Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualHas anybody wondered what the word "Ilocos" stands for? Here's my personal explanation: The Spaniards called the Filipinos "Los Indios Filipinos." Adding the word "Indios" was something derogatory, not flattering to apply as a nomenclature to the people they had conquered and colonized their beloved country, the Philippines. They then abbreviated the "I" and added "locos." Using "Indios Locos" would have caused the Filipinos of those provinces to revolt. That's why you have only "Ilocos" and the Spaniards got away with it safely, no revolt but Peace. And the Ilocanos have had the "Ilocos" word ever since, without any question whatsoever. Anybody wants to make a change for that word?
362 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualLet me suggest: "Ilocandia." How does this sound to you? Classy, better than saying "Locos," meaning crazy? you might have other ideas.
360 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualSitting in front of the lighted fireplace makes one contemplate that: -fire is a gift from God; -the heat it gives off is the symbol of God's warm love for humanity; -the dancing flames are a symbol of God's generous and continuous giving to humanity; -we can't possibly live without God's warm love and continuous Divine Generosity. God is communicating to us through His gift of fire. Our entire Humanity depends on God!!!
356 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAt the University of the Philippines, we had a students' organization called UPSCA, UP Students' Catholic Action. The chapel that was being used by all denominations was a bamboo structure that badly needed replacement to a more permanent building. Fund raising for the new church was started.
340 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualOur Music Chapter of which I was the chairperson, planned on having a charity concert. Our Faculty Adviser was Miss Jovita Fuentes, (famous Madame Butterfly of the opera of the same name, during her student days in Europe). She had such a clout that she told us she was getting free of charge the vocal and instrumental soloists, the orchestra and conductor, and the Holy Ghost College Concert Auditorium.
337 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI had 2 friends and classmates,Rosarito Enriquez and Baby Policarpio (they were my angels in human form) who had their cars and chauffeurs at their command. They also knew Manila's social elite and their addresses. We had to sacrifice a few classes by our skipping them, and made the rounds of potential donors instead. Miss Fuentes would be unhappy (and she could lambaste us) if we submitted to her a number of donors that was below her expectations. Meantime, I prayed a novena (9 days) to St. Rita of Cascia, very powerful intercessor for impossible cases.
337 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualOn our rounds, the donors were generous beyond belief. For the cause of the church, they were marvelously glad to part with their money. I was also able to get my town mates, Mr. and Mrs. Pacifico Sison as donors. All the donors' names were in a printed list in the program to acknowledge in a grateful way their financial generosity.
337 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThe day of the concert finally arrived, all the performers were in their tip-top musical mettle. Every musical number was enthusiastically applauded. All in all, the charity concert was a big success.
337 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualRamon Tapales, the conductor and Music Director of the UP Conservatory of Music approached me, saying: "Maybe we should have you canonized a saint." I smiled and thanked him for his musical generosity. What he didn't know was that I prayed a novena to St. Rita, whose saintly generosity helped made the concert an unprecedented success. Our grateful thanks to you, our loving St. Rita!
337 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThank you notes were in order for me to send to all the performers, the Holy Ghost College Concert Auditorium Administrator and to my 2 friends and classmates, Rosarito Enriquez and Baby Policarpio. Mwa!!! wherever you are you two. May the Lord bless you both musically, and more!
337 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualLast but not least, our University Chaplain was the Reverend Fr. John P Delaney, SJ. who gave us lectures every year on "Love, Courtship and Marriage," which was attended by different denominations: Protestants, Mohammedans, Jews, besides the Catholics. The chapel was always packed. He also gave lectures during the Lenten season on the "Life of Christ," which made us feel like crying, or made us think deeply. Couples who were getting married always chose to have their wedding rites in that chapel because their preferred priest was Fr. John P Delaney. To him, we owed a lot of our spiritual education.
333 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualDuring the Japanese occupation, we had days of peace, and we lived contentedly, even forgetting we were still in the midst of the war against the enemy. There was no fighting, that was the reason for the semi-peace situation. The enemy didn't do anything to antagonize us, thank God.
329 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualOne afternoon, a horde of Japanese soldiers were walking into town, holding their wet fatigue suits on sticks, as if to air dry them. Their ship might have been sunk. Later on towards evening, 3 Japanese soldiers with helmets in hand, came to our house to beg for rice. While we needed rice too, my mother didn't hesitate, she filled up their helmets with rice. Her action could have been labeled as "feeding the enemy." But in the Holy Bible, it advises us to "love our enemies." She put herself in the place of the parents of those soldiers, worrying about their sons, fighting a war in another country.
329 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualMuch later on, they came back, one holding a bowl of soup, with a chicken piece swimming in it, as their gesture of thanks for the rice given to them by my mother. We accepted it graciously. It might have been delicious, but we didn't dare consume it.
329 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualBut you know what, God saw my mother's generosity towards the enemy. He rewarded her with 3 lives: my brother, Augusto, who was able to escape from the Bataan Japanese concentration camp, and my brother, Alarico and me having been able to go home safely from Manila to the province on a 3-day trip that was loaded with uncertainties along the way. Hallelujah to the Lord!
329 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThe Japanese soldiers had a human curiosity about the Filipinos. When they heard the playing on our piano, they didn't hesitate to come and see who was playing. Most of the time I was the one at the piano. One soldier requested me to play "Come Back to Sorrento." As I played it, he didn't hold back his tears. I just wondered what the music meant to him. Could have been a theme song between him and his sweetheart back home. Ah, what love can do!
329 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAt another time, I played the US National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," and as I played it, I said a message mentally to them: "You'll be out of our country very, very soon, with God's blessing." Not too long after that, it happened. They really went bye-bye out and away from the Philippines.
329 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualDuring my student days at the UP, I boarded with other girls in a dorm. Every Friday night, we had "jam sessions" dancing to radio music. There was one boarder who was taking ballet dancing. I was thinking she would be a good partner, knowing ballet, so I got her to dance with me. (I'll call her Mely). Contrary to my expectation, Mely was as heavy as a log. I was dragging her across the room, instead of our tripping the light fantastic. I should not have expected too much.
327 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWith our first baby, Beatriz, the clinic staff was concerned with my having been new at motherhood. For that reason, they sent a visiting nurse to check on me. She came while the baby was asleep. Then she started to smoke. While she was lighting up her cigarette, I noticed the black crowns of her finger nails. I said to myself: "Oh no." Two counts against her that were inimical to her profession. I sent a message of mental telepathy to my baby sleeping in the bassinet: "Stay asleep, Baby. I'll wake you up when the nurse leaves." With that thought, the nurse stood up to leave. I said silently: "Oh good!" and she left. I forgot to mention to the clinic about the not-too-welcome visit of the nurse who smoked, sporting black crowns on her finger nails.
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualA friend mentioned to me about a relation of hers who was in her nice mood when she badly wanted help from my friend. E-mails went back and forth. But as soon as everything was said and done, and the relation got all what she wanted from my friend, the relation dropped her like a hot potato, like she never existed. I told my friend that, that is a "deja vu" story I knew all too well. I said to her that people of that ilk are perfect students of the D-E-V-I-L, who spread their Bad Karma (which they grow them like poisonous weeds) will go back to them worse. And not to touch them with a ten-foot pole if she doesn't want to pick up their Bad Karma. I said God is always her great shield against those PERSONAS INGRATAS (Ungrateful Persons). She felt much better hearing what I told her.
309 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualBe very careful of people who take you for granted, like you were a stupid nincompoop.This is regarding the use of the telephone.
