Last Monday, I was surprised to receive a text message from Cathy to pray for her surgery scheduled for 7:30 AM. That surprised me. I knew she had thyroid consultation and a complaint on Mittelschmertz (German for “middle pain”) and some pre-menopausal symptons. I knew something was up with Cathy because we see each other everyday, well “online” that is. So that worried me when I didn’t see her for two days. Anyway, I thought they found something in her thyroid gland which required an emergency operation. I can imagine the shock of this sudden decision. I thought of visiting her yesterday but then it was my husband’s 47th birthday. Besides , I thought she might not be able to chat because of the pain around her throat area. So I took a chance this morning to visit her at the hospital. Cathy was in high spirits ever grateful for the successful operation and God’s faithfulness.
So they found something in your thyroid?, I was skimming around her throat area wondering where the incision was done.
I was puzzled.
Cathy said “No, I had an ectopic pregnancy”
I was stunned. [tag]Ectopic pregnancy[/tag] can be fatal. In fact , she was already bleeding internally and had lots of clots. No wonder she couldn’t attend our August 19 meeting of the Compassionate Friends. Imagine she was bleeding for more than 10 days not knowing she was pregnant all along. Anyway, Cathy will blog more about God’s faithfulness in delivering her from danger. The question that piqued my curiousity was ” are you grieving?”. She doesn’t know yet as everything happened so soon and she is still processing the past day’s events.
That Monday, I also received word that my sister-in-law lost her more than 8 weeks old baby. I know they wanted this baby so much as they only have one child. .
A baby did not have to be born after nine months in order to be loved and treasured. A baby was anticipated and wanted and it was taken away without permission, consent or notice. The loss needs to be grieved and mourned by the parents but they need to be reassured that there is no timeline on the grief process. A [tag]pregnancy loss[/tag] is not something that someone just ““gets over” in a matter of days. It is a true loss, just like the loss of a pet, the death of a family member or a friend. A pregnancy loss is a real loss. Their feelings should not be minimized with an unkind comment and their loss must not be trivialized. Too often, those closest to us – our friends and family members – tell us what they think is the right thing to say but is really the last thing we should hear:
““It was God’s way”
““It was better that it happened now, rather than later”
““At least you have other children”
Each of the above statements might be true but none of them offer comfort or take away the pain. Support for preganncy loss is available around the world and even in our mission, The Compassionate Friends Philippines.
My dear husband turned 47 years old last night. Heh, he’s 2 years younger than me. We thanked God for another year. I told my husband that every year after 46 years old is a celebration for me. My mother died young at the age of 45 and I am full of gratitude that for every year added to my life. Every year I buy practical gifts for my husband usually kitchen appliances. How boring is that? I should be more romantic in my gift choices. This year, I wanted to buy him the 
I prepared a lot of food for his birthday dinner such as beef stroganoff, Lemon-Thyme Barbecued chicken, Shrimp Potato Salad, Pepperoni Pasta and Jasmine Rice. The 2 girls arrived from the dorm that night just to be with their dad. Awww. It’s a rarity to have these close moments with your college kids. They have their own friends and social life. Inspite of having midterms exams the next day, the celebration of their dad’s [tag]birthday[/tag] was more important to them. It was a wonderful celebration only made more meaningful when my aunt called to say that her house (which we sold to her in 1998) is up for sale exclusively for us. We were delighted to hear the good news. There were tenants who were still living in the house so that was an obstacle to the sale. What a wonderful birthday gift from God. 
Online shopping is quite tempting especially if one finds bargains. My sister in San Francisco tells me that she doesn’t go to the mall anymore to buy her clothes, gifts and even appliances. Unfortunately our credit card’s exchange rate is quite high. The only online shopping experience that is financially rewarding is buying at Amazon. All of my 
I just had a haircut yesterday. While entering the door of Azta Urban Salon in katipunan , a sign caught my attention . The notice said our cut hair willl be used for cleaning up the [tag]Guimaras Oil Spill[/tag]. A few days earlier, I saw the TV news on human hair being collected by Les Reyes of Reyes Haircutters . Reyes mentioned that all members of the Philippine International Hairdressers Association signified their intention to join in the efforts to clean up what is believed to be the worst oil spill in the country. 
My husband is in the mood for movies lately. Maybe he’s making up for last week’s emotional crisis. Comedy was our choice just because we wanted to laugh. After all, 
We watched “Click” on a monday night. Yesterday night, my husband calls from his cellphone and asks me to check the schedule for “My Super Ex-Girlfriend”. I tease him again ” Can’t get enough of bitching women, huh?” This superhero spoof/romantic comedy is kind of stupid really but my husband was laughing his head off. I’m thinking, “Wow he’s enjoying the bitching scenes”
A few days ago, I was at my aunt’s neighborhood to check for possible houses for sale. One of the most important considerations for moving in a new neighborhood is a fast internet connection. I visited an internet cafe inside the neighborhood, just a few meters from the vilage church. It was 8:00 PM and the internet cafe brimmed with high school and even grade school students playing some kind of war game, possibly Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) , an expanded version of Warcraft. I was horrified to see these kids. Shouldn’t they be studying? It upset me that the parents are not monitoring their children’s whereabouts. 
When I started my online business, 
Yesterday at the Rockwell Center , I met up with a potential customer, a Hongkong Trader who didn’t seem put off that I didn’t have an office address. My office is contained in here, as I removed the