I have been traveling for several weeks after that event when I tore down the wall of the dike that I have built. This morning, I have just returned from my journey. I decided to visit the river that has been a big part of me. As I walked along the stony path that leads to the river bank, I felt nauseated by the smell of my surrounding. It gave me a nostalgic feeling of the life that I used to live here. I shut my eyes to let my other senses caress the memories brought about by that odd yet familiar place. It was soon that I realized that my pace slowed down, until I felt my feet getting soaked by the water splashing along the bank of the river.
I opened my eyes slowly. I felt a little sting in my eyes as the sun struck them with its mighty beam. But that did not distract me from what I have come for; I turned my head around to view the flowing river from the point where I was standing still to the horizon where the river vanishes. The rustling of the water as it hits a rock was the same rustling that I have heard a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised when I looked at my right, the ruins that used to lie down were not visible, and maybe they were completely rubbed away by the river. I was overjoyed with what my eyes saw. It made me realize that the struggle was over. Yes, it was over, with the conclusion that I was the winner. The worthy fight came to an end, and it ended gracefully.
As I was smiling, the wind blew from my back; I turned around and there I saw my angel appeared before me. She gave me that same smile that she used to give to me every time she brings good news.
“Thy have won the good fight.” She said to me in a very soothing voice. “And for that, God’s grace shall be bestowed upon thee.”
I bowed down and replied, “I am not worthy, but I will humbly accept the gift that He is giving to me.”
She placed her hands unto my shoulder and said, “Go, God is expecting thee.”
At that instance, she vanished even before I could say thanks to her. I felt rejuvenated with the joy that was overflowing me. Yes, I have won the good fight.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Enthusiasm
I was gazing upon the flowing river, listening to its surge. It was not violent at all, as I expected it to be. Maybe my fears were just overwhelming my thoughts for the past months, consuming every opportunity for experience. I heard the water rustled as it hit a piece of rock, which was formerly a part of one great dike that used to stand here. Now, it is in ruins.
I noticed the calmness of my surrounding, maybe my guardian angel was just around. He was somewhere near, shielding me from harm that could possibly inflict me since the day I tore down the dike.
I took out a small notebook from my pocket. As I leafed through the pages, a sudden gust of wind blew over my face, and gave me a familiar sensation. I knew it was the presence of my angel. The wind whirled as she appeared before me. I gave her a smile. I noticed her aura, a bit different from its color since her last visit. It was as if she was transferring from one vessel to another, but still having that unique identity, an aura a lot different from the aura beamed by my guardian angel.
“What’s that book?” she asked me in a very calm voice.
I turned to the book, and as I continue to leaf through it, I said, “This is my life. I wrote it down, so that I could keep track of my pace. I often lose a sense of direction. With this record, I could always look back, look now, and look beyond.”
“Would you mind to share it with me?” she said, staring at the little notebook in my hand.
Her curiosity gave me an enthusiasm, as if it was a warm water thawing an ice.“Of course, it's my pleasure to share this with you” I answered joyfully, though I know she already had an idea of the simple yet complicated story of my life, how God has woven every strand with one another to yield a masterpiece. I opened the book and started to read it to her. There, by the river, I unfolded the narrative of my life. She gazed at the book as I read it to her, happily, she listened.
I noticed the calmness of my surrounding, maybe my guardian angel was just around. He was somewhere near, shielding me from harm that could possibly inflict me since the day I tore down the dike.
I took out a small notebook from my pocket. As I leafed through the pages, a sudden gust of wind blew over my face, and gave me a familiar sensation. I knew it was the presence of my angel. The wind whirled as she appeared before me. I gave her a smile. I noticed her aura, a bit different from its color since her last visit. It was as if she was transferring from one vessel to another, but still having that unique identity, an aura a lot different from the aura beamed by my guardian angel.
“What’s that book?” she asked me in a very calm voice.
I turned to the book, and as I continue to leaf through it, I said, “This is my life. I wrote it down, so that I could keep track of my pace. I often lose a sense of direction. With this record, I could always look back, look now, and look beyond.”
“Would you mind to share it with me?” she said, staring at the little notebook in my hand.