Example: They leave with you their phone number. You call them, just out of respect. And the person is at a class. You're told to call back at 6:00 pm. You do as told. Their phone just rings. You try again later. What do you know, they take you for a stupid nincompoop. You hear clicking sounds on their phone, which means they don't want to answer, or they don't want to be bothered. For you, one disappointment is one too many. You cross their names out of your phone list.
People of those ilk are not worth an iota of your attention, your respect (they already demonstrated their disrespect for you anyway), your social graciousness. Dogs have more manners than people of those ilk. Enough said.
308 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWE ARE NOT ISLANDS UNTO OURSELVES. Case in point: When there was flood around Manila, I got the picture emailed to me by my grand niece Jen. The water was almost up to her waistline. I rushed to them my financial help. They were thankful for what I sent. If I sat on my hands and didn't think of helping them, WHAT KIND OF CHRISTIANITY WOULD THAT BE? God, surely was watching what I would do. I was God's instrument to do the help that God wanted done for my niece's (Rosabelle's) family.
288 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAnother case in point: A mining incident in Chile in 2010 almost killed 33 miners. I was one of those who prayed hard for the safe rescue of the miners. One who prayed for them didn't have to be their relation. Common sense tells us that WHEN WE PRAY FOR OTHER PEOPLE, WE'RE ALREADY PRAYED FOR. The 33 miners were saved with the blessing of God!
287 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen the grape season in the US is over, we receive the grapes from the orchards in Chile, so that we have year-round supply of the delicious fruit. That is globalization.
287 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualOne other case in point: The Vietnam War had its fringe benefits. I have Vietnamese gardeners who are hard workers. They make our garden the envy of the neighborhood. The neighbor across the street, a minister, once said to me: "You're making us look bad." Besides their artistic garden work, they are generous. They share with me their catch of prawns, fish, king crab, calamari and their delicious Vietnamese cooking. That should make one salivate. I thank God for my Vietnamese gardeners.
287 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWe used to attend mass at St. Joseph's church, although we were not parishioners there. What I saw was that the women were wearing fur coats. That's ok. But the priest gave negative sermons, mad that their parishioners were not contributing enough in the collection basket. It didn't make sense to me. The fur coats and skimpy contributions were not congruent.
278 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThe madder the priest got, the tighter their purses were. My analysis went like this: Maybe, instead of their contribution going to the collection, it went to pay for the fur coats.
278 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI think the problem was with the priest. He was not in tune with the Holy Bible. If he told them the story of the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish that fed the multitude of 20,000, and there were 12 baskets more of leftovers, it would have opened the eyes of the parishioners to this one miracle the Lord Jesus performed. Which means the parishioners' pockets would be multiplied with their giving more to the collection basket, because God provides. And we cannot outdo Him in His Divine Generosity.
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualDuring the Japanese occupation, the underground guerrilla (already in touch with the US forces) required the townspeople to get rid of their dogs. Reason: The Japanese garrison had a dog. The presence of a dog (owned by the Japanese) would indicate that the Japanese soldiers were around the area.
266 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWe had a puppy named Bambi. No one in the family had the heart to get rid of our puppy. My mother asked the help of a neighbor, Mr Sonido, to do us the favor of doing the cruel task. Mr Sonido came to the house after he did as asked. My mother asked him if he did it. He said it was finished. " But we heard no yelping from the puppy, " said my mother. Mr Sonido said he got the puppy while it was asleep.
266 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAfter that, everyone in our family suffered a kind of emotional reaction. We lost our appetite, we were walking around like zombies, it was like a scenario of depression. The puppy was after all like a member of our family. But we had to follow the mandate from the underground querrilla.
266 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) This is the Biblical quote I asked to be printed in each of my checks. It's no surprise that all the bills get paid as they come, my thanks to the Lord!
260 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualDuring the Japanese occupation, my mother and I hiked to the fishing village, Pug-os, where we had some rice farms. We were bringing the fresh clothes for my brothers in the underground guerrilla. My mother preferred to walk rather than take the bus. Walking was her physical fitness program. She liked to take in the fresh air as well as to exercise her legs.,
260 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAfter we arrived there, my mother was into deep conversation with the farm folks. Meantime, I went to the veranda to enjoy the scenery of the countryside. I observed a cat on the ground with her eyes riveted to the top of a bamboo grove. I stayed to watch. Pretty soon a rodent dropped down to the ground and the cat was ever ready to pounce on it.
260 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThe lesson we get from that scenario: Concentrate on your goal and you will realize it. Concentrate on your fear and your fear will materialize.
260 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen the Spaniards first got to Cabugao (this was not its name yet), they asked the townspeople what was the name of the town. They misunderstood the question. They took it as: what is the name of your tribal chief. Therefore they answered: Cabo Angao. The Spaniards mistook it for Cabugao. From that time on, the town's name was, and is, Cabugao to this day.
258 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen a Spaniard was a visitor to a family, he had his dog following him. He didn't want his dog in the host's house. He said to his dog: "Sal de aqui." (Get out) The dog went out per his owner's command. The Filipino host copied the command to his own dog, saying: "Salaqui." You can hear that command in Ilocano translation to this day.
258 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualQuotes from The Secret to a Joy-filled Life --Honor God by constantly raising your standards. --If you cannot say something positive, silence is the best alternative. --Thoughts are causes, and circumstances are the effects. --Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. --Life is far too short to be held captive by the negativity of others. --Your greatest asset is God working in you and through you, and this is best accomplished by allowing God's Word to abide in you.
257 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual--You are heavily influenced by your physical surroundings, especially the things you read, watch, and listen to, as well as the words and images that consistently capture your attention. WHERE you are, reinforces WHO you are.
257 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual--Gratitude is vital to a life of joy. --The power of gratitude is undeniably immense. --Gratitude expands joy, and entitlement shrinks it. --By giving more gratitude, you get to keep more joy. --There is a special bonus when you appreciate others. It increases not only their value but yours as well.
257 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual--As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. --Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. --Whatever you give your attention to, expands in your experience. --Emotional strength is not about denying your problems. It is about acknowledging a far greater power-- affirming God rather than affirming your woes.
256 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual--For every effect in your life, there is a thought or crop of thoughts that are responsible. --God promises that all your actions produce reactions, that what you sow in thought or deed, you shall certainly reap. --Remember, what gets impressed in your heart, gets expressed in your circumstances.
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualReal life example: A neighbor said to me: "We're still paying for that car now, but we will get us a new car pretty quick." He was addressing his statement to me, who has the exact opposite philosophy in handling finances.. I don't go for the "big hat, no cattle" that a lot of people live by. They are only kidding themselves, of course, trying to show off more four wheels after another that they are having a hard time paying for them. In short, that's what is called the "rat race."
255 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI suggest you read "The Millionaire Next Door," by Thomas J Stanley, & William D Danko. You will read the secrets of the so-called wealthy: It's pure Status Symbol, pure Big Hat No Cattle, pure Rat Race, pure Show Off.
251 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualYou have seen how shamelessly people dump their cigarette butts onto the pavement of parking lots, instead of taking their dirt home and throw it into their garbage can. What they are doing is embarrassing to God who gifted us the beautiful Universe for us to enjoy its beauty and for us to play in.
250 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualOne Friday afternoon as I was coming out of the bank, I saw a man laying down something slowly wth care on the pavement beside his car. I got curious. As I got closer, I noticed him putting a banana peel on the pavement. I thought to myself: How dare he does his nasty job of leaving the banana peel which would endanger a kid, a pregnant woman, an eldely person or anybody who would make a mistake of stepping/sliding on that peel?
