Count your blessings instead of sheep

So OK, I’m back after being an absentee in my blog for these past weeks. I’m such a bad blogger! 🙂 I’ve had a lot going on recently, which I will put to detail in my next post. Now I just have to write a response to my good online friend, Joni’s request. I’m so late now in making a response since she posted it a little over a week ago. Sorry gd Jon’! Hope you understand. 🙂

I think this is a really wonderful idea of Joni’s, so I thank you, Jon’! Counting your blessings is a great way to help one focus on the good things in life, rather than do what we usually do (or what I usually do!), which is to complain of the bad things. We must always be grateful to God and never forget to remember that everything we are and everything we have comes from Him.

I’ve been writing this post on and off the whole day. There will be moments when it would be hard for me to express some things because maybe I’m just sooo overwhelmed. And I’m not discrete at all and brief when it comes to writing! 🙂 So I must warn you that my list is kind of, well, almost sounding like I’m bragging because of my 100 miles/hour speed of babbling!

My Top 5 Intangible Blessings:

1. My Family.
   • First of all, my parents who provide me everything I need and more, who do everything for my betterment as a person (They left the Philippines and migrated to America for me to have a much brighter future, even though we were already doing more than OK in the Philippines.) and who never give up on me no matter how much I push them away at times. They’re always there to love me and to protect me (although sometimes they can be over-protective!), but I appreciate everything they do for me (although my actions sometimes seems I don’t!!) and I love them with every fiber of my being. I would be nothing and completely lost without them.
   • My extended family – my aunts, uncles, cousins, cousin-in-laws, nephews and nieces. I’m really grateful that we have such a close-knit extended family on my mother’s side, especially because I’m an only child. My parents and I couldn’t imagine our life without them. They have helped us in so many ways. We are always together amidst life’s ups and downs and will always be, in spite the distance between us now. Someday soon, some of my cousins will be moving here as well and I’m happy and thankful for that and couldn’t wait for that time to come.
2. Flip, my significant other.
   • I know that whenever I talk about Flip, everything I say sounds cliche and cheesy or corny. Oh well, here goes.. 🙂 I’m really grateful that I got to meet Flip and build with him a relationship that’s been going strong for almost 3 years now. I wasn’t even looking for anyone when I met him, yet I was given a wonderful blessing. Life is definitely full of surprises! I guess what I’m trying to say is that God really loves me because He has given me the chance to find someone to love early in life, and that someone is just the nicest, funny, smart and down to earth person I’m blessed and honored to call my lover. (hehe!) He’s my first boyfriend and I’m his first as well, and maybe I’m saying all these corny stuff because I’m still quite naive when it comes to love and maybe I’m just so out of touch from reality, and I still have a long way to go. But really, this is already enough for me. I couldn’t imagine growing old with anyone else, other than who I’ve got right now. There will be lots of bumpy roads ahead for us but as long as we’re together, we can make it. (I’m really sorry for the corniness!) My family likes him and I get along really well with his, and our friends? Well, everyone gets along well with everybody! 🙂 Sometimes everything is so pleasant, I feel like it’s not reality. It’s also a blessing that it was no sweat at all when it came to finding a boyfriend since Flip just…came, like it was destiny’s right time. And this relationship of ours? It’s just going great and stronger each day. It’s not perfect at all and I do mean we have quarrels here and there like normal couples do. But we have these quarrels like 5 times a year and every time we do, it never lasted for more than a day when we couldn’t make up and apologize to each other. Haay Lord, thank you for making me so blessed in love!
3. A less bumpy life.
   • I thank God that He’s given me a fortunate life; That my family and I are healthy, for our nice home, for the 10 year, multiple entry US Visa on our first try for my parents and I, that there’s always food on the table, that I don’t have to sacrifice or even worry about financial matters, that my needs are always provided, and that I don’t have to go through much trials to succeed in most of the things I’m pursuing. It’s such a blessing that I earned a decent education without delay and I passed the Philippine board exam and the AMT in my first try. God’s presence is always with me and my family because all we need to do is pray and have faith in Him, and He makes everything fall in the right place for us. Things go smoothly amidst big changes in our lives, like when my parents and I moved here in the US, starting from zero all over again.It’s amazing to see His work going on in my life because even though I make plans on my own, He still teaches me the way to the right path by not always saying "Yes" to everything I ask. He lets me learn from the things that happen and teaches me that things happen perfectly according to His plan.
4. Friends.
   • I couldn’t imagine my life without my friends. The gift of friendship is definitely something I cherish. Friends add so much more joy to life. It feels good to know that no matter the distance, true friends remain and this is something I’m really grateful. I also want to share about my parents’ friends here in the US, Tita Haydee and Tito Dan. When my parents came here and was still looking for a nursing job on a hospital that is willing to sponsor them, they had nothing much and Tita Haydee and Tito Dan helped them by letting them stay in their house for about 5 months. They helped my parents look for jobs and would drive them to all the hospitals where my parents would apply. Tito Dan was also the one who taught me how to drive and would encourage me when I kept failing the driving tests. Tita Haydee and Tito Dan helped my parents and I more than a friend could. They were there for us like a family member (or even more) would. Them and their friendship is such a tremendous blessing for our family.
5. I don’t know how to classify this last on my top 5 but I really thank God for all the abilities and opportunities He has given me. It’s a wonderful blessing to be able to travel and see a whole new life that is totally different from what I have been accustomed to; To be given the chance to have anoth

er life in a new country where I can build a brighter future for myself, my family and my future family; To be able to think correctly most of the time and to know how to differentiate what’s right and what’s wrong; To be able to experience happy, fun moments with the people close to my heart and to just be able to enjoy and live life to the fullest in this world.

I’m encouraging you, peepz to count your blessings and list them in your blog and tag your friends as well. 🙂