Breaking Ground

The novelty of being a resident here is slowly fading away. The awe and disbelief I felt before is gradually being replaced by reality. I am not a tourist. I reside here now. I can still put on my tourist hat but not with a traveller's urgency. I guess, this is a tinny-tiny taste of what settling down is.

It's time to start breaking ground and grounding myself and my family in the new country we call home. The soil is fertile, we must let our roots grow and dig in. For how long will we be here? Who knows? Still, it's time to lower the anchor and let the heart of this country touch ours.

Luxembourg, give it to me, baby!

Unhurried

Here I am again, forced to an unhurried pace to fulfill one of the greatest duties of my lifetime – mother, nurturer. What better way is there to care for one’s child? What greater gift can there be than the one bestowed unto me by nature, by the Heavens Above? Because of faithfulness and compassion I have received and so with love, faith and dedication, I give. The wealth of health and well-being are the rewards I reap in the sight of a contented grin reflecting security and trust. This is priceless because at this moment, all else stands still, all priorities pause. While a private silent conversation takes place, a secret exchange, a slow dance that cannot be savored at a hurried pace.

Beloved Victor of Christ and of the People

To both Marvin and I, this is the meaning of our second son's name -- Juan Nicolo Amiel.

Juan - the spanish version of John, which means a gift of God. It is also the name of one of Jesus' 12 apostles, whom He called beloved.

Nicolo - is a variant of the Greek name Nicholas and means "people of victory."

Amiel - is a hebrew name meaning "God of my people."

He was born 2.78Kg, 48.5cm via c-section at 1:23 am in Kirchberg Hospital, Luxembourg. Now, he is 3 months and 8 days young, weighing at least 5.140 Kg. He smiles, laughs, and sleeps longer at night. He seems to see most things. He still cries like a baby girl when we delay in addressing his needs. He's been to Germany once, Belgium twice, rode a chairlift and much more while snuggling in my Storchenwiege Baby Wrap. Thank God, he is breastfeeding steadily.

He is the new addition to our little Mara-Agustin family. :) He is making our everyday life here in Luxembourg very interesting.

With Tons of Grace, Life Goes on 17 Hours Away...

My husband, two sons and I have been in Luxembourg for at least 5 months now. It took us around 8 months to get our act together and relocate here then, we hopped on 3 planes that took a total of 17 hours to bring us here.

We've been through tons already -- lived in hotel, a service apartment, now settled in our own aparment (or condo space as it is called in the Philippines); learned to take care of our firstborn on our own, manage our own household, grappled with our home appliances (as we sometimes still do); adjusted to the language (and we still are) and developed our french, german, and luxembourgish basic vocabulary; played host to our first house guest; entertained house guests a couple of times; introduced our firstborn to the Creche' (daycare), dragged him there crying then brought him there with ease and excitement after he got used to it and enjoyed the company of his friends and "teachers"; welcomed our second child, panicked a bit about the new addition to our family (mainly, that's just me. My hormonal changes are the culprit), established a new household rhythm; welcomed my Mom to our house, introduced her to our second child, and got her acquainted with Luxembourg and neighboring Germany and Belgium cities. Whew, I hardly could say that in one breath let alone write it in just one sentence!

Living in a foreign country on our own can be challenging but manageable. I feel the need to stretch my boundaries and expand my comfort zone. Most of the time, slowly, I adapt. I don't do it with ease, though. Usually, it comes with a lot of anxiety and uncertainty but then, grace comes at the right time to pull me forward.


Like when our firstborn begged and cried when we brought him to the Creche' the first few times, I was uncertain if we were doing the right thing or just traumatizing him. With patience and LOTS of prayers, he eventually agreed to go there two times a week for a few hours and eventually enjoyed it. He even asked me to let him stay there longer a number of times and would sing and jump around on our way home from the Creche' -- signs that he was having fun there.


