A Mother's Dream

As a mother of two grown-ups, I can say I have fulfilled my dreams. Good upbringing, good education, and good health, those were my dreams for them. When they finished college, my dream was for them to have good jobs. Now that they are adults and have good jobs, they have their own dreams and I can only pray that they will always be in good health because most of the time, it is health that is sacrificed to achieve most of an adult’s dreams.

But God doesn’t stop to challenge me as a mother and as a dreamer combined. For my special needs child, my dreams are more complicated. Her health comes first. Good upbringing is to constantly show her that she is loved. The hardest part is good education which means special education plus complete therapies for her and that will require a big sum of money. That is what makes my dream complicated. And perhaps, that dream was the very reason why this blog was created in the first place.

Today, July 24, is Lyca’s 9th birthday. I started this blog in 2008, seriously dreaming that I should win the Lotto so I can bring this special child to the United States where I’ve seen very good facilities for her development, in the internet. That was three years ago and I haven’t stopped hoping for that dream to come true. Even with her disabilities, I know this child has the right to be educated and that obligation makes my dream stronger, and I have to look for ways to fulfill that even without winning the Lotto.

My wish for her birthday next year is to already have a clear picture of the fulfillment of my dream of special education and the necessary therapies for her. For now, my dream is focused on her health, that she will be seizure free with the help of a Modified Atkin’s diet. In fact, that shouldn’t be just a dream but a prayer, a prayer that will be granted if two or more people will pray for that. If you happen to read this and join in that prayer, a mother’s dream is about to come true.

Fulfilling the dream - to be a therapist

I first blogged about a new dream to study the acupuncture points of the body on September 2, 2008, and then elevated that dream of becoming a "therapist". Today, I'm declaring myself a therapist since I've already proven a number of times that I can indeed treat people by just stimulating their acupoints with my Tiens non-invasive gadgets and boosting their immune systems with the right supplements.

That doesn't mean that I've memorized the 2,000 acupoints of the body. I was forced to fulfill that dream because I needed to address the immediate health problems of my family. It did not really take more than two years because I had a full time job in 2009 but resigned after 9 months because I didn't feel at ease with my own health. As a therapist, I need to be healthy myself.

However, I cannot be a professional therapist because I still lack the required schooling and licence. I am now thinking if my next dream should be to take up "Master of Science in Asian Health Practices".

What is more important at this point in time is that members of my family are immediately treated even without medicines. Every case of illness in my own family that I successfully treat makes me very happy!

The Dream Soul

I'm not so updated with the young people's terminologies but during our time, we had dream boys and dream girls. When we became older, we had ideal men and ideal women. Most of us probably wanted a "dream soul" or an "ideal soul" in a person that we were looking for. But more often than not, we could not eliminate some physical characteristics we were hoping to find in a person, thus we never referred to just the soul of a person.

The dream soul is harder to find and should be first achieved in oneself. It is the best medium to change oneself, and its surroundings will follow. Achieving a dream soul is simply being conscious of its original state: peaceful, powerful, pure, positive, loving and joyful. If this original state of the soul is achieved on a daily basis, then a dream soul is achieved.

Yesterday I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend a seminar in Brahma Kumaris about "Soul Consciousness". At first I could not imagine how the seminar would be effective to the participants. It was amazing to be enlightened how simple the process involved in soul consciousness is, but it could be hard to practice for sure. This morning, I started meditating about achieving my soul's original state. If I can eliminate negative or waste thoughts like gossips the whole day, then I will succeed in achieving that.

Worldwide health care

Under the arms of the United Nations is a World Health Organization which of course is in charge of the world's health. It was created in 1948, the time when the first batches of baby boomers were born. Though born later, I was a baby boomer and I probably knew the very specific functions of this organization when I was in grade school. But that was long ago, and I can just imagine how hard it was to develop health programs for the whole world. This is the 21st century where everything is possible with the help of modern technology and the internet. The great dream for worldwide health care is possible not only by an organization but even by a single baby boomer.

