Freedom from ancestral dysfunction, anxiety, depression, and addiction

Becoming a free, healthy, and emotionally disentangled woman is something I have been striving for since I decided to end an unhealthy marriage in 2021.

The dysfunction was so deep that I attracted someone who was as dysfunctional as me at 16 years of age and latched on to that unhealthy relationship that festered and never grew up.

In this season of Lent, I am grateful for my sound mind, free spirit, and strong body despite negative forces that did not want me to be where I am today which is stronger, healthier, and happier than I have ever been in my whole life.

Jesus literally picked me up, rebuilt me from the ground up, shook away dysfunctional behavior, and mindsets and set me free. This freedom is the kind that is rare, hard-won, and pure.

When I look back at the woman I used to be I cannot recognize her. The deep ancestral dysfunction was never fully addressed and when I took ownership of all of it, wrestled with it, and took it down, true healing took place. I was finally able to pour into myself in ways that dysfunction, toxicity, and materialism could never fill. What transpired was a closer relationship to God, wholesome ways of being, and daily fulfillment, filled with gratitude for everything I have.

Breaking free from my own internal shackles and ancestral dysfunction is something I pray for my children. I pray they learn that anything of real value, money cannot buy. Robust health, true freedom, internal peace, pure joy, and personal excellence are states of being that must be chosen, daily. 

I am deeply grateful for my own successes in life and want my kids to know that a positive road map has already been built by their mother. To continue this positive trajectory, they must pray just as I did, seek God’s guidance just as I did, in order to receive discernment in all matters. God’s ways can be indecipherable to us so leaning on His understanding is what is required to truly be free, happy, and healthy in mind, body, and spirit. 

My daily prayer is for my children to experience this freedom of mind/body/spirit now, in their teenage/young adult years. I want their battles to be of a higher trajectory that allow for higher states of embodiment and personal fulfillment, in all the areas of life that are important to them. I want their spiritual grounding to be as strong as mine or stronger. I want them to attract healthy relationships and experiences of all kinds. I want them to know that boundary setting is their right and their way of asserting their power. I want them to know what true love looks and feels like in all areas of their life. I want them to be unbuyable and not succumb to purely worldly wins unshielded by God’s approval. I want them to be as successful and victorious as they are willing to work for. This I pray, everyday, for my children, in Jesus’ name Amen. 

 

In this season of Lent, I pray for freedom for all us. Freedom to receive and give love. Freedom from physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual ailments. Freedom from ancestral dysfunction, addiction, and maladaptive behaviors of all kind. May God bless us all and give us freedom, everyday. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Stuff we do at home 🏡

My kids don’t know 🤫 about this blog so I will post here lol 😂 (We’re a bunch of rockstars and are built a lil different 🎸) Enjoy🤗

Kitchen Karaoke 🎤

Legacy building

I want to create a living legacy that is built on the foundation of my life: inner peace and strength.

Firstly, what is a legacy? A legacy is what you pass down to your children. This can be in the form of material or monetary goods, but what I am striving to create here is more valuable than that which is a conscious cultivation of my own personal values and positive ways of being in the world. 

Secondly, I define cultivating inner peace as having a strong soul connection to God. It is from this direct connection that I draw from and graciously obtain “the peace that surpasses all understanding.” 

Moreover, I define my soul as the part of me that is infinite, unbounded, free, and the purest part of myself because of my connection to God.

When I connect to my soul, I connect to God, and from that abundant and blessed place, I can feed my physical self, emotional self, mental self, and spiritual self. 

And when all aspects of self are properly nourished, I can freely and whole heartedly give in the Earthly capacities I hold as: mother, daughter, business partner, co-worker, sibling, aunt, niece, friend, and fellow human.

My main goal is to cultivate rich and healthy relationships in these Earthly capacities as I have little interest in fickle and superficial connections unanchored by my personal core values.

Furthermore, I aim to serve within my Earthly capacities at the highest of my abilities by having a loving spirit, a strong body, and a sharp mind.

From there, I am free to go after my goals based on my heart’s desires and I always pray for the highest and best outcome for all.

This is my living legacy.

Mang was there for me

“Mang” was my paternal grandmother and was my world for a large part of my childhood in the Philippines 🇵🇭 and adult life in the United States 🇺🇸 

Childhood memories of Mang 🇵🇭

1. DOTING. Feeling special and really doted after. She always strove to make me feel comfortable and taken cared of.
2. MILLIE BOO. I don’t really know why she loved me because according to multiple sources I was not easy to love. I was called “Millie Boo” because I was frequently in a bad mood, “buysit” as a child and not friendly at all.
3. LOVED ME ANYWAY She didn’t care about all of my shortcomings and loved me anyway.
4. MALAMBING/TENDER/AFFECTIONATE. She was so attentive and malambing toward me I could not help but place her on a pedestal. 
5. HOW TO BE A CLASSY LADY. Another beautiful memory when I was around 8 was a class she signed me up for on how to be a proper lady. It was etiquette training in how to behave properly in social settings. We learned how to walk with books on our heads, how to navigate a formal dining experience, how to properly socialize in a party, and how to make delightful and polite conversations. She was a dignified lady and I want to pass down this positive legacy to my bloodline.

