Father’s day is one of many celebrations we have in our country. Its purpose is to show our love to the head of the family. He’s the one who works so hard to meet our daily needs. To give you a treat, I did a few interviews with kids and asked them what they liked about their father:

I am sure when their dad reads this; they will be really motivated to spend more time with their kids!

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Communication is basic to every human relationship. God created man and woman as social beings, and He gave them an open door to talk to Him. However, this communication with God became strained after man and woman sinned in the Garden of Eden. Yet, because of God’s original design, every human being has a deep desire to communicate with their Creator and with each other. In no other human relationship can a deeper communication be found than that between a husband and his wife. In fact, noted Christian counselor Norman Wright declares that “Communication is the key to marriage.”¹

Communication is Complex
Communication is simply the exchange of thoughts and ideas. It can be in the form of talking, writing, or actions. While this seems simple enough, in actual fact, communication can be one of the hardest things we do in any relationship. This is because of its complex process. Basic communication between two people can be illustrated as follows:

Person A and Person B have different backgrounds. These different backgrounds cause them to have different perspectives. For instance, two people will each look at the same thing differently. In the diagram, each person is looking at the same tree. Person A sees the tree as red. Person B sees the tree as blue. However, the tree is actually green! Can you think of a time you and your husband saw a situation differently? Perhaps both of your views were right depending on how you looked at it. Or—perhaps, both of your views were wrong.

Communication becomes even more complex when one includes its non-verbal aspect. Albert Metowbian talks about communication. He says that only 7% of the message is composed of the actual content— the words that you use. 38% of the message is your tone of voice. 55% of the message conveyed is your body language. If that is true, what you don’t put in words is more important than what you do! Non-verbal communication has the biggest influence in the process of exchanging thoughts and messages.

This is very true in the Filipino culture. Filipinos instinctively listen not only to what a person is saying but also to what that person is communicating through body language, gestures, and facial expressions. This is what we Filipinos call pakiramdaman.

Hindrances to Communication

Following up on Metowbian’s statistics, we observe possible hindrances as one strives to communicate.²

Withdrawal. This is when a person avoids engaging in a communication. The person is simply not ready to talk. The person prefers to keep to themselves. They want to be safe.

Defensiveness is an expression of either fear or rebellion. When a person is defensive, he becomes aggressive or uncooperative.

False love is a form of selfishness. The person only focuses on themselves, and so, communication becomes a one way street.

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Ham and Chicken Omelet

Ingredients:

½ cup minced ham
½ minced chicken
1 small onion, minced
1 dash of green or red bell peppers, cut in small cubes
½ tablespoon cornstarch
5 eggs
¼ cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Mix the meat with cornstarch. Add water and all the seasonings to the eggs and stir in the meat mixture. Heat the oil in a medium-sized Frying pan, pour in the mixture and cook gently, lifting about the edges until brown on the bottom.

Homemade Sausage

Ingredients:

1 kilo ground pork
1 tablespoon whole sage or 1 teaspoon sage powder
½ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt to taste
5 cloves of garlic, chopped Vegetable oil to fry

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together, and put it in the fridge overnight. Spoon out 3 tablespoon or more and make round patties. Heat oil and fry it.

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(excerpted from Walk Away the Pounds by Leslie Sansone)

reprinted with permission from http://www.ampforlife.com/emails/newsletters/EX08S/index.htm

What is it about walking that makes it more successful than other exercises? Part of it is the simplicity. Everyone can walk. It’s so easy; in fact, that some people are skeptical about whether you can really get in shape by just walking. But studies are
confirming what I’ve suspected all along; walking is excellent exercise.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, walking just thirty minutes a day, three times a week,reduces the risk of death from all natural causes by 55 percent! Walking also keeps you in the midrange of aerobic activity, where fat oxidation is most efficient. That’s right: you burn more fat through low-intensity sports like walking than through intense activities that leave you gasping for breath, such as weightlifting or high-energy aerobics. Not only that, but you also continue to burn fat after walking. And once you’ve been walking for a few weeks, you’ll have raised your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories all the time, even when you’re sitting or sleeping!

Then there are the things that don’t happen when you’re walking. You don’t crash. You don’t get injured. You don’t compete against someone else.

You also don’t go broke. Too many people are hesitant to start exercising because they think it will be expensive and intimidating. Not a problem. Just lace up a decent pair of sneakers in your living room and you’re ready to walk.