I admit that I am one of those baby boomers trying to be a messiah to save the health of mankind, in my own little way of sharing whatever I learned about health and wellness. I am aware though that caring for the world's health is not as easy as sharing information through the internet. In my blogs, I share some philosophies of TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine, not knowing who would believe them.

Perhaps the greater dream is for all philosophies of medicine to be integrated, such as Oriental or Traditional Chinese Medicine integrated to Western Medicine. Some might say, that is an impossible dream, but I prefer to base my beliefs on simple observations. For instance, the scrubs which are now worn as medical uniforms in hospitals can easily be the standard uniforms for healthcare. So when one sees a person in scrubs in any part of the world, an instant message is understood: that person's mission is health care.

I've noticed in Wikipedia's definition of health care that it pertains to humans and haven't found the word "animal" in its definitions. In TCM, acupuncture can be applied to animals as well, in fact pet lovers should start learning about it if they really care for their pets. The scrubs can be veterinary scrubs that will send the same message of caring for health though this time it involves animals. Health care includes acupuncture while acupuncture includes the animals, therefore health care should include the animals.

"Brought to you by my friends from www.blueskyscrubs.com"

Inspiring future nurses

The last Nursing Board Examination results in the Philippines showed a low percentage of passers. Those who failed experienced a "shattered dreams" illusion. This is normal, but illusions are temporary and one week of recovery from such should be enough. Continue dreaming and continue learning what you failed to assimilate in the past.

Caring for people is one goal that can never be replaced by other goals. So those who perseveringly studied Nursing should pursue this noble goal. They had been inspired not only by their loved ones but by mankind as a whole. The internet is another effective medium that can inspire future nurses and help them achieve their dreams. Even just the photos of nursing uniforms can inspire them.

It won’t be long until they again look for nurses scrub uniforms in the internet, this time for real. They will be among the many nurses selecting from the several designs of nursing scrub tops or men’s medical scrubs for men.

To the nurses who pursued their dreams, a job well done!

"Brought to you by my friends in www.blueskyscrubs.com."

My Dream Office

The price of gasoline is rising fast and the road traffic is also getting worse. In this situation, what could be a better solution than working in one's home? Maybe none. But an office setting is always ideal, makes one more focused and far from distractions.

Therefore, an office situated exclusively in another story of the home can be an excellent place. The photo here obviously shows a beautiful house, but for me, that bedroom on the second story can be my office. The adjacent balcony with plants around is an excellent place for breathing exercises or Qi Gong, and be exposed to the sun to get the much needed Vitamin D by the body, during working breaks.

That will be a nice dream to be added to my Dreams List.

Perseverance will be rewarded

It was worth searching the web for the definition of "perseverance" because it inspired me more to write this post about our own experience of persevering. Before my story, here are some of the definitions I have searched:

"Perseverance is a day-to-day decision not to give up".
"Continued steady belief or efforts, withstanding discouragement or difficulty".
"Steady persistence in a course of adhering to a course of action, a belief or a purpose".

Whenever people see us with our special child, people would tell my husband and I that the child will bring us good luck. And then there are also others who'd say that the child is very lucky to have us as her adoptive parents.

A year before the special child was born, though I could no longer give birth because of surgery, I wished for a child but did not want a grandchild. So when this child was born right inside our house, I believed she was God's gift to me. This child is now 8 years old and we are confronted with several challenges that would test our perseverance. Maybe I had been persevering most of the time in the past, but I didn't think it could also be a gift from God.

A few months ago, our child had massive seizures because of her cerebral palsy. Her doctor advised us to try changing her diet into a modified Atkin's diet, because it effectively eliminated the seizures of some children with epilepsy and cerebral palsy, and also eventually eliminated their medicines. I immediately researched about the diet, some guidelines that go with it and its positive effects, and then immediately tried it even without the guidance of a dietician. To our surprise, we noticed several changes which the doctor sees as improvements because our child became more sensitive. There was a negative side effect - constipation. It was very difficult to both the child and us so after a month, I decided to quit. It was just a few days after that decision when we went to the doctor who was glad to hear about the changes, and then told us that the constipation can easily be resolved so we should resume the child's diet.