250 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI approached him and told him diplomatically there is a garbage can close by, pointing to him where it was. He had to pick up the messy banana peel and walked to the garbage can. (It would have been better for him to take the thing home and just throw it in his own garbage can.
250 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen he came back, I said: "They do us good service here at the bank and they would appreciate our keeping it clean. BTW you wouldn't want somebody else make a mess of your yard, would you? (All the while, as I talked to him, I felt empowered by God).
250 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThen, I asked him his name. He was irked with me, I felt, that he didn't want to tell me his name. He said" You already said what you wanted to say, my name is not important."
250 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI did my civic duty to the bank, and my duty to God in my preventing a litter-bug from doing his plan of adding his mess to our beautiful universe.
250 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual"Your attitude controls your altitude." Casey Treat People who are LOW-MINDED have VERY LOW ALTITUDE. -When the world is against us, God is still for us. -When people try to push us down, God can still lift us up. (The picture here is that the negative people are left behind in the dust with their negative intentions keeping them company with the D-E-V-I-L).
248 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual"Success is not defined by position or pay scale but by this: doing the most what you do best." Max Lucado "God gives gifts, not miserly, but abundantly." "When you are full of yourself, God can't fill you." "With God, work matters as much as our worship. Indeed, work can be worship."
247 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI was coming out of the library one evening when I saw a woman smoking outside. I approached her and I said: "You could be healthier and richer if you didn't smoke." She replied: "I know all that." I continued talking and I had God in my sentences. She confessed she was an aetheist. I asked her: "What do you do in a dangerous situation?" She said: "Pure adrenaline."
244 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAll we can do for a person like her is pray for her that some day she will finally find the Lord, and not hang on to her adrenaline.
244 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI have just experienced receiving SPAM today. It is from Tylenol Injury Legal Center. It doesn't show their e-mail address, not even an Unsubscribe button. I asked the library what I should do. They gave me this phone number to call: 888-282-0870. It's the number of my e-mail provider. Chris at that office gave me this address for me to forward the spam: report_spam@hotmail.com This should stop them in their tracks of harassing my Inbox.
244 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual"You don't have because you don't ask." James 4:2 If we would ask more, we would have more. Ask. Charles R Swindoll
244 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualSuffering is a universal language.Tears are the same for Jews or Muslims or Christians, for white or black or brown, for children or adults, or the elderly.When life hurts and our dreams fade, we may express our anguish in different ways, but each one of us knows the sting of pain and heartache, disease and disaster, trials and sufferings. Truly, suffering is the common thread in all our garments. ---Charles R Swindoll
241 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualOne Saturday early morning, I took the girls (pre-school age) to Nordstrom downtown to buy shoes for them. At the store, we found the style we wanted. I handed the shoe to an elderly salesman. He took the shoe and dropped it to the floor as if in disgust. I grit my teeth, kept quiet, ignored his bad attitude, but I approached the young Afro-American guy behind the counter. I described to him the "disgusted" attitude of the salesperson. The guy, sympatethic with what we encountered, handed to me a card with a phone number to call. I thanked him for his helpfulness.
241 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWe paid for the shoes and left for home. I was bristling as got to the phone. My Hubby noticed something was afoot. I dialed the personnel department of Nordstrom, told the employee about the bad attitude of their salesperson at the children's shoe department. I said to her that if that salesperson took it as beyond his dignity to service us, he should not be working there but should be working cleaning johns. That it probably didn't occur to him that our payment for the shoes went indirectly to his salary, that if he was on commission, he was getting a percentage of what we paid for the shoes. That he was a square peg in a round hole working in there. That his bad attitude was uncalled for, that we were doing him a favor with our buying the shoes through him. The employee noted down everything I said to her.
241 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThe next mail brought a letter of apology to me, from the vice-president of personnel, Mr Johnson. I wouldn't know what happened to the salesperson with the bad attitude because Nordstrom opened another store in South Canter, that we didn't need to go to the downtown store anymore. I felt good about 'cleaning up' the 'social pollution' caused by an individual who didn't know any better.
241 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualHere's my discovery today. I was looking at the luminous red colored Pelargonium Hortorum (geraniums) with green leaves bordered with white, and the white petunias, dark velvety violet pansies, gossamer red impatience planted in the white planters on the sundeck railing. They are all glowing with their beauty in the sunshine. They are a picture of happiness, just glorifying God. They don't complain, just staying pretty, inspiring the spirit of anyone who looks at them.
240 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThen my thought came: they never worry because they have no thinking mechanism. They contribute their beauty to the environment. They are not paid to do what they do. People should learn from them. If people can copy what they do: staying pretty to other people, not complain unneccessarily, express their glowing happiness to others, quit worrying, and glorify God, this world would be a better place to live in.
240 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualIt was a pleasant surprise to discover that the Bible is the greatest textbook on prosperity ever written. Catherine Ponder.
234 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAn ungrateful attitude of mind brings ungrateful,, limited financial results. The "attitude of gratitude" keeps prosperity coming to you from every direction." Catherine Ponder.
231 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual"There are many people out there who are filled with lust, not for sex, but for something more insidious, ---STATUS/.These folks are willing to spend ten times as much money for an item more than is necessary, all because they want to APPEAR RICH, or fashionable, or in the know."
231 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualNow, of course, it's not wrong to like nice things. or to even indulge in a little showmanship once in a while. It can be harmless fun as long as you're aware of the truth. And the truth is that all status symbols, no matter how expensive and sought after, are illusory and therefore WORTHLESS. Unfortunately many people go through their entire lives without ever learning this lesson.
231 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThen, at the last moment, when the curtain finally begins to fall, they come to the horrible realization that they have squandered all the precious time God has given them on the most frivolous of pursuits. Like Tolstoy's fictional character Ivan Yllyich, they're forced to admit that they lived their whole life "the wrong way."Had these people prayed for wisdom at an early age, they would never have made such a fundamental mistake. Why? Because at the heart of Christianity is the message of HUMILITY and SELF-SACRIFICE---the very opposite of VANITY." ---Anthony DeStafano
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualIt's an irony that the truly rich don't need to broadcast to everybody that they "got ir made." They know, and don't have to show it off. For one thing, there is a great danger in showing off to the world that "they got it." They become objects of interest to the criminals.
230 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualTo those who are still struggling to "make it," the more they try to impress others about what "they got," the more others already know they "haven't really got it." Their effort to show off is a totally useless effort.
230 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThose who want to be like the "Joneses," just keep quiet, pretty soon, you'll be like the "Joneses" or have caught up with the "Joneses," and maybe way beyond the "Joneses."
230 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThis is a case of "showing off" that turned out badly. A young grade school boy was given a necklace with a jade pendant to wear to school. There must have been some robber lying in wait for good young victims in school. The young boy sporting the necklace must have been spotted by the alert robber. When the robber saw his chance, he grabbed the boy's necklace and yanked it out of his neck. The helpless boy couldn't do a thing, as the robber ran straight to the interested buyer for the necklace, which was valued at $500.00 according to the parents. It sure was a costly lesson for the parents' vanity.
229 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual"The rule is that we are always called to give from our need and not from our abundance." ---Anthony DeStefano
228 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual"Before Christ completed His mission on earth, He took the time to roll up His burial cloth and put it neatly in a corner. That means that the very first thing God did after rising from the dead was tidy up! It's such a tiny detail, but it means so much. This is the same God who separated light from darkness and brought order out of chaos when He created the universe. Of course He didn't leave his own tomb messy on the day of His Resurrection. He left in an orderly fashion because He does everything in an orderly fashion. He is God of order and peace.
