Your mantra for the week:
“For everything in my life… thank you, Father.”
Allow your mind now to be at peace. And in this feeling, remember the One Power within and around you. Remember that you are one with It.
In your life now, there is so much to be grateful for and today is the day to remember all of them—the good that has come to us in the past and the good that is now unfolding in our lives.
It is the time to say to the One Power: Thank you for Life, thank you for Abundance, and thank you for all the Love in my life.
How often do you focus on your blessings, on the things that you should truly be grateful for, in contrast to what you consider your situations and challenges?
Once you have evolved in consciousness, you will understand what the Bible means when it says, “In everything give thanks.” No matter where your life is right now, you can say, thank you. Thank you, Father, for this life that gets better every day in every way. As I become more aware of Your presence, greater blessings always unfold in my life.
When you have developed a prosperity consciousness, you will know that abundance is really your Divine Inheritance and that everywhere, there is abundance. If there seems to be any lack, it is only because of the way you perceive it.
Your consciousness is the only thing that limits anything. Understand that the “devil” is only a literary symbol. Understand that karma begins with your thoughts, for when you do, you become totally aware that you are master and captain of your life.
No matter what the state of your body now, you can still say thank you for all that is well with it. You are well enough to be here, well enough to be reading this and be reminded that gratitude increases and multiplies the good in your life.
When there is any seeming lack in the outer, the lack is in the inner. And as you thank the Father for the abundance that is yours, supply increases, it multiplies, it expands.
Today, let us thank the Father for all the beautiful relationships that we have had… all the people who, in one way or another, uplifted us, encouraged us, guided us and loved us enough to accept all that we are—our weaknesses, our strengths, our triumphs, our so-called failures.
And there are many, many who have been the “wind beneath our wings…” many who were there when we needed them most, many who said, “You are all right, you can do it, I am here for you, I will share my strength with you and I will go through life ready to assist you in any way I can.”
How grateful we must be for these people. Surely, they have enriched our lives. Surely, they have been channels of our good.
Our parents, no matter what their shortcomings were, always gave their love in the best way they could. Thank you to those who also helped our parents care for us: our teachers, who began to open our eyes to what life could be; our caregivers, who all helped us evolve toward what we are today; and our friends for the joy they have given us, for the laughter we have shared and the security of knowing that they will always be there no matter what. How would we have done without them?
Thank you, Father, for all the love that we have received from these people. We know that they were all Your channels… all of them were You.
Birthdays
Today is Bonifacio Day and we celebrate the man better known as the “supreme leader” of the Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan (KKK), a movement which sought Philippine independence from Spanish colonial rule and started the Philippine Revolution. He is considered by some historians to be the first president of the Philippines because of the revolutionary government he established.
It is also the birthday of two people I truly admire and respect. One is another Andres, a poet-painter, publisher and TOYM awardee for Literature in 1962, Andres Cristobal Cruz; he encouraged me during the time I was painting and writing poetry and used my poems as titles for my paintings. Andy, through his Filipino Signatures, published my first book, “In Words, In Color.”
Andy is popularly known as the author of “Tondo Man, May Langit Din.” He was always upset to no end whenever I said I would write a novel called “Forbes Park Man, May Impiyerno Din.”
However, at that time, I had already written “Tarragona, The Dark and Blighted Ones,” which was reviewed by Petronilo Daroy for Manila Bulletin despite its never having been published.
I am taking this opportunity to ask those reading this column if, by any chance, they have in their possession a hard copy of this manuscript because the National Library claims it has no copy and neither do I because of a fire that gutted our files. There were several copies in circulation in the early 1960s.
The other birthday celebrant is journalist par excellence Rosalinda “Baby” L. Orosa. I have always been an ardent fan of Baby Orosa and deeply grateful for all the support she had given me from the time I was a thespian to the present moment. Her encouraging words have accompanied me in my involvement in the arts.
Her writings have made her an icon of journalism. She has also written a landmark book called “Above the Throng,” which has become required reading for art- and culture-lovers. No one is more deserving. She is, indeed, above the throng of journalists.
Thank you, Baby, for being a family friend and for having made this world a better place to live in by your presence.
‘Ang bagsik’
If the Philippines had a supremo in politics, the business world has its own supremo in Ramon Ang, who was recently proclaimed 2014 CEO of the Year.
I first met this extraordinary gentleman when he was connected with Picop, which had its offices at the Priscilla 100 building in the early ’90s. He has surely come a long way since then.
From Picop he moved on to San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and was elected vice chairman in 1999; in March 2002 he became SMC president and CEO. In June 2012, he gained control of the conglomerate after acquiring the shares owned by Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.
In June 2014, Henry Gozon, CEO of GMA Network Inc., announced that Ang had acquired a minority interest in the broadcasting company in a personal capacity. (By the way, Gozon will celebrate his 75th birthday on Dec. 8 and launch his autobiography at the main ballroom of Manila Polo Club.)
Ang is well-loved by many not for his business genius but for his humility and generosity. Recently, he donated P120 million to build a hospital for aging Jesuit priests. The Jesuits wanted to name the hospital after him but he humbly declined. When somebody suggested to call it Ang Hospital, he still refused.
If I consider Ang a supremo of the business world, it is because when he took over SMC, its asset base was P380 billion and today, it is a staggering P1.3 trillion. ANG bagsik!
Money matters
Speaking of money, there is one who recently made it to the list of the richest men in the country. Many believe this was achieved through the help of a relative who was once a well-known crony of the Marcoses.
Many members of the less-moneyed-class believe that “blood is thicker than water,” but the moneyed class have a different take on this statement. They know, from experience, like the abovementioned richest man proclaims, “money is thicker than blood.”
Those who doubt this only have to check how many rich families have lawsuits against family members. When they say “it is not the money but the principle,” take my word, it is the money like it is in politics today.
I am awaiting the second coming of Andres B.
Something to ‘Tiu’ on
I have to congratulate the brother-and-sister team, Jay and Malu Gamboa, for the delicious food in the four outlets of their building: Tsukiji, Cirkulo, Azuthai and Milkyway. These are favorites of many well-known personalities and for good reason.
I recently had dinner at Milkyway and, on my way out, I noticed on the event board of Cirkulo that a Mr. Tiu and Sen. Nancy Binay were having dinner together. But it did not turn out to be Tony Tiu but Simeon Tiu of Peerless Lion Corp.
Representative Abigail is connected with Tony Tiu through a law office, and Senator Nancy with Simeon Tiu. That is really something to chew or Tiu on.