The two hours after every meal of dealing with our child's constipation was greatly reduced. But the best thing about it is the improvement in her motor skills, caused by the reduction or maybe even the absence of seizures. She can now hold the glass of water she's drinking and is able to control the amount of water she can swallow at a time. Just a month ago, she'd drown herself when she would hold the glass.

There is now big hope that our dreams for Lyca, our special child, will soon come true. And there is only one secret in realizing those dreams - perseverance. I'm glad that it's not only me who was given this gift of perseverance which is now being put to test. There's my immediate family: my husband, my daughter and my son who are now adults and who perseveringly expressed their support for Lyca, emotionally and financially. In due time, their perseverance will be rewarded.

A good sign as the year starts

Last month, I've seen what I feel was the most beautiful Christmas setting in a department store I've encountered so far. It was in Rustan's Department Store inside the Shangrila Plaza mall. I was with my former officemates, one of them just arrived from Canada for a vacation here in Manila. I enjoyed the views inside the department store so much, I dreamed of coming back for a picture taking with my special child before they dismantle the Christmas decors. It was a dream because I knew there was a small chance it could happen.

The second day of the New Year was a Sunday, I decided to wear the new dress given by my Mom though I had to use a coat over it, while I also dressed up my special child Lyca with a new dress and head dress given to her last Christmas. I was in a hurry I used a blazer over my dress and the mass was over when I realized I looked funny. And then I recalled I saw a branded sweater more appropriate for the dress. I thought it would be good to see and fit the sweater while I was wearing the dress. Outlets of the sweater's brand are found everywhere but my companions preferred to go to Shangrila Plaza mall.

We were already at the mall when I was reminded of the Christmas decors in Rustan's in Shangrila Plaza. It should still be there because it was The Sunday of Epiphany and the timing was right since I brought the camera to take photos of Lyca in her new dress so we could thank his uncle who gave the dress, with her photo (I can't be contended with 2 megapixels camera in a cellphone).

It was dream fulfilled on the second day of the new year, it was just a small dream but for me it was a good sign and perhaps just a beginning of more dreams fulfilled within the year.

I Have You

I have always been a dreamer
Followed visions of my own
I was born to belong
To the lines of a song
And make them my home

I believe in happy endings
Though I've only known a few
For as rare as they are
Like a bright falling star
I found one in you

Sometimes
All the world can seem so friendless
And the road ahead so endless
And the dream so far away

Sometimes
When I'm almost to surrender
Then I stop and I remember
I have you to save my day

Often my imagination
Has me reaching out too far
When I fell you were there
With your hand in the air
You knew from the start

Sometimes
After all you've done to save me
Through the love you freely gave me
Every step along the way
Sometimes
People ask what keeps me goin'
And in truth, it comes from knowin'
I have you to save my day

Sometimes
Feeling helpless when I held you
Wishing words would come to tell you
I have you to save my day

Winning the Lotto

I was so excited to start the day but it's only 5 o'clock in the morning so I decided to just start this post. Two hours from now I expect to have breakfast outside and then go to a Lotto booth. The jackpot prize has reached the highest in the history of Lotto in the Philippines. It is now more than 400 million pesos.

The long lines to the Lotto booth would tell that anybody wants to win this lottery. I am somewhat different though. I really would like to win but I'm a little scared. I practice the principles of TCM, so I try to avoid emotions that will affect my health. But how can someone avoid being overjoyed when he or she wins the Lotto? Overjoy can cause heart attack and that's what I'm scared of. But fear also affects the kidney, LOL!

Oh well, I've stopped dreaming because of too many tasks and schedules I had to fulfill and dreaming of winning this lottery is a break from a busy reality. Perhaps, some people who'd like to win have no time to dream small or they simply have to dream big this time. In my case I'd like to go to the U.S. to bring my special needs child, Lyca, to a cerebral palsy center where there is complete facilities for therapy. My Mom has a pool in her home in Las Vegas, it can also be part of Lyca's therapy, especially now that Lyca has grown big. The water would really be a big help for us to manage her weight and height.

Whoever will win surely deserves the prize for whatever purpose that only God knows. If you are that person, just don't forget to take it easy and just relax so you won't have a heart attack.