My long time friend, Frances, sent this to me through email. I hope this will give inspiration to those who will be able to read this.
The Secret to a Lasting Marriage:
Embrace Imperfection
By- Deb BILLYGraham
When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner
every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had
made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.
On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage,
and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see
if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my
mom, and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him
that night, but I do remember Watching him smear butter and jelly on that
toast and eat every bite!
When I got Up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom
apologize to my dad For burning the toast.. And I’ll never forget what he
said: ‘Baby, I love burned toast.’
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if He
really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said,
‘Debbie, your momma put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired.
And besides-a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!’
In bed that night, I thought about that scene at dinner…and the kindness
my daddy showed my mom. To this day, it’s a cherished memory from my
childhood that I’ll never forget. And it’s one that came to mind just
recently when Jack and I sat down to eat dinner.
I had arrived home late…as usual…and decided we would have breakfast
food for dinner. Some things never change, I suppose!
To my amazement, I found the ingredients I needed, and quickly began
To cook eggs, turkey sausage, and buttered toast. Thinking I had things
Under control, I glanced through the mail for the day. It was only a few
Minutes later that I remembered that I had forgotten to take the toast out
of The oven!
Now, had it been any other day — and had we had more than two pieces Of
bread in the entire house — I would have started all over. But it had
been one of those days and I had just used up the last two pieces of
bread.
So burnt toast it was!
As I set the plate down in front of Jack, I waited for a comment about
the toast. But all I got was a ‘Thank you!’ I watched as he ate bite by
bite, all the time waiting for some comment about the toast. But instead,
all Jack said was, ‘Babe, this is great. Thanks for cooking tonight. I
know you had a hard day.’
As I took a bite of my charred toast that night, I thought about my Mom
and dad…how burnt toast hadn’t been a deal-breaker for them. And I
quietly thanked God for giving me a marriage where burnt toast wasn’t a
deal-breaker either!
You know, life is full of imperfect things…and imperfect people. I’m not
the best housekeeper or cook. And you might be surprised to find out that
Jack isn’t the perfect husband! He likes to play his music too loud. He
will always find a way to avoid yard work, and he watches far too many
sports. Believe it or not, watching ‘ GolfAcademy’ is not my idea of a
great night at home!
But somehow in the past 37 years Jack and I have learned to accept the
imperfections in each other. Over time, we have stopped trying to make
each other in our own mold and have learned to celebrate our differences.
You might say that we’ve learned to love each other for who we really are!
For example, I like to take my time, I’m a perfectionist, and I’m
even-tempered. I tend to work too much and sleep too little. Jack, on the
other hand, is disciplined, studious, an early riser, and is a marketer’s
dream consumer. I count pennies and Jack could care less! Where he is
strong, I am weak, and vice versa.
And while you might say that Jack and I are opposites, we’re also very
much alike.. I can look at him and tell you what he’s thinking. I can
predict these actions before he finalizes his plans. On the other hand, he
knows whether I’m troubled or not the moment I enter a room.
We share the same goals. We love the same things. And we are still best
friends. We’ve traveled through many valleys and enjoyed m many mountain
tops. And yet, at the same time, Jack and I must work every minute of
every day to make this thing called ‘marriage’ work!
What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s
faults - and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences - is the one
of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting
marriage relationship.
And that’s my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good,
the bad, and the ugly parts of your married life and lay them at the
feet of GOD. Because in the end, He’s the only One who will be able to
give you a marriage where burnt toast isn’t a deal-breaker!
We could extend this to any relationship in fact – as understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent – child or friendship!!
In a marriage, I believe that a lot of understanding and acceptance are required for its survival. When you see your spouse getting a little fatter, you should not just tell her to buy the most effective weight loss supplements you know of. You should be able to accept your partner’s imperfections.
Lately, I have been receiving a lot of bad news from my relatives who are going through some problems with their marriages. It’s really sad. I know how hard it is, I’ve been there. And though we were able to triumph over all the challenges, there’s no telling that we’re SAFE.
I hope I can give a surefire way to keep a lasting marriage, but there’s NONE. It takes two to tango. The couple should both be willing to put their best feet forward in order for love to survive.
