How to stay calm in the midst of life's problems

Life is like a wheel. All people have up and down moments. Living becomes stressful and cumbersome if we don't know or lack the necessary skills to handle our difficulties well. Here are some points to do to stay cool despite the various problems we face in life.

1. Remember that there is a solution to every problem and you can find or formulate one. If after trying to seek for an answer with all your might and mind, you still don't find one, never mind. Just leave the problem for quite sometime.

2. Seek help from people who can give support or advice. Your most reliable mentors are just around. They are your parents, teachers, spiritual adviser or your spouse. If they are not enough, you may seek professional advice.

3. Hang out with people with  happy and bright disposition in life. Happiness is infectious so as negative attitudes, so choose whom you associate with.

4. Read books and other inspirational materials to get support and learn from other peoples' experiences.

5. Prayer and meditation helps. At times many solutions to problems just come in the midst of a heartfelt prayer.

6. Take time to serve others. This is one of the best ways to be relieved from the burdens on our  shoulders. You will feel light and happy as you are able to help another person.

A long and lasting love

This is the photo of mom and dad last Aug 2012.    Due to arthritis, hip operation  and old age, mom  has been confined to her  bed most of the time.  Mom was  trying to ask Dad  some favors in this photo. She asked dad to buy her favorite food in the market to ease her bowel movement.  They are both in their mid 80s and still getting strong in their love despite their age and other related illness.

Love finds its way in communicating and extending service to the one’s we love. Lovers are not perfect, but when love is strong couples will stand by each other no matter what. With love, even little things matter… a touch, a look or a silent gesture.

Meaningful communication and small acts of endearment   are  very important for love to last. With love, couples become more  stronger in facing life’s challenges and trials.

When face become wrinkled, hair becomes gray,  looks become haggard with age or illness, true love will always stay and will find its way through lovers’ hearts.  To love and be loved is a good feeling.

This is my entry to “Love as I see it.” A project of www.islandrose.net flowers Philippines.
Written and photographed by: Irene 

To all my LDS friends

Dear Liahona Magazine Reader,

My name is Victor Cave. I work alongside the staff of the Church magazines in Salt Lake City, Utah. One of our good editors, Melissa Merrill, works for the Liahona Magazine.

She is writing an article, for the adult members of the Church, about strengthening young men and young women ages 12¬- 18, by helping them have their own spiritual experiences.

For this article, she would be pleased to receive stories from parents, readers of youth, and youth themselves about times when they felt the Spirit, gained their own testimony, found a solution in the scriptures, received an answer to prayer, etc.

Melissa is very interested in receiving practical ideas about things leaders and parents can do to foster an environment where youth can discover and build their own testimonies. In other words, what can a parent or leader do not to force a young person to obtain a testimony but to guide the youth and facilitate a testimony-building experience? Are there things they can do at home? In classes on Sunday? At youth activities?

Please feel free to use as many or as few words as you need to tell your story. It can be written in any language, and sent directly to Melissa Merrill by e-mail at melissa@ldschurch.org by August 1, 2011.

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa directly.

Thank you so very much for your help.
Victor Cave
Curriculum Department

P.S. You may also forward this e-mail message to other parents or leaders of youth, inviting them to participate in the same way.

Bonding with former classmates after 25 years

Sulit.com.ph and Trajet Tours and Travel promote tourism in the Philippines and abroad. Find great travel deals at Sulit.com.ph , the leading online classified ads website in the Philippines.

Last January 1, 2011 , twenty five of us (my classmates in high school and some kids) travelled to the province of Albay to visit our former classmate. We’ve been planning to visit her and we thought that it was the most opportune time for us, after hosting our high school home coming last Dec 30, 2010 to enjoy , relax and have fun after all the stress and hard work we did during the planning, preparation and hosting of our homecoming.

Leaving our alma mater at around 2 pm, our bus headed to Albay despite of the cloudy skies and slight shower in Pili, Cam.Sur. Inside the bus, we were so happy chatting with each other about our former school days and present lives.

Since most people in the group haven’t seen the historic 16th century old Cagsawa church buried by the Mayon volcano’s eruption in 1814 , our batch president asked the driver for a short stop to see the ruins. I could not refrain from feeling sad upon seeing the place, yet could not ignore the beauty and serenity of the surrounding. The belfry, serving as a memoriam of the 1,200 people buried inside the church still stood strong. It has become a notable landmark of the province of Albay and one of the most frequently visited tourist spots in the country.

