a love story

A few years back...I was so excited to meet that
special someone who will make my life complete. I
thought I had it all na kasi except for that someone
who will make me forget about my fears and heartaches.
Many times...I thought nakilala ko na siya...but many
times I realized that hindi pala siya. I don't know
kung hindi talaga siya para sa akin or ako lang yung
may problema...dahil i just can't get contented with
what I have. Masaya lang kasi sa una...then after
that, sunod sunod na ang away, kung wala namang away,
wala namang thrill. And I end up getting tired of
hoping that tomorrow will make up for today...Finally,
I decided that maybe its better to try my luck
elsewhere, maybe, someone else's love will make me
feel complete.Every woman wants a man who will make
her feel special...and treat her like she's everything
in his life... He's always busy...he doesn't have time
for me. He promised to take me out for dinner and
movie and then biglang tatawag "B, sorry I can't take
you out today, my boss asked me to work tonight, may
hinahabol kasing deadline. Nakakahiya naman pag hindi
ko pagbibigyan. Hayaan mo I'll make it up to you next
time." And it happens all the time. I often end up
spending the day crying in my room. "Bakit gan'un, he
doesn't care about me...I was looking forward to see
him today. Hindi ba niya ako namimiss?" Kaya heto
ako...I've made up my mind na...I'll give him what he
wants...he probably won't miss me anyway. I'm always
last sa lahat ng priorities niya. Im not important to
him at all. If he can't treat me right, somebody else
will! Mahimbing ang tulog niya...when he came home. D
man lng niya ako napansin. He gave me a kiss sa cheek
and ginulo ang buhok ko...after that dumeretso nasa
kuarto at natulog. I won't wake him up
anymore...susulat na lng ako...at parang isang
panaginip...pagising niya wala na ako.

Dear Jake,

While you're reading this letter, wala na ako...you
probably won't see me again. I won't tell you the
details anymore coz alam mo na yun. but i guess you
deserve to know why...Lately, I realized that this is
not the kind of life that I want for myself..you know
that I've been lonely most of my life and I want to
share my life with someone who won't take me for
granted, who will make me happy every second of my
life. Forgive me but I

guess, hanggang dito na lng tayo. I just want you to
know that I love you and I want you to be happy too.

Maan

With tears in my eyes, I left the letter beside him
para makita niya paggising niya. And then I looked at
him. Ang guapo guapo niya...napangiti ako...naaalala
ko nung una ko siyang makilala. I met this guy sa
school nung college. Ang daming nagkakagusto sa kanya
but I don't know what he saw in me at ako ang
niligawan niya kahit inaaway ko siya. I was scared of
him before, para kasing playboy ang mukha...I was
broken hearted at that time and getting hurt again was
the last thing I wanted. But then he was persistent
and he was really nice to me. At first, our
relationship was extraordinary. wala akong masabi.
Nobody has ever treated me like that...kaya lang as
time went by...we both got busy and despite the fact
that we both lived under one roof, we seldom spent
time with each other. He buys me anything I want but I
dont really need anything...I just need him. But i
guess, he changed a lot since the first time we were
together, siguro he fell out of love and he just can't
tell me...Ba't kasi kailangan pang magbago ang
lahat....kaya heto na naman ako, muling mag iisa.I
didn't realize, I was staring at him for 3 hours.
Gumalaw siya and something fell off his
hand---ballpen?! and then I saw a piece of paper sa
tabi niya.. I was curious kaya binasa ko and it goes
like this...

Dear Maan,

For all the times that I have disappointed you, I'm
really sorry. I know I've been out of your sight often
and that I always make you feel bad. Im really sorry.
I want you to know that even though wala ako sa tabi
mo...I'm always thinking about you. You are the reason
why I work hard. I want to give you everything in life
because you deserve everything and I want you to be
happy. Kaya forgive me kung hindi tayo natuloy last
week. I had to work double time para matuloy tayo
ngayon. I know that you've always wanted to go south
sa beach. I can't afford a house by the beach right
now but I hope that I've made you happy today. I love
you baby. I love you more than you'll ever know. Happy
Valentines Day!