I must admit, sometimes self-pity looms over me. I think this is but normal for any mom who chose to gave up her career to take full charge in taking care of her family. I am no exception.
In my quest of being a stay-at-home mom, I try my best to look for ways to make money while just staying at home. There are so many home business ideas available but my problem is having limited time. But I do not want this to hinder me on my way to my financial independence. I know hubby will raise his eyebrows, but sometimes it helps to know that you are financially independent. It boosts your confidence.
Now I am trying to put up some websites and get them listed in free directory submissions to get it indexed quickly. I have heard a lot of success stories in the world of MMO (making money online). I hope one of these days, I will get my own success story published in a space here in the worldwide web.
friend,
i don’t know exactly what you’re going through right now. but whatever it is, i’m positive you’ll be fine.
anyway, i wanna share with you some of the thoughts i tried to bear in mind when i was that lovesick puppy who was waiting for someone to take me home.
love yourself first and foremost.
…stop checking out your exes’ profiles. you don’t have to know if they’re miserable or not. you don’t have to know who the present of your past is. stop trying to discover what
they made out of their lives. focus on what you’re making out of your own.
…FORGIVE but don’t totally forget. keep the lessons learned… if there are any.
…don’t wish people who hurt you to die. that’s an easy way out. wish them to suffer ten times you did and then die and then go to hell. hehehe. seriously, don’t wish them ill. it’ll backfire on you…karmic law. our Good Lord knows what to do.
…move on. take one step each day. after a year, you’ll be happy to realize you’re 365 steps away from the pain. (is this making any sense?)
…men are not robots programmed to be happy at all circumstances. allow yourself to feel sad, cry your heart out, but don’t linger on it for so long. sadness is evil in disguise. just play with it for a while, make it feel unrecognized, and, after a while, say “hey, i know you. and there’s no way you can beat me!”
…let go. even the longest, most stable relationships can break. ours will never be an exception. if it has to go, let it go. forcing it to stay will worsen the case. you still have your whole life ahead of you. the best is yet to come.
…happiness will find you. believe. if you already do, continue believing. if you don’t, start believing. positive thinking is the key.
…smile, smile, smile. and the whole world will smile back at you.
lastly, why not try joining grace in her yoga???
though we haven’t seen each other for the longest time, i know when we meet up again it’ll feel as though we’ve never been apart at all.
you’re fondly remembered.
and you’re loved.
During my childhood years, I had some pets that I dearly took care of. I had one cat and her kittens, and one dog. My mom noticed that having some pets made me responsible at some point. She wanted to support me with my desire of keeping those pets, but after some time, I had to let go of them because some allergic reactions manifested.
I also wanted to give some pets to my kids, but Marc was diagnosed to have asthma when he was a few months old. I am apprehensive about giving my two boys some dogs to look after because I am afraid that this will trigger his asthma. Maybe when he gets a little older, and when his pediatrician approves of it, I will give them some pets and some pet beds, of course.
I have completed a degree in Special Education in the University of the Philippines. Yes, I am a proud Iska!
At first, I did not really want to take that course since I wanted to be an engineer. But my mom advised me to apply for a non-quota course for the UPCAT so the chances of getting accepted would be greater. Hmmm, did she not trust me enough? Well, she explained to me that she just wanted to be sure that I could get in. Anyway, I could transfer to other courses if my grades were good.
Little did I know that I would be enjoying a lot in the College of Education. I’ve made friends with a bunch of nice people there!
I also had the chance to meet special children during the entire course. At first, I pitied them and their parents for their fate. But I realized how precious those kids were, and there was no reason to feel bad for them. With proper intervention, they could still reach their maximum potentials and live like we all do. People may think that they are useless, but they are NOT!
During my practicum days, I was impressed with one of my students with autism who was taking some piano lessons. She was really serious about it, and I could not forget how passionate he was with what he was doing.
To continue my mission of helping the differently abled, I signed up for handicapped chat. I have talked to a lot of participants there, and each of them has own story to tell.
All of them inspired me to continue with what I have started and to focus on the brighter side of things.