Her curiosity gave me an enthusiasm, as if it was a warm water thawing an ice.“Of course, it's my pleasure to share this with you” I answered joyfully, though I know she already had an idea of the simple yet complicated story of my life, how God has woven every strand with one another to yield a masterpiece. I opened the book and started to read it to her. There, by the river, I unfolded the narrative of my life. She gazed at the book as I read it to her, happily, she listened.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The River and the Dike
I looked at my watch, it was 8:15pm. Rocks started to fall, one by one, until the entire barrier was swept away by the raging river..
Almost eight months ago, I decided to move to settle at a plain near the river. I considered the advantages of staying near it, and the disadvantages that it may impose. I knew that the river could give life, yet at the same time, it could also be a deep abyss that would inhale back life from those dwelling near it.
In spite of these, I stayed near the flowing river, still, but with safety measures, of course. I built a dike. To control the flow of the rushing water, my life, from being flooded in case the water rises. Somehow, it is a fail-safe mechanism that would save me in the near future.
For several months, I made the dike stronger, thicker than before. Each day, I fortify it so as to be tough enough to withstand the raging water. But as an old saying tells, "Even the strongest wall may fall apart", so was the wall that I have built for my dike. After some time, I noticed the cracks forming near the base of the wall. Afraid that the walls may collapse, I immediately refurbished the crevices that formed; I rehabilitated the dike until every fissure is covered.
One day, as I was busy mending the damages on the dike, my angel appeared before me.
"How long would you keep the river from flowing?” she asked me.
"As long as I can, you too know the risks that I may encounter if I did not build this.” boldly, I replied. "Soon, time will come when the river would be stable” I added.
My angel nodded, as if agreeing with my logic, and then she vanished before my eyes. There, my hands were still busy repairing the dike. I smiled seeing the dike back to its sturdy condition.
A few weeks later, I have noticed that I have been undergoing a vicious cycle: rebuilding the dike over and over again. Though it did not bother me much, as it was necessary to be in this process. I have noticed too that my angel did not bother me during this time; maybe she had understood my theory. What a relief. Until one night, she reappeared before me.
“Why are you so bothered by the river?” she asked.
"I do not know, I think I had enough troubles before, this dike would spare me from any future hassles.” I answered, hiding my fears.
My angel looked into my eyes and said, “You are convincing yourself that you needed this wall, but in fact, you can live normally even without it. Normal, life not bound by walls. I am not commanding you to do anything specifically, I just want you to think again about certain things.”
I bowed my head, and took a deep breath. I realized that she was right, I have been trying to evade things even before they happen, not allowing things to go normally. She’s right. I sighed. Again, she disappeared from my eyes. I looked at my watch; it was 8:15pm. A decision was made. I pulled a cornerstone from the dike. Rocks started to fall, one by one, until the entire barrier was swept away by the raging river.
Later that night, I talked to God. I laid my decision before Him, and asked Him to guide me as things would flow normally as they should. I yielded, putting my trust at the palms of His hands.
-AMDG
Almost eight months ago, I decided to move to settle at a plain near the river. I considered the advantages of staying near it, and the disadvantages that it may impose. I knew that the river could give life, yet at the same time, it could also be a deep abyss that would inhale back life from those dwelling near it.
In spite of these, I stayed near the flowing river, still, but with safety measures, of course. I built a dike. To control the flow of the rushing water, my life, from being flooded in case the water rises. Somehow, it is a fail-safe mechanism that would save me in the near future.
For several months, I made the dike stronger, thicker than before. Each day, I fortify it so as to be tough enough to withstand the raging water. But as an old saying tells, "Even the strongest wall may fall apart", so was the wall that I have built for my dike. After some time, I noticed the cracks forming near the base of the wall. Afraid that the walls may collapse, I immediately refurbished the crevices that formed; I rehabilitated the dike until every fissure is covered.
One day, as I was busy mending the damages on the dike, my angel appeared before me.
"How long would you keep the river from flowing?” she asked me.
"As long as I can, you too know the risks that I may encounter if I did not build this.” boldly, I replied. "Soon, time will come when the river would be stable” I added.
My angel nodded, as if agreeing with my logic, and then she vanished before my eyes. There, my hands were still busy repairing the dike. I smiled seeing the dike back to its sturdy condition.