With lots of love,

Jake

What if hindi ko nakita ang letter na to? I could have
committed the greatest mistake of my life, letting go
of someone who loves me the way this man does. I will
never forgive myself for thinking that he was unfair,
that he doesn't care, that he doesn't love me. I
couldn't help myself but cry. All the while, I was the
one being unfair and selfish and I feel so stupid for
failing to see what this man is doing for me.
Valentines na pala next week. I havent got anything
for him yet...ahh alam ko na, from now on, hindi na
ako mangungulit. I can wake up tomorrow and pretend
that nothing happened tonight. I placed his letter
back under his pillow and I tore mine into pieces.
Tapos, niyakap ko siya ng mahigpit. I love you, b. I
whispered. He wrapped his arms around me at ginulo ang
buhok ko (gulat ako) I love you more he told me. And
he laughed. He was watching me all the time?! O, tapos
naba ang drama mo? Kanina pa kita hinihintay. And he
turned off the lights. :)

Kaya babae, makontento ka, okay? You're in love with a
human being and not with superman!!!

Love is not a bed of roses and love is not a bed of
nails. It is a combination of sadness and happiness...

From: maryfatima@lycos.com

Love not words, some people just don't understand

My boyfriend and I live together for years and he is an Engineer by profession.
I love him for his steady nature, and I love the warm feeling when I
lean against his broad shoulders.
Three months of courtship and now, two years engaged, I would have to
admit, that I am getting tired of it.
The reasons of me loving him before, has now transformed into the
cause of all my restlessness.
I am a sentimental woman and extremely sensitive when it comes to a
relationship and my feelings, I yearn for the romantic moments, like a
little girl yearning for candy.
My boyfriend, is my complete opposite, his lack of sensitivity, and
the inability of bringing romantic moments into our relationship has
disheartened me about love.
One day, I finally decided to tell him my decision, that I wanted to
break up with him.
"Why?" he asked, shocked.
"I am tired, there are no reasons for everything in the world!" I answered.
He kept silent the whole night, seems to be in deep thought with a
lighted cigarette at all times.
My feeling of disappointment only increased, here was a man who can't
even express his predicament, what else can I hope from him?
And finally he asked me:" What can I do to change your mind?"
Somebody said it right, it's hard to change a person's personality,
and I guess, I have started losing faith in him.
Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered : "Here is the question,
if you can answer and convince my heart, I will change my mind, Let's
say, I want a flower located on the face of a mountain cliff, and we
both are sure that picking the flower will cause your death, will you
do it for me?"
He said :" I will give you your answer tomorrow...."
My hopes just sank by listening to his response.
I woke up the next morning to find him gone, and saw a piece of paper
with his scratchy handwriting, underneath a milk glass, on the dining
table near the front door, that goes....

My dear, "I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to
explain the reasons further.." This first line was already breaking my
heart.
I continued reading.
"When you use the computer you always mess up the Software programs,
and you cry in front of the screen, I have to save my fingers so that
I can help to restore the programs.
You always leave the house keys behind, thus I have to save my legs to
rush home to open the door for you.
You love traveling but always lose your way in a new city, I have to
save my eyes to show you the way.
You always have the cramps whenever your "good friend" approaches
every month, I have to save my palms so that I can calm the cramps in
your tummy.
You like to stay indoors, and I worry that you will be infected by
infantile autism.
I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories to cure your boredom.
You always stare at the computer, and that will do nothing good for
your eyes, I have to save my eyes so that when we grow old, I can help
to clip your nails, and help to remove those annoying white hairs.
So I can also hold your hand while strolling down the beach, as you
enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful sand...
and tell you the color of flowers, just like the color of the glow on
your young face...
Thus, my dear, unless I am sure that there is someone who loves you
more than I do...
I could not pick that flower yet, and die..
" My tears fell on the letter, and blurred the ink of his handwriting...
and as I continue on reading...
"Now, that you have finished reading my answer, if you are satisfied,
please open the front door for I am standing outside bringing your
favorite bread and fresh milk...
I rush to pull open the door, and saw his anxious face, clutching
tightly with his hands, the milk bottle and loaf of bread....

