Today, the people of the United States of America celebrates their Independence Day. I remember back in my Elementary years that July 4 was once declared as Philippines' Independence Day but reverted back to June 12 for some reasons. Well, it's not about the date, it's all about the thoughts and how people really understood it.

Talking about Independence, many people are still craving for it. They are craving for that what we call total independence, freedom from any slavery. Slavery takes many form. It not only literally refers to those low paying maidservants who were being enslaved by their masters. It could mean to any individual who were being slaved with their own shortcomings. Slavery to vices, bad attitude, bad reputations, jealousy and too many to mention them all. I, myself is a slave of negative thoughts, of being so pessimistic. I long for total freedom from it but somehow I need more time, more courage and more faith to overcome it. I know it's not only me who went through this ordeal. You too. Maybe you could relate with me. Whatever it is, let's fight our way to total freedom. WE CAN DO IT! With God's help, everything is possible.

Happy Independence Day!

♫ I'm broke but I'm happy, I'm poor but I'm kind... ☺♫

That's a line from the song "One Hand In My Pocket" by Alanis Morissette. There's a hint of irony in there so to speak. How could you be possibly happy when you are totally broke? How can you possibly be kind when you have nothing else to give? Well, you can really think of these when all you have in mind is money and all those other material things. 

But what will you do if you wake up one day and found out that everything you've got in your pocket is just one peso? Yes it is true that for times like this, you need to look up and seek for God's help. God sees and He knows. But you just cannot stay calm and wait for miracles that money will be poured right into your doorsteps. You need to do something. Honestly, you can't really help but get worried when all you have is yourself and your one peso coin. What if you have mouths to feed? You will surely get panic especially if you are the only one who can provide food on the table.

Situation like this is so hard to bear. Many said that it takes faith to overcome such ordeals. Faith that God will never ever leave us nor let us sleep with an empty stomach. But sometimes, prayer alone is not enough. We need to do something out of the wisdom that God has given us. After we pray, it is not wrong if we seek for help from those people whom we thought could really help us. We will know that God is working with our plan when the people whom we sought for help will willingly extend his/her hands and heart to us without any hesitation. 

We can still be happy even if we are penniless as long as we knew that there are people whom God has given to us who are willing to help us along the way. We can also be kind even if we thought we are poor by being good to others even if they seems acted otherwise for us. And with that, Alanis Morissette could be right with her line:

♫ I'm broke but I'm happy, I'm poor but I'm kind... ☺♫