JB Lifestyle

The united states has had its fair share of problems in regards to gun violence and a number of unfortunate events involving sadly, teenagers. Its very sad indeed that despite all the people who live there have been through, the government, refuses to establish more stringent regulations on the access to fire arms. Apparently they are respecting the freedoms of their citizens to "protect" themselves. People often make bad choices, laws are not meant to restrict people's freedoms but to guide them and maintain order otherwise chaos will reign! Sometimes people are ruled by their emotions especially anger which drives people to seek vengeance. Yes, sometimes that anger is understandable when we are wronged by others or taunted. In that moment, we are not thinking clearly. What would stop me from going to the store to buy a gun when they are as easy to buy as candy? Teenagers are especially emotional and full of angst. Going through teenage years is particularly di...

Last week , one of the mass readings from the bible was about how the people in Jesus' time kept looking for more signs or "proof" that he was the messiah. People really never change! In our day, people want proof of everything and explanations because apparently science has all the answers we have been searching for and there is nothing that cant be explained! The mere fact that you draw air should be enough of a sign for you of God's omnipotence and love. Do you really think that as some scientists say, the world came from a big bang of nothingness? When has something ever come from nothing? Do you really believe that you evolved from an ape or a fish or whatever scientists want us to believe? Faith is not about proof. Sometimes you have to take a step into the unknown and trust that it will all work out. Some would say "blind" faith but our faith is not blind. Faith has made martyrs courageous and made saints out of the worst sinners. The signs...

A friend of mine recently lost her new born baby boy and she is devastated. There are no words to describe what she and her husband must be feeling right now. I didn't even now the words to say to comfort her. How do you make sense of such a tragedy? Children are always innocents and its just too much to comprehend why such things happen in life! We have all lost people we knew and loved, sometimes to senseless crimes, incurable diseases and even "natural causes". I know it helps us to move on when we have a reason why someone we cared about died but sometimes there is no answer and we need to let it go. You have to grieve for a time, yes let yourself feel all the things you need to and then move on with your life. In order to keep on living, you have to let go of your grief otherwise it will drive you to an early grave or a life closed off from others and that is not living. When you cannot make sense of loss, let it go and do not dwell on the pain and become b...

William Shakespeare is quoted as saying : " I always feel happy. You know why? Because I don’t expect anything from anyone. Expectations always hurt… Life is short… So love your life… Be happy… And keep smiling… Just live for yourself and… Before you speak? Listen.. Before you write? Think.. Before you spend? Earn.. Before you pray..Forgive Before you hurt...Feel Before you Hate...Love Before you quit...try Before you die..live!" Those are wonderful wise words and you would be wise as well to take them to heart. In life, we are often disappointed and hurt because of so many unrealistic expectations. I am not saying we should not hold people accountable to a high standard based on their actions but we need to be realistic in life. People will always disappoint you, you have to get over it. Sometimes it is just because of their own human weaknesses or sometimes you have your own judgements and opinions about how they should behave and they just don'...

People love to compare their lives and personalities with others. They admire or aspire to be like someone they think has a life better than their own. Parents also sometimes compare their children to others and ask "why cant you be more like  the child they think has the qualities they like ?" That is a very wrong thing to say indeed. People are different and uniquely created. We are just prejudiced and sometimes we even don't like certain people for no reason at all! Some people just rub us the wrong way even when they have not done anything to offend us, its part of our human weakness. However its something that you and  i can work on. Some people's personalities just don't blend easily with others and we may think of them as abrasive but you should also have it in mind that some people think the same of you. People will always have opinion and judgements about your life and personality. You are not living your life for others, you are living it for y...

I am not referring to being romantically involved with someone specifically but to having love in your heart for other people and for life in general. People always seem to be searching for love in the wrong places. We were made to love and from love but we do not have to be "desperate"to find it. Often times, love happens when we least expect it. First of all, we need to start by learning to love ourselves. I do not mean by being vain and narcissistic but by making an effort to care for our health and well being and understanding that we are not perfect but we can work on our weaknesses and make our lives better. You cannot love someone else until you love yourself. Romance and love  are great things indeed but we need to accept that not everyone finds that kind of love in life. That is ok too, to be single and happy. No one has the right to make you feel bad because you are not in a relationship! I hope you will all be open to love in your lives, no matter how m...

Mother Theresa is quoted as saying, "do not strive to do great things, do small things with great love!" Those are words of wisdom that can make our lives better if we accept them. The world makes it seem as if you must do "great" things in order to make your mark but its the "little" things in life, the things we do not see that really matter in the end. Even simple tasks like cleaning, washing clothes or cooking when done with love for neighbor and God , have such profound merit in God's eyes! How many of us smiled at someone today or extended a greeting to a stranger or even your neighbor? We often have frowns on our faces and the tasks we do throughout the day are done grudgingly, while dragging our feet! Lets all make an effort to do even the simplest of tasks with joy in our hearts and a cheery disposition. Lets smile and be courteous to those around us especially those who are down and in despair. God bless you all!

Recently, i wrote about some difficulties i was going through in my life and how i was struggling. Last Sunday was a particularly grey day for me and i was feeling so down and just wanted to give up. I kept praying for God to help me and take it away and you know what? He did. I am taking it day by day but since Monday, i have been doing so much better! Yesterday, the readings at mass were about never losing hope. As Christians and generally as human beings, our capacity for hope is meant to be limitless. Its really hard i know to be cheerful and have hope when your back is pressed against the wall and you cannot see any way to "escape" your torments. These days , the world encourages you to try and "escape" from life. That is just plain silly! You cannot escape from life, you have to face it head on, and you have to learn to let go! You cannot be in control all the time, there are some things you cannot change no matter how much you want to. God is the o...