Breathe in Jesus and Other Poems

By Dr. Victoria Z. Veloria

Breathe in Jesus and Other Poems is a collection of stories in poetry form that revolves within and around the writers life and those near herher family and circle of friends. It is the reflection of life itselfits beauty and bliss, wounds and scars brought by trials, and Gods own way of revealing Himself, lighting the path and directing those who seek Him. It is in the spirit of sharing and witnessing to the Lords glory and grace that events are unfolded and not on personal note to conceal what the general public may consider private. For it is said, Whoever boasts should boast in the Lord (2 Corinthians 10:17).

Breathe in Jesus is meant to inspire the broken-hearted and those who suffer or are still undergoing persecution and loss in different degrees or measure. Not until one sees others suffering or loss could he understand himself and his situation, not until he is shown the manifestation of Gods intervention would enable him to reflect too and be able to see what the Lord has in store for him, and not until he calls on Him could he find God and be blessed by Him! It is on this motive that this book is written, for indeed, the Word of the Living God rules the human heart and makes it breathe in Jesus!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514413951

Dr. Victoria Z. Veloria

Dr. Victoria Zacarias Veloria (a.k.a. Victoria V. Mafiles) Retired Principal II, Labrador National High School Labrador, Pangasinan, Philippines Dr. Victoria Z. Veloria, a committed teacher, guidance counselor, and school administrator by profession, was born in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, Philippines. Her father, the late Policarpo Fernandez Veloria Sr., who retired as regional superintendent for private schools in Southern Mindanao District, Philippines, inspired her to soar high vistas in the mainstream of education. As a former principal of Labrador National High School, she grappled head-on for eleven years with the dire need for superior human resources and school facilities to promote quality education, thus turning the school populace of 112 students in 1992 to an amazing 1,600 in 2003 before she left for USA. Dr. Veloria finished college at Ateneo de Davao University, Davao City, in 1972 and was a silver medal awardee for literary excellence in English-Filipino and Filipino-English translations. Her great passion for higher education urged her to finish her master of arts degree in education at the University of Mindanao in 1988 and pursued her doctor of education degree at the University of Pangasinan in 2000 after eleven years of teaching and counseling in Tagum City National High School, Tagum City, Davao del Norte. She also took her master of arts degree in elementary education at University of Phoenix, USA, in 2011. Dr. Veloria is now a resident of Orlando, Florida, USA, after retiring as principal II of Labrador National High School. Writing poems is her passion. Her own collection of poetry appears in The English Translations of Pangasinan Folk Literature (c. 2005), which she coauthored with Dr. Erlinda T. Nava. Furthermore. Dr. Veloria’s poems “Glimpses” and “Remember When” were published in Timeless Voices (c. 2006) and Forever Spoken (c. 2007) respectively, and both books were edited by Howard Ely. Breathe in Jesus and Other Poems (c. 2015) is Dr. Veloria’s first publication in the USA on her personal encounter with the Lord and with her personal acquaintances.

Book preview

Breathe in

Jesus

and Other Poems

DR. VICTORIA Z. VELORIA

Copyright © 2015 by Dr. Victoria Z. Veloria.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 10/08/2015

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Contents

Acknowledgement

Breathe In Jesus

The Light And Sound Of God

How Do I Love You, Lord?

Jesus, My Healer

The Good Basket Of Figs In Jeremiah 24

Holy Dove

Sweet Grape Of Summer

I Am Blest

Twist And Turn

Remember When*

I Am Beauty

God Sees The Truth

Supremacy

Scales Of Justice

There Must Be*

Amazing Grace

Count Your Blessings

Rejoice, Oh My Soul

Jesus, The Victor In Me

Lost Lambs

An Outcast

Times Of Refreshing

Cadena De Amor

Napoleon, My Philanthropist Brother

Alexander

Glimpses*

A Summer’s Cast

Rome, My Bother

Gem In The Sand

Brothers Ely And Pol

Only For A Short While

My Slum Book

A Ride In The Clouds

Child-Like Folks

In Memory Of Cely

Mother

Bibliography

Dr. Victoria Veloria’s Chronological Residency

Map Of The Philippines

Business, Carrier, Company, Earth, Hand

DEDICATION

To God Almighty–Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit

For You are everything to me and my family!

And You are what the world needs for peace, love and unity!