An awkward "stretch" was when I had our second son. I always felt that I was measured and have been found lacking -- with my mother milk supply during the 1st few weeks after giving birth; with my capacity to manage the house with a new baby and take care of our firstborn at the same time. It's really all about grace. It comes when I need it the most and then it gently leads me on, bringing me one step higher in the ladder of motherhood and housewife-dom.

I am an artist

I am an artist. I am meant to create art. Artistry is in my blood, in my family line.

When my Lolo Andy was alive, he would stay in his room and type away what I thought were legal documents for the cases he was working on. On the night of his funeral, I learned that he wasn’t slaving on legal documents one-hundred percent of the time but was composing poetry, essays and stories most of the time.

His written art were all about family, virtues, integrity – things that his heart was full of. I could sense his struggle to be a light in a very dark and gloomy world. I could taste the pain he felt when trying to cope with the death of our Lola. I could even feel the warm embrace of love he had for his loved ones. His literature was so alive and real.

While drinking from his cup of words, I felt my soul trace its roots back to him. Part of my identity was revealed. I am part of a song that my grandfather composed in his most authentic moments. Now, my dad, titas, sisters and cousins are joining in, contributing to the harmony.

Lolo Andy and most definitely our forefathers who came before him were artists who painted our lives with color, emotion, sincerity, and passion. This is the reason why the call of the pen keeps wakes me up in the wee hours of the morning and the call of art and color tugs at my heart during unforgettable soul-binding moments.

To my lineage, I must be true. To my gifts, I must be grateful. To myself, I must be permissive. I must let my art live. Awake my soul. Rise my senses. Give glory to the Source of all Good Things. The gift of time, we will not waste.

Color-coordinated

Unlike most females, I am amused whenever my wardrobe matches someone I know. I am thrilled by the coincidental occurrence of two people wearing identical outfits while being in one place at one time. I don't expect my clothes to be unique and one-of-a-kind as my budget only allows me to shop in common stores that have more than 5 stocks of each size of one design... But, it's just funny to meet a clothes-twin.

Since, I'm sooo amused with uniformed outfits, my office friends and I planned a mellow yellow day... We were like sunshine in a gloomy, cloudy day. :)

Hmm... What's New?

I haven't blogged for a long time now. I've been quite preoccupied. Thank God for the free time I have this morning. :) Here are the updates on Polo so far:

Polo turned 2 last Feb 21, 2009. We celebrated it at McDonald's in Frontera Verde on Feb 22 with friends and family.

I stopped breastfeeding Polo one week after he turned 2. This is an answered prayer. I prayed that the weaning will not be traumatic and stressful for the 2 of us. It wasn't automatic but it wasn't difficult either. Marvin was the one who pacified Polo and put him to bed during the weaning week. It helped that we prayed for it to be easy and that we've been talking to about the weaning Polo since he was 1.6yrs old. Yesterday, someone asked him if he wanted to drink milk from Mommy. Polo mumbled, "... (I am) 2 years old," explaining in his own words that he is old enough to drink from a cup. Awww... He's slowly growing out of his "baby" years. *Sniff*Sniff*

He didn't cry during his last haircut and Pedia Check-up! Wohoo! We can expect less stress for Marvin and I on our next visit to the barbershop and doctor. Wihee! Oh, and yesterday, all of us got our Flu Vaccine Shots at home c/o of my sister, Doctor Joanne. It was painless for most of us, btw. I am so proud of you, Ate! Marvin and I prepped Polo. One week in advance, we were telling him about the injection and that his Ninang Joanne would be giving it to all of us. Yesterday, before Doctor-Ninang Joanne arrived, we reminded him about the injection, saying, "Later, Ninang Joanne will give Polo an injection. Everybody will get an injection." Without much fuss or thought, Polo said his usually sweet and cool, "Ok." True enough when it was his turn to get his shot, he was cool -- his usual crying and whining was absent. He even watched his Lolo Dante, Ninang Kaye and Kuya Aia get their own shot before he did. He squirmed a bit when he felt the bite of the vaccine but there were no tears. After the shot, he limped a bit but headed back to our room to play with his toys. Brave boy, I must say! In my heart, I am jumping and cart-wheeling. Yipee! Mana siya kay Mommy. Hindi siya takot sa injection! ;)

He can finally drink from a straw. We tried to introduce a straw to him a number of times. Those attempts ended with him blowing through the straw than sipping from it. Hehehe... During the Holy Week, I was surprised to see him drink from it with ease. Now with the straw, drinking milk from the cup is more fun. It helps us get him to drink his milk.