228 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualOne day, I called up A T & T to ask a question, which I can't recall what it was about. An employee answered my call. After he gave me his answer to my question, I asked him: "What does A T & T stand for?" he said he didn't know. So I told him, it stands for American Telephone and Telegraph. I suppose that was the first time he ever heard what the acronym ATT stood for. He had been working there for years, and he never asked, or he didn't care, or to him, what difference did it make, he knew it or not. There are times when we have to put our curiousity to work so we don't look stupid to ourselves or to other people. A little learning can put us in good stead, as opposed to zero knowledge when knowledge is needed.
218 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual"Writing well is dependent on speaking well, speaking well is dependent on thinking well. So if you educate your children to think and speak well, it will be quite easy to teach them to become good writers" ---Mark Ford I'm with you 100%, Mark. Well said.
217 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAll "20-Somethings" (and beyond) should know: -Live within your means. -Avoid debt ---Porter Stansberry
216 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThe person with a rich mindset is uncomfortable with debt. Whereas the person with a poor mindset sees debt as something desirable. ---Mark Ford
214 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualRich people understand and manage their debt. They don't let debt manage them. They're aggressive savers. They limit their spending.---Mark Ford
212 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualPeople buy THINGS THEY DON'T NEED, with MONEY THEY DON'T HAVE, to IMPRESS PEOPLE THEY DON'T LIKE. Author unknown
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualYou wouldn't believe what I discovered today. My computer is an illiterate in other languages. I didn't know it is snooping into what I write on it.
210 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI was writing to my brother, Alarico, in Spanish. Then I was going to print it out typed in Microsoft Word. Do you know that the machine balks at printing it out, saying it is "corrupt?" In other words, it didn't understand what I typed. I was thinking it would just accept whatever I typed and go ahead with printing it. What a discovery! I think I will report this matter to Microsoft.
210 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualIt's like I discovered America. I was typing a message in my Profile page. Then I saw the words Timeline and Timebook. I clicked Timebook first. It opened the Family Book. Clicking the forward button opens the page. And you will read what you have typed in your profile previously. How interesting!!!
209 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualBefore we started landscaping, I read the plant encyclopedia, read plant books and magazines. I memorized the botanical names (along with the common names of the plants) to be sure I would know what to tell the people working at the nurseries.
195 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAt one nursery, I approached an employee and asked: "Do you have abies lasciocarpa?" He answered me with another question: "What is that?" I said to myself: "There goes my plant study. We went to another nursery. I asked the first worker I saw: "Do you have gaultheria procumbens?" Again, he answered with his question: "What is that?"
195 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI figured it was mission impossible giving botanical names to them who were not horticulturists. My strategy next time is to give them the common names of the plants, to help them, and to help my cause. Hoping it works.
195 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWe go now to Earlington Greenhouse where they have a good population of horticulturists. There, I can order ahead of the planting season the color choices I want, for instance, a patriotic theme of red, white and blue. And they give me senior price of ten percent off. That's a kind of royal treatment, if I might say so myself. Age has its fringe benefits. Try it sometime when you attain my age.
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI'm reading the life of George Gershwin, composer of the famous "Rhapsody in Blue." It mentioned that they had a Victrola in their family. It reminded me that we had a Victrola too when I was a pre-schooler. It played disc records after it was cranked to the max. We had lots of danceable records we played on that machine.
171 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualOne day, it was playing a danceable melody that was inviting to the listeners to dance. Although I was a pre-school kid, I grabbed my cousin, Mercedes Reyes, to dance with me. I was about one-half shorter to her height and she was many years older than myself. Without saying a word, she agreed willingly to dance with me (such a diplomatic cousin of mine!). To my amazement, she was as light as a feather to dance with. We enjoyed ourselves tripping to the light fantastic.
171 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualSome years later when I was in 4th grade, my cousin, Mercedes taught me, by rote, (teaching the piece without benefit of the score), "The Rosary"by Ethelbert Nevin. I learned it fast, and I even memorized it. I didn't see the score itself until some years later when I bought it at a music store in Manila. Sure enough, I was already playing the piece as was shown in the printed version.
171 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualA guy was playing "The Rosary" on UTube today. How disappointing. He lacked expression, no feeling. He might as well have been playing exercises. The feeling to me was like I couldn't breathe enough. Or like food that is tasteless, and that it badly needs seasoning to make it tasty to the palate.
168 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen I was dorm president of the UP-ywca, the dormitory matrons wanted me to invite Fr. John P. Delaney one Friday evening. I invited him and he willingly accepted my invitation. He came after dinner. When he gave his priestly talk, it was not to convert anybody to join the Roman Catholic Church. Far from it. His topic was close to everybody's heart. He said to us: "Be the best that you can be." That was a perfect message, not only for the boarders, but perfect for the matrons and the kitchen workers as well. It was a message to remember!
146 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualFr. John P. Delaney, S.J. was the Chaplain of the University of the Philippines. He gave lectures on "Love, Courtship and Marriage" that was well attended not only by the Catholics but also by the Protestants, the Mohamedans, the Jews and the unaffiliated groups. The subject is of great interest to the student body, invitation was not needed for a successful attendance.
During Lent, Fr. Delaney gave lectures on the "Life of Christ" that filled us with food for thought for the Lenten Season.
145 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualLife is full of puzzlements. I called up an insurance office last week to inquire about my car insurance. A female employee answered me. While she had information about my enquiry, there was something about her that spooked me. I just couldn't put a finger on why I had that reaction.
144 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualIn the afternoon, I called the same office. Another agent, Shelley, answered me. Somehow, I felt more comfortable with her. There was something about her that made me feel 'at home' talking with her. The reason will come a little later. Stay tuned.
144 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualPicture God listening to a group. This is real life story. The group speaks a dialect. There is one person separate from the group who doesn't speak nor understand the other people's dialect, but is not self-assertive to say: "Please speak what I can understand so I can participate." The person just stays mum. For all she knows, the group is talking against her in her face.
144 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualGod is sympathetic to the lone person, and frowns at the group's continued prattling in their dialect. God, the invisible and silent observer, sees that the group is showing its meanness to the lone person, displaying that they are personas antipaticas, personas maleducadas (badly educated), that they have no empathy for the lone person, that they are inconsiderate of the other person's feelings to the point that the other person is about ready to burst out crying. What's the reason for the group's ugly behavior? If you must know the awful truth, dear reader, it's because, as a group, they are more attuned to evil. They are not attuned to God, sorry to say. God, Himself, can see the score. From God, they cannot hide the truth.
144 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAdd to the fact that they are not attuned to God, looks like they never read "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. Or simply they use common sense, or the Goldern Rule. If not, they may rather prefer to have company with evil, and keep contributing to "social pollution" as they go along in their lives. You'll be amazed at how many people there are who prefer to live like that. Of course they'll get their comeuppance, sooner or later. God will see to that.
143 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI subscribe to this decor magazine which arrives monthly. However, I still have to see pictures in it that are cheerful to behold. The photos are mournfully dark, they look like they are members of a wake. I have mentioned the fact to their editorial department, but they don't seem to give it any importance. It may be their photographer who is projecting his depression, but I don't delight in sharing mournful-looking pictures. After my subscription runs out, they can't expect me to renew anymore. Mournful pictures don't inspire my spirit, and are not healthful to my psyche.
143 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualRegarding those people who don't apply the Golden Rule in their association with others, maybe there are really those who are happier consorting with evil and are uncomfortable being attuned to God. We can only pray for them to change their ways to find their way to God.