At the background one could only see the foot of Mount Mayon. If not for the cloudy weather condition, our camera would have captured the majestic view of the volcano, which is another major tourist attraction in the Philippines and notable in the world.

Sitting silently at the bus on the way to our friend’s resort at Sto. Domingo, Albay, I was humbled at the realization that the forces of nature can be very destructive and when they strike man is totally helpless that’s why we ought to take care of them and pray for safety to the one in whom our life depends and who created and controls everything that is happening in this world.

A memorable sidetrip (Touching the walls of the Cagsawa ruins)

Sulit.com.ph and Trajet Tours and Travel promote tourism in the Philippines and abroad. Find great travel deals at Sulit.com.ph , the leading online classified ads website in the Philippines.

It was on a rainy afternoon of Jan 1, 2011 when our high school class ‘85 travelled to Albay to visit one of our classmates. After several months of tiresome preparation for hosting our school homecoming activity last December 30, 2010, we’ve decided that as a way to relax and reward ourselves for the job well done, most if not all of us 50 alumni visit our friend’s resort.

Despite of the cloudy weather and heavy downpour in most parts of the province of Albay, our group decided to pursue the trip to Sto. Domingo to take advantage of our long Christmas holiday vacation.

Since most of us, especially the kids, wanted to see the historical tourist spot of the Cagsawa ruins, we've decided to take a short stop.A friendly photographer offered to take our photos. We had fun and was amazed at the camera tricks the local guys showed us there. The guides were friendly and polite too.

After offering a short prayer for the souls of the people who had been buried alive on the spot where I stood, I suggested to our group leader to go on with our trip. We only stayed there for about 30-45 minutes and moved ahead to our destination for fear that after raining for days in Albay , we might get caught in a landslide in that low lying part of the area.

Although our stay was brief because of the seemingly bad weather, we had fun especially with our photo shoots and I was grateful for having the chance to see the place for the first time with my friends.

Sulit has just solved my pressing problem

I was wondering where to post my ad for the book entitled “Passage to Redemption” made by the crew. Fortunately one of the members of that crew is me. It was agreed upon that upon completion of the writing project, revenue from sales will be divided from among us, the eleven authors

Because I am really in dire need of money to pay for my loans and I wanted to buy some gifts for my loved ones this Christmas season, I felt really determined to help in the book’s marketing process.

It was at this time that I thought of trying the services of www.sulit.com.ph. I found out that being a sulitizen, I could post advertisements for free. Not knowing how to proceed and which category to choose in doing my ad post, I immediately contacted the site’s customer support service.

Within 24 hours, I received a reply from the company . Not only they did confirm that I could post my ad for free but also gave me the step by step process how to advertise our product. Thanks for the nice service and timely support www.sulit.com.ph gave me.

A shoe story

While working as a missionary at Santiago Isabela, an unforgettable
shoe story experience happened to me.

Part of our job is to find people to teach and in order to do this
required travel, and most of the time walking from house to house.

One day, I decided to wear the preloved low heeled, comfortable,
leatherette brown sandals given by my sister. Because one of our teaching
appointments was cancelled, we decided to visit Ada, one of our golden contacts
who had been sick. Her house was located in the middle of a rice farm several
meters from the highway. We had to walk through rice paddies in order to reach
their house.

I was told by my companion to just go straight ahead and focus on my steps.
I was talking while walking, and somehow engrossed at the beauty of the scenery.
Inadvertently stepping on a protruding bamboo, I lost my balance halfway before
Ada’s house. The second thing I knew , my right foot already landed on the ricefield.
Good that my friend held me in the arm so I did not fall all the way. I struggled
to pull my sandals out of the sticky muddy riceland, but to no avail.
'What an unlucky day, I just said to myself'. As I tried pulling my sandals again,
a kind hearted farmer who saw us offered help by helping me get out of the mud.

With my foot and sandal covered with mud, we decided to move on. This time both
of us barefoot, towards our contact's house.

As I washed my sandal in the nearby irrigation canal , I discovered that its straps
were torn.
“Oh my, I will go home barefoot!” I exclaimed to my companion.
“Don’t worry, I’ll carry you at my back,” she said jokingly.
And we both laughed .

As we reached our contact, I felt so awkward and embarrassed of my clumsiness.
Good that our contact was solicitous enough not to allow me to go home barefoot
or with just one shoe. I went home grateful that day on a borrowed shoes, half
inch bigger than my size.