Never allow Words to Limit You!

Hi, are you saying you’re DEPRESSED?

It wouldn’t really help to lock yourself up inside your [dark] room!  Why not look around, open your heart and divert your focus? Do something than allow Google and those gadgets to limit your productivity.

LOOK INSIDE!  — literally, inside your room – you might need to clean up some more!        — your cabinet, your study table, your bedsides, those corners, the under-bed — you might need to organize some more to give yourself the real “peace of mind” that you deserve. Get rid of those clutters that are adding up to create a clouded mind.  Go, get up & move, do yourself that big favor!

LOOK WITHIN! — literally, within the bounds of your home – there might be some tasks that are waiting for someone’s initiative since you might not have some helper and your mom just can’t do everything on her own.  Remember that being part of A HOME, you should take responsibility — not only on the basic chores.  There might be some areas in your home that might need your creative touches to get organized and spic and  span: in the den, or in the receiving area, or under the stairs, or in the powder room, or in the kitchen like the kitchen cabinets and lavatories, or in the garden, or might be in the garage too. Go, give out some willing amount of volunteerism, it will bless you more!

LOOK OUTSIDE!  — yes, literally outside the four corners of your room and of the ceilings and walls of your house! — you might need to see THE REALITY of how other people are living out a normal life OUTSIDE OF THEIR COMFORT ZONEs.

— out there, you will see how people are striving to walk from their house and get some ride with smile on their faces; some on a rush maybe, but you   will see how determined they are despite not having as yet the comforts of the car that would bring them where they have to make a living;

— out there, you will see how simple things are giving joy to people with simple           needs and you will be amazed at how thankful they are beyond happiness;

— out there, you will see how people are coping with some discomforts, yet they can manage to survive the day, simply grateful that they did.

— out there, you will see some sick people whose only choice is to HAVE A  LIFE, without allowing their illness to control how they should LIVE A LIFE TO THE            FULLEST. Go, do some observing, God brings significant messages through the people around us, it would help you a lot if you will strive to find God’s silent messages from the stories of those “others” whom you should find “significant” in one way or another or in any other way around.

Then, LOOK UP! — with your heart this time!

You need to see that God is just gazing at how you’re living your life right now.  You need to feel that God is quite sad that you’re not enjoying life as you should.  You need to hear God’s silent messages to you, through the closest people around you. Your humility to “listen with your heart” is all that it takes to discover and realize what those heartfelt messages are yearning to convey.

Pwede ka namang maglambing – it’s the simplest humility that you can extend even without saying a word. Sometimes it’s best to say nothing at all when we intend to just be meek and detach from our pride.

Sometimes, you’re just saying that you’re depressed – But the truth of the matter, alam mo kung ano? — Partly, it’s just your justifications that give you that kind of feeling.

Fact is, you just need to decide to be modest to look within, look around, look outside and finally look up, for you to realize that there are more to life than being limited by what words are dictating on you.

Have the will to LIVE OUT YOUR PURPOSE without being controlled by whatever situation you’re into. You can always prove that your will is bigger than your usual weakness.

You may BREATHE, yes tama ka, just breathe – but strive to find the right environment to breathe in.  Some places might be contaminated for you to get the right air kaya you still find it difficult to breathe; ‘di ka pa din makahinga like you wanted to — kasi, you need to humbly accept na meron ka pang mas dapat gawin kesa sa mas pinipili mong gawin as of now.

You’ve got to remember and recognize that “Blessings are to come and FLOW if you will first mend what you need to settle most importantly!

So what’s my point, my dear?  You’re not actually depressed — you are just being limited by the word itself.  Tell yourself you’re not, and you won’t be!

Take it from one who’s declaring that cancer is limited – and so it is!

 

 

 

 

 

We Should be Imperfectly Mutual!

5^th Sunday of Easter

Pls Read God’s Silent Message: Jn 15:1-8

“The vinedresser must carefully prune the vine before it can bear good fruit.”

As parents, masarap sigurong marinig sa mga anak natin na sabihin nilang: 

“Dad, Mom, you did a good job in me!”

Minsan kasi, isa sa mga worries nating mga parents ‘yong “feeling natin, parang hindi pa natin nagagawa yong gusto pa sana nating gawin; … yong habang binibigay mo yong best mo, you’re still worried if you have already done what God told you to do.”

