My thanksgiving :)

So many things can happen within a day--let alone, a whole year! As we are now down to the last hours of 2012, I've looked back to the days of this year and how it all turned out. I reminisced through my personal blog what I've gone and been through, all the things that I witnessed and experienced, and most of all, what I learned and gained.

Early this year, I experienced such a life-changing moment: meeting Him. True, I grew up knowing Him, but I never truly gave it a thought of who He really is. A friend invited me and a couple of other people to a youth service (to which he's been inviting us for so long) and I could now say that that was a stepping stone for me. Since that night, my hunger and thirst for Him has gone to their extremes--I was kind of addicted and excited about the whole thing! Good thing there are lots of people who helped me as I searched my way through. The more I knew about Him--His life, His works and His wisdom--the more I fell in love with Him. I've never felt so blessed (and honestly, I actually never knew the real meaning of being 'truly blessed' in the past) before! It's like my whole world literally was shaken by Him--in an aweeeesome way--so I could see Him, face Him and know Him.

I've learned so many truths and I do not intend to stop learning. I'm actually still being surprised and is deeply in awe whenever I learn a new thing about Him! Now that I have a relationship with Him, all I wanna do is serve Him. I want other people to know Him and be amazed, too! When you've experienced Him working in your life, you can only pray that may every people experience and feel His greatness as you have. I know He's got a plan for everyone, and all will be done according to His schedule--His own perfect timing. Just as I was tapped by Him that night on the 27th of January, I know every people will have that moment, too. He's preparing us for that. Our whole lives will come to that.

I've received so many blessings this year, may it be spiritual or material things. But I don't find the same bliss and contentedness with the material ones as I do with the spiritual ones. Having known Him, I can now only account for the abundance of my spiritual gain. It's not that I enjoy material gifts anymore; I still do! Specially if they have something to do to help me with my spiritual growth.

But above all of these things that God has graced me with, I am most thankful, grateful and in awe of having received my salvation and having started my walk with Him. These truly are the highlights of my year--my life. It'll be--and will always be--the greatest gift I've ever had!

Thank You, God, for showing me these things!

Thank You, Jesus, for being my Savior, Lord and best friend! And for bringing me closer to Him.

For loving me, for forgiving me, and for accepting me.

I am now Your daughter. A princess in Your eyes.

And I shall only please my one and only Father. :)

Thank You - Katinas

Here's a lovely song to which I feel listening to right now. :]

Sleeping in, waking up.

Sun rays woke me up today as they warmed my feet, still curled up lazily in my bed. As I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a bright blue sky with clouds passing by my window, seeming to be saying "Hello princess  rise and shine!" I smiled. And I thanked God for such an awesome day He's blessed me with again.

Don't you just love those moments? When you've just woke up and technically, you haven't done anything and yet... you have that deep sense of awe and bliss inside of you? It's those moments when I feel the greatness of God the most--when He wakes me up and hands me a brand new day to live. Not just to pass or to let by... but to be lived. And I'm not gonna waste it.

I know for a fact that not everyone wakes up after they fall into deep slumber. And I know that there are countless people around the globe who are afraid of closing their eyes to sleep--fearing that what they're seeing now may be the last glimpse they'll ever have of this world. Honestly, I don't think this way. For me, sleep is an essential part of my life. I can't function well if I lack or skipped it. I sleep without even thinking of what may happen to me during those hours of unconsciousness. Or of what things may turn out after I wake up. I just... sleep. And I'm thankful that I can and will be able to wake up again.

There are so many things that God hands us down with everyday, and my favorite of it all is the gift of every day, as a whole. That security and assurance of a sunrise after every sunset. Of an energized body after a weary and tiring yesterday. Of light at the end of a long, pitch black night. A gift of hope and warmth, and a solid proof of His unending love and amazing grace showered upon us all.

Just like the salvation that He graced us with, it's a promise of a bright future--no matter how dark and blinding our past may have been. It's just like every blessing He's in store for us. It's always wonderful, just like Him. He's always wonderful.

And I smile for that... all day long. :]

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#1

I'm home alone.

I'm on a short vacation break right now from school. My mom's away for an errand, my dad's working and my sibling's away for some internship. Literally, as of the moment, I'm home alone. Except for our pet dog, of course. The weather's cold and grey... it makes me gloomy.

But I'm smiling because of two things: one is because I have started this blog with my time alone. I prefer to write and let myself out by these pouring words whenever I'm alone. I find peace in it and I am at ease, knowing that no one in here would be able to even catch just a glimpse of my entries. It's kind of personal to me, you know.

Second is because I know that my family's coming home to me any minute now. Not every child have this security and confidence. I have a few friends whose families are broken, and their parents or siblings not being home is sort of common or just natural for them. I am thankful for my beautiful family, and how we manages to stick together through thick and thin. I am thankful that I know where they are and that they are safe. I am thankful knowing that at the end of the day, we'll all be under the same roof, warmed with love and cozy being with each other.

We're not a perfect family. I believe that nobody has that. But being whole and safe, I'm contented with that.

And I smile for that.

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