He can sing! His all-time favorite songs are "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "Happy Birthday", "ABC" (which has the same tune as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star... hehehe), and "Are You Sleeping, Brother John?" It's sooo cute to see him sing on his own when he plays. He just breaks into song or hums and sways to the tune of the song he is singing.

He is now old enough to join kiddie games in Children's parties. Last week, Polo and Marvin attended a children's party. Polo would usually run around, dance or cling to us but this time, he listened to the instructions, watched the other children, joined the games, and even won! Wohoo! Winner! :)

His cartoon movie favorites have expanded. Cars and Bee Movie is still the all-time favorite but now, he requests for "Robinsons" (for Meet the Robinsons, one of the cartoon movies that made me cry), "Lion King", and "Kung Fu Panda." He still complains when you change the channel while he is watching boxing, UFC, and circuit racing (F1, motorbikes, cars, etc). He knows his TV preference. In each cartoon show or movie that he watches, someone has to be "Papa" (or Marvin), "Mommy" (or me), and Polo.... So in "Ratatouille", I am the lady chef and Marvin is Linguini. In "Meet the Robinsons," Polo is Lewis, I am Lewis' Mom, and Marvin is Lewis' Dad. In "Cars", Polo is Lightning Mc Queen, and I am Sally... and so on and so forth. Hehehe...

He already had his 1st kiss! He probably kissed many girls before but this is the 1st one we captured on cam. Look, it looks like he will become a good kisser when he grows up. Hehehe...

Hope

"He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound. Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint." Isaiah 40

I hope so that I will grow strong. Hope seems to be the word of the day for me. I read a story this morning about an inexperienced person who used his inexperience to his advantage during a job interview. In job interviews, inexperience is the main reason why employers turn down applicants. But the applicant in the story turned it into a strength by saying that his lack of experience would mean that he'd rely on his out of the box thinking on how to do things. With this, he would be able to contribute fresh new creative ideas than those that are backed by experience. Good point. Nice new perspective don't you think?

Not to return to what was left behind

GospelLk 17:26-37
Jesus said to his disciples:“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?”He said to them, “Where the body is,there also the vultures will gather.”

On the day the Son of Man is revealed - He reveals to us Himself everyday. Sometimes, he makes special revelations and this can happen any day.

Someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise onei n the field must not return to what was left behind - When He calls, when He makes his little aparitions in our lives, we must let him capture us right where we are. We should be ready to pack up and go. No need to pick up the other pieces of our lives. Hello, the Omnipotent one is calling us! We shouldn't worry about what we leave behind. They should be considered as crumbs.

With a grain of salt...

"Take it with a grain of salt."

That's how the saying goes. When someone says something against you, they say, take it with a grain of salt. Ever wonder what it means?

This is what I think it means. Sometimes, it's hard to swallow bad things that people will say about you, especially if you know that it's not true. What do we usually swallow? Food, right? What do we do when food tastes bad and is hard to take or swallow? We add seasoning to give it flavor. We add seasong to make it more appealing. Seasoning makes food taste better (and helps us chew them into tiny bits and pieces!). Therefore, if you take things with a grain of salt, you'll be able to take them as they are, see them in a better light, or to turn them into dust, negligible dust!

But don't you ever wonder why it's salt and not sugar or some other spice? All of them give flavor and all of them serve to preserve. Or maybe sugar: medicine? You know, as Mary Poppins says "just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down... in the most delightful way!" Hmm...