But then, sometimes too, we’re asking ourselves, “what should it take for parents to do a job well?” – is it just fair to also expect our children to do their piece of the job as well?

Minsan din kasi, as parents, we’re quite being harsh on ourselves na “akuin ang lahat ng pagkukulang” when brokenness in the family perseveres; while on the other hand, as children, we’re also unfair to point our fingers to our parents when things don’t work well.

Today’s gospel is reminding us a SIMPLE TRUTH:

The Lord promises that we will bear much fruit

if we abide in Him and allow Him to purify us.

This means that, as much as parents are striving to abide by God in performing their duties to their family, the children should also listen and cooperate with their parents in making their family imperfectly beautiful.

Just as what God wants, parents would also want each child to learn what’s more important in life. Sometimes there’s no easy way to understand that we have to sacrifice certain things for our family – but it is always grand when we learn to be humble in LISTENING with our HEART.

For, in the end, our humility to strive to understand and be in unity with our family will bring us the abundance that we hope to enjoy in life — over any material things that we cannot really keep for long.   #sunset

 

*this article is published as Gospel Reflection in The Feast San Lorenzo Bulletin

  Issue #20. 29 April 2018

“True Character is who you are and what you do — even when no one is watching you!”

If Jesus Can, Why Can’t We?

5th Sunday of Lent. Pls Read God’s Silent Message: JN 12:20-33

 

Are there people in your life that have hurt you and you have not yet forgiven?

Yong mga taong kinakasamaan mo ng loob kasi ang sabi mo nasaktan ka nila …

Yong mga taong sabi mo nakasakit sayo kaya nagalit ka sa kanila …

Pero ang tanong Friend … nalaman kaya nila na sumama loob mo sa kanila?

Nalaman kaya nila kung bakit at kung ano ang iyong ikinagalit?

And kung nalaman man nila, napag-usapan nyo po kaya ng tama where to draw the line of reconciliation?

Hanggang kailan ka po kaya magagalit?  Hanggang kailan hindi magagawang magpapatawad?

Just some of the questions we could reflect on. Sometimes it’s not really all about them – but about nobody than US!

Minsan kasi, kailangan din nating masaktan para maisip natin kung kailan din natin hindi sinasadyang makapanakit. Stories always have two sides of the coin. Supposedly, when we commit, we admit; when we omit, we submit! – but in reality, when one commits mistake & omits to ask for forgiveness, we normally judge & condemn – sacrificing the relationship to death.

Pero alam mo friend, what makes us uneasy to forgive is the fact that the real enemy that Jesus came to overcome was Satan who tempts the human race to create their own destiny through sinful pride and disobedience. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,

it remains alone. But if it dies, it will bear much fruit.”  – John 12.24

Only when the seed is destroyed by burying it in the ground, can it rise to new life and bear fruit. What it means is that, sometimes we have to die to our self-satisfaction of justifying why we’re mad.

If Jesus took our sins upon himself and nailed them to the cross to set us free from destruction, why can we not give up our pride and futility?

Friend, ayaw ni God na laging mabigat ang pakiramdam mo dahil galit ka dahil sa pagkukulang ng iba!

God has been striving to bring us into an inseparable bond of love & unity with Him. Only if we would be one with God would we be able to “free others from our unforgiveness” – then it would eventually free us to extend more love and bear much fruit of encouraging relationships! #sunset

 

published in The Feast San Lorenzo Weekly Bulletin. Issue #15. 18 March 2018. UNLEASHED Series. Talk 3: Freeing Yourself.

 

 

Its Time to Free Yourself

What is your picture of God in you?

Today at The Feast San Lorenzo, we realized that our merciful God does not want us to be the greatest punisher of our self because of our mistakes in the past.

Friend, pwede tayong maglambing kay God by confessing our sins so that we can free ourself from the shadows of our own unforgiveness. Minsan kasi ang yabang natin, we keep on running away from God’s love kaya we dont get what we deserve; instead, we get what we think we deserve because of the guilt that we have in our heart kasi we do not humbly confess to God kung saan tayo nagkamali. We also do not forgive ourself the way God wants us to kasi sometimes our disorientations are being mixed up, specially when we are already guilty.