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He directs
every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they
will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”
Psalm 37: 23-24

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It was 2am on April 1, 2007 when Rosalind woke me up after only
one hour of sleep. “It is time!” she said. I asked her how often the contractions were coming, hoping to get more sleep—
it was April Fools day after all. “Every 4 minutes,” she said. I timed them repeatedly to make sure it was not an embarrassing false alarm. Finally,
I took a deep breath, grabbed her pre-packed bag, and armed with a letter from her doctor plus a credit card, I rushed her to the hospital. I was driving like Mr. Mad Max!

At 11:40am, my mom, siblings, and niece were all waiting with me, when suddenly came out the midwife with my baby in one hand, and in the other, holding my camera ready to shoot! My new daughter, Jamie Ruth was the star of the ensuing family pictorial.

On the 3rd day, both mother and daughter came home. Because we live independently from our parents, and we both work, we needed a nanny for Jamie. My sister-in-law had kindly volunteered for the first month, but she had to get back to her own family. Our search for a permanent yaya seemed endless! Previously, I had wondered what I would do if I ever had relationship problems with my wife or in-laws. I had anticipated financial needs. But never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I might have a problem searching for nannies!

I have advised all my single friends to look for a good nanny now. It is easier to find a lifetime partner than a good nanny! Not only did I have to do a lot of interviewing and texting to find each nanny, I also had to give them each a seminar about sterilizing the feeding bottles and Jamie’s feeding schedule. I had to teach them the dance steps I do to put Jamie to sleep.

As a new father, I get to do other things as well, like witnessing my daughter receiving a “certificate of completion” at her 10th month physical when she was finished with all her monthly vaccinations, and researching milk formulas.(The price tag really makes me sweat!) I have experienced a closer relationship to God as I have seen Him provide for our financial needs, give us guidance in solving problems, and answering our prayers when we cry out for help.

As a first time dad, I now realize and appreciate all the hardships and sacrifices of my dad and mom who raised ten of us. Thank you dad and mom for all the love you have given to us.

Everyday when we come home from work, Rosalind and I play with Jamie. It is our special family moment and I am sure she really looks forward to it everyday. Goodbye TV, goodbye shopping, goodbye movies, goodbye outings, goodbye eat-outs, goodbye photo adventure, goodbye gadgets, goodbye SUVs. Welcome home baby Jamie Ruth! I know saying goodbye to all my favorite things is worth it when you are with us. back to top

by Rosalind Ngo Li

On April 1, 2007, I was blessed with a new role to play… that of being a mother. I knew it was going to be a challenging one since it’s my first time to play the part. I did my best to prepare. I read books and had private Lamaze classes at home in front of the TV using a borrowed video. The night the labor pains finally started, I had no idea I was already having contractions. I had to call a doctor friend at two o’clock in the morning to confirm that I was in labor.

The day we brought our daughter, Jamie Ruth, home was the day our sleepless nights began. When all we wanted to do was get an eye shut, she seemed determined to stay awake. When she did sleep, she wanted to be held and cuddled. Our babysitter, my husband, and I all had to take turns doing this. I held her until both of my wrists were so swollen I had to consult a hand specialist and was prescribed pain relievers and medicines to heal the swelling.

My pediatrician constantly warned me not to “dance” my baby to sleep. But we had no choice. We were desperate. Without rocking her, she would not sleep. Dancing became an exercise that each of us had to do. There were even specific steps we had to memorize. If we missed a step, she would know and cry out. I’m sure all my husband’s friends would love to see him do a sample of the “sleep dance.” Good thing, Jamie can sleep on her own now.

The first time Jamie got a cough and cold, I felt so helpless. Her cries were deafening and her facial expression was enough to break any mother’s heart. I wished at that moment that I could suffer in her stead. One time, she had LBM for two days. So we had her stool examined at a nearby laboratory. The results came back positive for E. Histolytica Trophozoite. We got so scared; we rushed her to the ER. Since Jamie was not exhibiting any symptoms of dehydration, the doctor allowed us to go home for further observation. But we
were advised to have another laboratory done ASAP. That night, we prayed ceaselessly. We texted and called
our friends to pray, too. The next day, we brought another stool specimen to a hospital laboratory. The results came back NEGATIVE! Our pediatrician advised us to do two more additional stool exams to rule out the positive result. All test results came out normal. We believe it was a miracle.

Our life now with Jamie has been nothing but an exciting adventure. Her toothless smiles, her carefree laughter, her senseless chatter, her first utterance of “Mama” and “Papa” — they are all priceless moments. Nothing can take away the joy she brings into our lives. No matter what happens, I am confident that I can face them all because I have a God who is in front of me, leading me and guiding my every step, and a husband who’s always beside me, supporting me all the way. back to top