I Am Never the Same

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay awhile and leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever, the same. ~Flavia Weedn


February 29, 1992 is a significant day in my life.  I consider it a major turning point.  If Christ's birth divided history into B.C. and A.D., then February 29 divide mine into happy-ever-after versus how-now-brown-cow.  But before I go into the gory details, I am again reminded about another date: November 18, 2010.


Why are these dates even worthy of attention?, you may ask.  Well, the quote above has a lot to do with these dates being important.  At least to me.  Because on these dates, plus one more which I may have chosen to forget, people who came had gone--some permanently, some semi.

REMEMBERING AUGUST 22

Today is a special non-working holiday.  Why?  Because it’s been 20 years since the great Benigno Aquino Jr. was felled by a single gunshot wound at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport.

Actually, yesterday, August 21, was the real anniversary of Ninoy’s death.  But since the historic date fell on a Thursday, good ol’ GMA decided to move the commemoration of Mr. Aquino’s heroic death to a Friday. (The better for us working people to enjoy the long weekend, I guess.)

So, what makes the day special, anyway?  An extra day to sleep in and wake up late?  For most people this day may just be one of those holidays.  But definitely not for me.  Because today, I grieve.  For exactly a day after Rolando Galman allegedly shot the great senator, in the middle of a nationwide blackout, my mother passed away.

A Letter to You, From Me

I am going through an idling time right now.  You know, like a car stuck in traffic with the engine running.  Msgr. Tuazon of St. Vincent calls this kairos, a Greek reference for time described as "a moment of undetermined period in which something special happens."  It is a period which requires a tremendous amount of hope, faith and love within a person, so he or she could actually go through kairos.

Discern, Decide, Communicate, Commit

I was talking with some girls from the Mission House one night about making decisions and standing by them.  How did we get to this profound exchange of ideas?  It all started with Sr. Mary Nierre's no-holds-barred pronouncement: "The problem with you young people is that you are afraid to make decisions and make others decide for you!  When I was 17, I already knew I wanted to be a nun.  You should decide.  Once you do, stand by your decisions, even if it seems to be the wrong one."  In Tagalog, panindigan mo yung desisyon mo!

WHEN GOD BLESSES YOU…

…He makes sure He opens a floodgate and pours out every possible blessing you could hold in your outstretched arms.

Why do I say this?  Because in a matter of days, God has again managed to shower me with gifts—so much that I need a battalion of angels to help me carry them home!

Last Thursday, April 29^th, at around mid-morning, a Tito whom I had sent my portfolio to, called me and asked me to work for him part time in his printing press.  I… was… dumbfounded.  I didn’t think he’d be interested in my services anymore.  But he is, and although it’ll be only on a weekend basis, I am literally jumping up and down in excitement!  At last, I’ll be back in the publishing industry!

40

No, the number above more than signifies how old I am.  It signifies a period of "rebirth" for me.  You see, the number 40 is very significant in the Bible.  It connotes purification, a time of preparation, a period of completion.


Jesus went to the desert for 40 days before He embarked on His mission.  A woman goes through 40 weeks of gestation and gives birth to new life.  The Israelites wandered in the dessert for 40 years before they reached the promised land.


So you see what the number 40 means to me?  Some say life begins at 40, and I think I believe them.  Because from February to November of this year, I will be going through a 40-week exercise that I believe will change the course of my life forever.  I started last February 10.  The exercise will commence on November 10, my birth date.  I am excited about God's revelations.  I have asked my friends to pray for me and with me as I go through this "gestation period".


I just pray that God will sustain me all throughout these 40 weeks.

Random Thoughts #1

I just finished reading Passion & Purity by Elisabeth Elliot. And that book discusses so much about waiting, not in vain but actively! And I really admire the honesty of Jim Elliot about he felt about "Bett" as he fondly called her. And instead of giving in to his raging hormones, he threw his energy to doing what God wants him to do at that time. And when His perfect time came, he "demonstrated" his love for Bett by declaring his love finally and asking her to marry him.

In this day & age when people opt to go "instant" than to wait on the Lord, Elizabeth & Jim Elliot's love story, which they placed under the lordship of Jesus, should be every single person's standard.

Why I Won't Forget September 26, 2009

Have you ever had one of those days which seemed to start quite ordinarily, only to find out that the day would be a day of surprises?

It all started with my phone alarm going off at 6:00 AM on September 26, 2009. It was a Saturday, so why was I up so early? I was supposed to have a bazaar the following day. I wanted to get my errands done early for that bazaar.