God has that magic detergent that would wash away our sins which is called “forgiveness!” Out of His great love, He is telling us now that WE HAVE NOTHING TO PAY — for there at the cross, He already paid for our sins.

Kaya friend, wag na tayong pakipot, let’s free ourselves na from that thing that has been punishing us for the longest time! God loves us so much that He wants us to change our picture of Him in our life. Let us forgive ourself because God has already forgiven us. 🙂

That time we change our picture of God,

Would be the moment we will appreciate and enjoy God’s love. God will protect us from any sort of dirt in pir life and asure us that WE HAVE NOTHING TO PAY because He loves us unconditionally.

#youareloved #cometogether #thefeastsanlorenzo #unleashed #freeingself

“We Can Still Align”: The Antidote to Future Regrets

 2^nd Sunday of Lent

Pls Read God’s Silent Message: Mk 9:2–10

 

Hello, MILLENIALS!

Have you heard some at your age, with these lines?

“Sana pala, I didn’t give in that much, di sana ako na-broken hearted!

Sana pala, I didn’t keep secrets from my parents, na-guide sana ako!

Sana pala, di ako nagmadali, na-enjoy ko pa sana ang pagka-bata ko!

Sana pala, nakinig ako, di sana …”

 

Guess what, would you know that your parents share the same sentiments with you

“Kung sana lang nasabihan namin sya, di sana sya nasasaktan ngayon!

Kung sana lang nalaman namin, di naman nya kailangang maramdamang mag-isa sya!

Kung sala lang di kami na-awkward na masabihang stage parents, we could have enjoyed TIMES TOGETHER!

Kung sana lang, nakinig sya at napakinggan namin sya, di sana…”

 

Ang daming “sana”, ang daming time na parang nasayang na!

If dadating ka sa point na parang kulang na ‘yong time, saka mo lang masasabi sa sarili mo:

“Sayang, ‘di sana ako naghesitate na tingnan ang dapat kong makita,

‘di sana ako nagdalawang isip na sabihin ‘yong dapat kong sabihin;

naging humble sana akong ipakita at iparamdam na kailangan ko ng tulong;

kailangan kong maramdamang di ako nag-iisa.”

 

Millenials and “Me-linya” … come to think of it, “to each his own!” … sometimes, we just don’t realize and recognize that we both share the same sentiments towards each other in the so-called “generational gap.”

Madalas kesa minsan, we fail to make “both ends meet” kasi we are focused on our own emotions and expectations.

Today’s Gospel is reminding us to be spiritually awake and not miss God’s glory in action:

“The Lord Jesus not only wants us to see His glory –

He wants to share this glory with us.

And Jesus shows us the way to the Father’s glory: follow me – obey my words – take the path I have chosen for you and you will receive the blessings of my Father’s kingdom – your name will be written in heaven.”

We would miss God’s glory and action if we wouldn’t strive to obey “as children” and submit to the path that God has chosen for us “as parents.” The Antidote to future regret is to align as parents & child NOW!  

Life is too short, we should maximize time, appreciating and enjoying “having each other” while we still have all the opportunity to “make things up with each other”. #sunset

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Article published in: The Feast San Lorenzo Bulletin. Issue #12. 25 February 2018. The Light of Jesus Family in San Lorenzo, Sta Rosa, Laguna. The Feast San Lorenzo

What is your “Missing Connection”? — Challenges in Teaching Millennials

Learning is something that we should have as wonderful teachers. We should be learning from every circumstance in our life. Without learning, life is empty!

If we are learning everyday, we can always find that MISSING CONNECTION!

Here are my notes in one of the good sessions I have attended to.  Learning from a Millennial himself, I want to pay-it-forward from Mr. Dannes Nestor Serrano of Metrobank Foundation.

How to get the best out of your learners?

SPICE THINGS UP IN YOUR CLASS!

“Hulihin mo yong lasa ng kung ano ang gusto mong lutuin”

… the herbs and spices of teaching.

Go back to the very foundation of why students listen.

REAL TALK: Why are my students not listening to me? Why do some of them don’t feel like going to school — and the worse, why do some of them drop out from school? 

