"Peace Begins with a Smile"-Mother Teressa-

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“One Person”

My ultimate goal is to change the lives of people. Studying to be a teacher is hard. All of the classes that are required, all of the practicums, and all of the time spent just to become a teacher is stressful, but the thought of being able to help just one person changes everything.

It takes one person to be a light in someone’s life. It take one person to be a helping hand. It takes one person to change an unmotivated, broken life, and make it brand new. Teachers are those people. We motivate students to do their best, we guide students to success when no one else will, and we are always available to listen. One teacher can change the lives of thousands of students. That is my motivation.

I know that after college, I will be a teacher, a guider, a counselor, and a friend to so many students. No matter how many bad days I have or how many times I want to quit, I just think of what is to come in the future. I can be that change this world needs, even if its in a small high school classroom. It just takes one person.

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Detaching Myself From Someone I Really Care About

Detaching from a person is different than detaching from an object or activity/ superficial thing.

When you detach yourself from someone, it doesn’t mean that you close yourself off to this person. Being detached doesn’t automatically entail that you are making yourself emotionally unavailable to someone. It only means that you love this person without necessarily idealizing them to be a certain way. It means that you love someone without expecting anything in return.

When you are able to establish a sense of detachment in spite of your love for one another, then you are able to establish space between the two of you that will allow you to breathe easily. Detachment can help relieve the two of you of any unnecessary stress and pressure that you bring onto yourselves

As the famous poet, Khalil Gibran says, “Let there be spaces in your togetherness. And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.”

Even is to painful for me to let them go and to detach to the bond that we had I kwon that’s the better way to know our worth more and to see the world upside-down.

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“SUCCESS”-Is Achieved One Step at a Time”

It is not the final success that remains in your heart or brings you satisfaction; it is the day – after day dedication and endless belief, you have in yourself that endures and continues to push you on.

 It is looking ahead, not behind, it is knowing that by taking one-step forwards, other steps will follow and the journey you are on will lead you to wherever you want to go.

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“The Things I’ve Learned in Year 2020″

2020. In years to come we’ll think of it as “the year of the pandemic.” The year that pitched curveballs at us faster than we could react. It was the year that shifted our comfort zones in more ways than we could imagine. And the year we were all part of the history that will one day be told.

“Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” Og Mandino

2020 taught us that humor is an essential tool in our mental survival toolkits. Speaking about essential things, we quickly learned how much we rely on essential workers, and who they are. We also learned that we are able to get by without many so-called “necessities.” It’s a year that took away certainty and predictability. In the beginning, we often spoke about returning to normal. Then we started self-correcting and talked about the “new normal,” as we realized things would never go back to the way they were.

2020: A Nightmare Vision

The pandemic revealed the gory innards of inequality. It exposed the differences between being rich and being poor, between being completely vulnerable and having backup resources. I’ve learned that even big organizations, countries and economies are fragile, and how it impacts us, the people.  And, talking about countries and economies, the pandemic emphasized the peril of living in countries steeped in corruption, poor management and an absence of planning. Those governments simply couldn’t respond to the challenges the pandemic presented. So, in 2020 we also learned to think carefully about who we vote for.

Domestic violence came under the spotlight, too. I’ve learned that home isn’t a safe space for everyone. On the contrary, for some people sheltering at home means being in the most dangerous place they can be 24/7. Although it was a year that brought much heartache and loss, it was also a year that taught me to adapt, persevere and overcome. In the quote above, Og Mandino implied that every challenge contains the seed of learning, as well as lessons that will prepare us to do things better next time.

Being Lonely Together

I’ve learned to reach out to other even though I couldn’t physically go for coffee or chat at the water cooler. Colleagues, friends and family were there for support when we felt depressed. There when loneliness became a constant companion, when we felt overwhelmed.

Many people got to spend quality time with their families and rediscovered the fun of board games, DIY projects and cooking meals together. And on a personal level? To me, this year emphasized the importance of monitoring my self-talk and managing my thinking processes. The day I heard that South Africa was going into a severe lockdown, I felt trapped and anxious, and I cried. And I remember my relatives abroad that it means they will not come home again here in the Philippines.

Live in Faith, Not Fear

That year me, my family and even my friends started to plan for travel. But, everything was change because of the pandemic. But one thing that I realized is the most important on that is love, compassion, and empathy. Now I can say that my prioritize will be my health and happiness in the coming decade. 2020 has definitely been a year for me to experientially learn more about how to live in faith, not fear.”

On Twitter, @iqurattariq shared the following wisdom, “Every day has a new lesson. There is nothing called “the perfect time” – go for it now. Prioritize your health, disrupt the self-destruction. Make time for what matters to you and have something to look forward to that makes you happy.”