In the US memories🇺🇸 

1. TALENT SHOW/LOVE OF DANCING. Signed me and my sister up for a talent show. Taught us how to boogie. Got us coordinated outfits. Permed our hair and made us look like little Asian dolls dancing to music she grew up to. In the mood. 
2. KNEW HOW TO DO HAIR Permed our hair and it actually looked good.
3. I will forever associate the smell of Ogilvie perm solution with Mang.
4. As an adult, she was very delighted to have great grandchildren. I even had a dog she helped dog sit for me that she adored (Lattie). As a great grandmother, she loved Gigi’s articulate way of speaking and Gavin’s earnest straightforwardness. Plus she found my children well mannered and endearing. “Makayama la reng anak mu talaga.” ==> In American Colloquial California Youngspeak with the proper emotional context: ”Your children bring forth lots of love and light, like for real.”

What I miss the most about Mang is her sweetness, intelligence, and feistyness only true divas possess. I am forever grateful for all of the fond memories she made with me and pray that she continues to rest in eternal peace with our Heavenly Father, Jesus, and all the angels and saints, and family that have passed. Amen.

After School Programs

Dear Forest Park PTA Family,

Putting on a PTA-sponsored After School Program for over 60+ children most definitely takes a village!

Our team needed to secure approval from school administration, iron out logistics, create and distribute marketing material, create an online interface for sign ups, track these sign ups, obtain sound equipment, create easy to follow and engaging fitness routines, teach routines, and check in/register all participating members.

I am happy to report that it was pure magic yesterday! The first of our After School Programs, Family Fitness, was a smashing success and was extremely well received by our community :)

On that note, please remember how important you are to the success of our organization. A heart-felt thank you for your generous donations, the sharing of your talents, and service with us!

When we are old and gray, our children will reflect fondly on how we "gave them the world" with our presence, time, and love throughout their formative years.

Holding you all in high esteem,

Millie

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Millicent Rose Galang Dizon
Forest Park PTA
Chair, After School Programs
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."~Aristotle

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My Art Gallery

Welcome to my personal art collection 🖼️

Family of turtles 🐢🐢🐢🐢The art instructor only instructed us to paint 🎨 one turtle but I went above beyond and painted a happy family of four turtles. (I blame my Overachiever + Eternal Optimist tendencies lol 😂).

My favorite subjects to paint are items found in nature: trees, sunsets, rocks, and landscaped mountains. 

We had a Paint Nite Party and I selected the pink cherry 🍒 blossom tree signifying feminine energy.

Go get creative and create SOMETHING!!

My Hero (one of them)

Every heroine obtains her super-powers from someone, or something. I, luckily, have strong parents who have bestowed upon me some awesome qualities that I have honed and made my own. Since today is my dad's 60th birthday, I would like to honor him by writing this post.

Millie, Erle, Lyle, April- 1988

My sister was the most prolific writer when my dad was in New Zealand in 1988

Erle's drawing to Papa, 1988

Lyle's drawing to Papa, 1988

My earliest memories of my dad was doting over us and telling us the BEST made up stories. He'd tell us about giants, little people making footprints on the floor, and witches whose bodies would fly off at midnight seeking the blood of a pregnant woman. His flair for language and creative plots were endless. We, my three siblings and I, were always mesmerized. He worked hard to provide a good life for his family and everyone knew he was (and is) the go-to-guy for sound advice. He continues to be this way and has amassed a close-knit circle made up of family and non-family members.

Our long time mechanic Rick, expressed his deep concern for him when he was recently hospitalized earlier this year. He said, "Your dad is like a dad to me too. Please help him get healthy as much as you can." I nearly lost it right then and there but kept myself in check only because I was soooo not expecting him to get that emotional. (I lost it, privately, on the drive home.)

We have another long time associate, our broker Mansoor, who has the same birthday as my dad. This guy is super-soft-spoken, many times unprofessional, and always slow in his service but no matter how demanding my dad can be, Mansoor is (always) naturally and un-flinchingly-kind, competent, and closes deals left and right for us no matter what snags we face.

And the list continues. I don't want to get too personal here because my dad hates that. Just think, if this is how his associates feel about him, think about how his "inner circle" feels about him. He is just absolutely BOMB.COM. With all of his idiosyncracies and dysfunction (we all have them), I can say that my dad has showed tremendous love (the Rough-Around-The-Edges-Kind "RATEK"), compassion (RATEK), and a fluid-competency in almost all of his dealings with his loved ones.

Also, I have learned that you don't need a butt-load of friends or associates. You just need a good handful who are trust-worthy and naturally "gel" with you.

TO PAPA: Without further ado, I want to wish you, my hero, a Happy 60th Birthday! We can't wait to celebrate YOU and really hope you get your health action plan truly dialed in this time around. God has been more than gracious to you these past few years. Please know that that all of the good and success you see in all of us have been directly from Yours & Mama's efforts. We love you immensely and wish to celebrate many more blessed birthdays with you.

Love, your adopted daughter

:-) Millie

*For the record I am not adopted. This is an inside joke as he introduces me to people as his "adopted daughter." As though that would faze me ;D