How I long to grasp those perfect specs of time and hold it in the palm of hands like a gentle firefly, and gaze at its beauty until tears fall from my eyes out of peaceful happiness.

When the cheers of kin become one with strangers and they become strangers no more; when mornings feel like it’s the first ever because of the element of constancy and assurance; when stars align and the sunlight meets the moonlight; and when melody becomes a constant companion

Oh how I wanted to freeze these moments; These fleeting moments…

You wouldn’t remember the ‘I love you’ chocolates. I would. 

On New Year:

Attending the Feast of Bo Sanchez has always been a grace-filled encounter for me. It was late Saturday night (Dec 17) and had just come from an event in school that my friend contacted me and asked me to tag along with him and attend the Feast the following day. Knowing that it would be difficult for me since I will simply commute, I hesitated. Nevertheless, I gave in and it was something that I did not regret.

Going to PICC was indeed difficult. I was late for the Mass. The homily had just finished. I planned to attend another mass because of that. It was the second part that I was able to attend: the worship and talk.

Bo talked about thanksgiving; about how our attitude should be as this year is about to end. He told an anecdote about a tree who worries about his fallen leaves not noticing that he has more fresh leaves than fallen ones and he needed the help of a bird for him to realize it. He also told another story about a man who grieves about the dent on his car and failing to appreciate the whole car itself.

The points of that short period of talk were simple: first, people tend to focus on the lost 10% and end up dissatisfied and eventually ignoring the 90% that’s left. Second, whether we count it or not, there are always more blessings than problems. Third, old things must pass away to give room for new and better ones. And fourth, it is in trials and losing that we grow.

I’ve seen this video clip posted by a good friend of mine on facebook. It was about how we should appreciate each day that comes. Putting it in the context of New Year, there should also be some kind of appreciation for each year that passes us.

Quoting one of the narrators of the video, “You think it is just another year in your life? It is not just another year. It is the one year.. given to you.. this year”.  Those words are very powerful. It was as if it came from someone whose years are numbered. Well, he was an old man after all. But really, those words are powerful. It made me think.

It made me think about the new people I met this year; the many wonderful and talented people that have touched my life with their sincerity and self-giving; the new friends I have gained that made me discover new things about myself—made me try new creative things; the new family who has welcomed me in their big community; the old friends whom I have re-established connections with; and the people—the people who have never left me despite the cares of the world, despite the distance and despite the times apart; people who have remained faithful earning themselves in my heart the title, true friends.

I thought of the wonderful experiences I had. The unexpected blessing of seeing the other side of the globe and encounter different cultures; it was a dream come true. Also, I thought of the experience of having tried to journey and have an adventure in certain regions of the country. It was an opportunity to encounter the greatness of God; how mighty and wise He is for creating such wonders. Unfortunately, we don’t pay attention to these grand creations. There are lots of hidden places in our own country that we have yet to discover. Much like the hidden part of ourselves that we need to establish a connection with; the one that leads to our Source.

A year is an opportunity to love. This year has been given to us so that we could love more people and love all the more the people who have been with us through the years; to love the people who will come along our way—there would be many. Let’s welcome them to our lives with a smile.

Your year has been really rich I bet. You just have to see the entire car more than the dent on it. You just have to forget about the 10% you’ve lost in order to appreciate the great 90% you still have. It is hard for someone who is experiencing pain to see this light. Never lose hope therefore. Quoting Mother Theresa, God does not require us to succeed. He only requires us to try. Keep on trying. Keep on moving. Keep on..

This year has been a ‘journey’—an ‘adventure’. And whether we believe it or not, we did not journey alone. He was with us. And He brought along many people that help us feel all the more how much He cares for us. The tunnel has been dark. But there is always light in the end.. A SUNRISE along the horizon.. Appreciation. That is how we should end this year with.

May we appreciate this past adventure and embark on a new one this coming year. May the good Lord bless you all the more!

A Happy and blessed New Year to you! ;)

A lot of us may have felt that the Christmas spirit is not as fervent as it were in the past. Many of my friends whom I’ve asked shared the same observation or at least would want to feel the spirit more. The last person whose opinion I sought was Sir Eddie Calasanz and he immediately gave an obvious yet often forgotten response: “But isn’t it that Christmas is an inward thing?”

Numbness

Many people have been so busy lately to notice Christmas coming and I count myself among them. Early on (maybe as early as October or November), most people have already blocked out certain days in their calendars for Christmas parties and other related gatherings and endeavours.

Some have also been grieving about personal problems that linger even until this Christmas season. Some deal with them through avoidance; other through self-destructive behaviours; other through impulsive acts and bursts of emotions; and others just let themselves be eaten up..

