Lifestraw makes dirty water clean.

Can  you imagine longing for sparkling, clear water that can soothe your parched throat…and finding none?

Somewhere half way along the globe, there are people who lacks even the basic of all needs. We are unaware of these situations from our own comfy seats,  we are lost in our everyday lives that we take all that we have for granted.

More than one billion people in our world have no access to clean, potable water. LIFESTRAW  is slowly changing this.

The award-winning LifeStraw® personal water filter is now available to consumers in the U.S. and Canada for the first time.

• Reduces turbidity and filters down to 0.2 microns
• Removes 99.99999% of waterborne bacteria ( including E. coli and Salmonella)
• Removes 99.9% of waterborne protozoan parasites (including Giardia and Cryptosporidium)
• Filters 1000 liters (264 gallons) of water
• 100% chemical free (contains no iodine, no BPA)

(source: http://bluelivingideas.com/2012/02/06/lifestraw-upgraded-available-for-retail-sale-in-u-s-and-canada/)

The LifeStraw Family water filter is being introduced in Kenya, where it should provide clean drinking water for over 4.5 million people

So the next time we indulge in a cold glass of water, remember the people who have so little left for indulgence in the very things we take for granted.

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The future looks bright for baby Noah. Follow his story at: http://noahsdad.com/target-down-syndrome/

I recently followed http://noahsdad.com/ and the story of baby Noah who was born with Down’s Syndrome.  This weekly photo challenge is an opportunity to let others know of parents and families with special needs and how typical their children are in a lot of ways.

What Causes It?

 
It will take a lot of love, patience and faith to raise a child with Down’s Syndrome. But as a parent, aren’t these the same virtues needed to raise up any child that we have?  The first few moments of exhilaration from your child’s birth and then the shock of finding out that your child has DS is indeed heartbreaking. “You grieve for the loss of a child you envisioned,” according to Noah’s mom. There will be so many challenges to face, your life will never be the same but in all of these, there should also be a time to celebrate for a very special person given to you by God.

TARGET is down with "Down's Syndrome : Truly a beautiful ad!

See something different with this ad? If you said none, then there’s really something to be glad. The boy in orange is Ryan, a child with Down’s Syndrome.

There is reason not to feel {down}…everything is looking up for these kids.

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At Starbucks.

It was a disaster. I was blabbing too much. It was too one sided.

I prided myself in being a good listener. Who am I kidding? I talked way too much.

It’s like a dream turning into a  nightmare.

I saw this video and I knew this was me in my dream state. There are days when there’s too many things on my mind that I just dumped it all in one go before God. There I am, ticking off a mental note of  issues that bothers me, people that irks me…a killer schedule that threatens to overwhelm and then just like that, I go off somewhere, forgetting I was in a middle of prayer?

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Not like this. Our Lord deserves so much more. We really need to take time out of our busy schedules to go and meet God like we would meet a friend in a local coffee shop. No distractions, just a looking forward to a time alone to spend unhurriedly with Him.

I found out that waking up an hour before I do my morning routine does great with my relationship with Him. The benefit of talking and listening to my Friend does wonder to my whole day. It empowers me to do the right thing and see matters in the proper perspective.

♥graphicimage©lifebydmagdalene.wordpress.com

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In a recent article, they found out the there are Five Regrets that people have on their deathbed:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

We have one life to live. Let it be a life of purpose, a life well lived…a life that was worth living.

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Do you know that we can protect our webpage and its contents for free?

Here are some of the sites I’ve found that offer FREE copyrights for everyone:

1.    My Free Copyright

Boasting of Over 5,600,568 Copyrights Registered & Protected

Protecting your original creations is easy on this site. You just have to provide your email and the URL of your site plus some other personal details to be registered.

How does the MyFreeCopyright works?

A list of FAQ are provided by the site. A MyFreeCopyright logo is provided that can be displayed in your site to let others know you are protected.

2.    Creative Commons

Creative Commons is building a culture of sharing.

Creative Commons has been around for quite some time now. They have different licenses that you can choose from that are much detailed and more comprehensive than that of MyFreeCopyright.