***VZV***Foreword

What you are is God’s gift to you. What you make of yourself is your gift to God. That quotation, from an unknown author, has always guided me in putting my thoughts and feelings, my ideals, hopes and dreams, and the story of my life and others’ in poetry writing. As illustrated in the Parable of Talents, I wish to give back to God and put to good use His gift to me by being a part of His ministry–to share the Good News to others through this book.

I learned in 1990’s from my involvement in Charismatic Outreach Ministry Foundation Incorporated (COMFI), which is based in the Philippines, that we should always be living witnesses to God’s goodness, mercy, and blessings so that others may turn to God not only in times of bounty and fullness of life but most especially on our trying moments of loss of job or fortune, ill health, temptations, or even death of a family member or friend. It is, therefore, in the spirit of sharing and personal testimony that the poems in this book are presented. They are all based from true facts, real stories, and more intimate and personal encounter with the Lord.

Basically, life is a typical replica of what is in Nature–the celebration of birth, and the mourning of death; the taste of sweetness when successful in studies and job, and the bitterness of undergoing divorce, unemployment, incarceration, or homelessness; and the miracle of being blessed with a second life, acquisition of properties, a returning husband after a divorce, or a newly-found job. All these are reflected in the poems included in this book with the end goal of providing inspiration and hope, and the spiritual strength to carry on in facing life’s trials. As exemplified in The Story of Job, it is the will of God to put our faith to the test so that we will never depart from Him but, rather, seek His face constantly in prayer. It is like putting us in a crucible under fire as in a precious metal to draw out the gold in us. The process is always painful but we should recall that our pain can never equal the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ.

Lastly, scripture passages are also included whenever possible as they remind us that the Word of God is true and binding for all times. –Dr. Vel

Cascade, Water, River, Mountain, Nature

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In any human endeavor, there are always people or power involved to lend a helping hand, give moral support and inspiration, or even be the light towards the fulfillment of a dream. In Breathe in Jesus and Other Poems, the author acknowledges such inspiration from the following to come up with her own writing and composition of all the poems and make the author’s dream possible.

Foremost is the Lord Almighty God who has caused everything in this author’s life happen for a reason beyond her comprehension but are now made manifest in this book.

Her family, relatives, and friends (living or deceased) for providing the story of their life that serves as a living legacy of their faith, hope, love, and personal convictions.

Dr. Erlinda T. Nava, her former superintendent in the Philippines, and co-author of "The English Translations of Pangasinan (Philippine) Folk Literature.

To Mrs. Jocelyn Acosta-dela Cruz, for writing a short description about the author for the book "The English Translation of Pangasinan (Philippine) Folk Literature.

Michael Smith, for his song Breathe, that serves as an inspiration for the author to write the poem Breathe in Jesus.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, James Joyce, and Leo Tolstoy for their exemplary writings that also serve as an inspiration.

Pixabay Free Image, Public Domain Vectors, and JCPenney Photo Studio.

The management and staff of Xlibris; and

Her children (L-O-V-E), grandchildren, in-laws, and siblings here in Florida and abroad, for their love, inspiration, and moral and financial support.

Dr. Victoria Z. Veloria

BREATHE IN JESUS

The first breath of life is a newborn’s cry,

From a mother’s womb he has come alive,

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Created and conceived in the likeness of God,

This human being is you and me from Above.

Thus, breathe in Jesus as you graciously thank Him for a new day,

Breathe in Jesus as you praise Him for Nature’s beauty in splendid array:

The mountains and hills symbolizing blocks to overcome in prayer,

The birds in the sky like the spirit of hope soaring unceasingly up high,

And the flowers that adorn the inner self for every success along the way.

Breathe in Jesus never counting the years of tribulations and agony,

For these are all part of life’s unfathomable mystery;

Breathe in Jesus never weighing your own cross,

For these cannot compare to the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus.

Breathe in Jesus with full trust in Him,

That He can turn a curse into a blessing …

He can change a heart of un-belief

Into a joyful and loving discipleship!

Therefore, blessed be God the Lord of all creations;

Blessed be Jesus, His only Son, the name above all names;

Blessed be His Word, the same before, today and never ending;

Blessed be Life that breathes in Jesus’ Holy presence! –Dr. Vel

Composed on May 24, 2013 in Orlando, Florida and inspired by Michael Smith’s song Breathe.

Readings for Reflection:

Genesis 1:1-26 (The Beginning); John