It could be that “something is missing”!  There should be that FOUNDATION, but there is a MISSING CONNECTION!

Students would never listen to somebody they don’t like

So just what is it that we need to create?

CHALLENGE: Can I UNDO the usual things that I do?

“I am not paid to be loved”… is this one of those lines we’ve once said?

Now, what could be that FOUNDATION?

ACCEPTANCE.

               “tanggap mo ba sila?” 

Nobody’s perfect and nobody will – everybody commits mistakes. what you see is what you get

                  “ganyan sila ngayon, kaya ba natin silang tanggapin?

– thing is, NASABI MO BA SA KANYA?

THEY won’t’ CHANGE BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T ACCEPTED THEM FIRST

Sometimes we’re becoming “perfectionists”

Seek first to understand than to be understood.

It all starts with acceptance.

Look for the opportunity to tell them that you accept them whoever they are. J

Teach them how to stand up in the class.

If don’t want to be bullied, you bully yourself 😀 😀

Those who are being bullied are only those who do not accept who they are.

Everyone has a value and that value needs acceptance

                  “mag usap tayo, ano ba tinging mo sa sarili mo?”

”what do you think of yourself?’

                  Somebody has to tell them that they are understood. – take that opportunity

Their ears will not be open if they don’t feel that they are accepted.

Tell them “I love you” many times.

If we don’t accept them, somebody else would.

 

BELIEF. BELIEVE IN THEM.

What do you want them to become?

What is your end-goal for your students?
we need to believe in the FAITH of what we HOPE our students to be.

It’s the faith that you believe in that you will become.

                  “pangatawanan mo na ganon ka kahit hindi pa nangyayari”

yong hindi pa nagyayari pero pinaniniwalaan mo na, nangyayari din!

DECLARE! But let it start with BELIEVING!

Why not ask your students to think of something they can become.

Give them the HOPE of what they can become.

We need to start believing in our student

Believing has a “statement” – tell them about it.

Keep on saying it until they get used to it.

Say to them those ‘POWER WORDS”!

Our PERCEPTIONS have POWER!

List down lahat ng bagay na maganda sa kanila.

 

CATCH YOUR STUDENTS DOING THE RIGHT THING

                  “hulihin mo silang gumagawa ng tama”

The nature of man is to always look for something which is not good.

We tend to forget the bigger picture.

We need to forget catching the wrong things.

Look for something good.

Nasa pananaw mo ang interpretasyon na ibibigay mo sa mga nakikita mo.

There is always something bad – but there is always something good

What are the good things that you see in your students?

Catch it, list it down and tell him about it.

Be appreciative.

Everyone have something good.

Always look for something good.

 

DISCIPLINE

Too much familiarity should be given Direction.

You may probably hurt them but do not harm them.

When you do your discipline, masakit pero nakapagpapagaling

You can hurt their feelings a little bit but it will make them well.

A child who is accepted can effectively understand why they should receive your discipline — but Make sure you’re first done with the ABC!

Do not belittle the little things that you can say to your students.  That little thing will occupy the biggest area in your students’ life.

So, on these notes Dear Teachers, what could be that connection that we rarely dare to recognize? 

Please give your reflections a voice! We want to tame these Millenials who direly need YOU to walk through with them in their journey!

Dare now, SAY IT and MAKE YOUR MARK!

Happy Teachers’ Month everyone!

“No significant learning can occur without significant relationship.

You’ve got to build that connection with people.

Our actions are not seen in the way we do things

“All learning is understanding relationships” – Churchil

 

 

What to do When You Are Broken

Nakatambay ka ba?

Nakatambay ka ba sa problema na dapat ay dinadaanan mo lang?

Friend, if you sometimes feel so broken, here’s what God wants you to do:

https://gailmontero.blogspot.com/2017/07/what-to-do-when-you-are-broken.html

At the end of it all, ‘di mo kailangang tumambay in your brokenness. Your scars will connect with others’ stories if you let your learnings from it FLOW!

Could “they” have “you”?

 

The Canvas of Society by Joey Velasco in is just within our realms — a painter’s transformative journey through the children’s afflictions, desires, and deliverance from their circumstance that can reach across generations and cultures.