You can choose whether to allow others to use your work commercially or you can also choose to let others modify your work. The options are at your fingertips.

A Creative Commons  logo is also provided for you to display on your site to let others know that you are using their service.

3.     Myows | Free Online Copyright Protection

Protect your copyrights, online and for free!

Myows which stand for My Own Works has a very user friendly site that is crisp, blue and attractive for first time users. It is easy to use because of the simple interface that makes it a clear choice for the younger set.

Try any of these free copyright services that suits your needs.

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My Golden Retriever Jack getting ready to become clean again.

At five months old at that time, I took Jack for his grooming.  He had that sad look on his face when he found out I was leaving him to wait outside the bath area.

Before stepping out, I got my camera and took a picture of him!

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A U.S. soldier with the 10th Special Forces Group and his dog leap off the ramp of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter during water training over the Gulf of Mexico as part of exercise Emerald Warrior on March 1.

These dogs had been serving alongside the US soldiers for more than 100 years and had seen action in the Civil War and World War 1. Only in 1942 were these dogs formally deployed in the US Army.

I jump. You jump. U.S. Navy SEAL, Mike Forsythe, and his dog, Cara jumping from 30,100 feet.

Equipped with the latest gear for protection, these dogs will always rise up to the occasion they are called for.

Goggles are a dog's best friend.

Equipped in darkness.

“The K9 catalogue boasts an array of high-tech canine devices, from storm lights to long lines and leads to an assortment of vests — assault, aerial insertion, and patrol-SWAT — which are rated from “excellent” to “good” in protecting the animal from harm due to everything from bullets to ice picks.”

I never knew there’s even a K9 catalogue!

Infrared nightsight cameras and an ‘intruder communication system’ able to penetrate concrete walls are included in their gear.

In a British article it says: “U.S. Naval Special Warfare Group had “awarded an $86,000 contract to Canadian firm K9 Storm Inc. for the supply of ‘Canine Tactical Assault Vests’ for wear by SEAL dogs.”

Certainly not at play.

Impressive. Expensive.

Rx for health: A dog who is waiting for these men after a long day of war .

For both humans and dogs, war is ugly.We’ve come to a point where man’s best friend had to put in his own share of patriotism for the country. These dogs are more than war machines.

They represent home.

They are a lifeline of emotional support for these soldiers who are so far away from their families and friends.
They are the ties that remind you of people back home who loves you…and a normalcy that can never be as long as the sounds of guns can be heard.

I dream of a world where young men and women stay home with their loved ones and pets…safe in their homes, doing things they love and not fighting wars that they can never win.

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Elephant Island in Marinduque, Philippines

{This challenge is every Tuesday and in response to E” Challenge by Frizztext }

Elephant Island got it’s name because as any local resident will tell you, “it looks like an elephant submerged in water”.

From afar, it really looked like an elephant. (Photo credits: Adrian Tecson)

Nestled on top is the Bellarocca Island and Spa and is very popular with the tourist.

Breathtaking beauty everywhere. This is where guests lounge about and take endless pictures.

It’s obscenely beautiful out there! I’m not a beach person but this one made me rethink that maybe, it’s time….

Endless sea...perfect skies. (Photo credits: Beach Bum)

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Having children is the most earth-shattering experience a person can ever have. It can never be fully explained, defined, narrated…not unless you become a parent yourself. No amount of training can ever equip you for the hands-on experience of conceiving, nurturing and giving birth to another human being.

 

It hits you that your life will never be the same again….your sleeping patterns will never be normal again…that from this day on, you will be responsible for another life. Ready or not, you have to plunge into the unknown, fearful and without an owner’s manual.

 

My daughter’s first car.

I had my first daughter at age 27. She was a difficult baby to manage: all colicky and nocturnal. She has these weird sleeping patterns that shatters my 3 am peace with her nonstop crying. Like clockwork, and at exactly 6 am, she stops and sleeps soundly after!

She was sickly. She has fibrile convulsions whenever she has a fever.  It was the most challenging time in my life as a Mom.

Gummy bears were her friends for the first 7 years.

I have to make sure she doesn’t develop any infections (such as tonsillitis) so I have to literally not feed her chocolates and sweet candies till she reaches seven years old. By that age, she has already surpassed that stage of convulsions.