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“My Life is into Journaling”

Journal writing is an escape to a place without judgement, rules and boundaries. An antidote for those of us who judge ourselves too harshly. It doesn’t matter what paper or ink are used. In fact, the words you write don’t even require a lot of care. Spelling, grammar, wordiness, none of it matters in the moment. What matters is how you feel about what you write. Writing can be therapeutic, exhilarating and peaceful, so write down the things that you find stressful and the things that make you feel completely at peace. The only limits are the ones we place on ourselves. Writing is a place where a person can just be.

It reminds me where I’ve been and provides me with a glimpse of where I’m going. It gives me a memories that I might otherwise forget. It can gleam hope when I need that extra comfort. What are my hopes for today, tomorrow and always? What challenges I’m facing that I need to roll up? Many thoughts and emotions will fly like a kite, colorful, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.  I always pick the ones that capture my attention and put them to paper.

Journals are always there when I need them. They’re here just for me, to gather my thoughts, to share my laughter, my tears, frustration and sadness. Words are here for me today, tomorrow and always.

Here are some benefits we will get by keeping a journal:

1. It trains you to be observant. Once we make journaling a habit, we will develop the habit of being observant in all our experiences. We will get way more ideas and lessons this way. Instead of paying attention to the negative side of things, we pay attention to the positive side to extract lessons from it. Instead of taking things for granted, we look for new ideas that we can implement.

2. It prevents you from losing an idea. Have you ever gotten an idea only to lose it later because you didn’t write it down? I often experienced that myself. But then I developed the habit of writing down every idea that comes into my mind as soon as possible. If I’m away from my computer, I usually write it down on a piece of paper that I bring wherever I go. I will then transfer the idea to the journal in my computer.

3. It helps you memorize an idea. Even if we do nothing else, the act of writing helps us memorize the idea better. I often remember the things I write down without looking back at my notes.

4. It trains you to express your thoughts. I often take lessons from my experiences and write them down in my journal. Since I want to write a concise statement that summarizes the lesson, I need to think for a while to make it concise. This is a good exercise for me because over time I can express my thoughts better.

5. It helps you expand your ideas. When you try to come up with a sentence to express an idea, you are thinking actively about it. Thinking actively helps you connect your idea to another idea. At the end, you will expand your ideas.

6. It helps you review all the lessons you’ve learned. Why should you repeat the same mistakes you’ve made? By reviewing your journal, you can quickly see the lessons you’ve learned and the ideas you’ve gotten. You can do whatever necessary to avoid repeating the same mistakes. You can use the ideas to propel yourself forward.

7. It allows you to see your progress over time. After keeping a journal for years, you can look back at it and see how far you’ve gone. Things that were big problems in the past might seem small today. The raw ideas you had in the past might have been realized today. Seeing your progress motivates you to move even further ahead.

Journaling is become part of my life because it help to grow as a person who am I rights now.

 Most people question the purpose of writing a journal. People who write a journal keep it to fulfill a basic human need – “self expression and reflection” (Sagan 1).  

Writing is known as one of the easiest ways to express your personality and who you truly are. You can write in a journal without having anyone judging you – unless you chose to have someone else read it of course. You may reflect on your writing while you are writing your journal/diary entries. Then, once you have expressed your thoughts, you can even go back to your past entries to reflect on what you have said before. Reflecting on your writing can help you develop as a person. It helps you think through a situation and possibly solve it. Reflections help generate ideas for how to improve as an individual. But really, it’s entertaining to re-read past memories and see how much

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“Something I’ve Learned on Myself”

The last few months had been the most intense, stressful, life-changing, but also impactful months of my life. Due to a lot of circumstances, my  life took a lot of changes, that I need to have some reflection, soul-searching, and identity awareness. During that process, I learned new things about myself that took some time to acknowledge.

                 I AM STRONGER THAN I THINK I AM

With my anxiety and stress, it's quite the norm for me to think of myself as weak. few months ago, there was no way I could look in the mirror and say the words, "You are strong." A part of me felt ready to give up. Everything seemed fuzzy in my mind. Emotions were running extraordinarily high. Then one morning, after a night of aggressively writing in my journal, I woke up with the realization that it wouldn't be selfish of me to do something for me in that moment. I knew what I had to do, and that was to silent for a moment, to reflect. It was there in my bedroom, surrounded with my nieces and nephew (and lots of  food), that I began to look deep within myself. I've been through a lot in my life. I've overcome so much in  a years of existence. If I could get through some of the worst before, I could overcome this. After my long bonding's with my nieces and nephews, I feel I’m like a new woman. "I'm stronger than I think I am." This time in my life will not define me, but it'll continue to mold me into the woman I am. And that woman is adventurous. She's driven. She's powerful. She's strong. She's got this. She is amazing woman with good heart.

