Sick, but being thankful!

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I have been at home in the last few days now because I have not feeling well. But still thankful that someone can work for me when I am not capable and still have my salary.

Thankful that I can still read and write when my body is aching and  I feel so weak.

Yes, God reminds me of that when I began to feel sorry for myself and irritated because I can't do things that I normally do when I am well.

Anyway, this morning God reminds me to see the bright sides of life no matter what is happening in my life.

As I ponder, I realized how truly blessed I am.

So I thank God for my grandson Zimon  who is going to celebrate his birthday in the month of February! He has been sick all the time and I am so happy that now he is turning eight.
Zimon has been an active boy. He loves to dance and he dance very well too. The comedian in the family. I pray to God that you will be strong spirit, soul and body as you grow up. I love you very much!

This card is for you just in case you would not receive the card I sent to you by post! And I hope mama buy a nice gift from me from the money I sent to you as birthday gift.

More to be thankful about:

Thankful for the awesome sunrises that I can see through my bedroom window.

Thankful to see this bird peacefuly sitting on the snow!

Thankful for the small birds sitting on this tree!

Thankful that although that this tree seems dead, but there is life in it. And in spring it will sprout again with green leaves.

Thankful for my hubby who asked  me today what he can buy for me  in the shop to make me feel better. Something good or something sweet or something that smell nice. Thankful that he cares. And  for preparing food for us. 


Thankful to have a warm  home to protect us from the cold outside.

Yes, I have a lot to be thankful  for, although I am sick. And I know that I will be better again. Thanks God for reminding me.

                                                                           JOY

My Cinderella man!

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I know that you will think that I am going to talk about the film " Cinderella man". But, I am not coz I am going to talk about my son who is my Cinderella man. Why? That is I am going to tell you!

This is my eldest son now. He is now 34 years old . Does he look like me? Maybe not:)

And this is me, soon will be 51 years old! 

Well, if you have been following my blog for a while, then you already know that I have four children. The three are living in the Philippines and I have one here in Norway. Me too feels like that my story can compare to Cinderella. After so much hardship, finally I found my prince who saved me from my difficult  life. Then I thought about mys son's life.

The story began when I was so young. I was 15 then when I met the father of my eldest son. I thought he would be my saviour from the misirable life that I had. The choice that made my life more miserable and painful.

But life must go on.  I was 16 years old then when I gave the birth to my son. 

Here is his baby picture. I remember when the doctor gave him to me after the birth, he said " here is your son, very little but cute.

The at 17 a mother of two and at twenty, a mother of three. I don't know why I stayed with their father. Maybe because of my children. They are so precious to me. This is how we look like 30 years ago.

But wine, women and song makes broken families. When I think back, I just couldn't imagine how much my children suffered having a broken family. I was a young mother then, trying to take care of them while my heart was aching.

It seems that it was only yesterday when my eldest son was a little boy. He had been always a mama's boy who likes to cling to his mother.

I know it was very painful for him when I left abroad to work to support him and his sisters. Painful for each and everyone of us. The first time I went home to visit them, he came running to me crying and hugging me so tight and we both cried while his two sisters were inside the house.

 His teacher talked to me later. She told me that after I left she noticed  that my son was very lonely and that it showed that he really missed me.

And more heartaches because the government of Norway didn't granted my children permit to live with me here in Norway. They can only come to visit me, but not live here. You can read  about it " My children in Norway"  and Heartbreaking choices if you want to know more of the story.

Then years with heartaches passed by and he began to study in college. Then after first year college, he lost the desire to continue. Not only that, he got his girlfriend pregnant ( his wife now) . Suddenly he was a young father and I am a young grandmother.

And his sisters suddenly became aunties. But we fell in love with this little baby. His name is Jan Andrie. My first grandson.

What would a mother do? I was of course very dissappointed. I was thinking, how can he support a child when he coundn't even support himself? No education and no work with a family to support.

