Inspire

Lifestyle Choices

JM Perez By JM Perez3 min read542 views

I have been feeling like an embryo in my Mother’s womb; able to hear people’s conversations, to feel their pain, but unable to help out. There is a contagious virus going around robbing individuals of their sight, blinding them with a lie, stripping them of their most priceless possession they will come to own and placing uncertainty on their mind.
Some people, when faced with tragedy, meltdown, deception, disappointments, betrayal (you name it) are too quick to point the finger at others, too quick to give up and get out rather than stand tough and work things out.

Due to the amount of pain I am witnessing around me, I’ve been thinking about Lifestyle choices and couldn’t help but wonder if they sometimes cause us more damage than good? We are always so obsessed with focusing on material things or looking for something (supposedly bigger and/or better) that we are never really able to enjoy what we have, that we are never really in touch with ourselves. This can often be seen in relationships and such choices make a huge difference between Happiness and  despair, between love and heartache.

“Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.” ― Leviticus 19:17 (NLT)

We are all victims of the bad economy. So many of us have lost our homes, our jobs and in extreme cases, our self-esteem. Are these reasons valid enough to take them a step further by pointing fingers, threatening and ending a relationship? Is the loss of a loved one more important than the well-being of the living? Is the pain so unbearable that we believe inflicting it on others might give us some closure or help us heal faster? How does one treat a sibling wrongly, turning family members against a sibling and then play the victim?

Source: PositiveMed.com.
Source: PositiveMed.com.

How do we go from loving someone one minute to hating them the next?
Cutting Cords is sometimes necessary to end an unloving relationship and take time to heal. For instance, when a couple’s needs become incompatible or when they stop having the same vision. If it ever comes down to that, the best approach is to Part in Love, ending the relationship with Love and Respect for one another.

We are a Society who have come to believe that silence is the ultimate treatment for those who don’t see things our way. In other words, we think that withholding communication to others is as effective as punishing them. Hatred for someone or something is a weakness as it doesn’t make us think straight. When we are consumed by anger and consciously decide not to let go, we are actually inflicting more pain unto ourselves. Lingering on robs us of so much and leaves us empty. We attract so much negative energy, our heart darkens, we become deaf to the voice of reason and we are unable to receive the healing grace of God.

“Love is not a dead sentence and should never be used as a weapon of destruction.” ― Joan Ambu

Our daily decisions can either help us move forward and excel in life or hold us back. The choice is always ours. Too often we change/rearrange things when ideally we should be supportive, patient, understanding and loving while things fall into place on their own. Our Lifestyle choices reflect our values, determine our future and can either empower us to do great things or drive us to lose what is most important.

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” ― Romans 13:8 (ESV)

Happy Valentine’s Day

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read559 views

For almost fifteen years now, when I think about Valentine’s Day and everything the Media makes believe, I think of my Sister’s love. My Sister was a free spirit whose love was like that of a child. She understood that everyone was worthy of God’s love and she lived her life as though everyone around her had nothing but goodness in them. She made a mistake, which she quickly corrected in the end, when she couldn’t handle the pain of the final betrayal. She cried, out loud, to her Heavenly Father to ease the pain and set her free.
She gave her Love, Mind, Health and perhaps Soul, for so long to a man who didn’t appreciate her.

Valentine’s Day should be celebrated everyday. If you can’t make someone feel special all the days of their life, then Valentine’s Day can’t make a difference. Love and be with the one who loves you (the grass is never as green on the other side and chances are, it’s probably synthetic). Just as you have to work hard to earn your living, you also have to work hard in making your relationship work. Seek the narrow path (Matthew 7:13) with an open heart and trust that when Heaven and Earth shall pass, God’s words shall not (Matthew 24:35).

Source:
Source: Dreamstime.com

“We are told that people stay in love because of chemistry, or because they remain intrigued with each other, because of many kindnesses, because of luck. But part of it has got to be forgiveness and gratefulness.” – Ellen Goodman

“We love because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19

My God is my truest Valentine. While the World sees us as incomplete and we see ourselves as a work in progress; God on the other hand, is the only One who sees us complete because we are His creations. His love is flawless, unfailing and He holds the key to our Lives. His love surpasses space, time and truly satisfies.

