Saturday, April 12, 2008

1 Litre of Tears

"I continue to hope and pray to become someone great"

Aya Kito

That's what she said in her diary..Well...Her pray was answered! Little did she khow that she now become "someone great, whose life inspire million of people. I would love to invite all of you to watch this Japanese serie "1 litre of tears", which is based on a true story of Aya Kito..a girl who had to cope with her teenage life along with a degenerative disease. A disease called Spinocerebellar ataxia which causes the person to lose control over their body, but because the person can retain all mental ability the disease acts as a prison. She kept a diary of not only what she did but how she felt and the hardships she must endure...

I had a chance to read an English version of her diary online and was deeply touched by her attitude and example. I wish I could live my life to the fullest like hers. There are a lot of things in her diary that taught me to live my life that I won't be regret in the future...
Aya said "I believe in God. Thinking that God is probably testing me through these hardships, made me feel alot better. Somehow, I do not want to forget this feeling"
It comforted me to know that in everyone' s hardship..the grace of the Lord is always there with them...Just like that feeling Aya felt..the one she didn't want to forget...As an LDS , we learned that the Lord would not put forth His hands to change the course of lives of His children even though He easily could change anybody's fate...Why is that? because we all have to learn, to pass through all of these tests on earth...and sometimes...His work is manifested through these good people whom He allowed them to suffer...in order to inspire and change the course of lives of many more...
I even cried when I read her diary. I haven't finish the serie yet...but I know all of those tears Aya shed...make tousands of people shed many "litres of tears"...with/for her...

Watch "1 litre of tears" serie online with English subtitle
http://www.mysoju.com/1-litre-of-tears/

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Seek to become a blessing

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

I just shared this quote an discussed about it last Tuesday in the institute class I taught. Didn't realize though that there would be something happened to make me repeat this over and over in my mind....People can easily hurt you unintentionally. We love to point finger at others to justify our own behavior. While doing that we often forget that we are judging others as well.

I was judged by others. Was it a just judgment? Was it unjust? Well..It will depends on whose point of view it is. I 've been in the situation like this before and have try to accept the facts and improve myself. However, this time is different ... because the judgment and sentence were delivered to me without a chance to have a trial.

This is something new...something I've never experienced before. My judges clearly pointed out every weakness/failure to do things of mine. It made me understand that their decision was well presumed. I felt like a criminal under the the judges' watching eyes. My question was if I was to be blamed, must those watching eyes got the blame as well? The watching eyes that didn't stop and didn't even help me to be better? Well, most of us would probably answer "no" , since they didn't do anything-"anything single thing" about it at all.

Why would people ignore to make a difference? Deny to help?

Because it's none of our business?

When I was in my mission...there were few times that I was assigned in the ward that is not well organized. Many branches I served, there was no PEC meeting, Ward Council meeting, no one want to help out with missionary. This is considered tough areas. Some of us would just counting our days, waiting for or asking to transfer. In PMG taught me though to leave "any area better than when I find it" I know I was not sent there to retreat to the trials.

If I leave, would the branch survive? I believe so.... since they probably have to cope with their own obstacles. I wouldn't be any much help anyway. I learned that such attitude wouldn't help, but hurt the area more. Just like playing video game, if you cannot pass through any level, there would be substitutes for you to try it all again and again and again... til you pass it. Many choose to quit and start the new game... but sooner or later they will find themselves stuck in the same situation.

"Seek to be a blessing, not a burden" is always the solution.

When we choose to be a blessing, we will find joy in what we are doing..even if it's just a little help.