The likes of Nene, Itok,  Imong, Onse, Buknoy, Michael, Joyce, Tinay, Dudoy, Jun at Roselle & Sudan — 12 characters whose cries no one hears, whose scars are already in their being, whose eyes pierce through, whose minds are innocent yet vulnerable to get tempted by the needs unmet, whose character is subject to ridicule … have you ever asked yourself what you can do for them?

“baka may magawa ka pa!” 

The likes of them who have the ardent hope that “They have Jesus” — could be there just within the four corners of the classroom.  How could you give life to them? How could you reach out to that one soul who still wants to be complete despite being shattered? — that every single soul, longing for one who could listen and understand, who could give guidance and counsel?

What is your commitment then — to them, who are expecting to be noticed while you actually gaze at them in those corners of your eyes?

How could you help calm the storms that others have been through?  What could you do to help others’ life not to be wasted?

How much of yourself could you offer to address the needs of those eyes who need not speak?

How much of your time could you share to embrace the situation of those hearts which cannot feel that they are worthy of another’s love and attention?

I know you could be one’s source of hope. This may be the time that while you are challenged to scrutinize your students’ stories to be of significant help, you may as well WORK ON YOUR OWN STORY! For at the bottom of the line, you can never really share what you don’t have.

Let your story be that one which brings inspiration to other’s hopelessness. What you have at hand might just be those five loaves and two fishes — too little as it may seem, but as long as you give God your “Amen”, no amount of yourself will ever be too small. #sunset

 

 

Your Cross is a Symbol of Life

Are you having difficult time right now?  Do you feel that you’re carrying a cross at this point in time? 

Don’t feel too low Dear Friend, God can transform your difficulties to grace!  

In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenged His disciples to collaborate with His mission by carrying their cross. 

In our life, we too are called to carry our cross and to follow Jesus. 

That cross which is a symbol of life and of our being saved. 

“We will not die forever bec we do not belong to death, we belong to God.” — Fr. Erwin dela Cruz

The call is for us to keep on trusting our God — for if we do, nothing could keep us apart from Him. 

Walang pagsubok at paghihirap na hindi natin kayang paglabanan because our weapon is the ressureccion of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Paying this forward, to you dear friend,  as inspired by Fr. Erwin Dela Cruz’s homily during the Mass @ The Feast SM Sta Rosa this morning, July 2, 2017. 

Photo credits: Earl Pascua, The Feast SM Sta Rosa

Bridging the GAP for Transformation Towards Higher Horizons

“If you can align yourself with what you are passionate in doing, you are creating a change in the world.”

Starting it up @ the University of Makati for the Academic Year 2017-2018, everyone is enjoined to strive for a higher range of vision with this year’s Annual University Conference Theme: “UMAK 2017 and Beyond: Transforming Towards Higher Horizons”

Should anyone ever felt the message and the advocacy of UMak’s President, Professor Tomas B. Lopez Jr., you would end up asking yourself, “What direction should I personally take to make a marked change that would aid transformation and beyond?”

During his Talk, President & CEO of Serbisyo Filipino Inc., Group of Companies/Career Center, Mr. Luis Alberto A. Anastacio II cited the truth that only 40% out of the 1000 applying candidates would pass job interviews. Sadly, most people would be going home with broken souls because they cannot fit themselves in the job that they’re expecting to be in.  In a recent study for Career Readiness, The Philippine Talentmap Initiative Comparative Result in April 2017 revealed that: [1] Problem Sensitivity, [2] Decision Making, [3] Planning & Organizing, [4] Innovation and [5] Creative Problem Solving are the competencies which we need to address in  the NCR area and even in the entire Philippines. University of Makati’s Talentmap Result show that the Top 5 Skills of students are the following: [1] Multitasking; [2] English Functional; [3] Math Functional; [4] Workplace Ethics and [5] English Comprehension. Low 5 Skills, however, are: [1] Creative Problem Solving; [2] Innovation; [3] Planning and Organizing; [4] Decision Making and [5] Teamwork.

Now, what does such result imply?

Our students may be able to exhibit basic communication skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening; they may also be capable of setting priorities in the present time with such an ease; — yet, they have mild to moderate level of difficulty in executing higher-order thinking skills that are involved in challenging the status quo since they tend to be reserved in all, if not most of their dealings that require divergent thinking.