Then his wife asked me to give my son a second chance. Bless her heart. She asked me to pay for the money he needed so that he can take a computer course, so that he can find a job later to support them. And it was a well spent money. My son did it very well. After finishing the course, he was asked to teach the next students. He then worked hard, study more and supported his family. Somehow I can see myself in him. Because I did the same. Study, work and support my children. Maybe I inspired him. 

And after many more years, he and his wife has now three adorable kids, as you can see in the picture:) And I love hearing them calling me grandma.

My son now works in one big company as  Global Operation Center Manager. A job that gives him the opportunity to travel abroad. Work related travel. The picture under was taken in Australia.

And this time, he is in Tennessee, USA

And here are more pictures from him.

And that is the story of my Cinderalla man. My son who didn't have a good start, but because of determination and hard work managed to provide a nice life for him and his family . And I am a proud mother. 

I suppose I can call my daughters  Cinderellas too:) They too had survived and having a better life now.

"Thought for the day"

It is good to dream, but it is better to dream and work. Faith is mighty, but action with faith is mightier.

Desiring is helpful, but work and desire are invicible.

Thomas Gaines

JOY

A walk with my husband!

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It was minus five degrees, but the sun was shining, so my hubby and decided to go for a walk to our boat to bring a charger that we are going to use there. So come along with us!

I wrote quotes in between the pictures, so you won't get bored:)

This is the backside of our house! Here was the starting place;)

Have a heart

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

- Charles Dickens  

Learn from your mistakes

Apologising for your mistakes is a sign of maturity and strength. Learning from your mistakes is a sign of true wisdom. - Vernon Coleman

 One step at a time

It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time. - Winston Churchill

Life is like an onion

Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep - Carl Sandburg

A neat saying

Going to church does not make you a Christian anymore than going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger.

My hubby!

 Inner strength

Have a heart that never hardens, Have a smile that never fades, Have a touch that never burnt, And have friendship that never breaks. – Hindu Saying

No people in sight!

                                                          Cooperate

Get together, my brethren, And remove all misunderstandings through regard for each other.
- Guru V, Basant Rag

Slander is doubly hurtful

A man calumniated* is doubly injured - first by him who utters the calumny*, and then by him who believes it. - Herodotus

National pride

A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. - Mohandas Gandhi

 Look beyond the balance sheet

A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. - Henry Ford

This is me!

The meaning of life?

It's been my experience that every time I think I know where it's at, it's usually somewhere else. - Blake Edwards

Who is a hero

A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom. - Bob Dylan

The value of friendships

A man's friendships are one of the best measures of his worth. - Charles Darwin

Happiness comes from actions

Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions. - Dalai Lama

 What are your guiding principles?

My guiding principles in life are to be honest, genuine, thoughtful and caring. - Prince William, Prince of Wales

 Be true

Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. - Henry David Thoreau

                                                    What brings you happiness?

It is neither wealth nor splendour, but tranquillity and occupation, which give happiness. - Thomas Jefferson

Integrity check

Integrity is about expressing outwardly the person you really are on the inside.


  My hubby going inside our small boat. Small because we are in the middle of two large boats:)

Balance knowledge with action

Without knowledge action is useless, and knowledge without action is futile. - Abu Bakr

Me again!

Live the life

Integrate what you believe in every single area of your life. Take your heart to work and ask the most and best of everybody else, too. - Meryl Streep

OH! I love the sun!

 Smile more

I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile. - Goldie Hawn

                                                                        Be fulfilled

Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young. - Arthur Wing Pinero

                                                   Show friends that you love them

Do not save your loving speeches For your friends till they are dead; Do not write them on their tombstones, Speak them rather now instead. - Anna Cummins

Perfectionism paralyses

If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin. - Ivan Turgenev

 Minds are like parachutes

Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open. - Thomas Dewar

The shadow of my hubby and mine saying bye for now. These are all my  pictures with my initials LVB.