Jeremiah 22:3-9

First attempt at reading scripture without being told. All because I was bored waiting for my family getting ready for Sunday mass! I asked the Holy Spirit to guide me in finding what message is in store for me today. I realized it didn't need to be a long prayer for me to be heard :) I opened a page somewhere in the middle, and with my eyes closed, I unknowingly pointed to the verses:

Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation. For thus says the LORD concerning the house of the king of Judah:
"'You are like Gilead to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,
yet surely I will make you a desert,
an uninhabited city.
I will prepare destroyers against you,
each with his weapons,
and they shall cut down your choicest cedars
and cast them into the fire.

"'And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, "Why has the LORD dealt thus with this great city?" And they will answer, "Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and worshipped other gods and served them."'"

I have always been told that our God is a loving and forgiving God. His love is without restrictions nor conditions, and even if we choose to disobey Him, He remains at the sidelines, eagerly waiting for us to come back so He can continue to shower us with everything that we'll ever want and need in this life.

However, going back to His fold will require us to think, act and say things in a certain way. It may seem like posing conditions, but isn't it that when you profess your love for someone, you do certain things for them because you want them to be happy? You are never obliged to do so, but you're willing to do them anyway, and it doesn't take much effort from you, because you're happy making other people happy. It should be the same with our relationship with Him, isn't it?

I dunno how often the Bible said that God will do awful things to those who worship other gods than Him, but I'm sure it wasn't just once. Now it may seem this contradicts the concept of a loving and forgiving God. When you think about it, however, it's the life worshipping other gods that will destroy us and reduce us to uselessness. Why? Because only God promises eternal life, only our God promises salvation. In this generation, it's the gods of wealth, power, and anything else that puts ourselves first rather than Jesus or other people. Up front, they're too good to be true, but that's all there is to it. Just like anything else on this earth, it's fleeting and temporary, and we'll no longer have use for it eventually. Who wants to get stuck with that?

There is so much to gain on His side, but even I still struggle not to stray on the path I've recently taken. Really takes a conscious effort to keep straight. I still believe in His promise though, and that's what keeps me going.

Back for good

This blog was initially for money-making purposes but I forgot why I had to sign up for a new one. In any case, I've decided to use this dormant account for more personal and spiritual reflections as I'm creating a habit of reading scripture on a regular basis.

I've always thought I had been given a pretty easy life. No personal issues going on, my family is intact, we get to experience the good things in life, I try to be spiritual, I have great friends, I'm generally surrounded by good people, things and events. Sometimes, I get to ask myself, "Is this all there is to it?" Not that I'm asking for a burden, but everything just seems manageable with prayers, support from loved ones and hard work. There ought to be something that will give more purpose to my existence.

Sometimes, I find myself reminiscing about my old life in the corporate world. I look back in fondness, never with regret nor longing, because I have found my place: in the classroom. I've been told time and again how financially burdened I could become, and how thankless this profession could be. But almost 3 years and counting, I can still manage to treat myself with good things once in a while, and my kids' enjoying school is the only form of appreciation I'll need to keep doing this. Money and making a lot of it has never been a goal of mine, heck, I never had the drive to climb the corporate ladder, honestly. Sure, it would be nice to acquire it, but it has never been a need, immediate or otherwise. Good thing I didn't pursue an MBA or it would have been just a waste of my time.

So what am I arriving at? Because I'm relatively whole (as far as I know and feel and believe), maybe, just maybe, I'm put in this earth to take care of other people. That teaching is the only profession that can enable me to touch other people's lives on a more personal manner. That it's young children I'm meant to take care of because of their innocence, because this is the time that I could create a deep-seated impact.

Maybe, just maybe, I'm with Peejo because I can take care of him, and I'm willing to take care of him in spite of what he has gone through. Maybe I'm stronger and more patient than most. Despite my fears and anxieties, I know He won't give me what I can't handle. And I guess it will be the same for other people I'm meant to take care of in the future. After all, having the Spirit in me should enable me to be more of a woman for others, isn't it?

Burnt!

Awww men. My arms and back are as red as raw meat and it stings even if I already put on Sheila's cooling gel this morning. I have a reddish strip from between my eyebrows to the tip of my nose. For the remainder of the summer, this will be my testament to another unforgettable trip with my grad school friends. It was our first time to visit Bacolod and was taken in by the most down-to-earth and hospitable family we've ever known! Even if it was just two days, there was enough hearty laughter to qualify for an ab workout, delicious food was so abundant and the country sights were just breathtaking. I can't wait to post the pictures on Multiply soon! I was the only one who didn't bring a camera. Watch out for it! :)

Praise and worship

There's so much to be said about singing beautiful praise songs with a room full of people who are equally adamant in expressing their faith. Talk about goosebumps in your arms and butterflies in your stomach. I'm not the type to make a hard sell about my faith (although incidentally the SE14 weekend is just around the corner but that's a different story), but cultivating it with things I do with and for the apostolate, everyday just seems to be a big gift just waiting to be opened - that's why it's called the present!