142 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualIt is amazing how creativity can take on many forms. Roxanne, who works for a company selling dietary supplements, called me up today, claiming that they are shipping a blood pressure supplement on auto ship. I asked when I put in my order. She said it was way back in May 2012. It didn't ring a bell. I could have remembered it, my memory is still sharp as a tack. I said I would call if my memory rings a bell about that item. She said that she is going to cancel their shipping it. They sure are getting my patronage 'on the sly,' looks like an unbelievable marketing technique, I almost fell for it.
140 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWe have been enjoying these first four days of the New Year with glorious sunshine, very auspicious of God's gift of bright and prosperous days for all of us in 2013. It makes us feel like winning a million dollars, or a billion $s. God's Divine Generosity is really showing, I'll take it!!!
139 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen I was in grade school, I sometimes had a wild kid's imagination. Thinking about the Pacis last name, I tried "monetizing" it by writing the pesos sign for the P, the @ for the 'a', the cent siymbol for the 'c', the 'i' for "interest", and the $ for the 's.' Do you know of any last name that can be "monetized" like the Pacis last name? I bet not.
135 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualIs it a boon to be multilingual? Definitely. I had a first cousin, Venus Reyes, who was married to a Spanish mestizo. They had 3 kids, a boy, Chiqui, and twin girls, one was Pilar, I can't recall the other one's name. In the household, they spoke Spanish. Playing with the neighborhood children, they spoke Tagalog. In school, they spoke English. They moved from one language to the other without problem of stuttering or whatever. It was like they had an automatic switch that changed their language depending on the language of the person they talked with.
131 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI have read that to keep away Alzheimer's disease, learn and play a musical instrument, and learn a language besides what you already speak. I have been doing both my whole life. The two activities keep the brain busy, and help multiply the neural connections in the brain.
131 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualOther people drink alcoholic stuff, smoke, and just stare at the ceiling or at the walls. They don't even read to enhance their knowledge. That's a good breeding ground for the disease they don't want to have, because the brain, instead of working, is left idle. The brain WANTS mental exercise too, just as the muscles want physical exercise.
131 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI realize that the Lord, God, has His plans for me. I can see that He has kept me into my golden years, because He needs me to record my memories for posterity. If they are just memories without being put into record, they would just be lost into the ether. Nobody can read them there, and they would be useless, and serve nothing to anybody. Sharing my memories is a great part of being a member of a family. We also need recorded memories of the other members of the Family Tree to make our genealogy interesting and authentic. Just the presence of photos on the pages of TimeBook is plain useless and meaningless.
129 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI was a romantic at heart even at an early age. During moonlight nights, we would walk with the adults, some neighbors joining us, on a walk towards the west side of town. Walking in the beautiful moonlight was a source of joy for me. If I were a composer then, I would have transcribed our walk to music, competing with Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Those, to me, in my kid's heart, were moments to remember.
128 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen the girls were small, they would get sick, a part of growing up. After calling up the clinic for information, I would feel like standing at attention to wait for their return call. I thought to myself: This is no way to live. Then the cordless phone came about, which was the right answer to my dilemma.
128 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualOne drizzly evening, my Hubby was driving us at the south part of town. Visibility was poor. Unfortunately, my Hubby got the car stuck in a hole in the road, that the city missed putting some barricade to prevent that kind of accident we went through. He had to go to a house to request the householders for the use of their phone, to call the AAA auto club to come retrieve us out of our traffic predicament. My thought again was: This is no way to live. Then the cellular phone came into being.
128 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen the girls were in grade school, I would come home after dark, and I would honk for them to turn on the carport lights. I thought again: This is no way to live. Like an answer to a prayer, the motion sensor light became the technology. Always, without fail. God provides. Thank you for your Divine Generosity, dear Lord!!!
128 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen I was in grade school, we had a huge mango tree that produced prolifically with its large, sweet, velvety fruit every year. We feasted and enjoyed its fruit, perfect for snacking, for antipasto, for desert after meals. Just all around delicious food. Like a gift of the gods.
127 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualTo keep bugs away, we never sprayed it. We burned its dried leaves underneath its branches. The bugs had no chance of surviving.
127 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualLike the romantic that I was, I would get a book to read under its shade, sitting on one of its strong branches. You couldn't find a better place to widen your horizon reading a spiritual book in the shade of that mango tree. I called it the tree for all seasons.
127 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualRegarding litterbugs who have no respect for God's Universe, who just throw their trash (of their lunch container, for instance), into somebody's yard willy-nilly, they are disregarding their internal conscience which, for sure, is telling them not to be litterbugs. But they do it anyway, instead of taking their trash home to throw it into their own garbage can
127 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualReversing the roles, they create their own Universe (their garden). And if they catch somebody in the act of throwing trash in their Universe, (their garden), they would probably operate their bbgun against that litterbug. That's why, God is protective of the Universe He created for us, that He can punish litterbugs who mess up His Universe with their trash.
126 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen I was in Manila, waiting to leave for the US, I offered to be chef at my aunt's kitchen (Clara, Nana Allang) to prepare Bangus Relleno (stuffed bangus). I wasn't aware what preparation was entailed. But I braved the work anyway. I carefully removed the meat of the fish, keeping intact the skin. Then I pulled out all the very fine bones, zillions of them. It took just about all day for that part of the work. Mixed the flesh with the ingredients, stuffed them back in between the skin. I sewed up the skin together, and fried the whole- looking fish in oil to make it crisp.
123 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI served it up on the platter with some garnish of parsley and some red cherry tomatoes. Everybody sat down and each one got his/her portion to enjoy. I blinked my eyes, and the whole thing disappeared. My work for a whole day gone in two seconds. I was glad my Bangus Relleno was relished and enjoyed. But what did I think? I said: "Never again!"
123 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualSome years back, I went to Sky Nursery looking for plants. After I got my plants, I went to wait for my turn at counter. There was a customer there, inquiring about what tree to plant in his garden. He and the nursery employee were poring into a number of plant encyclopedias. They seemed to have quite a hard time. So, I intruded I told the customer about the tree in our front garden. It is an Acer (maple) Sango Kaku, that is a tree for all seasons.
123 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI described it: After the leaves multiply in the spring, it makes a good shade tree with its striking light green color against the coral bark. The leaves have strong reddish tinge and as summer approaches, the thin textured leaves, turn an even lighter color of green. The leaves drop in the fall, and the branches show off their red color, which are more noticeable when there is snow on the ground. When the tree was young, the neighbors thought we painted it. My description of the tree was a strong advertizement of mouth that the customer wanted one for his garden..
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI dialed 1-866-539-0864 from a Pop-Up on my computer screen. You supposedly call it for help on your computer problem. The Pop-Up says their technicians are Microsoft trained. When I called, they are rude in their manner of answering, and they have no knowledge about computer issues. My son-in-law thinks that it is a SCAM, calling their number will be a charge to you, the caller. I have already reported them to the Better Business Bureau yesterday. My nephew thinks their operation is originating from another country. We have to watch out for those scams that have a way of getting at your wallet.
117 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualBack in college, I had a classmate, Cherry. All my other classmates were congenial and friendly to me, except Cherry. I was trying to figure out what was wrong with her. She never said "Hi" to me, she never smiled at me. It looked like her requirement was for me to give her a million $s before she would become my friend. She really had a bad karma, I wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole.