Now I am very sure that no one will ever love me as much as he does,
and I have decided to leave the flower alone...
That's life, and love.
When one is surrounded by love, the feeling of excitement fades away,
and one tends to ignore the true love that lies in between the peace
and dullness.
Love shows up in all forms, even very small and cheeky forms, it has
never been a model, it could be the most dull and boring form...
flowers, and romantic moments are only used and appear on the surface
of the relationship.
Under all this, the pillar of true love stands...
and that's our life...Love, not words win arguments...

====================
From: roweva@yahoo.com

Respect for mystery

 

Respect for mystery          The Greeks were great masters at describing human behavior through small stories that we usually call myths. All the generations that came after them, from Freud's psychoanalysis (with the Oedipus complex, for example) to the films of Hollywood (like Morpheus in "Matrix") ended up drinking from this source.      For a good part of my life, one of those stories left me very intrigued: the myth of Psyche.      Once upon a time ... a beautiful princess was admired by all but nobody dared to ask for her hand in marriage. In despair, the king consulted the god Apollo, who told him that Psyche should be left alone, dressed in mourning, on top of a mountain. Before day broke a serpent would come to meet and marry her. The king obeyed, and all night the princess waited, in terror and dying of cold, for her husband to appear.      She finally fell asleep. When she awoke she was in a beautiful palace, transformed into a queen. Every night her husband came to her and they made love, but he had imposed a sole condition: Psyche could have all she desired but she had to show utter trust and could never see his face.      The young woman lived happily for a long time; she had comfort, affection, happiness, she was in love with the man who came to her every night. However, now and again she was afraid she was married to a horrid serpent. Early one morning, while her husband was sleeping, she shone a lamp on the bed, and saw lying there by her side Eros (or Cupid), a man of exceptional beauty. The light woke him up; he discovered that the woman he loved was incapable of respecting his only desire, and disappeared.      Whenever I read this text, I used to wonder: can we never discover the face of love?      I had to live for many years before I realized that love is an act of faith in another person, and its face should continue to be wrapped in mystery. It should be lived and relished at each and every minute, but whenever we try to understand it, the magic vanishes.      When I accepted this I also began to let my life be guided by a strange language that I call "signs". I know that the world is talking to me, I need to listen to it, and if I do so I shall always be guided towards what is most intense, passionate and beautiful. Of course, it is not easy and at times I feel like Psyche at the cliff, cold and terrified, but if I can pass through that night and deliver myself to the mystery and faith in life, I will always end up waking in a palace. All I need is to trust in Love, even though I run the risk of making a mistake.      To conclude the Greek myth: desperate to have her love back, Psyche submits to a series of tasks imposed by Aphrodite (or Venus), the mother of Cupid (or Eros), who is envious of her beauty. One of the tasks is to deliver some of her beauty to Aphrodite. Psyche grows curious about the box that was supposed to contain the Goddess' beauty and once again is unable to cope with the Mystery, so she decides to open it. Inside she finds not beauty but rather an infernal sleep that leaves her inert and immobile.      Eros/Cupid is also in love, regretful for not having been more tolerant towards his wife. He manages to enter the castle and wake her from her deep sleep with the point of his arrow and once again tells her: "You almost died on account of your curiosity." That is the great contradiction, Psyche sought for security in knowledge and found only insecurity.      The two of them go to Jupiter, the supreme god, and implore that their union will never be undone. Jupiter passionately pleads the cause of the lovers and succeeds in gaining the support of Venus. From that day onwards, Psyche (the essence of the human being) and Eros (love) are always together. Whoever does not accept this and tries to find an explanation for magical and mysterious human relations will miss the best part of life.   New book "The Zahir" is being published all over the world this year. Click here for more information.

www.warriorofthelight.com Copyright @ 2005 by Paulo Coelho

====================

From:  hazelmarie@gmail.com

Week devoted to HIM

Monday
Wash Day
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve
you with perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday
Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have
collected though the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday
Mending Day
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.

