Inevitable

To love is unavoidable incident that a person must experience. To love is a human act and part of his existence. To love is capacity of a person given by God. To love is an ordinary thing that everybody wants to experience and share.

Love entails sacrifices. Love helps us grow. Love teaches us to forgive. Love invites us to serve. Love calls us to obey. Love wills happiness. Love serves the beloved. Love offers friendship. Love is Simple, Infinite, Eternal, Immutable and Immense.

Love desires only the beloved.

Unexpected

Sometimes we don't expect the things that happened to us, we didn't ask for it but it comes and sometimes it hurts us, first emotionally then followed physically and of course spiritually.
Sometimes we would like to ask God; WHY? then later I just realized this was wrong because the right question sholud be, THANK YOU!, because I know that God prepared more precious and important gift for us. JUST WAIT FOR IT. May GOD bless us all =).

Faith

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI on his Holiness based his first two encyclical letters on the two Theological virtues. On his first encyclical letter he emphasized the importance of love and for this year the importance of hope, for next encyclical letter I'll pray that he will be giving the importance of Faith in one's life.

A couple of days ago the former Salesian seminarians of Don Bosco spent their Holy Week at Don Bosco Seminary, Canlubang for the reason that traditionally as they have said they were coming and visiting this place in order to reflect, pray, and remember the experiences that they had while they were still here.

My beloved Kuya Migoy, Ryan Benedict, Marnel, and Kuya Aduane were the particular person whom I would like to emphasized on this reflection, for the reason that these persons showed me what is to hope and to love the people around me in this place, and my faith in them that even we're not in the same track I believe that we have the same goal to be in Heaven's Paradise in the presence of God, of His angels and His Saints.

I believe that all of us needs love, needs hope, and also this important thing and that is faith. according to Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta who we have known on her title when she was still alive--physically, she was called the Living Saint, WHY? because she has a lot of FAITH. She believes that Faith in action is love, and the love in action is service which the world today really need.

Today my invitation is this; Let us put in action our HOPE, our LOVE, and our FAITH!

to be edited and finished... I'm already sleepy...(sigh...) good night es'te good morning

Ad nuntius estis (For your information)

Burnout and Compassion Fatigue

Burnout has been described as a state of physical, emotional an mental exhaustion marked by physical depletion and chronic fatigue, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, negative self-concept and negative attitudes towards work, life and other people. Burnout happens to those who work too long, too hard and under too much pressure. Burnout results in a loss of enthusiasm, energy, idealism, perspective and purpose on a mental, physical, emotional and spiritual level.

Who is more prone to Burn-Out?

• Someone highly task and goal oriented.
• Someone with a high need of achieving “control” of self, other and/or the environment; is intensely competitive
• A individual who tends to be overly critical but cannot stand criticism.
• A person with excessively high personal expectations and exaggerated expectations of others.
• Someone whose work and “productive” activity is over valued and provides the major source of self-esteem and pleasure (doing is the key to being worthwhile)
• A person who takes particular satisfaction in doing things neatly and orderly (i.e., a perfectionist).
• An individual with a scarcity of non-work related interests in the form of recreation and hobbies.

The Cost of Caring: Compassion Fatigue

· When there is so much caring and too little self-caring, we experience compassion fatigue.

· Compassion fatigue is experienced when those in service professions become emotionally drained because of hearing about all of the pain and trauma of their clients.

· It is the stress brought about by listening to the pain and suffering of others, it is the emotional residue of exposure to working with the suffering.

Warning signs for Burnout and Compassion Fatigue

• Exhaustion: lack of energy associated with feelings of tiredness and trouble keeping up with one’s usual activities.
• Increased impatience and irritability.
• Change of Work style: becoming more tyrannical, demanding and inflexible.
• Detachment: Putting distance between you and other people, particularly those with whom you have close relationships.
• Paranoia: feeling unappreciated to feeling mistreated and threatened.
• Depression: Reduction and/or abandonment of recreational activities.
• Cynicism and Negativism: about self, others, work and the world in general.
• Decreased capacity for pleasure and social contacts.
• Psychosomatic Complaints: headaches, lingering colds, backaches, and similar complaints are often a result of the burnout victim’s emotional stress.

Spiritual indication of Burnout:

• Dillusionment and Disappointment with God (you feel that God is powerless to help; you feel that God has abandoned you.); discontinuance of religious practices: development of spiritual apathy.

Questions for Reflection:

• Can you feel strain of the pressure building up inside you from your ministering to others? If so, when and how will you “release” the pressure?
• “Overloading the system” will inevitably lead to a serious breakdown. In what ways are you going to “lighten/balance” the load?

TOFILUK

TO FIll your heart with LUcK!


Who gave me chocolate?

a time when I am a bit exhausted or drained (if that is the right term) because of several things to do and to finish in a short period of time. But in God's goodness and grace a consolation came, somebody gave me chocolate and placed on the top of my table. (Ang babaw ng kaligayahan ko noh?)

What important for me then is not the chocolate nor the brand of the chocolate but the name and the note that is written there, as you see it says; Ramil TofiLuk ENJOY LIFE! this is perhaps what I have forgotten these past days, because of many activities, requirements, etc... I am neglecting to ENJOY LIFE despite of many things to be done for the greater glory of God. But you know what? but because there's something reminds me: the name of the chocolate and the notes of the one who gave me the chocolate I am now encouraging myself not just to do things for the sake of doing it, but enjoying doing it with my whole heart. this may not change my life but this might be improve the quality of my life and the life of the people around me in some ways.

LUCK (n): is a chance happening, or that which happens beyond a person's control. Luck can be good or bad.

Good luck is often with the man who doesn't include it in his plans.

Chocolate has become one of the most popular flavors in the world. Gifts of chocolate molded into different shapes have become traditional on certain holidays. Giving of chocolates to somebody has a meaning, it could be a symbol of thanks, sweetness, comfort, support, care, love, friendship, trust, loyalty, etc..., that is why it is the most used gifts next to flowers which is the sign of peace, love, serenity, and comfort.

What is Intimacy?

If I have ever had experience what intimacy is, If I never been known and loved in human way, how can I know what is Love, how to Love, and how to be loved?

Do you love me?

Do you love me? This was the first words that presented to me by a person whom I really admire after he experienced a blessing and grace from God.

Do you love me? This was the only question that Jesus asked to Peter before he suffered and died on the cross. Peter answered; You know that I love you. Then, Jesus replied;"if you love me feed my sheep".

Do you love me?