Like a Frog

A frog has no ears but it jumps, jumps, jumps! That's was an anecdote my friend told me when we talked about "neighborhood" politics. A frog has no ears so he doesn't listen to intrigues. Instead, he keeps on doing what he's good at -- jumping! Thus, by jumping, he covers the distance.

Once when I was confronted with a couple of regrets in life, someone reminded me that going down the road of regret is dangerous and unwise. Likewise, he gave me a good analogy: At work, when a team encounters a problem, what do we do? We usually check what went wrong then we set up measures to make sure that we avoid them in the future and improve the way things are done. We all agree that it's a useless and fruitless exercise to dwell on what went wrong and point fingers at whose fault it is, right?

The same goes for our past. If we detect some of our wrong choices when we look back at our past, there's no sense in dwelling on it. Doing so will only lead to regret. Lingering on regret will bring us no where. Instead, it will be better to acknowledge everything as it is and turn it into a learning experience -- a jump off point. Then, like a frog, jump, jump, jump!

Dance Time!

My husband and I have been going to a fitness gym for about 1 month now. Yep, We're working out. We have to in order to retain my youthfulness (or whatever's left of it...) and to stay fit -- one of our goals for this year. :)

By monday next week, I'll have my 3rd orientation, where one of the trainers will design my own personal fitness program but so far, I've been attending gym classes. I've attended Streetdancing, Body Sculpt, Hatha Yoga, Belly Dancing, Precision Cycling and Capoeira. Of all of these, Streetdancinng, Hatha Yoga and Precision Cycling are my personal favorite.

I don't know if I'm excited about my personal training program but I definitely enjoy the streetdancing class (even if it's jam-packed with people everytime). It's fun and I love dancing!

Dancing is a joy me and my family share. In fact, even my son has catched the interest and the talent (but my son thinks that his Dad is the dance guru because he always sees his Dad dance in our bedroom... well, he has yet to discover the what real-dancing moves mean... hehehe). After the classes, I teach my younger sister the steps I learn and we dance it together.

My son would usually see me teaching my sister the dance moves. I would demo the steps in 8 counts ... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and my sister would follow. Soon, my son would try to dance himself or count with us, saying, "5, 6, 7, 8..." Charming, isn't it.

It seems that my solo was getting accustomed to the thought that his Mommy also dances! Now, whenever we ask him to dance, he will usually point us to the sala, where my sister and I usually have our mini dance classes. If we won't go to the sala with him, he would pull us by the hand and bring us to the sala and say, "Dance!" and "Watch!," which translates to: "Mommy and Daddy dance while I will watch."

In the sala, he would sit on his rounded rattan floor pillow, put his arms on the center table and wait for us to showcase our groove in sets of 8 counts. Hahaha! Yes, we have to admit that he's starting to become a charming little manipulative boy in a disarming way.

Akeelah and the Bee

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond mesaure. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."



Have you ever seen "Akeelah and the Bee"? HBO was featuring it 2 months ago. It's very inspiring. The quote above is what struck me the most.

Google-ing my Name

An article in Reader's Digest said that once in a while, one should google his own name to see the information available to all about one's self... So, last night I googled my name and this is what I discovered -- namewiki:

The origin of my first name is Hebrew. It means God will add.

Here are the stats related to my Maiden Family Name:

It is the 10196th most common family name in the United States
It occurs 2902 times in the most recent US Census (2000)
1.08 out of every 100,000 people in the United States have it as a family name
77.39% are White
0% are Black
9.75% are Hispanic (any)
7.37% are Asian / Pacific Islander
0% are American Indian / Native American
2.69% are Two or More

Whoah! No wonder, we didn't know much of our kin. Most of them are white and are in the US. Hahaha! Hmm, why is my Dad's skin dark, then? Hahaha

Check out your family name in namewiki. Has it reached the US, yet?

It is about time!

Eccl 3:1-11
"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every thing under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

What advantage has the worker from his toil? I have considered the task that God has appointed for the sons of men to be busied about. He has made everything appropriate to its time,and has put the timeless into their hearts, without man’s ever discovering, from beginning to end, the work which God has done."