114 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThen I arrived at something more powerful than her hatred that she was carrying against me. I prayed for her for 3 nights. At first it was difficult to do. but I forced myself knowing that prayers have more power than evil. For sure, her attitude was nothing but evil.
114 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThe next day after the 3 nights I prayed for her, she said surprisingly to me "Hi" with her smile. I said to myself: "What made her change her personality?" Then I remembered my prayers for her for 3 nights. For sure, God was listening to my prayers which turned to God's power, which finally erased Cherry's bad karma. Never underestimate the power of prayers.
114 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualMore story on resilience? It's well-known knowledge that wars stop everything that used to be normal in our lives, like commerce. Like there was no more importation of fabrics with which to make our clothes. With my mother's ingenuity, that was hardly a problem. Using her skirts that were practically still new (because she hardly wore them), she made me dresses which I loved. They were quality fabrics in the 1930s, with beautiful patterns and lovely color combinations. The dresses she made for me with those fabrics made me feel like a princess wearing them. You could say I was the envy of my classmates every time I wore them.
74 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhile I was residing at the UP-YWCA, I, with other boarders were invited to a party outside campus. At the party, there was a fellow, that I was told, was a terrific dancer of the tango. As luck would have it, he got me to dance with him. Without my being aware of it, I was already feeling like a professional tango dancer with the way he led me, that I could hardly believe which reality I was in. At his rate, I would have willingly danced with him all night long, but of course, that would have been an impossible dream. Well, dream on Baby, I told myself. Call it a crazy world.
74 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualRemember those days when telemarketers used to swarm our telephones, especially at dinnertime, just to sell whatever it was they tried to entice our buyer's weakness? Later the FCC created the "Do not Call Register" and anybody added his/her name to that list to stop those calls. I have my own cure for those calls. I say hello in different languages: Moshi-moshi, Buon Giorno, Bonjour, Hola, como le va, Que tal, It stops the caller cold who doesn't dare answer me in whatever language because he/she is not capable of speaking in another language.
73 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen I was in the grade school, we had a tradition of praying the Angelus, the evening prayer, when the church bells rang to remind the people to gather together and say their prayer of thanks to God to give their thanks for the end of a perfect day.
69 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualIf we had a guest at that time, the visitor also joined with us in the prayer. After finishing our prayer, the younger ones would take the hands of the elders and kiss them "mano."
69 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualIn this day and age, the computer and the television have taken over that important tradition in the family.
69 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen we had drop in guests, and it was time for them to leave, my father would say to them, "Dios ti cumuyog," (May God be with you on your way). And the guests would say: "Dios ti agbati." (May the Lord stay with you). Notice that the Lord was very much a part of our movements, going or coming. That means that we wouldn't do anything without the presence and accompaniment of the Lord in our lives.
69 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualSigns of spring are showing up like the vine of the Clematis Armandii is producing cream colored perfumed buds, which will open the coming week. The first time it bloomed, I cut some sprigs to put in the vase. The second day I forgot about the flowers sitting in the vase. I noticed some perfume suffusing in the living room. Then I saw the clematis blooms which were the obvious source of that delicious fragrance. What a beautiful gift of God from the garden!
68 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualHave you noticed how some businesses like a bank or a home insurance try their luck at cheating their customers? Unbelievable, but they tried their cheating on me, their customer.
65 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThis is their technique. The insurance sent a wad of documents with big letters saying: "This is Not a Bill." Therefore I set it aside, waiting for their proper bill. Well, what do you know, another wad of documents arrived but with their warning: Late payment. Penalty #10.00. That made me feel like a bull that sees red. I called their agency right away and told them the unfairness of their "$10.00 late payment penalty" which was not applicable since I never received their proper bill. The woman agent who took my call said that she had the same documents on her table. She made the correction that same minute.
65 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAnother case, I paid a bill 3 (three) days ahead of the due date at Chase Bank. Their invoice arrived with the (you guess it) $10.00 late payment penalty. I called them lightning speed, that my payment was made 3 days ahead of the due date, and that they have to be dreaming to be charging me late payment penalty charge. Of course, (shame on them!) they made the proper correction.
65 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThis is my conclusion: They must be making a list of their customers of a certain age group that they think they can CHEAT easily. They will have a hard time cheating me because I record in my Day-Timer book every payment I make. So they better cross my name out of their CHEAT LIST.
65 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAnother cheating company: It's an e-mail provider out-sourced company, MyExcel, in the PI. My Credit Union always debited from my account to pay my monthly bill to my e-mail provider through the years. However, that out-sourced office in the PI claimed that I never paid my bills in July and August of the other year.Two copies of statements of the payments were showing the amounts paid for $2.50 each of the two months. The total payment for the 2 months was $5.00. Still, that out-sourced office claimed I never paid. That $5.00 if converted to pesos was 215.00 pesos. That was a lot of pesos for anybody.The credit union was helpless dealing with an out-sourced office. We were at an impasse. And I was tired of wrangling with them. If they thought that cheating people of 215.00 pesos would give them easy membership to millionaires' row, they can have it but with God's comeuppance they themselves created it. That was. in the final analysis, between God and themselves. I dropped them and got me another e-mail provider with better service.
65 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThere is a song with title: "Let the Chips Fall Where They May." Dear reader, this is one that should intrigue you.
63 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualSome people invite themselves to come to your place. Remember, you didn't invite them. But you say they are welcome. Meantime, you go to Sears to buy bed linens for them to use.
63 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThey arrive, and the sons have the run of your household. They go use (without asking your permission) your stationary bike in the rec room. They don't ask you how to use the bike.
63 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAfter their visit, you go to your bike to exercise. The bike can't work anymore. The cord was busted because you were not asked how they were to use the bike. Evidently, they tightened it over the max. You had to call the house doctor to come fix it for you at a charge of $50.00.
63 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualNext, you go to collect the bed linens they used to throw them in the wash. Surprise, you can't find any linens. You try to look around. Still no linens. This is odd, you think to yourself. These are the first kind of guests who take away the linens with them. Is that their practice in their tribe? Maybe they'll mail them back after they get them washed? That was way over 10 years ago but the linens were not mailed back.
63 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualTwice, you sent by e-mail a question, it never got answered. You conclude it's useless communicating with their tribe. You feel you're being intrusive, so you quit associating with that tribe.
63 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualTina Ouano (born Pacis), the youngest of my brother Augusto Pacis , is in the throes of worrying over her son, Miguel Ouano, who is hospitalized for a rare kind of cancer. Besides our combined prayers to God, I'm suggesting for her to bring some DVD with funnies or laughable content to entertain Miguel and help him forget his ailment. Also, to bring to him CDs with music that is the kind that interests Miguel. Music has therapeutic powers. (Because I play the piano, I never get sick). And to search the Internet for prayers to St. Rita of Cascia, who is a powerful intercessor for the case that they have with Miguel. Whispered prayers to God coming from our MyHeritage family group who can read this (with your praying for somebody, you're already prayed for) will also wield the power to lift Miguel out of his misery. The Ouano Family will be expressing their thanks to God for your loving prayers for them and their son, Miguel.
61 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen we do something good for somebody, it comes back to us as big rewards from God. Example: During the Japanese occupation in the PI, the soldiers, because of the war, were classified as the enemy. When three soldiers showed up at our house begging for rice, with their helmets in hand, my mother didn't hesitate but filled their helmets with rice. My mother looked at them as people who needed to survive, and were hungry. What was God's generous reward for my mother's generosity? God made us all safe from the ravages of the war, He kept us all in good health, (no illnesses) that it was not hard for us to evacuate to the country by just walking and carrying our provisions and clothing on our heads.
