the_truth_seeker's Xanga

T Bones and Yellow Roses

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:54:44 GMT

This is a touching story and reminders from diva_g:

I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 7 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories.

He often came with me and almost every time would pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to -- I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands.

He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave. But somehow, even grocery shopping has been different since he had passed on.

Shopping for one took time ... slightly more thought than it had for two.

Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and remembered how he had loved his steak.

Suddenly, a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large package of T-bones, dropped them in her basket, hesitated, and the put them back. She turned to go, but then once again reached for the pack of steaks.

She saw me watching her and she smiled. "My husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I don't know."

I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes.

"My husband passed away eight days ago," I told her. Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my voice. "Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment you have together."

She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away.

I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream. I nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone.

I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the aisle toward the front. I saw first the green suit, then recognized the pretty lady coming towards me. I her arms she carried a package. On her face was the brightest smile I had ever seen. I would swear a soft halo encircled her blonde hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes holding mine.

As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began misting in my eyes. "These are for you," she said and place three beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. "When you go through the line, they will know these are paid for." She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, then smiled again. I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the roses meant, but still unable to speak, I merely watched as she walked away, tears clouding my vision.

I looked down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green tissue wrapping and found it almost unreal. How'd she know? Suddenly, the answer seemed so clear: I wasn't alone.

"Oh, you haven't forgotten me, have you?" I whispered, with tears in my eyes. He was still with me, and she was his angel.

Every day be thankful for what you have and who you are:

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings, thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible, thank you, Lord, that I can see. Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising, thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, and my children are so loud, thank you, Lord, for my family. There are so many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced, thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.

Eeven though the routine of my job is often monotonous, thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. So many have no job.

Even I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish for less modest circumstances, thank you, Lord, for life.

God bless you, yours, and your day.

Christianity, by Brutus

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:12:47 GMT

Well for Bible class, we had to give a short introduction to Christianity (to an imaginary non-Christian audience) without the use of "Christianese", be succinct, etc ... then I thought of Brutus' famous speech from William Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar", so haha. Go google the real one and then read mine:

Friends, students, and teachers. Hear me for my speech, and be silent, that you may hear. Believe in Jesus for his love, and have acknowledgement toward His love, that you may believe. Open up your heart, and awake your reason, that you may fully understand. If there be any in this gathering, any who truly wishes to know, to him I say that he has to look no further. If then that earnest seeker of Jesus demands exactly what Christianity is about, this is my answer: while we groped about in imperfection, Jesus came down in the form of a human to die for us, as the only holy person who can intercede for us in the prescence of God. Would you rather ignore this message, and live life full of sin and vice, or accept Jesus' love and live a life of meaning? As we lived in imperfection, we were ashamed; as Jesus died for us, we are eternally grateful; as God loved us so dearly as to send his own son, we love Him back. There is shame, for our imperfection; gratefulness, for Jesus' mercy; and love, for the love that was first shown to us. Who is here so pitiful, that he would not attach meaning to his life? If any, speak, for him have I offended. Who is here so stone-hearted, as to be unable to love the person who has given him so much? If any, speak, for him have I offended. Who is here so emo, that he would prefer to spend eternity in hell? If any, speak, for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.

Schedulings are Done!

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:36:37 GMT

Well, God fixed my scheduling problem. Next school year, I'm taking Pre-Calculus (FY), Microeconomics (SM1), Macroeconomics (SM2), Technology Arts (FY), Middle East Studies (SM1), US Foreign Policy (SM2), Bible (FY), Honors American Literature (SM1), Honors British Literature (SM2), AP Physics (FY), AP World History (FY), Band (FY), and an after school sports team, for an extra P.E. credit. I'm pushing AP Psychology back to 12th grade, because it clashes with AP Physics, which I feel I have an obligation to take, since I'm taking a university project course credit on Physics. My schedule got finalized and accepted today, and I'm slightly happy. However, looking at this, I can tell that it's gonna be a busy year, since I killed all my study halls and completely packed my whole schedule. Aha, I'll worry about that when it's midnight and I still have 3 papers due tomorrow to do. Hehe, for now, praise God for taking this trial outta my hair.