I baked some macaroons yesterday!
Actually, it was so easy to prepare the mixture. The tedious job is placing them in those tiny paper cups. Kuya Marc was there beside me tinkering all the paper cups. He would get one, look at me, and then ask, “Color?”, and he would answer his own question. Once in a while, he insisted on putting the macaroons mixture into the paper cups. I allowed him even if it was too messy, for he surely he would not stop until I gave in. This way, I could also instill in him the interest in cooking. I was already old when I really got myself interested in cooking, and I could say it was somewhat late!
Hayzzz… I just love macaroons even though it gives me these fats! Anyway, I’ve got a hold of the best fat burners available in the market. So maybe I do not have to worry about getting so big.
The kids and the dad and the neighbors enjoyed the macaroons! Horaaay! I also loved it! The taste was better than the first ones I have made. My neighbor even suggested that we could sell some macaroons to the parents who spend most of their time in school to watch over their kids. I guess this would be a good idea. Extra income would surely be of great help.
You have been doing this same 24/7 job all your life. You thought you were enjoying, but one day you just felt like your brain does not seem to function at its best anymore. Ideas do not seem to come up. Your body does not want to move anymore. You want to shout, you want to run, you want to hide yourself. You want to quit your job but you know you cannot since you have several mouths to feed. But exhaustion is creeping in your very system.
This is a clear sign of burnout.
And what is the best remedy for this? Simple. You need to unwind.
Find something you’ll take pleasure in. Engage yourself in activities you might find thrilling and exciting to ignite your creative juices back.
Personally, I am experiencing so much stress right now. But instead of losing weight, I tend to gain more weight during these tough times because I tend to eat a lot more when I am stressed out. So now, I maybe needing the best diet pills to regain my figure.
Hay, I wonder when I can get the much-needed rest. I badly need it. I want to sleep the whole day, but there are just so many tasks to accomplish.
I have always been so conscious about my health. Whenever I feel something not normal in my body, I try to make it a point to know what is going on. But sometimes, I don’t have the time to make an appointment for a check-up since I am so busy with my daily tasks. I confess that there was a time when I took some acne pills to solve my acne problems.
I have learned that aside from the traditional medicines that we usually take whenever we have health problems, we can also opt for the alternative ones. One of these is the chiropractic which is a health care method focusing on diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the musculoskeletal system, with special emphasis on the spine.
Keep in mind to consider health as your first priority! Your body is God’s gift to you so take all measures to take good care of it.
Many Filipinos are dreaming to step on the U S of A thinking that it is a land of milk and honey, where there is more than enough of everything. I am one of them.
It has been my childhood dream! It started when I learned about the Disneyland. I was always asking my parents to bring me there if they would have enough money. But unfortunately, that did not happen.
So when I entered college, I pursued to finish a degree which I thought could bring me to my dream land. I was able to finish it, but I did not push through with my plans for some better things happened.
Now, hubby and I are seriously considering migrating to the USA. We are looking for the best, surest and safest ways to get through with our plans. We do not want to compromise our kids’ future that is why we heed every step that we have to take.
When we get there, the first place we will visit will surely be the Disneyland! And of course, we will never forget to watch some Las Vegas Shows! We have heard how pleasurable Las Vegas is! I am also planning to buy a heart jewelry for myself!
So for now, we just have to keep on praying that the Lord will permit our plans to push through.
Mesothelioma cancer… this was all so Greek to me! I haven’t heard about this term previously, until i’ve stumbled upon this while doing my research about cancer and its types, prevention and treatments. And it somehow stirred me up.
mesothelioma is a form of cancer that can be caused by exposure to asbestos. Those whose jobs permit them to be exposed even to little amount of asbestos are at very high risk of the disease. These people go home still donning their asbestos-laden clothes, thus making their other family members prone to mesothelioma cancer.
Upon learning some bits and pieces about mesothelioma cancer, I’ve become so concerned about my husband’s health. He is currently working in an aluminium smelter, and I’ve asked him already if they are exposed to asbestos in their workplace. Good thing that they’re not.
I’ll surely do a lot of research about asbestos and mesothelioma cancer.