A few weeks later, I have noticed that I have been undergoing a vicious cycle: rebuilding the dike over and over again. Though it did not bother me much, as it was necessary to be in this process. I have noticed too that my angel did not bother me during this time; maybe she had understood my theory. What a relief. Until one night, she reappeared before me.
“Why are you so bothered by the river?” she asked.
"I do not know, I think I had enough troubles before, this dike would spare me from any future hassles.” I answered, hiding my fears.
My angel looked into my eyes and said, “You are convincing yourself that you needed this wall, but in fact, you can live normally even without it. Normal, life not bound by walls. I am not commanding you to do anything specifically, I just want you to think again about certain things.”
I bowed my head, and took a deep breath. I realized that she was right, I have been trying to evade things even before they happen, not allowing things to go normally. She’s right. I sighed. Again, she disappeared from my eyes. I looked at my watch; it was 8:15pm. A decision was made. I pulled a cornerstone from the dike. Rocks started to fall, one by one, until the entire barrier was swept away by the raging river.
Later that night, I talked to God. I laid my decision before Him, and asked Him to guide me as things would flow normally as they should. I yielded, putting my trust at the palms of His hands.
-AMDG
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Soul Exercise
The road was not busy on the day that I was walking on my way home. It was not just my ordinary walking, it was quite special. I was there on my way, walking with my guardian angel. I took a glance on my phone to check on the time and I noted it on my mind.
"I'm ready.", I told him boldly.
He smiled at me as I started to do my pre-meditation ritual, affirming his support.
Not too soon, I started to take breath slowly as I moved forward. Each pace that my feet set was not the pace that I often do. It was slower than normal. As I did so, it seemed to me that everything was moving in accordance to my pace. The wind was blowing swiftly, clouds were drifting like creeping worms, and leaves rustled making chirping sounds as if they were birds. I did more paces as I advanced.
I paid attention on my surrounding so as to set my soul into meditation. My eyes started to see visions of my current and my past life. The images were so alive as if I was watching an IMAX or 3D movie. Surprisingly, I have seen myself in the visions, yes, I was one of the casts of my own life story.
I continued to walk forward, still paying attention to the minute details of my surrounding, from the grasses dancing with the wind, to trees creaking, to other people walking. Perhaps those people may be wondering why I was walking slowly that time, but that did thought did not distract me on my pre-meditation exercise.
I closed my eyes for a while, still pacing a few steps forward. I stopped, and then gazed upon the open skies. There I saw the stars oddly spaced from one another yet forming a very unique and fascinating outlines. I saw again visions of my life, how certain situations were oddly occurring, affecting one another, the choices that I have opted, decisions that I have made, and the paths that I have taken. I came to realize how these events in my life were intertwined with one another, how my relationships were affecting the other, how my life, itself, was conflicting with its own ideals, the simplicity of life in its complicated form.
I saw various crossroads in my life where I have to make selections. I thought of the moments where I had regrets on choosing the road not taken, the moments where I chose to hide myself from God for drifting on the wrong stream flows, and the times when I plunged into wrong mud. But more interestingly, I had that vision of God pulling me up from getting drowned, cleaning the mess that my wrong decisions have left behind, and finding me in the lost forest of solitude.
Twenty minutes have passed, though I almost forgot to notice it, I was almost reaching my place. I did not notice that I was still pushing forward as I was reflecting. Soon, I have made my way home. I took a deep breath again, inhaled the presence of the Lord through my surrounding, and then exhaled all the negative things that I have in my heart. I thanked God for that wonderful exercise, I thanked my guardian angel for protecting me while my mind and heart were in trance. I felt refreshed and light. Life again started to flow through my veins. The Lord has prepared me. I was ready to write.
-AMDG
"I'm ready.", I told him boldly.
He smiled at me as I started to do my pre-meditation ritual, affirming his support.
Not too soon, I started to take breath slowly as I moved forward. Each pace that my feet set was not the pace that I often do. It was slower than normal. As I did so, it seemed to me that everything was moving in accordance to my pace. The wind was blowing swiftly, clouds were drifting like creeping worms, and leaves rustled making chirping sounds as if they were birds. I did more paces as I advanced.