And just recently, the calamity that has struck Cagayan de Oro suddenly disrupted the Christmas dreams of many families in the region. No man could ever fully understand or lift them up completely from their grief..

Signatures of Christmas

We have become so familiar to the ‘symbols’ that we have attached to Christmas that it in itself has become Christmas for us. The carols that we hear may have come late or less touchy this year. The decors and Christmas lights may have been set up rather late. The sale this year may seem to you as an opportunity to replenish your personal items rather than as gift to your loved ones. The station ID’s of the big networks may not be as powerful as they used to. The Christmas movies lately may have been, well, not so Christmassy.. but it doesn’t mean that Christmas is not in the air.

Discovering the Gift of Christmas

Upon hearing the implied question of Sir Ed, my response to him was, “Perhaps this time.. we have to discover Christmas on our own”..

Perhaps this year, we may have to find our own Christmas. Not the Christmas that has been taught to us; not even those that we seen. It may be the Christmas that we can define in our own words and coming from our own personal experience of it. What does Christmas mean to you?  What is its significance to your life? What is the picture of a complete and simple Christmas for you?

And then, if you did your recollection right, it would lead you to move towards doing something to find your own Christmas. It is now your intrinsic motivation; it is your inside job to find out what are the important things you’ve been missing lately about Christmas.  Does it drive you to love? Does it drive you to give? To inspire others? To re-establish relationships? To recall the past? To embrace the past? To forgive? To create? To express? To move? To rest? What does discovering Christmas drives you to do? 

In that act of discovering, you arrive at the center of it all.. it’s in the history of us Christians. That one single gentle event that fulfilled it all. A picture of three people: an upright and modest man, an obedient and humble young woman, and newly born baby in her arms that signifies hope for us all..

…. 

The Christmas season has many more days to go. Find your Christmas. I’m think I may have found mine. ;)

Maligayang Pasko! (Lots of prayers for all of you. Haha) 

Lots of Gratitude and Appreciation. :)

It all existed in my heart at first

Until you made it real.

How long have I yearned for such a call.

And I did not regret it—not at all.

We beheld the great Light

Drenched in supplication.

I see you in that half look

The silence falls.

I could sense your earnest clamour.

I hope you could hear my gratitude

For that one single moment

I keep it frozen in my heart

So that it would remain forever..forever.

We took off

Carrying that peace there found.

The bright glimmers await us.

But nothing compares to the light I see in you.

The feeling of seeing

The world.

The feeling of being free as

The birds see what we cannot see.

It was a joyous flight.

It was a flight I knew not.

Now, I am flying.

Soaring with you.

Over the tress and under its branches

Through the clouds

Oh how we touch the clouds.

Let us soar! Let us soar some more.

Let me soar with you!

And we fall. Oh yes we fall

But to our delight.

Your eyes cannot gaze how I really fall..

But it was the flight that

Moved me.

It’s freedom.

You set me free so many times

The shackles no longer hold me

How long shall I fly?

If I could, I’d fly forever with you.

Let us fly to the skies

The clouds, the vast heavens.

As you sever the winds with your body

I maintain our haste by staying behind you.

We are birds. Free.

Let us fly

They all blend didn’t they?

They fall into the smooth rhythms.

That’s the music I hear.

Can you hear them?

I hear them. I hear it.

They all fit together

Like they do as if in one

Great design.

Can you hear it?

It is the sound of a breaking dawn.

Can you hear it?

The sound of seas breaking into

Waves along the beach

Can you hear it?

It’s the snowflakes gently touching

Our skin

Can you hear it?

It’s the gushing forth of a stream

In spring time

Can you hear it?

It’s you. Perfect just by being who

You are

Can you hear it?

That’s my heart singing..

I am just assuming you wanted me

And I become happy by simply doing so.

I do not want anything at present

Just the thought of you wanting to be

With me.

I took the road that leads to you

On that day.

I have forgone the duty of my state.

What for shall I hesitate?

Is it not the present that is of

Great importance?

Shall I falter? Shall I wait any longer?

I chose not to!

And I hasten towards you.

Your image is all it takes to make me smile

Why did you ask?

The answer does not matter.

Allow me to put sweet words on your mouth

Let it prolong the lies I feed myself.

It’s a drug that keeps me afloat.

The drug that healed me.

We wasted time;

oh how we squandered the time.

Time did not matter for me that moment

All I cared about was the everlasting present

With you.

The gift you gave me was the sweetest

The blessing we shared

was a moment to keep.

Until the late hours it was your composure

That held me in fervent admiration of you.

Your gaze on me,

However brief,

Was that of utmost concern.

I am grateful. But it is I that is more concerned

About you.

You’ve done so much for me

More than what I have given you

That day.

You appreciated my presence.

I appreciated your words, gift, and endeavour

Thank you