Whisperings Under The Maple Tree

  Coffee Musings Under the Maple Tree (Part 17) December 29, 2023   ·         Because of God’s fidelity and love, I will choose you, my Lord. My God. My all.   ·         Life offers so many questions. Know that the answers are within ourselves. Patience. Hope. Pray. Believe. God is with us … all the time.   ·         Maturity is not about age. It is about the experiences we’ve had and the lessons we’ve learned from those experiences. It is about how we grow out of the learnings of the past and be able to move on with a smile in our hearts.   ·         Let go. If it’s meant for you, it will return to a much better form.   ·         I wonder what went wrong. Have I loved too much? Did I love the wrong one? At the wrong time?   ·         Yesterday is over. The lessons have been learned. Tomorrow is a promise. A new dawn is at hand. Today is awesome. Live the now.   ·         If only I could re-write yesterday. But that’s okay. I am grateful for the lessons

  CHRISTMAS MIRACLE: A Daily Experience (December 25, 2023)   In the whole of Christendom, Christmas is the most anticipated and very special day. Especially in the Philippines with the longest Christmas celebration ever in the world, it even places ahead of Easter in terms of celebration but not faith significance with Easter as the most important feast in our Catholic faith.   This Christmas is no different from all past Christmas celebrations to most of us, if I may say. The usual Simbang Gabi; the festive Christmas parties; the gift-giving with our friends and loved ones; the Balikbayan travels or homecomings; the family reunions; and, of course, the bountiful Noche Buena. All this we celebrate in ways depending on our state of life and financial situation. Whatever status in life we find ourselves in, rich and poor find ways and means to celebrate Christmas. Be it just a simple pandesal and margarine to a queso de bola and ham on our table, we “feast” on Christmas day.

  Fire and Rain: Palangga (June 14, 2023) One of my favorite pass times is to listen to music and watch music videos. Oh, I love the music of my time – modern classic now, meaningful lyrics with deep messages, simple soothing tunes and harmony that make my soul dance with the rhythm. James Taylor is among my favorite musician artists then and now. His set of songs are to behold. His version of the Carole King song “You’ve Got A Friend” tops the list. But among his original compositions, “Fire and Rain” comes first.   Briefly, Taylor wrote the song as somewhat autobiographical. An article described the verses as "one is about a friend who committed suicide, another is about Taylor's addiction to heroin, the third refers to a mental hospital and a band Taylor started called 'The Flying Machine.” The True Meaning Behind 'Fire And Rain' By James Taylor (nickiswift.com)   Another description was that the song was “Gentle, plaintive, and compelling” and possess

  Silence is Golden (November 22, 2023) In a world of advance technology and science, amidst the popularity of the use of various social media, and in every nook and cranny of the metropolis, silence is indeed golden. Noise pollution has become an accepted norm of daily living, and continuous movements of people and things around has become the core of progress. More and more cities have become like a “city that never sleeps.” To rest and be quiet even for just a few minutes has become a luxury in man’s daily living.   The world’s three major religions – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam – have emphasized the value of silence in their Holy Books – the Bible, the Torah, the Quran, as well as noted scholars and teachers of different faiths have written and/or spoken about it. “God’s will for me is to live an honorable life that should silence ignorant people. I am free to live however I choose. I choose to be a Servant of the Living God which means that most often silence is golden.