Before writing my thesis proposal and the SE14 Harana script, I prayed that I be given focus to work for hours on end, guidance to act on the proper inspiration and translate the right thoughts into words. Worship songs were played over and over in the background as I worked in front of the computer, ignoring the fast ticking of the clock and all the other distractions around. And true enough, I finished, with enough time left even. And as I skimmed my masterpieces, I can't help but think, "Did I actually write this?" It was I that just typed it, but it all came from Him. And those words of exaltation sung over and over just never seem to be enough for the rest of the wonderful things that He has done for me even without my prodding. How overwhelming is that?

I can firmly attest how things have gotten much easier to accomplish if I lift it up to Him first. What's there to lose anyway if you do?

These are a few of my favorite things...

Aaah... once again I can blog to my heart's content. Chichi's reading my proposal and I submitted the script draft a little past midnight. So far it's just my street jazz dance class tonight that I'm waiting for. Other than that, I have this day all to myself. I don't really get to sleep in even if I don't have work, so those moments are much coveted.

It was too hot to go home from La Salle yesterday so I opted to kill some time at MOA. Had a hard time deciding where to eat even if namumutla na ata ako sa gutom nun. It was around 130pm when I finally settled in Stars and Stripes for some breakfast food :) I think it was one of the better decisions I've made this week, because it's a regular craving that I rarely get to satisfy (Fastfood places should offer their breakfast meals the whole day, you know, I just know it's going to sell more).

Oh boy, was it a skillet full of my favorite things! Scrambled eggs with cheese and peppers, hash browns, sausages and large strips of crunchy bacon! Wow. I should have taken a picture of it but thought about it too late. I think it was pretty obvious to the waiters that I fully enjoyed that meal. At Php220 a pop, it wasn't so bad, it'll be another 48 years before I'll have it again (spacing is the key for maximum enjoyment).

I was still feeling good afterwards, so I decided to buy a new swimsuit. Hahaha! I know, after that big meal :)) Nainggit kasi ako, Fara bought a tankini at M&S, so I bought myself one someplace else. I felt I was enjoying too much that I decided to go home before I burn more money but grabbed some Roti Mum buns before heading home.

When the dog barks
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad!

Hot off the grill!!!

With only less than 5 hours of sleep last night (or rather this morning), I mustered the energy to get up and add the finishing touches to my thesis proposal to be submitted to Chichi today. Was it just divine intervention that Chichi said she'll be free pa 12nn onwards? Surely gave me a bit more time to settle everything. I was worried a few hours ago because my instrumentation looked obviously plucked from nowhere just to have something a bit relevant added for chapter 2. My eyes still feel as heavy as when I woke up but I had enough sense to tweak it a little bit to make it more presentable. After a big mug of coffee, I find that it's not so bad! :) And the 49 pages has just rolled off from the smoking printer (yes, there was a bit of smoke promise!)

There's a bit more to fix, but I can live with it until the next submission. For now, it's the harana script that I need to fix, which needs to be emailed tonight. Waah!

Something different

Tagaytay traffic was pretty terrible at certain times during yesterday and this morning. My parents wanted to do something different (a.k.a. burn some money) so we were whisked off to Tagaytay yesterday morning with overnight bags and no reservations. Would you believe I packed with my things the Handbook to Early Childhood Literacy in the hopes of taking down notes for my proposal? Syempre I didn't even touch it, pinabigat lang yung bag ko...

We were able to do a bit of Bisita Iglesia before reaching Tagaytay past lunchtime. Finally got a big room for the family at Villa Barretto before settling at Piccolo Mondo for some sumptuous Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad, Four Cheese and Arriabata pizza, Osso Buco and the Spinach pasta whose name I forgot. SOOOPER SARAP! A DVD of Il Divo was being played in the background (they look too old for me). Hung out at Starbucks for about an hour before heading off to church. I didn't know there'd be a mass of green leafy-tasting stuff at the bottom of the Green Tea Latte. Not a good idea to scrape it with a stirrer - yuck. Anyway, we attended the Mass of the Last Supper at 5:30 and filled our tummies with several appetizers at Leslie's - we weren't that hungry hahaha! Had a copy of The Secret on my trusty Zen and that's what we watched until we fell asleep. Now that will be a totally different blog post altogether.. watch out for that!

This morning we headed off to Caleruega after an unsatisfying breakfast at Mushroomburger (Good Friday naman, so sacrifice ko na yon). Pics from my DVD handycam and my brother's SE K800 to follow. You'll see who's the better photographer or who has the better camera hehehe. Wasn't able to visit Sonya's (my dad was getting irritable because of the heat and the traffic) and we packed our bags a little over noon to have a meatless lunch at Teriyaki Boy. I had to condition myself that I was full even if I wasn't. Naks seryosohang diet na to! (Pano ba naman, I've been stuffing myself into oblivion since the week started! Sigh.) Can't leave Tagaytay without some tarts from Rowena's! Traffic was a bit bad going to Sta. Rosa but it was all smooth from Paseo all the way home.

Now that I've done my blog ritual, there is no excuse for me not to go back to my thesis proposal again. You'll hear from me again later!