A PRAYER FOR CHILDREN
God, we pray that through the
intercessions of St. Nicholas
you will guide and protect our children.
Keep them safe from all harm
and help them grow to become
loving disciples of Jesus in your sight.
Give them strength to always mature
into deeper faith in you,
and to keep alive joy in your creation.
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
by Father David R. Engbarth, St. Nicholas Church, Aurora, Illinois
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He went throughout (the) whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" 
The Colors of Sports DayThe one month rehearsal for sports day is over and today students eagerly awaited the start of this annual sports competition . Parents came to watch their children compete and do performances at the opening and closing ceremonies of this important event. The morning air was cool and the sun was warm, but turned scorching by noon. The mid-day heat did not dampen the spirits of the athletes, the competition was stiff and the cheerings were exciting. Everyone had a great time is looking forward to the next years sports event. Photos below:
The school band in black played , as the parade moved around the oval.
The torch has been lit and and parents eargerly wait for the performance of their children.
The primary school kids presented an opening performance for sports day.
The members of the cheering squads watched as the parade passed by. 
The Pink Panther is the official mascot of the pink cheering squad. The color of the squad's T-shirt looks youthful and sweet, suits the teenage members well.
Yellow is the symbolic color of the king of this country, true to it, the squad members stood significantly among the crowd.
The orange cheering squad enjoyed the cool weather and warm morning sun. I cannot find my any of my students in this squad. I'm sure there are several of them up there.
My grade 7 girls with the red cheering squad posed candidly before the camera.
With the apple green cheering squad team are my grade 7 boys , all looking great in their sombreros.
My grade 8 students are members of the purple cheering squad. I'm wondering why they are so well behaved this morning. They normally aren't in class.
The light blue cheering squad starting their formation.
I have thought about this on the way to Sukhumvit Road aboard the BTS (Bangkok Transit System) Friday morning. I'm going to drop by this partricular area in central Bangkok all dressed up for the holiday season on Sunday . I will let my eyes feast on the beauty of this transformed Christmas wonderland. Living and working in a predominantly Buddhist country for many years now makes me wonder why everybody (every Thai person I mean) is excited about Christmas. Thai people do not know the real meaning of Christmas and simple enough, they associate this very important event in the life of a true Christian with Jingle Bells, Santa Claus, Christmas trees and every symbol of Christmas one can think of . . . except the birth of our Savior. They think that Christmas is special, even Hindus and Moslems living in this country do too. For me, I miss Christmas , the way we celebrate it at home, the true meaning of it. I miss grand family reunions, Misa de Gallo (nine days novena masses before Christmas), Christmas Eve dinner with family members, caroling and so many things that Christmas at home is made of. I try to make every Christmas spent in here in Thailand special and memorable , especially for my son JM. I knew we can't finish touring this transformed Christmas wonderland yesterday, so were coming back for more next Sunday!
My son JM at the foot of the giant Christmas tree. He looked like a dwarf in contrast to the size of the tree behind him.
This was taken at the wine section of the supermarket. The Christmas goodies looked so delicious and tempting, particularly the gingerhouse cake. We bought some yummy cakes and fancy breads and planned to come back before Christmas to buy the things we need for Christmas Eve dinner.
We went around Central World and found this Christmas tree decorated with gold and white ornaments. We had a great time looking at all the beautiful Christmas decorations around us. This was the main idea of dropping by, shopping was only second.
White Christmas bells adorned with flag inspired bows hangs beautifully above the giant Christmas tree.
JM poses for a souvenir photo beside the advent wreath after this mornings First Sunday of Advent mass.
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand."
Christmas is just around the corner. This is the very first Christmas tree my eyes have laid on this week. In a predominantly Buddhist country, a sight like this brings a feeling of anticipation and excitement in the hearts of people regardless of religion and beliefs.
This year I decided to make JM do a project, an advent wreath. Because ready made wreaths are not easy to find here in Thailand, we simply substituted materials that will be used in the project to anything available in the market. For the stand, we used a stoneware from home and covered it with aluminum foil. Then, we took a portion of the small sized tinsel that will be used in our Christmas tree as a substitute for the greens and twisted tiny, purple flowers in it to reflect the color of the season. The candles are all scented and were placed in crystal candle holders which I bought from a local hypermart. This project aimed at educating my son on the importance of advent.
Purple flowers signifying repentance and green tinsel for hope were chosen to decorate the advent wreath. 
JM is doing the finishing touches on our advent wreath.
Our advent wreath looks so pretty and is ready to use on the four Sundays of advent.
All smiles after completing his first advent project.
This is my favorite Philippine Christmas song. Sing along and enjoy the music of the season.
This video of the United Nations Day 2009 celebration at Caloocan Elementary School refreshed my memory of how my student life in this primary school was like. It reminded me, that I used to participate in the schools annual UN Day celebration for six years and most importantly, it made me remember how my late aunt Adalia , who has served the school as a teacher and an assistant principal for many years would fuss over the customs I wore during this annual celebration. The video shows young children singing Caloocan Mabuhay Ka, translated as Long Live Caloocan. By the way, I'm a resident of Kalookan (in fact, I was born here) and my father and two siblings still live in our family home.
"The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description."
Almighty and merciful God,y ou break the power of evil and make all things new in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Countries throughout the world may have their own ways to prepare for the birth of Christ. In Ireland, Advent is traditionally a time of penance with fasting and increased prayer. Children are encouraged to say extra prayers. Mothers assume the responsibility of making sure that everyone goes to confession by Christmas day ( a good example to all countries).
It's been ages since we visited Sanamluang 2 Weekend Market. It used to be a horticulturists paradise and it has now expanded into a shoppers haven where you can find all kinds of goods you can imagine. We dropped by for an unplanned visit Sunday afternoon and we had a great time looking around. Below are photos of things I found interesting :
Cute bins
Garden decorations
Home decorations
Lamp posts in this area of Salaya, Nakhon Pathom are decorated with bird figures at the top. The road leads to the biggest park (Phutamonthon Park) in this province where you can find a giant Buddha statue and lakes with giant catfish. 
I found another old photo of JM in my family folder. I decided to have this posted as a souvenir of his March, 2004 kindergarten graduation ceremony.
I found this old photo of JM playing with his toy tank in one of my files and it reminded me of our trip to Ayuthaya on New Years Day, 2006.
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