a little nudge

Its quite ironic how we proclaim our faith in God but there are instances in times of sadness and need for guidance and strength he is the last one we think about.

I had accompanied my dad yesterday for his check-up, three weeks after he was admitted to the hospital due to a mild stroke. We came on time for our scheduled appointment but seems like the doctor was stuck in a meeting thus we had to wait during which at one point my dad told me he feels nervous.

He placed my hand in his chest to feel the fast beating of his heart. I was sort of in a pensive mood that morning but made an effort to be cheery and tried to make light of the situation by joking and teasing my dad about being scared of doctors.

The more we waited the more uneasy he felt, so we went for a walk around the corridors. My dad asked me what I do to calm myself when I feel nervous, I just told him to take a deep breath and to not think about it.

I sat in a corner and watched my dad pace the empty corridor, a few seconds later he came to me smilling and said "you know what I am doing for my nervousness to be gone? I am praying for calm".

I was dumbfounded.

How could I have forgotten to encourage my dad and put him at ease by praying for him and with him? I have been too caught up with the sombre mood I am in and the nuisance of waiting in the humid corridors of the hospital that I forgot the first thing I should have done. It was then that I put myself in a position of prayer.

A few minutes later - the doctor finally arrived. He gave my dad positive feedback about his condition. My dad was very happy indeed when we left the clinic and he nothing short of did a jig, hugged me tight and almost lifted me off my feet. I knew he was happy not only because the doctor gave him positive results and encouragement but because his prayers were answered.

As for me I am thankful for the little nudge I got and the simple reminder that in everything I should always put my hands together and  pray. God should not be our last resort but the first one we should always run to... 

... and for all of this may God be Praised!!!

My episode

One of my favorite American sitcoms is Everybody Loves Raymond.

The series shows the everyday dealings of the Italian-American Raymond Barone, his wife Debra and their kids. Raymond’s parents live in close proximity (just across the street!) and make their presence constantly known to the annoyance of Debra who finds his mother in law intrusive and insulting; and Raymond who is often caught in the middle of his mother and wife’s argument.

Raymond’s father, Frank, is portrayed to be a very obnoxious person who often makes sarcastic comments. He doesn’t like to show his emotions but several episodes show that he really loves his family. His mother, Marie, on the other hand is controlling and over nurturing, she is a very good housekeeper thus finds a lot to criticize Debra for.

In one of the more heartwarming episode of the series, Raymond questioned his parents’ happiness. They are often showed bickering with Frank criticizing Marie and Marie complaining about Frank’s insensitivity which in this particular episode boiled over with Marie moving out and going across the street to live with Raymond. 

With their constant squabble over the littlest things, Raymond felt that maybe they are miserable being together but was proven wrong when Frank came bursting through the door late at night looking for Marie because he couldn’t sleep without her beside him, and Marie ecstatic with joy over Frank’s shower of ‘emotion’. 

Sometimes when I see and hear my parents argue about small things I feel the same way. Like Raymond, I too wonder if they are happy. It was during Sunday mass that I got my heartwarming ‘episode’.

Me and my brother were seated in between my parents at church during last Sunday’s mass and at the part where we are to give peace to each other, my dad leaned over for a kiss from my mom. It was such a heartwarming moment as it is not often that we see our parents being ‘malambing’ with each other nor does our whole family get to go to church together, thus to have that moment during mass was particularly special. 

Thank you Lord for my ‘episode’ and thank you for the gift of Family.

And for all of these may God be Praised!!!

Spare us Oh Lord

Sharing the prayer penned by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, asking God to spare the Philippines from more typhoons and other calamities:

"Lord, we are in great need. Like infants we cry to you, do not abandon us in our distress. We kneel in disbelief! How could you, dear Lord, have allowed this to happen to us who call on your holy name? Have you abandoned us, Lord? Are you punishing us for our sins against you? We have been crying for days and our eyes have run dry, but our grief is still very deep, our wounds keep bleeding and our hearts are confused and anxious. Our tears are not enough to wash away our sadness.

"Tama na po! Hindi na po namin kaya!

"Lord, we believe in You and we trust in You in the midst of all these. Today, we renew our faith and hope in you Lord.

"The supertyphoon was strong but our faith in You is stronger. Marami nang bahay ang nawasak, buhay na nilamon ng nagngangalit na tubig... marami mang naulila... muli kaming babangon mula sa pagkalugmok, at mula sa isang bangungot ay gigising sa isang bagong araw, dala ay bagong pag-asa, bagong pangarap at bagong pagtingin sa hinaharap.

"You can command the winds and the rains to cease.

"Please, Lord, spare us from more typhoons and storms and earthquakes! We feel bruised from all sides, battered from top to bottom and beaten up inside and out! Please consider our sufferings more than we can face. Tama na po! Pero kung kalooban mo Panginoon, na malampasan namin ang lahat ng kalamidad na dumadating sa amin, para kami ay maging malinis at mas tumibay bilang isang bansa...buong pananalig namin itong tinatanggap. Ang tanging hinihiling namin Panginoon, nawa'y patuloy mong mahalin ang Pilipinas, at kailanma'y wag mo kaming pababayaan at uulilain. Ang pag-ibig mo Panginoon ay sapat na para makayanan naming harapin ang anumang bagyo. Kasama ka panginoon, anumang pagsubok.... kami ay magiging matatag... hindi matitinag... dahil alam naming ang pagmamahal mo, ay higit na mas makapangyarihan at malakas, kahit pa sa kamatayan.