Analysis of the Nicene Creed

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:27:44 GMT

Well Anthony, Howard and I did this as Bible class homework. But since it took us so much effort and stuff, it made me feel like it might be worthwhile posting. If not, ignore me But for those who are interested, here's the full version of it; compare while reading my post: http://weblog.xanga.com/the_truth_seeker/652272000/the-nicene-creed.html

- we "believe": states that this is a religion based on faith, not what we can see
- "one God": monotheism
- the "Father": believers are directly related to this god; implies love
- the "Almighty": all-powerful, omniscient, omnipresent, etc
- "maker": powerful enough to have made everything; this is his creation, and therefore belongs to him
- "heaven" and "earth": earth is not the only place that God made; however, did not say "in seven days" or not
- of "all" that is, "seen" and "unseen": everything was made by God, even the things we can't prove/see/touch

- "Lord": a ruler with direct powers on earth, as opposed to God taking care of everything from heaven
- Jesus "Christ": he is the promised savior of mankind; THE Messiah that OT talked about
- the "only" Son of God: he is a one and only; there is no other
- "eternally begotten": there is no time before Jesus; God is not before Jesus; God did not MAKE Jesus
- God from God ... true God from true God: Jesus IS God; one and the same
- begotten, "not made": he isn't just an entity made by God that can be made again; this gives him equal status with God
- of one being with the Father: they are together, they are one
- for us ... he "came down from heaven": he willingly lowered his status and forsook his powers; implies mercy from love
- "Virgin" Mary: she wasn't defiled to let him into this world; he is special and completely holy
- and was made "man": from GOD to MAN; willing official demotion
- he was "crucified": he chose to endure the most dishonorable death, the one with most suffering
- under "Pontius Pilate": he put himself under the power of a man, one of his own creations
- he "suffered death" and was "buried": he really really did die, this is not symbolic or metaphoric
- on the "third day": places importance on fulfilling his own words and OT prophecies
- he "rose" again: from death he came back up; states that he really did resurrect
- "ascended into heaven": Jesus gained new power that allowed him to return to heaven; mission accomplished
- seated at the "right hand": shows that God accepts him; he is the action of God's heart
- he will "come again": he hasn't forsook or forgotten us; he has plans
- his kingdom "will have no end": after returning, changes are gonna be physical; this isn't only metaphoric

- "Holy" Spirit: the only thing holy is God, so this states that the Spirit is from God alone
- "With" the Father and ... Son He is worshipped: supports the Trinity; saying that all three of them are one
- he has "spoken": Hebrew "ruah" as in breath, like as in how God spoke/breathed creation into existence; shows that the Spirit has power, or IS God's power
- "one" ... Church: all Christian denominations have same basic faith; same church/body
- "forgiveness" of sins: sins can be forgiven! in this religion, you can go back to being pure
- look for the "resurrection of the dead": there will definitely be a time when even death loses its hold
- "life" of the world to come: the new world isn't just some snobby, holy place; there is gonna be real life, real happiness, real joy, it's all gonna be very real
* although the exact nature of aforementioned resurrection is not included, like how will it happen?
- AMEN: the very definition of "amen" means that "what we're saying/praying/stating, we believe from the bottom of our heart" ... places emphasis on the fact that this Creed is to fully state/cover all of a Christian's beliefs

The Nicene Creed

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:25:59 GMT

This is the full version of the official Nicene Creed:

We believe in one God,
      the Father, the Almighty,
      maker of heaven and earth,
      of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
      the only Son of God,
      eternally begotten of the Father,
      God from God, Light from Light,
      true God from true God,
      begotten, not made,
      of one Being with the Father.
      Through Him all things were made.
      For us and for our salvation
          He came down from heaven:
      by the power of the Holy Spirit
          He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
          and was made man.
      For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
      He suffered death and was buried.
      On the third day He rose again
          in accordance with the Scriptures;
      He ascended into heaven
          and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
      He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead
          and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
      who proceeds from the Father.*
      With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified.
      He has spoken through the Prophets.
      We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
      We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
      We look for the resurrection of the dead,
          and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

* Roman Catholics and Protestants add "and the Son" at this point; this phrase is called the filioque Clause

Obstacles, huh ............. ?

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:18:06 GMT

I decided last night to start afresh and be Christ-like ... after one day, now I'm totally stressed out. Actually, more like pissed-due-to-frustration-cus-of-an-unsolvable-problem. To cut a long story short, I am now choosing what classes I will take for next school year, and AP Psychology and AP Physics are clashing (thanks to AP Psy being switched to G block from B block due to a lot of meddlesome classmates who weren't brave enough to take Physics together with Howard, Anthony, Sebastian, and me in 10th grade who filled the survey saying that they have nothing to do in G block, which is the original block for AP Physics). I know it's not really anyone's fault, since 48 out of the 52 people in my grade didn't take Physics this year, and therefore do not have the desire/ability to take AP Physics next year. However, physics has caught my attention this year as a really interesting subject worthy of further study (also, I joined a Hong Kong University of Science and Technology program called "Physics in Everyday Life" that lasts until December), while it has always been my dream to take a psychology course after reading books by Dale Carnegie. I don't want to forget all the physics that I learned this year, but I also want to fulfill my dream as fast as I can (two other reasons: a.) my friends are taking it, I want to take it together and b.) the current teacher is really good, I don't want to wait until next year when he might leave) ....... Sigh, God, will you please close one of the doors so that I know which one do you really mean for me to take? (This kinda reminds me of the IQ question that involves a door leading to life, a door leading to death, and their guardians that could only tell truths and lies, respectively.) Similar difficulty, different way .... God, please don't answer me with "I'll reply later" or something like that now.