I paid attention on my surrounding so as to set my soul into meditation. My eyes started to see visions of my current and my past life. The images were so alive as if I was watching an IMAX or 3D movie. Surprisingly, I have seen myself in the visions, yes, I was one of the casts of my own life story.
I continued to walk forward, still paying attention to the minute details of my surrounding, from the grasses dancing with the wind, to trees creaking, to other people walking. Perhaps those people may be wondering why I was walking slowly that time, but that did thought did not distract me on my pre-meditation exercise.
I closed my eyes for a while, still pacing a few steps forward. I stopped, and then gazed upon the open skies. There I saw the stars oddly spaced from one another yet forming a very unique and fascinating outlines. I saw again visions of my life, how certain situations were oddly occurring, affecting one another, the choices that I have opted, decisions that I have made, and the paths that I have taken. I came to realize how these events in my life were intertwined with one another, how my relationships were affecting the other, how my life, itself, was conflicting with its own ideals, the simplicity of life in its complicated form.
I saw various crossroads in my life where I have to make selections. I thought of the moments where I had regrets on choosing the road not taken, the moments where I chose to hide myself from God for drifting on the wrong stream flows, and the times when I plunged into wrong mud. But more interestingly, I had that vision of God pulling me up from getting drowned, cleaning the mess that my wrong decisions have left behind, and finding me in the lost forest of solitude.
Twenty minutes have passed, though I almost forgot to notice it, I was almost reaching my place. I did not notice that I was still pushing forward as I was reflecting. Soon, I have made my way home. I took a deep breath again, inhaled the presence of the Lord through my surrounding, and then exhaled all the negative things that I have in my heart. I thanked God for that wonderful exercise, I thanked my guardian angel for protecting me while my mind and heart were in trance. I felt refreshed and light. Life again started to flow through my veins. The Lord has prepared me. I was ready to write.
-AMDG
Acquaintances
A month ago, I got involved in a terrible vehicular accident. It was really a frightening experience. However, through a miracle, my life was spared. Literally, i evaded the accident before it happened. I realized that God has protected my life. At that moment, my belief on my guardian angel was refreshed. He was sent by God to shield me from the harm that was supposed to be inflicted on me by the devil.
It was quite odd that what had happened during that time made me renew my belief on the existence of my guardian angel. I realize that God was constantly shielding me, though that experience was not a serious one, unlike before when I almost got drowned, or during that time in my childhood years when I fell from our car, and other countless times when I almost lost this life. My recent supposed-to-be-accident has triggered me to ponder on God’s love for me and his gift of guardian angel for me. I was always protected from the furious hands of death for my guardian angel was with me.
For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways.
With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp and the viper, trample the lion and the dragon.
(PS 91:11-12)
As I meditated on what has happened, I realized it made me change my views on certain things in life, on fulfilling dreams, on appreciating the value of life. I went into prayer to thank God for everything that He has done, to thank Him for sending to me my guardian angel.
I was in a deep trance when I heard a knock in my heart, as if a voice was speaking to me. I trembled slightly, but I kept my ground to focus on my prayer. At that point, God was speaking to me. Visions started to fill my view, recapping most of the events in my life, including the successes and the failures alike. But there was one thing that God wanted me to realize; I should finding joy through the simplicity of things.
I started to realign myself with the simplest things that I wanted to do: having time with my family, talking with friends, reflecting, talking to God and visiting places. My guardian angel was actively helping me to make these things into reality, constantly relaying the messages that God want me to hear. Soon, I came to realize that he has led me to a familiar yet quite peculiar place where I could appreciate the beauty of God’s work. My guardian angel tapped my back as he showed to me the spot. I was astounded by that wonderful experience; at that point, my heart was overjoyed. I was still stunned when I saw another being; she was drawing near to us. “Meet your personal angel”, my guardian angel said to me.
Joy started to consume me, as I was not able to find the words to express the gladness that I felt at that moment, nor the words to express how grateful I am to the Lord who has sent me two angels to be with me, one to guard me, and the other one to guide me. At that moment, I just felt blessed.