 I'VE DEVELOPED AN INCREDIBLE SUPPORT SYSTEM AROUND ME

I remember one line on television series The Tudors where Catherine of Aragon says if she had to choose between extreme happiness and extreme sorrow, she'd always choose sorrow because then she would know she was not alone. While in her speech she was referencing religion, I am referring to the support system that developed around me without hesitation and with nothing but love. For a while, I kept a lot to myself. I didn't want anyone, not even some of my closest friends, to be in on what was going on in my personal life. Then one day, I realized I desperately needed support. Hiding and keeping things to myself was not the healthiest way to go about it, and so I finally reached out to a few people, even some I was surprised I found myself reaching out to. They dropped everything to come sit on my bed with me and cry on it. Not one of them judged me. Not one of them was angry with me or disappointed in me. Instead, they lended their ears, their hearts, and their love.

                                        I AM HAPPY

This one took some time to be able to acknowledge. This has been the roughest, most challenging and heartbreaking time in my life, and yet, after months of reflection, soul-searching, and time to myself, I know can really admit that I am happy. I wake up each morning with a renewed sense of purpose. I have spent the last few months getting to know myself all over again and to know what I am truly capable of as a human being and as a woman. I am taking control of my life one step at a time, and that first step is realizing that I am strong and that I am happy. These strengths will help carry me into the next chapter of my life as I move forward towards the unknown, which no longer seems to frighten me.

But what have these things taught me about myself? Losing a some relationship but gaining a new kind of friendship, embarking on a new chapter of my life, refocusing on my students life, and even my realization as to who my true friends are throughout all of this, these are the things that have transformed me into the woman I am today compared to few months ago.

There are some days I don't feel like I am almost 30-years old. Some days I still feel like that 17-year old girl moving out of her parents' house for the first time, which then makes me feel as if I am not ready to handle the things life has thrown my way. But not feeling ready doesn't mean I won't overcome or achieve balance. Every step is as important as the last. Life can be like one giant knot, and each day you find yourself pulling a new thread that pulls apart the knot until it is no more. I've been learning to give myself a little more credit, and that part of my continuing growth in this new transition and all the challenges and hardships I've encountered have allowed me to find myself again, to learn new things about myself - to become Glezel again, the better and happy Glezel.

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“When we Are Stumble, God is There Holding Our Hand”

If the Lord delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24)

I love watching my nephews and nieces babies learn to walk. They are hesitant to take their first step but as soon as someone nearby grabs their hand they can walk around the room–and then some! All it takes is the strength of the hand holding them up and they can do it. Sometimes the adult hand is hardly even grabbing the baby’s hand, but just knowing that hand is there gives them the courage to go on for their first step.

I have to admit there are days and times where I feel I have no courage left. I don’t know how I will take that next step. I feel so alone and misunderstood. That no one want to be around me.

But then I am reminded through the Scripture that God is with me always. He will lift me up.  Psalm 37:23-24 says, “A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord holds his hand” (Holman Christian Standard Bible).

What a great reminder that it’s God who establishes my steps. God takes pleasure in my life and has a purpose for it–however limited I may feel my life is. And even though I may fall, I will not be overwhelmed because God holds my hand. Wow! Such amazing things I’ve learn in my life.

Loneliness often accompanies my pain; the thought of God holding my hand during my lowest times is encouraging. Almost instantly I don’t feel so alone anymore and the courage I was lacking rises to the surface. I can go on because I have His strength upon which to lean.

It’s God who is holding me up and keeping me from falling. Amazing!

 Sometimes we tends to forget that God is with us all the time and holding our Hand because we always focus on the problem we’ve experience. We need to take a moment of silent to hear and feel the presence of God, always remember we are touch by God, hold by God.

Dear God, thank you so much for holding my hand during my darkest moments and for giving me the courage to go one more step, to go one more moment! Thank you for always lifting me up when I fall. Guide me to be your hand for others.

 Amen.

# God Hand is Holding Me

[zhel06]

Never Give Up, Have Courage

There will be moments when the only thing left is for you is to question your existence. Life can be so damned hard for each of us. There are always days when we get so lonely and depressed. When we cry. When the world has lost its colors. When the rest of the world is happy and you are not.

There will be times when we lose all reasons for living; and problems will seem so hard that we wish there was no such thing as tomorrow. But then again, we should also know, that they are just another bitterness in life trying to twist the personage in each of us; and corrupt our perceptions about life.

When these times happen, do not succumb to the temptations of giving up. Yes, to live is to suffer and the only way to be happy is to suffer willingly. Often, the worst of times yields the best lessons in life. We have to go on in life's extremes. We don't have to give up.