60 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAnother example: Long before I was born, there was small pox epidemic. My mother was always collecting onion skins, which were used as home remedy to ease the itch of the affected skin. There were those who would approach my mother asking her to share with them if she had onion skins. She would readily share whatever she had. The reward? The ghost of the small pox disease never made its visit to our family, by God's blessing.
60 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis Pascual"Family is forever." This is the motto of My Heritage. I'm a great believer. Firstly, I thank God for having put me in with the group of my Pacis family, and I'm proud to be a member of it. That includes my second family nucleus of the Pascual family, Secondly, we are thankful to God for our accomplishments, the Pacis family and the Pascual family. We owe everything to God.
52 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen I was invited to join My Heritage, I felt like balking, looking at it as one big responsibility. But, God changed my attitude 180 degrees. I looked at it then as one "fun work." From then on, I started that 180 degree change and happily worked on our profiles, starting from my parents, then my siblings, my Hubby and my daughters, and of course myself.
52 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen you look at a structure of a house, all you see is its framework, no walls, no floor, no roof. Not much of a house, is it? It's the same as looking at photos and names in the pages of My Heritage. Is there anything interesting about this person, or what has this person contributed to society? Guests looking at those photos have questions but those photos end up being meaningless. Better to put some messages that can intrigue the viewer.
51 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualPhotos and names plastered all over the pages of My Heritage are not worth a nickel without any message, or profile story. When you look at a newspaper and you see pictures but they don't have an explanation what they are for on the page, wouldn't you wonder what those pictures are for? You would probably just trash it. Therefore, you wouldn't want to trash your own pictures for their lack of that lacking message, would you?
51 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen I was young, the unspoken law in our household was "Be seen, not heard." I never complained about that law. I took advantage of it. How? I internalized things that I heard. I packed them all in my memory bank, so that today, all I do is retrieve them and they are ready to be posted on the pages of My Heritage. Talk about an unspoken law that could be the cause of a child's discomfort and unhappiness---all put to good use. It all depends on how a child takes it, or sees it. " If you can't lick them, join them," the saying goes. Just plain smart thinking. Capisce? So, today, I'm loaded with things to write about in My Heritage. As a result, the pages in our profiles are not left blank, or plain useless, with just faces and names that don't mean anything or don't say anything to the guest viewer.
48 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualA finance officer of Chase was practically crying on my shoulders while we talked on the phone yesterday. He called to check on my accounts, about questions I may have, advice and suggestions he could give me and more, as a part of their customer relation better service. I happened to utter the old WaMu and it caused him to get teary eyed, I could hear him sniffling. To empathize with him, I said: "I didn't know whether to cry, or scream, or go berserk after that debacle within WaMu, I also suffered some financial loss but I feel there is no use living in what is past. God will compensate those who faced their losses." Being a finance officer of WaMu's past, he must have been heavily invested in the company, that he practically put all "his eggs in one basket."
43 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThis is the famous season of the year, income tax time. I just sent my tax estimate. Then, I went to play the piano to rest my brain of figures, amounts, etc. What do you know? The piece on the piano is: "The Best Things in Life Are Free." It says: "The moon belongs to everyone, the stars belong to everyone. They gleam there for you and me. The flowers in spring---. The robins that sing---, The sunbeams that shine---They're yours and mine---And love can come to everyone---The Best Things in Life Are Free." Won't it be a beautiful world to live in if all things are free?
40 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI think there is just a thin veil between this world and the world of the spirits. But I imagine they are endowed with triple our earthly intelligence. They could be observing us, which is something unfair because we can't observe them. They move around with ease, not by walking, but by flying, going through walls, not needing to open doors. Isn't that marvelous way to be? Then, they don't entertain physical emotions like humans on earth have: no anger, no hate, no bilious envy, no superiority complexes, no meanness, (they are experts on the Golden Rule). They are living in Spiritual Divinity. They should come lecture us on earth how to live in their domain.
40 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhat's great about their spirituality is they don't have chores we have to do on earth: they don't need to clean house, they don't need to clean their bodies, they don't have to shop, they don't cook, they don't eat, But I like the fact that they worship God with music of singing. They have a huge building of a library, thus they read a lot. Both activities, reading and music, are both up my alley. However, I wonder about who maintains their beautiful gardens, or maybe they have plants of a different classification that don't need continual care like the plants we have on earth.
40 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhat amazes me is even by their leaving this earth, their love and respect for family is well instilled in them. I experienced the unexpected visit of a grand-nephew of mine, Miguel Ouano, who is already a new member of the spiritual domain, God bless his holy soul. How was it that he found our address, I have communicated with his Mom, Tina Ouano, my niece, (daughter of my brother, Augusto), only by e-mail. The day he joined the angelic chorus, I heard music strain of cymbals, mi-do-re, at our patio, while I was in the kitchen. He knew where to position himself so that I could hear the music strain of the cymbal. Putting lyrics on to the mi-do-re, he was saying: "I'm Mi--guel."In spite of the fact that we never met him, it impressed and amazed me that he came by to bid farewell to family. I thank him for doing what he did. We love him for his thoughtfulness.
40 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualTina, Miguel's Mom, says he was into bass guitar. I'm not too familiar with the modern musical instruments today, so the cymbal musical strain I heard must have been from a bass guitar. That makes sense.
40 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualMy Heritage, if you didn't know, is melding family members on this blessed earth with members that are already a part of the spiritual domain. You can say that the word family is written on their foreheads (on imaginary terms). There may be those who have no feeling of belonging, and that's their prerogative, if that's their choice. Nobody is forcing them if they have no feeling of connectivity. What for did God create families? He had His Divine purpose, which nobody can fathom. But His purpose, will show the reason as life goes on. Then people will finally think and say: "So, that's why God created families because they are for a purpose which at first we never realize."
40 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI belong and I'm a member of two families, the Pacis and the Pascuals and I thank God for making me belong. There are a lot of reasons for making me happy and thankful for God making me a part of these families. And they are all in my memory bank. For sure, God has orchestrated the scenario we are in. It's all in His Divine Purpose. Hallelujah to our Lord!!!
39 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualIt's amazing to me how problems all crop up at almost the same time. And they strike us as almost insurmountable and overwhelming. Just like magic, God provides us the pieces with which we solve them. And almost without our awareness, those problems get solved. In other words, in a bunch, those problems crop up and almost like magic, they get solved. Just like that. It's because God is there guiding things around, and orchestrating them to bring about the happy solution. Thank you, dear Lord, for being our problem solver!!!
37 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualUnbelievable, I just finished e-filing my 2012 tax returns. And get this--zero taxes! That's as a result of reviewing and reviewing, and voila, not a single red cent for the IRS. I'm sure, God orchestrated the happy result. Thank you, dear Lord, for your guidance for me in my finances. And it was accepted by the IRS besides. I feel like I just won a billion dollars!!!
36 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI have put messages in My Heritage, and 9 gracious family members responded. That's quite a record, even if I may say so myself. I'm of the belief that this is the website we can leave our messages and our thoughts, and/ or our wisdom and spiritual thinking. That includes our heartfelt wishes of sympathy to the families whose family members have joined the angelic chorus. Could there be any better way of communicating than using this website of My Heritage for our families?
35 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI received an e-mail from a company that is giving warning to people who are enrolled in FB. It says you can stick with FB at your own peril, because you can be hacked if you stay with that website. You can remember: "To be or not to be." So, what will it be, be safe, or be hacked? It's your choice.