It's time for me to be born again with a new mission and vision. It's time for me to plant anew. It's time to kill negativism and time to heal my soul. It's time to tear down the walls in my life and to build bridges, meaningful relationships and wonderful memories. It's a time to laugh more than I cry unless I cry for joy, love and success. It's a time to dance because life is worth celebrating! It's a time to scatter stones and make them as cornerstones for different dimensions in my life -- Family, Career, Friendly Communities, Service and Adventure! It's a time to embrace life -- to gracefully respect the 30 years that collected and the 30 plus years that I will groove about. It's a time to seek my full potential and to lose my inhibitions. It's about time that I keep every my heart, body and soul healthy and cast away heartfelt wishes and prayers to guide me everyday. It's a time to rend everything that seems broken in me and a time to sew the mysteries of my years into one beautiful quilt that will keep me warm til the end of my days. It's a time to be verbally silent about my complaints in life and a time to speak more of what's good, true and noble. It's a time to love as much as a can and hate things that deem to destroy life, love, and meaning. It's time to wage war against things that destroy purity and innocence and a time for inner peace, sanity and spiritual security.

God has pressed upon the timeless in my heart. I'm silencing my intellect and my soul so that timeless and purpose will emerge.

Vanities, vanities !?!?!?!

"Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun? One generation passes and another comes, but the world forever stays. The sun rises and the sun goes down; then it presses on to the place where it rises. Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north, the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds. All rivers go to the sea, yet never does the sea become full. To the place where they go, the rivers keep on going. All speech is labored; there is nothing one can say. The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor is the ear satisfied with hearing. What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun. Even the thing of which we say, “See, this is new!” has already existed in the ages that preceded us. There is no remembrance of the men of old; nor of those to come will there be any remembrance among those who come after them." Eccleciastes 1: 2-11

What's the sense of doing anything, then? What's the sense of working hard on anything? Wala na atang sense...

....

Or maybe, proverbs is teaching us to work on something that will be worth while. Wonder what that will be for me. I better find out and start working on it soon. I only have a few years left. I have to keep my thirty, flirty and thriving "motto" on a roll.

Think quick, my girl! Any suggestions?

First Aid Training Moments

These are some of the pictures during our 1st training day.

Trainor: First Aiders, line up by height!

First Aiders: Yes, Sir!

One-Man Carry: Lover's Carry

(Disclaimer: We're not lovers)

Mukhang ang lakas ko, no?

2-Man Carry: Carry by Extremeties
(2 of the smallest/light-weight members of the class decided to make me their "victim" and carry me this way across the room during their practical exam. Naks, way to go!)

2-Man Carry: Forgot what this is called. Let's call it, Prinsesang nakaupo sa tasa carry in the mean time. Hehehe. I felt like a princess.

6-Man Carry or Snow White and the 6 dwarves carry hehehe.

(Yep, again, I'm playing the "victim" here. That's what I get for being the talents female in the group...)

They are about to carry me in this picture... Yihee...

Believe it or not, I felt tired even if I usually played the "victim."

Haircut Incident

Yesterday, my husband and I decided to give our son another haircut -- his fourth. He cried his eyes and lungs out during his third time even if he had it at a haircut salon catering to babies and children. This time around, we went to the barber's shop in our neighborhood that my husband suggested because it said "kids haircut salon," too on its signage.

We thought that maybe if our son had a haircut at the same place and time his Dad is having one, then the stress and trauma will be less. We guessed wrong. :(

Polo didn't care if his Dad and Mom were both wearing the usual robe. He didn't want to wear one. Period. The friendly barber and I just wrapped a mini towel around Polo's neck.

Polo didn't care if we seated him in a child-friendly-barber's-chair-car that's situated right in front of a tv playing Barney. The car nor Barney, his friend, didn't do the trick.