I thought good days were coming…but at age 10, she had appendectomy. Only by God’s grace and unfailing comfort did my husband and I made through those trying days. I can still remember her sedated and was on her way to the operating room. I remembered our dear Doctor and his kind and reassuring gaze that all will be well. He will do his best but we need to pray for God to guide him as he performs the surgery. This was a memory that I still find painful to this day.

During Patty's Preview at the University

Eight years later, and many happy days in between, I had to take her to the US for College to pursue her lifelong dream to be a graphic artist/animator/ruler of the art universe something. It was a trip I did not enjoy because I know I will be leaving her there. I stayed for a month, did the “mommying” to the hilt, had many bonding moments with her that includes curling our hair, eating out and going to Walmart and Costco!

Nowadays and for the last two years,  mother-daughter relationship thrives on phone calls, Yahoo Messenger and Skype. My friends often asked: how do you do it?

Saying your all via Skype

How do you not miss her too much? Everyday that I am not with her, I gain more respect for my daughter’s ability to carry on without giving up. I became more thankful for the many blessings that includes my parents and brother who continue to take care of my daughter in the US. I learned a deeper meaning on letting go and letting God do the rest for me and my family.

I understand that my children:

• “came through me but not from me…
• even if they are with me, they do not belong to me…
• that their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow which I cannot visit, not even in my dreams…” (Kahlil Gibran, On Children)
  

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The Table of Hope (Hapag ng Pag-asa) is a 48x96 inch oil canvas of Jesus sharing his "last supper" with real streetkids from Manila. Painted by the late artist Joey Velasco.

I’ve always loved the paintings of the late Filipino artist Joey Velasco.  He had touched the canvas with the brush of an artist who had seen the Hope anchored on a Personal Jesus, the Jesus who shares his last supper with street urchins in the poorest side of Metro Manila.

The 12 children in the canvas are real children found by Mr. Velasco in the slums of our city.

After treating them to meals, Velasco took their pictures and retreated to his room to start working on the painting.

Velasco said, the children, aged 4-14, reveal a story of a greater hunger than a plate of rice could satisfy.

He said, ”It was they who touched my soul. Through them, God spoke to me and moved me to paint their stories and tell others about their lives.”

The young girl standing at the extreme left, where Judas appears in the da Vinci painting, is 10-year-old Nene.

Velasco met her at the Manila North Cemetery, where she and her family lived as squatters among the graves.

Onse, 9, sits at the table, his plate cleaned to the last crumb, he listens to Jesus to feed his other hungers.

The child, who scavenges with a push cart, has a father addicted to drugs and a mother who works as a strip dancer.

Itok, another scavenger who at 11 is the family breadwinner, sits at the right hand of Jesus.

According to Velasco, Itok spent time in jail after being caught in a number of robberies.

Another child in the painting does not live in Quezon City.

Velasco placed a small Sudanese boy under the table eating the fallen scraps with the cats.

The artist explained, “The skinny child is not one of the hungry kids who roam our busy streets at night. He is “an imaginary symbolic figure” who in the past “had satisfied himself with unnecessary food, (but) now finds himself under the table seeking spiritual crumbs.”

The children featured in the painting are no longer in the areas where Velasco originally found them.

Filipino artist Joey Velasco and the children whose lives were changed.

Through his partnership with Gawad Kalinga, an organization dedicated to sheltering the homeless, the 12 children and their families now have homes at Romeo Cabrera Village in Quezon City.

The children’s stories are  featured in the book “They Have Jesus: The Stories of the Children of the ‘Hapag ng Pag-asa (Table of Hope).”   (reprinted from a news article)

The artist at work.

It was a sad time when the artist passed away last July of 2011. Hubby was able to attend the memorial service since both he and Mr. Velasco were alumnae of Don Bosco Technical School.

Table of Love (Hapag ng Pag-ibig)

Hapag ng Pag-ibig is the sequel to the Table of Hope (Hapag ng Pag-asa). The same streetkids are now enjoying a bountiful feast.  The reward for never losing hope and faith.

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