Blessings that life brings

Amidst the 'blues fever' that seem to cover my entire being, the cool breeze coming in through the windows and through the open doors... reminded me of my 'appreciation list'. When I scanned through my journal entries, here's what I saw scribbled on my notes:

1. Sky, my inaanak (goddaughter), coming over on my birthday.

I learned from Pinky that all the way from their house to our place, she has been singing Happy Birthday Ninang, Happy Birthday Ninang! But when they entered our door, all she said was -- "Birthday mo kasi, Ninang (because it's your birthday, Ninang!) ... birthday mo kasi!" -- while giving me a warm hug and showing me the cake they brought with them. And soon our house was filled with her shriek and laughter as we were blowing bubbles at each other's face. Ang sarap maging ninang talaga ni Sky!!!

2. Neil Gaiman's The Sandman collection ... here to stay with us, at least for a while

Yes! Pinky, my dear friend, lent us all 11 volumes of her The Sandman collection of this graphic novel (or novels) by one of my favorite writers, Neil Gaiman, together with his other novels -- Black Orchid and Creatures of the Night. Nagpiyesta na naman ang 2 kong anak. My two daughters just love Gaiman's books as much as I do. Too bad I can't start reading them yet. Got a deadline for this paper I've been working on these past few days. I know that once I start reading one volume, I won't be able to stop myself from reading the next.

3. Hearing Bam play her electric guitar the whole day today

The whole time last week, these guitars were just sleeping inside their hardcase.

I know it when my eldest daughter is super-depressed. She doesn't touch her guitar! Or rather, she 'forgets' to do her scales and play her guitar. Knowing how passionate she is about music, these scales and some bit of 'jamming' with her sister have become part of her daily ritual.

When I heard her playing with Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" and later on singing other rock music ... I would say that these are moments when even the music of Korn or Linkin Park are sweet music to my ears that can lull me to sleep.

4. My entry to the world of Blogosphere.

I didn't know 'blogging' can be so much fun, so much so that I was able to write an entry on this. Please see my earlier post Addicted to writing ... getting addicted to blogging to see how delighted i have really been. It's really true what they say that you'll never know that you are missing 'something' in your life until you experience that 'something' yourself. Ano daw? Well, it only means that I never missed 'blogging' before. Only now.

5. Receiving comments and feedback from friends who came to visit this site

Outside the realm of my work, this is the first time I received such warm comments from friends who knew me before but may have never set eyes on things I wrote. I really love to reply to all your comments as soon as I receive them. Some of these comments are already great ideas on where to take my next step and next turn for future blog entries.

After reviewing these notes, I felt lighter and so full of gratitude. This 'list' really comes handy, especially when you feel as if everything's just topsy-turvy 'out there'.