My Family ARE My Friends

Facebook is really great! You are able to peek through the lives of different people: People who once had a very active status in your life and people who now have a very active status in your life. The chismosa in me makes me curious about the lives of my friends from way back. I have had a lot of good friends. I had friends to laugh and have fun with, friends whom I can share my dreams and frustrations with. Now, I don't get to see them often. Some, I don't get to see at all. We somehow lost touch with one another. The busy tide of life may have allowed us to drift away in all sorts of directions. Being too far away from each other may have stretched the strings of friendship too long and too taut at the brink of snapping. Some do snap but some strings just kept on growing longer and longer, giving you time to be busy. Knowing that someday life will find a way to bring back the friendship as strong as it used too. 

Being a stay at home mom with a work at home job has it perks: 

1. You don't have to deal with the poor transportation system in our country- heavy traffic and broken down MRT.

2. You get to spend quality time with your children. My favorite part is that I am able to cuddle, kiss and hug them, anytime of the day. You are able to help them with school and teach them good values, discipline, and the importance of being happy and loving God and their faith.

3. You are able to take in home duties, mom and wife responsibilities with ease.  

But I admit, I sometimes feel a pang of loneliness. Working outside of home allows you to develop friendships with your colleagues. Facebook is great but sometimes it's not too great too. Especially, when you are in a hormone charged emotional- just before your period-mode. Looking at the happy faces of your friends from a certain stage of your life having bonding moments with their current friends makes you feel a little left out. You lose a sense of belonging. You know in your heart that you are completely positively happy for them. But you also know in your heart that you also yearn to belong once more to a certain group of friends, whom you can simply be happy with.

I recently attended the Kerygma Conference, "Lifted High" by Bo Sanchez. He preached about a very simple message: People before things. He applied this principle in having a relationship with your friends. He said that if you place your friends (people) before things. If you give value to your friendships, then in times of need, your friends will be there for you. Again, it had me thinking, "Who are my friends?" It seems as if I had no one left. But then Bro. Bo said, "Your friends are those people who are willing to give his/her life up for you." And then it dawned to me that I do have very good friends.





60th Birthday Celebration of Mama and Papa

They are willing to risk their lives for me. They are taking care of me- have been taking care of me, ever since we were little. I was dependent on them as a child and even until now as a grown woman. They are looking after me. Giving me words of advice every now and then. Giving me suggestions and freedom to choose. They will always be there for me. They will love me, no matter who or what I become. And I will always look up to them and emulate them and love them no matter who or what they become too. They are my siblings...my sisters, my brothers, my sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law and my parents. They are my friends. My family, my friends.

The other half of Sunshine 9 in California, USA

I am surrounded by very good people. I couldn't ask for more. I once thought that friendship is a different concept from the relationship you have with your family. God made me realize that it's not. You can be friends with your husband, your children, your parents, your siblings and anyone you are related to. Look around you. Life is not so lonely after all.

My Loving In-Laws

God really knows me well. He knows that I am a homebody, an introvert. He knows that I am not outgoing and would prefer to stay at home than to party hard. God placed me smack in the middle of a vary large family. He gave me people whom I can rely on in this motherhood/parenthood/married life journey. God is giving me the right kind of 'friends' at the right kind of time. And for that I am truly blessed and thankful.