-AMDG
It was quite odd that what had happened during that time made me renew my belief on the existence of my guardian angel. I realize that God was constantly shielding me, though that experience was not a serious one, unlike before when I almost got drowned, or during that time in my childhood years when I fell from our car, and other countless times when I almost lost this life. My recent supposed-to-be-accident has triggered me to ponder on God’s love for me and his gift of guardian angel for me. I was always protected from the furious hands of death for my guardian angel was with me.
For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways.
With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp and the viper, trample the lion and the dragon.
(PS 91:11-12)
As I meditated on what has happened, I realized it made me change my views on certain things in life, on fulfilling dreams, on appreciating the value of life. I went into prayer to thank God for everything that He has done, to thank Him for sending to me my guardian angel.
I was in a deep trance when I heard a knock in my heart, as if a voice was speaking to me. I trembled slightly, but I kept my ground to focus on my prayer. At that point, God was speaking to me. Visions started to fill my view, recapping most of the events in my life, including the successes and the failures alike. But there was one thing that God wanted me to realize; I should finding joy through the simplicity of things.
I started to realign myself with the simplest things that I wanted to do: having time with my family, talking with friends, reflecting, talking to God and visiting places. My guardian angel was actively helping me to make these things into reality, constantly relaying the messages that God want me to hear. Soon, I came to realize that he has led me to a familiar yet quite peculiar place where I could appreciate the beauty of God’s work. My guardian angel tapped my back as he showed to me the spot. I was astounded by that wonderful experience; at that point, my heart was overjoyed. I was still stunned when I saw another being; she was drawing near to us. “Meet your personal angel”, my guardian angel said to me.
Joy started to consume me, as I was not able to find the words to express the gladness that I felt at that moment, nor the words to express how grateful I am to the Lord who has sent me two angels to be with me, one to guard me, and the other one to guide me. At that moment, I just felt blessed.
-AMDG
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
A Rocky Tale
Once upon a time there was a talking rock… I know this sounds ridiculous, a fairytale about a talking rock. But I do hope that you take time on reading this story. =P
Back to my story, once upon a time there was a talking rock. Nobody knows how he learned to speak a certain language. In our story, let us say that the language he speaks is English. Maybe he learned it from a rock school, or probably from his rock band mates, or from his fellow rockista, no one really knows. He was living a crazy life, a tambay, perhaps. And he was not really happy with the way things were going in his life.
One bright morning, the talking rock decided to go out, and so he walked his way to the Carabao park (What? A talking and walking rock?). He was walking for a couple of hours since he left his house. But even though he walked slow, he is proud that he never walked backwards (Johnny Walker). Soon, he was able to reach the park, around 10:00pm. Yes, he was that slow…
He was tired. He turned his head around to look for a place to sit, perhaps a stool, or a rock (wait, he cannot sit on a rock), or some clear ground. After spending two hours searching for a place to rest, he again felt the stress on his neck as it became stiff. He then decided to sit down on where he was standing two hours ago.
From where he was sitting, he noticed the dark skies blazed by various stars (Ate V., Nora, Sharon, Maricel Soriano, not them… ok?). He was greatly amazed by what his eyes see. Maybe because this was just the first time that a talking walking rock was used in a story, thus the amazement was really that great. He tried to reach his hands towards the stars (yes, he has hands too…), and tried to connect the stars as seen in the Globe commercial on TV.
While he was doing that, he suddenly felt that he was levitating (nosebleed….). He saw that the ground was getting far away from him, or technically, he was the one getting far away from the ground. Confused with what’s happening, he turned his head and saw a hand holding his entire solid rock body. He was moving, or shall we say, he was being moved. He screamed, so hard so that everyone could hear him. But he soon realized that he only knew how to talk, screaming was not taught in rock school.
Soon they arrived in an old room. He felt himself rolling on a wooden table. He opened his eyes, and noticed a woman walking here and there in that room. His eyes also noticed a machine with a disk, “a sharpening tool or grinding tool”, he thought to himself. He suddenly felt cold like a rock, he forgot that he was a rock. Fear started to consume him. He tried to feel if his heart was beating fast but he was not able to find the pulse.
“Is this my last day on earth?” he sobbed.
The woman heard the talking rock, astounded with what she heard, she draw near that rock. She picked up the rock with her hand and closely she examined it.
“Can you really speak?” the woman asked the rock.