 As the famous poet, philosopher, and artist Kahlil Gibran said,

"When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that, in truth, you are weeping for that which has been your delight."

Don’t let the reality of life destroy our dreams. Don’t give up. We owe it to ourselves to never let go of our dreams, goals or hopes. They give meaning to our life. That is why we’ve held on to them for so long. We know we’ve tried our best and put up the best fight anyone could ever have asked of us. Even when our closest supporter, shows loss of belief in us, and even walks away, don’t let it stop our fight. Keep going till we succeed. Otherwise we have suffered, and struggled for nothing. Stick to what we are trying to do. After spending the time we have already, suffering from whatever pain it has brought, it would be such a waste to just give up.

So, be brave, keep fighting, hold on to our dreams and never give up ever in life! Keep going until we win. Not giving up ever in life must be what we stand for. Success comes to people who have the courage to keep going no matter the obstacles.

“Always remember Put God in the Center of our Life because A life Without God is Meaningless”

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                       “TikTok is a very Hot Topic For todays World”

TikTok is the app that lets users watch, share and create videos for others to see. Users can create their own or use someone else’s sound. TikTok has a lot more updates. This is an app where people can show off their talent such as dancing, singing, artistic skills or just spreading knowledge

TikTok was launched about three years ago with 500 million active users worldwide. Creating them can be a fun way to bond with others, get out to the comfort zone and maybe even get famous from it. Just like Instagram and other social media apps, there is a way to become a verified user. This means that we would have a checkmark next to our name. To get verified, a user must either have a lot of followers and views on his or her content, be famous on another platform or be invited by the TikTok staff. .

I think the app is very entertaining, but it is very distracting and once you get sucked on it, it’s very hard to stop and focus on other things. And most of the time I saw my nieces into TikTok.

TikTok makes it easy to see what other kids our age in other places do. It is an easy way to stay connected and add and follow your favorite content creators. There are many filters and effects that you can use to make videos more funnier or with whatever effect you are trying to get. It teaches and helps people get out of their shells. A wide range of videos and where you can learn about new things are on TikTok, and it also helps kids who are thinking about going into film, with the ability to create skits and edit making it a fun and easy way to show people your skills and to learn at a young age.

Now TikTok became the “Lingua Franca” of the young generation today and they really in to it. Now that we know that TikTok is the common app use by the young why not for us to use it to hook the attention of the young by posting some content that will help them to  balance they lives. For example spreading the words of God in TikTok, inviting young people to be more courageous ones.

We know that this app has a positive and negative effects for the young ones it’s time for us to be there to help them to see what they need and what they don't need.

# Be inspiration

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                                     “EDUCATIO IS LIFE”

Education is one of the vital aspects of one’s life. It makes a person able to reach his/her worth as an existing being. It creates wonderful chances for us to discover more about ourselves and abide with many varied changes that are happening around us. With education, we will finds fulfillment in answering the many queries of the world. Education is life. However, despite of this wonderful reality, education took and is still taking drastic changes from the very beginning when it first started until now that we, especially Filipinos, are experiencing a 360 degree turn. 

During our class about Education many questions came into my mind about the real meaning of a good and quality education and the recent issues and changes that educational system in the Philippines is undergoing.   What is really a good education? When can we say that we attained a good quality of education? Why do we always achieve for a higher and better quality of education? Are there schools in the Philippines or at least one that offers this quality of education?  That are country are ready to the new system of education? We know that there are new educational systems and rules being adopted here in our country. That are some questions pup up into my very imaginative mind.

I think a Good quality education would also just simply mean to have the complete and essential requirements in having a good atmosphere for learning and growth of students and teachers. It would really take years of study, practice, and service to achieve the high quality of education that we want. There is no bad in adapting or patterning with other countries. This would even bring us innovations, opportunities, and growth. But what we really need now is to address first the massive shortages that we are experiencing. We should give first what Filipino students, teachers, and communities basically need to have an atmosphere for proper growth and learning. Let us not be concerned first with foreigners that would be invited in our country or the synchronization with other countries. We should think first of the needs of the Filipinos and what Philippine education system really needs. With that, the country would be fully prepared to adapt to these changes and to this new system.

# Education

# Good Quality

# Filipino

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We need a silent place to relax and to deepen our relationship to God.

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“Something That Inspired Me Today”

This morning we shared quite intimate and personal dreams that each one of us  had. I was deeply moved while meeting each other this morning about the heartfelt and open sharing of each dream of my dear fellow students. It was inspiration each for each of us, it was a gift of caring for each other and being cared for, of togetherness, of encouragement, creating joy and perspective offered to each other. I am deeply grateful for having  been part of this group of lovely people.

With the energy that Fr. Jerome shows to us inspired me to be more energetics in time to time bases of my life.