Another Fortune Cookie: Powerful weapon

You can neither fight nor win a battle of life without a weapon.
One of the most powerful weapon becomes available to you with a key word - gratitude.
Practicing this with your unlimited creativity will make your life...hmm...interesting, at least.

Today's FC:

If someone doesn't trust you, there's no point of complaining about it.
You just try hard to become someone who can be trusted, or, trustworthy.
We have limited energy; cannot afford to waste it by negative use of it

Today's Fortune Cookie

A person with a victim mentality tend to hurt others without realizing he or she is "victimizing" someone.
So, when you notice that you are feeling hurt, know for sure that you have a choice not to be a victim.

Hmm...

Yes, they will

Snow in April again...

Snow in April again...
Hope they can make it

Whether you call it "God" or something else...

you do need something, somebody, or somewhere to rest yourself.
Let's not worry too much about its "name" if that bothers you.
When you are going through a challenging time, if you think you can handle it by your own ability, then it may not be a real challenge but may be some exercise type..
The "real" challenge may be the one for which you might say, "I cannot handle this anymore", "That's it for my life", "Oh, God, it would be better if I were dead", etc. etc.
And these types of challenges are the ones which might present to you the doorways to that "resting" something, somewhere, or somebody.

But to make it happen, it strongly requires your willing participation in exercising your so-called "human responsibility" based on your "free will".
True "peace" can come when you access to that "....", or, you will find yourself frustrated by some forces outside of yourself, meaning you are not "free"

When things seem to be getting worse, look again...

The real "thing" you have been looking for may be coming closer.

Is life a dream or a challenge?

Life is a challenge, or, an encyclopedia of challenges. When I was younger, as an idealistic boy, I thought everything too simple...but, when I grew older and experienced more "real" life, I realized things are not that simple. And rather, life provides us with so many different challenges.

Then, my conclusion so far is that God provides us with challenges for reasons. Challenges are catalyst for our spiritual growth and maturity if we accept them with proper attitude, namely, with gratitude and humility, so to speak...

Don't take anything too personal but welcome things with God, asking right questions. How would he want me to grow out of this? What am I learning out of this? What gratitude can I find out of this? Each person will uniquely grow through this with a common attitude--gratitude and humility.

Yes, your life does affect your descendants in terms of what you value and how you deal with things. You are not alone...

Angry? Angry about what?

One thing I realized today.
Why do I get angry or frustrated sometimes?
I may not be angry about something I think I'm angry about.
Instead I am angry about myself. (means what I think I'm angry about is not so important actually...)
I noticed that when I feel angry, I am becoming defensive about something. And what makes me angry is my becoming defensive about something.
Then, why did I become defensive?
I feel somebody does not understand me but tries to advise me something based on what I think is misunderstanding. This makes me defensive. I want to say "You don't understand me."

So, the lesson I learned:
When I get angry, try to check if I am angry about something or I am getting defensive for some reason.
If the latter is the case, then find out why I am getting defensive.
And my suggestion to myself as an effort to solve this problem is in one word "appreciation"

Imagine if there's no one who recognizes you, appreciates you, talks to you, cares about you, wishes your victory/growth/development/success, etc.

At least you are having someone who does these things above, which is causing you to become defensive. Why not change it to appreciation of having such person instead of "none"

It is ok to be misunderstood by somebody even by the most beloved person, as long as you know what you are doing. Being misunderstood wouldn't decrease your value. And God knows what's happening.

And usually the case is God has some message or advice to give to you through that person if you attentively listen to what he would want to say to you through that person (whether that person misunderstands you or not)

So, if you stay focused on God, or what he would want to give to you, then, you will end up catching the message which surely help your growth and victory. Then, you would eventually be grateful to that person for becoming such a mediator (whether that person misunderstood you or not)

So, it is totally up to you (your attitude) to benefit yourself out of it, or, lose another chance.

They made it! Amazing power of life

Never happened in my life...

Snow in mid-April?
This never happened in my life.
Something is going on here...

 Hope these guys can make it...

It's so hard to have faith in me...

And it is scary, too.
I betray so easily
But still he has faith in me
So I wake up again
and set myself

I was wrong...

I was wrong

He has faith in me, not illusion
So that I can have faith in me, not illusion

God has illusion?

You can laugh at me for having illusion
But do not laugh at God for that
He has faith in you, not illusion
That helps me to have faith, not illusion
In you, and everybody

appreciate your teeth?

One morning I realized that I was complaining in my mind,
"Why do I need to do this teeth brushing every morning and night? It is killing my precious time."

However, if you do not brush your teeth, you will have to face the consequence.

So, it's a dilemma.

Then from somewhere came a whispering voice

"Aren't you loving your teeth? She's a member of your body..."

That's true, I admitted.

Yeah, right. I didn't appreciate my teeth enough. Twice a day God is giving me a chance to invest my love on this member of my body. When my mind was shifted, then I don't feel I'm killing my time anymore. (still working on it...)

In whatever I do, I have an ability to make it a happy moment or unhappy moment. It is not up to what I do or what I experience, but up to me.

Choose one, yes, you can!

Do you prefer to live a life of gratitude, or a life of complaint?
Do you have ability to choose one out of the two?
Yes, you do.

The origin of love is not you, but God
Finding gratitude in God's love for you is the beginning point
The more you feel grateful, the more you would want to give
And the more  you give, the more gratitude you will find

React...

When you are about to react, do not react
Wait for a little while and see how things go
Try to stay with your original goal

God's work? my work?

When you want to accomplish something for God
and when it is something which he really wants to accomplish
then, he will be with you in every step of the way towards its accomplishment

Then, you should think this is not something you want to accomplish
but it is something God wants to accomplish
it is God's work much more than your work

and with the faith that he will be with you in every step of the way,
you will welcome whatever happens as his help to get it done

Then, you will be able to translate anything and everything happening to you
as God's help and his love
and his commitment

What you learn through this process will be tremendous
and good thing is that it is yours to keep

change needed

Pay attention to what is God's viewpoint about me as his child, so that his viewpoint can eventually become my own,
instead of just holding on to my own viewpoint about myself as ME

Always be aware of how he thinks and feels about me
and try communicate with that

As my parent, he always pays attention to me
and every small step I make, he gets rejoiced and excited

That one small step-- one step at a time
each step is thus an incredible chance for me
and him (them?)

Thank God for mothers!

and thank you all mothers!

Amazing thing is that even when you become your 50s and 60s, even 70s or 80s,
you still have someone you call "mother"

She just listens to you
and reminds you how much you are loved
and you regain the "Connection"

"Happy Mother's Day!"