A Legacy that is my Mom

A woman of character and strength...

A woman whose words touched many...

A woman with integrity and courage...

A woman many knew...

A woman many respect...

But to me...

She was the one I call...

Mom

A few would never realize how much someone would mean to them when they are still around; only when they leave this life that it would sink in. Yet, in death we don't celebrate what could have been and what words we could have said. In death, we celebrate the life and legacy the person had over this world.

My mother was not the world's greatest mom. She had her flaws and she had her share of things she could have done differently. Yet, even as a child, I always looked up to her. Her strength as a woman is incredible. To be the bred winner of the family, yet still have the time to share a cup of tea and coffee with her husband is amazing. She was always the rock that held the family together. However, what is so amazing about her legacy were the lives she have touched.

Her charisma, leadership, and aura as a woman of strength and character transcends through the people that surround her.

My mother always said to me, leaders are not born but made, yet I see in you the kind of leaders we should have in this earth. To serve with a heart that gives, and to be a beacon of what should be a utopian society.

Idealism
Hope
Heart...

Those qualities each one of us should possess to lead people, and qualities we need to be what we can be. To not be scared to speak your mind, and to have no fear in living a life of no impossibilities.

People always ask me where I get this passion in life and this courage to seize opportunities; and I always believed in my heart it was my mother who gave me that spark. It was her words to an 11 year old girl that allowed me to pursue life with a regard to never step on anyone as you climb the ladder of success.

My mother's legacy as a woman of incredible strength, resiliency and character lives on, and as we say farewell to her in this life I am sure that her memory will live on.

She has achieved few people have in this life...

She achieved immortality...

People will always remember a Ma'am Racks in their lives. A woman who have touched so many hearts and inspired so many of the youth leaders of today.

And as her daughter, I will strive to be what she have always sees in me.

To my hero, and my rock... 

My mother.. 

Thank you 

Vatican City: Walled Within

Enclave within the city of Rome, with an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of 842,is the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population. (credits: wikipedia)

- Saint Peter's Basilica -
Photo Owned

Independent from Italy and all of Europe, the Vatican is the only city that is governed by the highest ruling power in the Catholic religion... the pope. A seat of power that once held by Saint Peter whose ashes lie rest within the basilica. It is indeed an amazing experience to thread upon the steps towards the tomb of Saint Peter. One can only withhold tears as you feel an immense aura of humility sweep away from under your feet. As a Catholic and a devotee, to just be inside the basilica is one of the moments you would cherish for a lifetime. Yet, you  need not be a catholic to appreciate the beauty of the architecture and the art inside. One piece of sculpture that lies inside is the Pieta by Michelangelo. 

- Pieta -
Photo Owned

This symbol of the Virgin Mother's sorrow as she hold her son's lifeless body in her arms gravitates the loss any mother would have when their child is taken away from this life.

The grief

The pain

The undying love of a mother...

These emotions evoke a level of sadness not many can comprehend. Let your hearts succumb to the sorrow of this art. Let your hearts feel the sacrifice of a mother, and let your hearts feel the love that is unconditional and true. 

Just Around The Riverbend

Pocahontas

"What I love most about rivers is:

You can't step in the same river twice

The water's always changing, always flowing

But people, I guess, can't live like that

We all must pay a price"

In life we find ourselves in crossroads, and our hearts troubled to find the right path. Our fears are overwhelming as we find what is out there. For if we choose one path, we might regret not choosing the other. Confusions cloud our minds and judgments in our quest for happiness. We realize that the barriers to make the right choices are our own selves and our fears.

"Should I choose the smoothest course

Steady as the beating drum?

Should I marry Kocoum?

Is all my dreaming at an end?

Or do you still wait for me, Dream Giver

Just around the riverbend?"

Would you rather choose a path that's stable and never changing? Or a path that you don't know what to expect yet full of excitement. The problem with these choices is that the fear that you may pay the price of regrets. How can anyone overcome looking at yourself in the mirror and watching a life you could have chosen.

Dilemmas we encounter growing up that never presented itself when we were young. Who would have ever thought watching Pocahontas when we were a kid actually relates to our lives when we are at our mid 20s. However, like the movie, it's not the choice that dictate our lives but the steps we make towards it. It might not matter in the end whatever path we take; we just have to always remember that its in living them and experiencing each moment that matters.

Life is not made up of fears but moments...

(Credits : Youtube and http://www.stlyrics.com/)