Six months of M ♡

I struggle to find the balance between capturing every moment and wanting to keep your laughter a secret between us.

For Mother's Day, my sister wrote me the sweetest poem:

Little hands and little feet A swift nine months, we finally meet Every day that passes, you grow into something a little new But no matter what age you'll be In my heart, you belong to me.

I am grateful for my family. Thankful for my village. We prayed for a healthy and happy baby boy. I believe our faith-filled prayers did not fall on deaf ears. They fertilized the soil in which God's promises were planted.

He is Tino; he is me; he is every answered prayer.

'22 in Review

Ah, what a whirlwind the end of 2022 was for me. A pity the deadlines trickled into 2023, but ...ok.(lol idk wut to say cuz meh)

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This post was scheduled for December, but it wasn't quite finished until now. Honestly, I just wasn't ready to share.

2022 felt like a desert to me. The world opened its doors, and I was going to get my whole life back; instead, it overwhelmed me. Opportunities that I thought were ripe for picking dried up in my anticipation of something better. Career, personal goals, hobbies - mirages in a desolate wasteland, like I was aimlessly walking with no sense of direction. Barren from a season of waiting, I was dry and thirsty from carrying all my burdens.

The amazing thing about deserts is the oasis you find in desperate moments. In the quiet, I learned to seek the soft voice in all my head noise. The peace in the reminder that the God that placed my feet on mountains is the same one that walks with me through the lowest of my valleys.

In the desert, I was reminded that the burdens of my heart are welcomed to be laid at His feet.

A few battles this year & the Word I choose to place my foundation on:

• I prayed for a change in circumstance, and the answer received was to change our character and outlook on life. We had to check who we looked to for strength and security. This one hit hard when we decided for Tino to quit, rest and refocus.

  • James 1:2-3 - 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

  • Jeremiah 49:11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

• Discontentment & wrestling with the fact that a Christian life deviates from worldly expectations, comforts, and recognition. How often is this verse misquoted to frame God within our own will and plans? This verse isn’t a promise that things will go our way. The truth of Paul's words from a prison cell was that God was still with him though his circumstances were bleak. It's a reminder to keep my eyes on Jesus.

  • Philippians 4:11-13 - 11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, there with to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

• People's opinions of me weighed heavily on my mind & heart, especially those who willfully tried to misunderstand my character without even trying to get to know me. But why trouble my heart with those thoughts when I am already known? Not only am I fully known by God, I am deeply loved by Him as well. Humbly reminded that He is the God that pursues and changes hearts, even mine.

  • Psalm 139:1 - You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

We are looking toward the Promise Land this year. New year, same God.

& it was called Yellow

Look at the stars, look how they shine for you and all the things you do ⭒

This is how I'll remember your 20s - always on my couch studying for some test, napping, or bingeing your current Netflix obsession with a bowl of pasta. You've called it your own room, and my couch has never quite recovered from your visits. Of course, Mochi is never too far away. I have more shots of your naps, but I know those are far less appreciated hehe.

Photographs don't capture the valleys you walked through and the mountains I watched you climb in your past decade. I'm so proud of who are and that you're stepping into a new chapter more sure of yourself and unafraid of your future. Thank you for letting me hold your hand during our midnight sessions expressing vulnerabilities and hopes for this short life. I appreciate that you give love freely and you welcome me to take part in your victories. You are so loved.

Happiest birthday to my sakay o patay, my business partner, secret keeper & the reason this blog exists.