Polo didn't care if I was seated on the barber's chair and carrying him all through out the haircut. Mommy's charms didn't work but from time to time, the Pizza Hut commercial and thoughts of spaghetti, pizza and chicken was able to temporarily distract him. Some times, singing fill-in-the-blanks Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Row, Row Your Boat did the trick but only momentarily...

Polo didn't even care if his father was seated in the barber's chair beside him, having his dreaded good-boy barber's cut (I say, "dreaded" because the usual barber's cut is not his dad's style. Polo's dad prefers the layered crop style of more modern haircutters). Polo just kept on crying and shouting (good thing, he wasn't physically violent).

The good old barber (who seemed like a scary stranger with a comb, a pair scissors and a razor to Polo), was skilled and patient enough to cut our little boy's thin hair. Once in a while, he tried to charm Polo but to no avail. In Polo's mind, the barber was the enemy. In Polo's one-year and seven-month's mind, all he wanted to do was get out of the shop and ride his Papa's car.

After an hour or so of torture for Polo, we all decided that his hair has been trimmed enough. Between sobs and deep breaths, Polo was comforted by his dad. We paid for the father & son haircut, said "bye" to the barbers and headed to the nearest happy place Polo knew -- Jollibee.

Polo was rewarded with a Jolly Sundae, Jolly Fries and a Jolly Meal Toy. In the happy place, it seems that the shadows of the barber shop incident have slowly melted away. Thanks to Jollibee, our little cub was sane again.

We're still on a quest to find a suitable happy-place hair salon for Polliepoe.

Thirty, Flirty and Thriving!

That's the wish the 13-year old girl in the movie Thirteen Going Thirty made on her 13th birthday that magically turned her into a 30-year old lady the next day.

Thirty, Flirty & Thriving! - Yes, I'm thirty. I've been repeating this line in my head over and over again since July. Now, whenever I repeat it in my head, I'm no longer sad that my "youthful" 20s are over but I'm more excited about being a full-pledged adult! I no longer have time to waste. I must pursue my dreams, no longer make excuses for myself and jump into adventures that will define me.

Of course, I'm not flirty. I don't intend to put my beautiful marriage on the line here just because I'm in my 3rd decade. That's not the dream that I want to pursue or jump into without excuses, nor is that the adventure that will define. Rather, I will flirt with life itself. I will be more decisive in pursuing the bucket list I have in my head (which reminds me... I have to write it down one of these days). I have to be more daring in doing or trying things that I've set aside for a long time now like being involved in a good cause, getting back in shape, climbing a mountain, painting, etc!

Thriving. Yes, I'm thriving but more than that I want to soar! I want to stop focusing on my career and start soaring 360-degrees. I want to establish good and meaningful relationships with my husband, my son, my parents, my sisters, my in-laws, my girl-friends and my friends. I want to develop my other skills -- physical, artistic, mental, etc!

I have to admit that the reality of being 30 years old has changed me:
I’m more concerned about my skin. I now have a regular skin regimen for my face.
I'm also paying more attention to my hair. I iron it out every morning.
I'm more concerned about my body. I enrolled in a gym. Have to get back in shape.
I took up First Aid and Basic Life Support with CPR Trainings (thanks to the company I work for)
I’ve also established time with girl-friends and couple-friends
I also realized that it’s not worth it chasing shadows to push career. There are more important things in life than stressing over a certain desired designation.
I'm enriching my mind with Sudoku puzzles (that I grudgingly share with my husband) and with a Reader's Digest Asia subscription.
I'm extending my imagination by reading books. I just finished "Number the Stars", a thin paperback by Lois Lowry. I'm in the middle of "The First Wives Club" and "One Voice, Please" (a book my friend Macopa) lent me.

Do Good. Be Good. Stay Good.

Reminder for the week:
"Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him. Say not to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,tomorrow I will give,” when you can give at once. Plot no evil against your neighbor,against one who lives at peace with you. Quarrel not with a man without cause,with one who has done you no harm." Proverbs 3

Thanks to the book of Proverbs.