Myself

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:20:33 GMT

Truth be told, I quit xanga before because it was too time-consuming, and I preferred to play RagnarokOnline or watch anime ..... however, I'm currently trying to quit those, since they gradually became an addiction and I nearly suicided my grades. I have one more quarter left, as of tomorrow, and I am going to have to work extra hard to get that Principal's Roll (GPA of 3.75 or above). I am pretty sure that I'm doing the right thing, so I pray that God will show me guidance soon, because it's really tough running on myself alone. Also trying to pick up my relationship with God again, I guess; ahaha, sounds like a lot of work that I would have shunned just a few days ago, but I'm currently excited, for no reason at all. I bet it's God at work >.^ Well anyways, time to go to school.

Tadaima

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:18:14 GMT

Hmmm (scratches head), how do I say this ..... "tadaima" works, I guess. Basically, I'm back. For a huge gigantic list of events that happened to me, revelations I realized, truths unfolded to me, miracles that changed my life forever, and blah blah blah, I'm back. Well, I guess I'll see how everything goes for a while ..... and how long I will last until I fly away somewhere again lol, I can't seem to keep doing the same thing for a long period of time. By for now, well, "tadaima, mina-san."

Sayonara

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 10:12:12 GMT

I don't have time for xanga anymore. Just came to say, if you still wanna talk to me, use MSN, my account is called ipcl226@gmail.com. Yea ........ soz, cus i just simply have too much homework. I won't be back on this site for another eternity. So God bless you all!

Bravery, or Fear?

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 11:51:30 GMT

          OK, I guess I'm developing a fondness for writing posts late at night (currently 11:05 at night, I just got back home). I dunno ... nowadays, it seems like there's this part of me that's activated, and basically all it does is make sure that I immediately finish whatever it is that I have to do, so that I won't have to remember it. Definitely a trait that will come in handy when school starts, which is ... *flicks hand like the movie stars, lifts up wrist, and reads super-cool gadget watch* ... in approximately 6 full days and one night. Lol, I've had too many movies.
          Anyways, you guys are probably still wondering why I am writing a post now, and what's the title all about. Well, to cut straight to the point, I just finished watching the movie Transformers. And bottom line? Loved it. You know, there are always these times when I think, "Oh, it's just another movie about bravery. Almost all movies are about bravery and courage, how can it get any better?" And then along comes these times when a really good movie blows you off your chair. And Transformers was one of those. But there is some truth to my thinking; I wasn't really appreciating the movie for it's moral theme. I going mainly concentrating on the action, and you know how all teenage boys love gadgets, hahahahaha. Throughout the whole thing, I forgot about myself, any troubles, my life, where I was at the moment, too. It was just the movie. Well, maybe my evaluation of the movie would be slightly different than that of the average guy, because I've read about Optimus Prime and Megatron from before, so I already knew where the exposition was heading off to. So the beginning was a slight drag, and in the end, all the robots were basically all silver, so it was hard to tell who was good and who was bad. But as for hard-packed action, it's 100% charged. Awesome movie with tons of action.
          But here's the part that the title comes in. "Is it bravery, or is it just fear?" Megatron was saying that to taunt Sam, the main male character. Sam had the Cube in his hand, the source of unlimited power, and he was hanging on the the statue at the roof of the cathedral, with nowhere to go but down. Now, I remember that phrase, and it kicks the gears of my mind into motion. It makes me think: what about us Christians? Do we go on because of bravery, or because of fear? Or is it both? Or none? Or something else altogether?
          I think that we go on because of love - love for Jesus, and ultimately, love for ourselves. Right now, my mind is still geared into the speed of the movie, so I can't stop and slowly think about this topic. So I want to know, what do YOU think? What do we go on for?
          And next time, I'll make it a priority to explain how come I said "love for Jesus, and ultimately, love for ourselves" and not "love for ourselves, and ultimately, love for Jesus." But I might change my mind about this order before tomorrow. However, I got an idea in my head, and it's gonna come out one way or another, but just another day.
          Well, I want your opinions, people. So, until next time, ta-da!