

You turn 'round and 'round chanting, "Water water goooooooooo" in which you give time to your playmates to run around, looking for the most unlikely place you'd find them in. And then when you say, "Stop.", your playmates has to freeze and you will try to feel your way to them. When you do feel one of them, you guess who he/she is and if you guess correctly, he/she becomes the next "it". If not, well, you'll have to play again. 


It was a very fun game and I always look back on it as happy times. I remember vividly how my sister and I love to climb the windows which was low and had a ledge where we could stand on top of. Oh, and my Dad used to hang on the staircase so we'd have to jump high to reach him.

One of the other games I remember playing with with my family is "Uno". It's a card game where you try to finish the number of cards you have first. We used to play it every other night.

And there were instances too when my father would take me for evening rides on his motorcycle. I'd shout "No Daddy, don't!" and squeal whenever he went too fast or drove too near the poor dogs as if to run them over. Poor, innocent, barking little creatures...

I also remember a time when my dad and my Uncle Randy performed magic tricks for us, three siblings. Nothing big, just the simple, "look under the carpet and the card will be there" kinds. But we were really amazed back then, and if they ever sneaked it in while we weren't looking, we didn't notice. We thought it awesome and I still think so until now.

Family bonding is one powerful factor in a child's life. It gives the child happy moments to look back on. And I am thankful that my parents gave me at least this few happy moments that I could look back on and smile. It's one of the strong factors that give a family strength and happiness.

Be joyful always;

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16 NIV

A Letter from a 10 Year Old

I was a bit absent for the past few days because I was wondering on what to write about. Well, tonight I just stumbled across this letter my brother wrote in the last page of one of his books.

It says as follows (in a rather childish handwriting):

Dear God,

Please help me get a friend Make the one that touches this book become my friend Please help me not to be bad and mean help me to be a good boy AND Please LET Others STOP teasing me and Forgive me my sins and help me to be strong but not bad thank you for everything

From Your Son
Keandre

Isn't it just adorable? I could literally feel the innocence ringing off the page. I hope you enjoyed, I'll have to go teach my brother about commas and periods use now, so 'til next time,

Ta!

Jesus, however, said, "Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these."
~ Matthew 19:14 ISV

A Child of My Own

Look at those faces. Aren't they simply adorable? Doesn't it make you want to have one of your own? Last night, I was riding the jeepney home from church and I saw a young lady with her child. She was too young to be a mother. And, watching her, I remembered on what I had thought about this issue when I was yet younger.

A few years back, when I was about 12 years old, there was a time when I looked around and saw all the wonderful and cute little babies and...I immediately wanted to have one of my own.

Needless to say, my mom thought it such a ridiculous idea and started telling me off. But I didn't care, I wanted a baby, they were so cute.

Now that I'm older, I cringe and laugh at the same time when I think back to the day when I declared to my mom, 

"Mom, look at those babies. Don't you think they're cute? I want to have one as soon as I can!"

It was such a silly and dangerous idea. I didn't think of the consequences back then

 

Look at their faces. Troubled, worried, and remorseful. I doubt I would have wanted to end up like these poor mothers when I thought about having my own babies. Teenage pregnancy, such a ridiculous idea. And yet, so many have gone through it.

•Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15–19 become pregnant. Overall, 71.5 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15–19 occurred in 2006; the rate declined 41% from its peak in 1990 to a low of 69.5 in 2005.

~ Guttmacher Institute, U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, , accessed Jan. 26, 2010.

And what's worse is, nearly a third of teenage pregnancies end up in abortion.

Somehow, through all these, I marvel at the innocence little children have. While our world is full of sexual immorality, children may have longed for their own children but not for lust, but because they want to care for and love little adorable creatures of their own.

And I can't help but think, the Lord made such a clear point when he implied that the world would have been a better place if we become as little children. Because, children live in innocence.

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

~ Matthew 18:2-6 ESV

A Baby is Born

Nobody remembers what took place when they were born. They do not remember what their first thought when they opened their eyes to the world was. They do not remember how they took in their strange surroundings and what they had thought about it.

Well, the same goes for me. All I know is that one August, I was born into the world. A baby girl, healthy and red, was placed into her mother's arms for the first time.

I find it a very curious mystery as to what babies actually think when they open their eyes and take in their new surroundings. How do their innocent little minds function? How can their minds work if they don’t know anything? They could have thought “This is strange” or “Pretty color”. But then again, how could they have thought of that if they don’t even know what “this”, “is”, “strange”, “pretty” or “color” even meant? It is a mystery we have yet to discover.

I don’t know what God thought when he put me into the world. I don’t know what His purpose for me was. But I’m sure He has a purpose for me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lived this long. So, there I was in my mother’s arms. I bet I would’ve stared around in utter amazement and awe. I bet my mother loved me the moment she saw me. And I bet my God saw me and sent a guardian angel especially for me, to love and protect me as I journey on through life. I still don’t know what His purpose for my life is. What I do know, however, is that He placed me in this world for a reason and He fashioned me to be unique and beautiful in His eyes before placing me in my mother’s womb. What I do know, is that one August, a baby was born; a baby special in His eyes and loved with His heart. And that baby was me. 

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

~ Psalm 139:14 KJV