Mr. President & CEO of Serbisyo Filipino Inc. highlighted the following Implications of such Talentmap result:

• the need to develop higher-order thinking and socio-emotional/affective skills of the students;
• the need for evidence-based career development services and programs to develop the knowledge, skills, and values of the programs to develop the knowledge, skills, and values of the students that are required by the world of work;
• the need for curriculum review/mapping and/or curriculum integration to highlight foundational workplace competencies; and
• the need to capacitate the faculty in teaching and contextualizing workplace competencies in their lessons and learning activities.

Unfortunately, we are quite far from the reality of what is ideal and expected.

There is a workforce skills gap!

We should find what that GAP is. 

Perspectives and possibilities … what is it that we should really find?

If we are in the business of educating people because our greatest asset in the workforce is these people,  should we not be bothered to help our students in finding their worth as they strive to mobilize and progress to the battlefield?

Something should be done to bridge the academe and the industry.  So, what direction should we take then, to fill in such GAP?

While pondering intently and taking into account by heart the advocacy of  President Tomas B. Lopez Jr and his unique mind, I personally came up with some directions based on the inputs of Mr. Anastacio II in his talk,  and on my own contemplations.  Whether you’re a UMak educator or not and you happen to bump into this article, I intend to share these thoughts with you here, hoping that  in one way or another, we may find it very significant to create a passage en route for higher horizons:

 ASSESS! We should go back to the basics of looking into what’s within every being — first and foremost that of our OWN.  We can humbly strive to do SELF-ASSESSMENT for us to be reminded of our BIG WHY — not just to earn a living but to serve the deep purpose of our existence as an EDUCATOR.

WORK ON YOUR OWN COMPETENCIES. We can never give what we don’t have. The 21^st Century Skills Framework that should be fulfilled in our students should prominently be the same competencies that we should strive to work up for ourselves. We need to reorient ourselves and to learn how to think outside of the box.

photo credits https://content.dodea.edu/teach_learn/professional_development/21/interactives/21st%20Century%20Skills%20-%20Storyline%20output/story_html5.html

DECIDE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF YOUR STUDENTS.  Once you have empowered yourself with such competencies, the next BIG THING is to make way that those Values and Ethics should be embedded in the curriculum.  Planning and Assessments on how we are going to include measures to improve these skills in our curriculum are, by all means, A MUST!

DEVELOP CAREER PATHWAYS that are based on assessments so as to address the Talentmap Results. Collaborate with the academe  –- so that by the time they leave our custody,  they already have the Employability Skills that would equip them elsewhere as they work for their career development.

EMPOWER YOUR STUDENTS. Train them to be SELF-DIRECTED in developing HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS aside from the help and assistance that they get from their mentors.  Help them identify the basics of leadership so that they could be more ARTICULATE and confident in presenting themselves in the industry. Encourage them to DREAM BIG and become persistent in executing their plans for their own growth.

BE A CAREER ADVOCATE.  Preparation for Professional route should have started in Kindergarten.  Yet, not many of our students were guided accordingly that’s why most of them don’t really clearly know their passion; they cannot identify what they truly love doing. In our own special ways, we could intently point them to their “true north” by providing them with significant activities that would define their goals and opportunities.   This Career Development Framework could be of great help:

photo credits: http://www.peelschools.org/students/myblueprint/PublishingImages/Pages/default/career%20and%20life%20planning%20bubble.png

If only we could exert utmost effort for these sense of purpose, we would eventually realize that what would bridge the academe and the industry is actually our personal commitment not only to fulfill our purpose as an educator but to give the most we could to help people FIND THEIR WORTH.

If only we would strive to undertake alterations and modifications in the delivery in our educational system, we could positively respond to the challenge given to us by Executive Vice President Dr. Raymundo P. Arcega:

“We should know where we are in making our students complete at the end of the semester of his stay in UMak.”

We could also take action towards the mandate to us by Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Elexzur C. Ramos:

“We’ve got to love what we are doing because it’s our purpose. A man has responsibility; not merely power!”  

If only we can align ourselves with what we are passionate about, only then, could we create a change in the world  — when we could bring ourselves beyond the limits of higher horizons.  #trendingprofgailmontero