"Amen. Amen. May your will be done. Stay with us Lord. Amen."

Yolanda

Days before typhoon Haiyan/ Yolanda was expected to enter Philippine's area of responsibility, evacuation of families and other safety measures were done by the local government in preparation for what was expected to be the (unofficially) strongest recorded tropical cyclone to make landfall. 

When the storm hit, telecommunication lines were broken and it wasn't until about a day after since the last broadcast of news correspondents stationed in the southern part of the country that we began seeing live newsfeeds on TV.

Nothing could have prepared us from the images that we saw. Structures were crumbled as if they were a house of cards; tall tress were toppled and uprooted; countless of lives were lost and the survivors were left confused, aimless, cold and hungry. It was heart wrenching to watch the news and the only immediate help you can give is to say a prayer for the victims to find courage, hope and faith in the midst of the chaos.

Devastating though was typhoon Yolanda's aftermath, one can not help but have faith in humanity and faith in God who acts thru them as we volunteers put their efforts into helping our country.

Truly we see the face of God in each and every one of them. 

In time, I pray for the Philippines to rise from the devastation stronger and more united. Bangon Pilipinas!

images from BBC;CNN;ABS-CBN NEWS;GMA;FACEBOOK and the World Wide Web

The most expensive Gift

Part of the kit that we have received during our CLP dedication/graduation day was a CD compilation of worship songs. I am not really one you would consider a music lover but I find my self listening to this compilation regularly and begin to 'develop' favorites partly because of the tune but mostly because of the lyrics.

One of my favorites is Your love is Extravagant by Casting Crowns.

With Christmas fast approaching am sure most of you, like me, have started scouting stores and checking out the price tags of the gifts you planned on getting friends, family members and specially our 'inaanaks'. I am sure you would agree with me on this but isn't it that we rarely go out buying gifts without any budget. Even the most extravagant person I think would set a certain ceiling on a gift's price tag but not our God.

He didn't think us unworthy despite of transgressions, no cost is too high for him because truly God's love is so extravagant that he paid the ultimate price for the greatest and most wonderful gift of our salvation.

  

                       

In the course of integrating my self into the SFC community there are some habits that I've picked up and terminologies that I now use.

I am sharing with you this list from the SFC Middle East Facebook Page.

Am adding some of my own observations on the list...

11. we call each other 'bro/ sis"
12. 'may pinagdadaanan' is a term we use when we are going through a rough patch
13. One Earth kits are always kept handy and ready
14. 'discerning' is a term we use when we talk about decision making....

...  - feel free to add yours on the comments below!

Family time

It has been ten days since I arrived in the Philippines for my annual vacation and unlike what I do in the past - that is cram a few out of town trips, try out new restaurants, watch movies, and go to malls and shop with former colleagues and classmates all within thirty days, I have been spending most of my time at home with my family doing ordinary stuff like cooking my 'specialties', going on errands and (yes even) cleaning.

Going out with friends has taken a back seat, I can cram meeting them on the last week of my vacation tee hee! I opt to savor the time at home relaxing and bonding with the family over home cooked meals. Seems like a boring way to spend a vacation don't you think? might be yes, but one could not deny that quality time spent with family is what really an expat's vacation is all about right?

Hulog ng Langit, Biyaya ng Diyos

A few days after my mom and I talked about the letter I wrote during the Famcon activity, the next news from home was that of my father being admitted to the hospital due to a mild stroke.

I wondered how could I go so fast from being high on connecting with my mom about the community I am currently in, to being low in spirit and saddened at the news of my father being hospitalized. 

To be quite honest, I wasn't able to see the reason behind such 'challenge' but during the second Misyong Pilipino mass I was given the assurance, comfort and answers I needed.

For the homily, Father Arlo said that:

"everything that happens in our lives, be it pleasant or unpleasant is a gift from God (hulog ng langit na biyaya ng diyos) and alongside it comes opportunity - and it is up to us to recognize that opportunity and grab it and hold on to it"

Again I was struck at the direct yet subtle way the Lord answered my questions.

I realized that my father being hospitalized was a grace from God.

It was such a blessing that my father was given a second lease in life with nothing more than just a change of lifestyle to bear with, and this I see as an opportunity - opportunity for him to finally turn his back on smoking and drinking and embrace healthy and clean living.

It was an opportunity for us as a family to bond and develop even closer ties.

As we were supposed to go home to the Philippines for vacation in few days time, I saw it as an opportunity to spend more time and take care of my dad. I usually always contact and go out with my friends, former classmates and colleagues almost everyday leaving me less time to spend with my family but this time I decided to just relax, stay home and bond with my parents by cooking and sharing my special recipes with them.

I felt lighter coming out of the church and I immediately send a message to my mom relaying the message I had received. She was tired, lacked sleep and felt lonely without us to assist them in this trying time - I told her to hang on and just pray. I urged my mom to look at the brighter side of the episode, focus on the positive, take it as a blessing and seize the opportunity to spend time with my dad.

My dad is alive and well and for all of this may God be praised!!!