Welcome to Lotus Rainier
Sitting in the Chair of Privilege
"Life is a battle – you must enter into it fully, and do what needs to be done. You cannot shrink from your duty. Life presents difficult, sometimes horrendous situations, unwelcome tasks, and obstacles of every sort. Despite this harsh reality,...
Giving Became Her Best Birthday Gift
Photo taken from: https://www.abs-cbn.com/newsroom/news-releases/2020/1/18/taal-evacuees-abscbn-foundation-efforts?lang=en “Beyond a certain point, which we’d reached, money has no further value. It can’t bring happiness, but it can save or transform many lives. “-...
A Night with FIBR
Don, Helene, and Yvette. Yvette has been the guiding force behind FIBR and has a way of building the organization based on her camaraderie, the strength of her character, and literally giving you the right assignments. Yvette, with Denise Fairchild, collaborated with...
Hills
Hills are my nemesis. The sight alone is enough to intimidate me. But, my trainer, Quoc Ngo dismantled that incorrect belief. First, he had me carry 12 kg. kettle bell in each arm and then, had me go up and down the flight of stairs. Then, he timed me as I climbed 282...
Harvesting Goodwill: Heto ang Taya Ko!
“We are blessings to one another, Choose the narrow gate, not the big gate. Joey Velasco, a painter, once said [ I live not by the time of the clock, but what is the meaning of life, meaning what is shared with others.]" - Fr. Arnold Abelardo Fr. Arnold Abelardo, the...
The Magic and Genius of Kultura: A coming into Grace!
“ The design of the violin – those sensuous, feminine curves of the shoulders, waist, and hips ( Man Ray famously superimposed the instrument onto the back of a shapely woman) – is the result of a long simmering stew of intellect, practicality and some mysticism....
Impressing vs. Expressing?
“Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life….all of our life. “ - Henri NouwenI have been fortunate in being...
Discovering Daily Grace
“I was with God all day. He was with me when I woke up at 530 am to greet the sun. He was with me when a generous, disabled man had a wrench and fixed the car’s flat tire, on our way to catch the ferry. He was with us when we missed our 10am ferry, only to find out a...
Dear Mr. President
President Barack Obama at the California Science Center during Barbara Boxer's fundraiser. #DreamComeTrue #BarbaraBoxer #CaliforniaScienceCenter #HealthcareReform #Compassion #Diversity ( Photo courtesy of Randy Palisoc ) “We are fortunate in our society that a means...