Letter writing is a lost art amongst the people of today, particularly the young generation.
I, for one, love handwritten letters. I have my stack of 'em stashed up somewhere and I DO read them, every once in awhile; like say, once a year, probably. I also remember writing the load of them in my younger days (not ALL of them were mushy and professing love).
I had a pen-pal, who was actually also one of my closest friend in high school. Never mind the fact that I see her almost every day at school and once a week in tuition, I would eagerly await the day when the exchange of letters took place (usually comes with a treat on the inside too!).
Those were the days. These days, it is a long-forgotten practice.
But, imagine my surprise when I plugged in my newly repaired HD (hard drive) and noticed a letter attached. It read: To MELISSA.
Awww... From whom might it be?
A scroll down, and I found my answer.
Yes, I am guessing that it is a peace offering to make amends for an (UNAUTHORIZED) trip into my HD to view its contents, in the name of troubleshooting.
P/S: Papa Vive, peace offering received and accepted. :) Love ya too!
Mordecai's bold statement to Esther (4:14), "Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for such a time as this" is one of most profound scriptures found in the Bible that birthed courage, gave hope and revealed boldness.
It led to (what I believe as) one of the most powerful corporate prayer and fasting ever recorded in the Bible and as a result of that, the plan for a racial genocide was foiled.
It is incredibly easy to forget our dreams and forgo our destiny when challenges comes our way, where the tides of trials seem overwhelming.
But the story of Esther beautifully reminds us that in our walk in life RIGHT NOW, where we are, we were created for such a time as this. We were created for the NOW that we are at, whether or not we realise it.
Let us not lose sight on our destiny, let us not be shrouded by the "greener pasture on the other side" mentality and let us live to be the blessing and man/woman that we are called to be, at this moment in time.
Our response today determines our future tomorrow. What we do (or don't do) today has a part to play in eternity.
Choose life, choose Him.
Much love,
Melissa.
Penangites would not know what Hoagies is. It is only like THE BEST sandwich place, E.V.E.R.
I thought Subway was cool, but Hoagies kicks and stomps over Subway's rear end on any given day.
Allow me to share with you 5 (really good) reasons why Hoagies is hands down, no argument (don't argue with me, I warn you; unless you want your head to be served on a platter for me to have as dinner) the coolest sandwich joint in town.
#1. It is more price efficient than Subway (The daily sub RM 7.50 promotion only comes with A sandwich and nothing else). For that same amount, I could get a sandwich AND a drink at Hoagies.
#2. They have better-tasting bread. Subway's bread is drier and I don't like my bread tasting like the bark of a tree; I like 'em soft and fluffy.
#3. They have CHEESE sauce.
#4. They have CHEEEEESSSEEEE sauce.
#5. They have CHEEEESSSSEEEEEEEE sauce.
Here's a picture of the four of us having our last meal at Hoagies (at the time of this picture-taking, we had no idea that that meal would be our last).
Especially not when you have bought a new dress for a special occasion, spent time getting your hair done and a little over an hour plastering your face with make-up - checking and re-checking your make-up under natural and dimmed lighting, and going DIY on falsies.
It's a tragedy.
Fortunately, all is not lost. The bride has FINALLY received the pictures from her photographers and I received ONE shot of myself in my royal purple dress.
You WILL have to squint a little bit, but I assure you that it is worth it. After all, a few minutes of squinting won't cost you crow's feet (I think).
*
"In writing, we reveal things about ourselves that we sometimes never realised until that moment."
Jeffrey Berman
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#SO true, and might I add that the reveal and realisation (sometimes) does not come immediately. It is when you re-read past entries/articles/pieces written that it dawns on you. And, it is then that you learn, it is then that you discover and it is then that you fall in love with writing, all over again.
Later on, we graduated from purchasing sweet corn ice-cream cones (for her) and strawberry ice-cream cones or orange popsicles (for me) from the evening ice-cream vendor to buying tubs of Nestle sweet corn ice-cream from the supermarket.
When she passed away, the buying of sweet corn ice-cream came to a halt because no one else in my family had it, except for the both of us.
I haven't had a taste for it for a good 8 years, at least.
Two evenings ago on a whim (while grocery shopping), I walked over to the dairy section and hunted for the indigo-coloured tubs; searching for the usual. I couldn't find the flavour I missed so much but I settled for a different brand with the particular flavour.
Tonight, as I peeled away the cover and saw the sunny yellow shade, tears welled up in my eyes.
Dearest Ah Ma,
I miss sharing sweet corn ice-cream with you. I miss fighting you for the last portion of it. But most of all, in the 10 years that you have left us to be with our Heavenly Father, I miss being your grand-daughter.
Missing you,
Melissa.
and He will visit you often,
And so turn
weekdays into Sundays,
meals into sacraments,
homes into temples
and earth into heaven."
| Charles Spurgeon |
Variation of St. Francis' Prayer by Mother Theresa
Chanced upon this treasure whilst listening to Ray Charles' rendition of Amazing Grace (Absolute gold!).
This prayer was delivered by Mother Theresa when she addressed the United Nations in 1985.
"Make us worthy Lord to serve our fellow men throughout the world,
who live and die in poverty and hunger.
Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread
and by our understanding love give peace and joy.
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace.
That where there is hatred I may bring love,
That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness,
That where there is discord, I may bring harmony,
That where there is error I may bring truth,
That where there is doubt I may bring faith,
That where there is despair I may bring hope,
That where there are shadows I may bring light,
That where there is sadness I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted,
To understand than to be understood,
To love than to be loved.
For it is by forgetting self that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven,
it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Amen."
#Father, that You'll teach, strengthen and fill me with more of Your grace that I may be your messenger of light, ambassador of hope, Your hands and feet, Your voice of truth - always, all the time and all of my days.
"You can’t change today’s harvest by sowing good seeds today, but if you will determine to sow the right seeds, day in and day out, in “due season” you will reap your harvest if you faint not."
Daniel Kolenda
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#Reminded of the message I shared some 3 weeks ago - (C)ourage. (P)erseverance. (R)eward: Resuscitating God's Destiny and Dreams in Your Life.
The heavens opened, His presence filled and lingered
It is one of the most amazing of experiences - one that reaches to the very core of who we are, touching and changing - leaving us forevermore ruined for all else; hungry for more, yearning with every fiber of our being for another similiar experience.
Often times, dreams are birthed and resurrected, passion will be reignited, love found and received when we come face-to-face with such an encounter.
I'm thankful to be in the midst of such an encounter yesterday at church.
It was breathtaking, in every essence of the word.
I feel incredibly blessed to be in a church that enthusiastically welcomes the King of Glory to take His rightful place in their midst. And, He never disappoints - He showed up in style!
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"If you don't sacrifice for what you want, what you want will be the sacrifice."
Unknown
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That's really it about life; of taking chances and plucking up the courage to pursue what we want - Counting the cost and being willing to pay the price that comes with it.
We have about four months before the curtains come down on 2011, and yet another year is a wrap.
Let's make every second worth living, every breath we take a fresh reason for us to do more in life and every step we take be closer to the destiny that He has for us.
#Count the cost, pay the price - Let Jesus be the center of it all.
Much love,
Melissa.