Thursday
Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding
in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday
Shopping Day
O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal
happiness for myself and all others in need of love.

Saturday
Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve
it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday
The Lord's Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so
I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.

====================
From: JeanAustria@astec-power.com

T-bones, Roses and Friendship

I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested
in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of
7 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet
memories.

He often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to
go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to. I'd
always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in
his hands.

He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with
grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery
shopping was different since he had passed on.

Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had for two.

Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak
and remembered how he had loved his steak.

Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and
lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large
package of T-bones, dropped them in her basket.. hesitated, and then
put them back. She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of
steaks.

She saw me watching her and she smiled. "My husband loves
T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I don't know."

I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes.

"My husband passed away eight days ago," I told her.
Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble
in my voice. "Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment you have
together."

She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she
placed the package in her basket and wheeled away.

I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store
to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to decide which size milk
I should buy. A Quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice
cream. If nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone.

I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the aisle
toward the front. I saw first the green suit, then recognized the
pretty lady coming towards me. In her arms she carried a package. On
her face was the brightest smile I had ever seen. I would swear a soft
halo encircled her blonde hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes
holding mine.

As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began
misting in my eyes. "These are for you," she said and placed three
beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. "When you go through
the line, they will know these are paid for." She leaned over and
placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, then smiled again. I wanted to tell
her what she'd done, what the roses meant, but still unable to speak,
I watched as she walked away as tears clouded my vision.

I looked down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green
tissue wrapping and found it almost unreal. How did she know? Suddenly
the answer seemed so clear. I wasn't alone.

Oh, you haven't forgotten me, have you? I whispered, with
tears in my eyes. He was still with me, and she was his angel.

Every day be thankful for what you have and who you are.
(Please read all of this, it is really nice)

This is a simple request. If you appreciate life, send this
to your friends, including the person that sent it to you.

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm
rings. Thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light
as long as possible. Thank you, Lord, that I can see. Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising. Thank
you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are
bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks
are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, and my children are so
loud. Thank you, Lord, for my family. There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the picture
in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced. Thank you, Lord, for
the food we have. There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous. Thank
you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no
job.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and
wish my circumstances were not so modest. Thank you, Lord, for life.

Pass this on to the friends you know. It might help a bit to
make this world a better place to live, right? A friend is someone we
turn to when our spirits need a lift. A friend is someone to treasure.

For friendship is a gift. A friend is someone who fills our
lives with Beauty, Joy and Grace and makes the world we live in a
better and happier place.

====================
From: gracemat@yahoo.com

natural order of things

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled
children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that
would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the
school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question.

"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature
does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things
as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children
do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I
believe, that when a child like Shay comes into the world, an
opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it
comes, in the way other people treat that child."

Then he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past
a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,
"Do you think they'll let me play?"

Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like
Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son
were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of
belonging. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and
asked if Shay could play.

The boy looked around for guidance and, getting none, he took matters
into his own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game
is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try
to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs
but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay
put on a glove and played in the outfield. Even though no hits came
his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the
field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the
stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with
two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base
and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, let
Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was
all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat
properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped
up to the plate, the pitcher moved in a few steps to lob the ball
in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first
pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly
towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit
a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up
the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first
baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end
of the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and turned and threw
the ball on a high arc to right field, far beyond the reach of the
first baseman.

Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never
in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the
baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second,
run to second!" By the time Shay rounded first base, the right fielder
had the ball.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but
he understood the pitcher's intentions and intentionally threw the
ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward
second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the
bases toward home. Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop
ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted,
"Run to third!"

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming,
"Shay, run home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was
cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his
team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his
face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and
humanity into this world."

====================
Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a
difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to
help realize the "natural order of things."

From: larrainecriss@email.com