My 2013 Gratitude List

Gratitude.

It is an inherent behavior of a human being to be fearful of change. Whatever form it may be, change takes the face of a soul-eating monster that will take most of your strength from worrying and thinking what will the future bring. This is how I take 2013 in general. It has been a life-changing year for me.  I have made many big decisions that ultimately changed the course of my life. But I will not write about it (again). What I will be focusing here is more on things that I am grateful for 2013.

Career

My first love is teaching. My 12 years in the academe has given me the chance to flourish intellectually and opened more doors for me to establish a name in the nursing profession. It's not only that I teach students to become nurses and love this profession, but I also learned several things that has given me more in return.  Sad to say, my professor life has come to a hibernation stage (I will not say close, because I know I will go back to teaching again. I just can feel it.)

I am thankful that a new job has been offered to me and this is to become the Training Officer of The Family Clinic Hospital, Inc., a newly acquired property by the Caritas Group of Companies. Although the salary is not similar to my previous job, I can still say that I am thankful for this opportunity that I have a job that can sustain us and is in line with my profession.

Family

I am grateful that I have my family - My husband, Arnel, my daughters, Mary Gabrielle, Aryanna Mikaela, and Maxime Danielle. Plus our new bundle of joy, Sealtiel Jude Miguel. I am grateful that my parents and my siblings are in good state of health, especially when the super typhoon Yolanda hit our place last November 8. The only major damage was our roof, which can be repaired.

Friends

Oh, how can I not mention about them! They are the spice to my life and sometimes my lifesavers. =)

Living Conditions

Because of career change, relocation is a major issue to consider and finding a place to stay here in Manila is like finding your way out in the jungles of Amazon. With our mere salaries, we cannot afford to buy a condominium (not as of now), or even rent an apartment that is really comfortable compared to those in the provinces. The apartments here in Manila starts at Php10,000.00 to Php15,000.00. If you are looking for a lesser price, the living conditions are also to be considered.

I am thankful that The President of Caritas Healthshield ( the company that owns the hospital where I am working) gave us a place to stay. Of course there are still bills and payments to shell out, but it's lesser compared to renting.

Freelance Career

My contract with TAU.

 It is indeed very difficult to sustain the family's expenses in today's living standards even both of you are working. You need to earn another source of income in case you need a backup for some family emergencies. For some, direct selling is their forte. Mine is online writing and freelance writing.

As a freelance writer, I am thankful for the different job offers that come my way this year. I have 2 major online jobs this year that I am grateful of. I have a contract with Texila American University as a Faculty/Online Developer. Basically, I prepare the learning materials for students who are taking up MSN degree. I have 3 subjects with them and my contract will end this January. The other job is with Future Care but I will not discuss more about this first since I am only beginning to work for them.

Aside from these job offers, I also have my blogs which i have become addicted to. Sad to say, I haven't attended to these blogs lately due to my pregnancy state. But now that i am in maternity leave, I will plan and make time to update them.

My Prayer for 2014

Dear Lord,

Thank you for all the blessings that you bestowed upon my family. 
I will continually praise and honor thy name all through life. 
You have supported me and guided me despite my inadequacies. 
Forgive me on the times that I dishonor you. 
As we embrace the year 2014,   
I pray that you will always guide us, 
help us in our daily lives, 
and be there for us no matter what. 
I believe that nothing is impossible in your name. 
I believe that you are the source of everything. 
I am forever your child, O Lord. 
With the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 
I am entrusting my life to you. 
Amen.

The Fruit of My CEAP Contribution

This morning when I woke up, I opened my cellphone and checked for my Daily Bible Verse. This is what I read:

What's the relevance of this message to me, you may ask. Today I received my CEAP benefits! I thought I am no longer qualified to receive any separation pay since I only begin to contribute for CEAP in 2006 (I think). CEAP stands for Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines. If you are an educator working in a Catholic institution, you are asked to contribute a portion of your salary for your retirement. Since I am an obedient employee, I registered and started to contribute.

But I lost interest in processing since I resigned voluntarily and I am below 10 years of continuous contribution. With the persistence of my mother, I processed the papers for separation and just waited for whatever benefits I will be receiving. I checked and read the contents at their website for any clues on whatever amount I will be receiving. I found nothing. This lead to my hopeless consideration that I may not receive anything at all. Knowing that I will need all the financial help now since I am about to give birth this month via Caesarian section, I just prayed to God that He will provide us with whatever grace He can give us. I never ceased praying and the Bible message really gave me hope.

I filed the papers late October, then forgot all about it. Que sera sera...

But we can really never tell what's in store for us. As we keep on worrying about our daily lives, on what's going to happen the next day, He already laid out the cards of our chances. All we have to do is have FAITH IN HIM. 

So, this afternoon, I received a phone call from my mother informing me that I have check from CEAP. The amount can really help in my CS delivery. While I was worrying on where to get the funds for this expense, HE provided it for us. Truly, God works in wonderful ways.

My planner entry when I received the good news!

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