“Faith is a personal quest; not word of mouth.” — Joan Ambu

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

What Will You Catch This Year?

EPEngineer By EPEngineer2 min read406 views

“Many people go fishing all their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.”
― Henry David Thoreau.

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday, peacefully at home, fighting a cold. It was a good day as I received all the love that I could hold. I am aging slowly but surely I am loving it. It’s quite difficult to remember the last time I actually felt this good. Perhaps when I left home? When I met my Wife? When I became a Parent? I can only hope that the feeling lingers on. I am grateful for my Life, for my encouraging Family, Friends and for the unknown.

When you are surrounded by people who have genuine concern and interest for others, they instantly bring out the best in you. The path that I chose almost sixteen years ago led me to a road of certainty and the life changing decision I made twelve years ago has led me to clarity. I have experienced strong emotions and bonds that I had never felt before and I have also experienced great deceptions from individuals whom I believed in.

Source: WXNetwork.
Source: WXNetwork.

I want to acquire more knowledge, to be more loving, more understanding of my surroundings, more forgiving, more humble, more patient, more conscious, to be present and fully live the moment, to give more, to reach out more and to accept as well as embrace the things I cannot change. Above all, I want to have a personal relation with my Creator. To truly understand His Words and to live by them all the days of my life. I want Serenity.

In my moments of reflection, I have traveled many roads and arrived at different conclusions based on each action and reaction from individuals. In this crazy society that we live in today, it seems that every spare moment is used to check our status updates, our friends pages, our text messages, our favorite show updates and so on. But I ask you, when was the last time you sat outside listening to some music and watched the clouds go by? Do we have three minutes to spare on our crazy lives? I do and I hope for your sake that you do as well. If you do not let your mind wonder then how will you be able to wonder in your mind?

Thank you all for your well wishes and kind words on my Facebook page. Thank you for the phone calls and Text Messages. It was nice reading and hearing from you all. I appreciated the extra ray of sunshine.

So, what will you catch this year and in the years to come?

57th Presidential Inauguration

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read577 views

“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.” ― President Barack Obama

57th Presidential Inauguration.
57th Presidential Inauguration. Source.
57th Presidential Inauguration.
57th Presidential Inauguration. Source.
57th Presidential Inauguration.
57th Presidential Inauguration. Source.
57th Presidential Inauguration.
57th Presidential Inauguration. Source.

May God bless you and your family, Mr. President and may He guide you to lead this country righteously.

Click here or here to listen to the President’s full Speech.

Joyful Gathering

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read528 views

Yesterday was a joyful day as we celebrated the moment, a friendship reunion and new beginnings.
We feel blessed and thankful for all the wonderful people we’ve met along our way through life. We are thankful for those who are no longer in our life and for the life lessons it’s thought us. We are most thankful to those who are still a part of our lives and whose presence (near or far) makes a difference.

Neri and Joan.

Today, I finally met Neri and her loving Family. We are all a DeVry Institute of Technology/University couples. She was Eduardo’s classmate and we used to chat a lot once upon a time, when we weren’t as busy with life and before we got married and started our families. She always had good advice to give and we stayed connected through Myspace and Facebook. After ten long years of wanting and hoping, I finally met Neri, which it seems, I have always known in my head and heart. She is a beautiful, strong and amazing Woman. A compassionate being, a free Spirit and her joy radiates. Have you ever had that feeling of meeting someone for the first time and had the impression of knowing them all your life? That’s how I felt in the presence of Neri.

Victoria Secret Gift Bag.

Thank you so much, Neri, for your hospitality and for allowing us to share a moment of one of your family’s cherished tradition. Thank you for the delicious food (as well as the ‘Take Home’). Thank you for the laughter, the conversations, the pictures, the gifts, the friendship, etc.

We thank God for you and for your wonderful husband, Michael. We thank God for your lovely children (you are teaching them well). Thank you for your continued encouragements in my life as a Writer and thank you for your invaluable input.

I pray that the Almighty God bless you abundantly and keep you safe, always.