34 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualYears ago i was enrolled with FB.Then they asked me to update my profile. I complied. But when I read the result of my update, it didn't sound anymore like the update I did. It was entirely different, and it looked like they "doctored" the update I sent. Since there was no point in wrangling with people who are of a different intelligence, I opted to be disenrolled. That was over 3 years ago that I have been free from their website. To be hacked can result in "headaches" for anybody, producing problems you could never foresee. The company that gave the warning is God's instrument in helping people be safe from being hacked.
34 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWith the above experience, I deduce that those who work there don't have any respect for people. If that's how they run their business, then God is telling me to get out ASAP and not be a victim of their shenanigans.
34 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThis is the number to call to stop telemarketers from harassing your phone: 1-888-382-1222. Guaranteed to give you peace of mind.
Lord make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt , faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
27 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualGod's generosity through people is always happening, even at times we don't expect it. My daughter, Beatriz, and I went to the Safeway store to pick up some items. At the check stand, there was a gentleman customer who was just through paying for his purchases. We were next in line, and I said to the checker that I forgot my Safeway card. The checker asked me if I could give him the number from memory. I said 'no.' The customer ahead of us offered the use of his Safeway card. I asked the checker if that was allowed. He said 'yes.' With that, he used the other customer's card. And I thanked the gentleman for his generosity. Like I just said, God's generosity through people happens when we least expect it. Thank you, dear Lord!
19 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAlmost 15 years ago, one winter's climate was so mild it felt like the winter took a vacation. Trouble with that is that the insect population multiplied fast. The next summer, we were facing insects in multiplied numbers.
14 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThe newspaper boy delivers and leaves the paper on the door mat in front and we bring it in not knowing that the fleas have congregated inside the pages of the paper. Without our knowing, they find themselves in the warmth of the carpeting, each flea delivers 10 eggs, the other fleas multiply likewise. In a matter of hours, we are infested with fleas.
14 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI went shopping and I anxiously asked other customers what to do with flea infestation. One lady customer told me to go to the vet who would sell me 'bombs' and other items that will crush the fleas out of existence.
14 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualAt the vet's he sold me 'bombs' to use upstairs and downstairs. After turning them on, the girls and I would leave the house for 4 hours, go to and stay at the library within that time, read and do reference work, etc. After that, we would go home, vacuum the floor of the expired fleas, open the windows to air the house, light up candles to kill the smell, and turn on the fans as well. We would do the same procedure on the third and fifth day.
14 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualThe vet also sold me naphthalene balls to put on the door mat By the way, the neighbors' cat loved sitting on our doormat which made him the ready host for the fleas. I also asked the gardener to spray the yard to kill the fleas that were proliferating outside.
14 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWe got rid of the problem at the cost of almost $200.00. I thanked God for the lady customer who told me about going to the vet. It's always through God's generosity where we get solutions to our problems!!!
14 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWhen I used to go to school, I would pass by properties of different personalities. One would be beautifully landscaped, with different varieties of flowering plants, vines, shrubs, trees. I would feel inspired just at the sight of God's creation growing in that property. It created, in me, positive energy. The reason? Because the property, which has become a garden, was glorifying God. No less.
12 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualNext property I passed by was as blank as a blackboard: Not one stick of flowering plant or shrub was growing there. My spirit reacted: I felt depressed, my spirit, instead of soaring with inspiration, felt sunk. I reacted with negative energy. Why? Because the property owner wasn't glorifying God, which affected my spirit automatically. In other words, we either see God in one property, or we don't see God at all. That's why God created this Universe for us to emulate and copy into our personal world, our properties, if we are lucky to have one.
12 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualTengo algo de un sueno que en poco tiempo, hablaran Taiwanese en Cabugao porque es un centro de comercio y los Taiwanese estan mejorando el municipio, y hay signos de progreso.
7 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI went to Neighbor Care Clinic for check up. As my daughter and I were about to leave, a pretty Filipino nurse showed up. My seeing her this time gave me a mental block on what her name was. As we talked, I blurted out, 'Eloise,' and she was very flattered that I remembered her name. Actually, I, myself, was taken aback for my saying her name because I couldn't recall it. I attributed it to my guardian angel for whispering the nurse's name into my mind because my memory for her name after 10 years of not seeing her was a total feat for my brain.
4 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualI thanked my guardian angel (her name to me is Anita) for helping me out in my memory department. Guardian angels are our great helpers in everyday matters.
4 days ago
Ellis Mary Henrietta Pacis PascualWe applied dolomite lime on top of the soil, raked it in shallowly, to sweeten the soil acidity, and we measured its ph before that. Before planting, we had to apply inoculant to the peas and bean seeds. We should expect healthy growing vegetables for this summer, with God's blessing.We'll have a feast on veggies fresh from the garden, a perfect way to get back our property taxes.
Example: They leave with you their phone number. You call them, just out of respect. And the person is at a class. You're told to call back at 6:00 pm. You do as told. Their phone just rings. You try again later. What do you know, they take you for a stupid nincompoop. You hear clicking sounds on their phone, which means they don't want to answer, or they don't want to be bothered. For you, one disappointment is one too many. You cross their names out of your phone list.
People of those ilk are not worth an iota of your attention, your respect (they already demonstrated their disrespect for you anyway), your social graciousness. Dogs have more manners than people of those ilk. Enough said.
--Honor God by constantly raising your standards.
--If you cannot say something positive, silence is the best
alternative.
--Thoughts are causes, and circumstances are the effects.
--Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,and
whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
--Life is far too short to be held captive by the negativity
of others.
--Your greatest asset is God working in you and through
you, and this is best accomplished by allowing God's
Word to abide in you.
surroundings, especially the things you read,
watch, and listen to, as well as the words
and images that consistently capture your attention.
WHERE you are, reinforces WHO you are.
--The power of gratitude is undeniably immense.
--Gratitude expands joy, and entitlement shrinks it.
--By giving more gratitude, you get to keep more joy.
--There is a special bonus when you appreciate others.
It increases not only their value but yours as well.
man.
--Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can
identify people by their actions.
--Whatever you give your attention to, expands in your
experience.
--Emotional strength is not about denying your problems.
It is about acknowledging a far greater power--
affirming God rather than affirming your woes.
thoughts that are responsible.
--God promises that all your actions produce reactions,
that what you sow in thought or deed, you shall
certainly reap.
--Remember, what gets impressed in your heart, gets
expressed in your circumstances.
People who are LOW-MINDED have VERY LOW ALTITUDE.
-When the world is against us, God is still for us.
-When people try to push us down, God can still lift us up.
(The picture here is that the negative people are left behind in the dust with their negative intentions keeping them company with the D-E-V-I-L).
"God gives gifts, not miserly, but abundantly."
"When you are full of yourself, God can't fill you."
"With God, work matters as much as our worship. Indeed, work can be worship."
I'm with you 100%, Mark. Well said.
-Live within your means.
-Avoid debt ---Porter Stansberry
with MONEY THEY DON'T HAVE,
to IMPRESS PEOPLE THEY DON'T LIKE. Author unknown
During Lent, Fr. Delaney gave lectures on the "Life of Christ" that filled us with food for thought for the Lenten Season.
language depending on the language of the person they
talked with.
profile story. When you look at a newspaper and you see pictures but they don't have an explanation what they are for on the page, wouldn't you wonder what those pictures are for? You would probably just trash it. Therefore, you wouldn't want to trash your own pictures for their lack of that lacking message, would you?
To be hacked can result in "headaches" for anybody, producing problems you could never foresee. The company that gave the warning is God's instrument in helping people be safe from being hacked.
Lord make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt , faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.