“No.”, replied the rock, trying to hide his talent.
The woman laughed hard, not really sure if she was insane at that moment. But she knew that everything is possible in this fairytale. She stopped laughing soon when she realized that laughing too hard was not part of the script.
She turned to the rock again, and said to him, “What is your name?”.
“Batu Puti”, the rock replied. He got his name from the writer of this tale. (Can anyone suggest a better name, please?)
The woman said to the rock, “Batu Puti, from now on, I will call you Duke.”
Tears started to roll from on the face of the rock. His heart, though he does not have one, was pierced by this happy moment in his life. No one has ever done this before. For several years, nobody seemed to care about his existence. He was just the same as the other rocks that can be found somewhere else, maybe in Batong Malake, though I don’t know if there are other talking slash walking slash crying rocks out there. He felt special at that moment, as if his life had its bearing in this world. The two became friends as they talked, shared stories, and talked again, and shared stories again (the woman in the story is not Muztahpuh).
After a while, the woman lifted him again and placed it on a vise. She turned on the machine and started to trim the Duke. She worked at different angles, carefully touching each side so as to maintain harmony in what she was doing. Duke felt the pain forming in his rocky body, as if he was suffering a tremendous pain. Maybe because that was the first time a sharpening tool touched him.
Several hours of grinding and sharpening soon came to a stop. Duke opened his eyes and saw the woman smiling at him. The woman picked up a mirror and faced it towards Duke. Light reflected on the mirror as he gleamed in his own reflection. He was not the same as before, technically, after that long series of sharpening and grinding. He has a new form. Light was reflected and refracted (nosebleed…) over his entire body. He was not an ordinary rock anymore. The long suffering reached its limit, thus opening the gates of salvation, he felt special.
He had a new name. He had a new friend. He had a new form. Most specially, he had a new life. At that moment, his heart was softened (though he doesn’t have one, again he forgot this fact), he was happy that he met the woman.
Duke was affirmed with what the woman did. The woman restored Duke’s dignity, she gave him a new identity, one that will restore him. His new life inspired him to change for the better, to live a good life. He was thankful to the One who created everything. He was grateful that God allowed their paths to cross, so as to give him restoration of life.
Just as how most fairytales end, everyone lived happily ever after. The woman continued to inspire more rocks. Duke was now at a jewelry shop (don’t get me wrong, he was happy here living a new life here as a manager). :-D
May we be an affirmation to everyone :-) AMDG!
P.S. If you wish to suggest better names for the characters, please feel free to do so. :D I know I'm not an expert here hahahah! :D
Back to my story, once upon a time there was a talking rock. Nobody knows how he learned to speak a certain language. In our story, let us say that the language he speaks is English. Maybe he learned it from a rock school, or probably from his rock band mates, or from his fellow rockista, no one really knows. He was living a crazy life, a tambay, perhaps. And he was not really happy with the way things were going in his life.
One bright morning, the talking rock decided to go out, and so he walked his way to the Carabao park (What? A talking and walking rock?). He was walking for a couple of hours since he left his house. But even though he walked slow, he is proud that he never walked backwards (Johnny Walker). Soon, he was able to reach the park, around 10:00pm. Yes, he was that slow…
He was tired. He turned his head around to look for a place to sit, perhaps a stool, or a rock (wait, he cannot sit on a rock), or some clear ground. After spending two hours searching for a place to rest, he again felt the stress on his neck as it became stiff. He then decided to sit down on where he was standing two hours ago.
From where he was sitting, he noticed the dark skies blazed by various stars (Ate V., Nora, Sharon, Maricel Soriano, not them… ok?). He was greatly amazed by what his eyes see. Maybe because this was just the first time that a talking walking rock was used in a story, thus the amazement was really that great. He tried to reach his hands towards the stars (yes, he has hands too…), and tried to connect the stars as seen in the Globe commercial on TV.
While he was doing that, he suddenly felt that he was levitating (nosebleed….). He saw that the ground was getting far away from him, or technically, he was the one getting far away from the ground. Confused with what’s happening, he turned his head and saw a hand holding his entire solid rock body. He was moving, or shall we say, he was being moved. He screamed, so hard so that everyone could hear him. But he soon realized that he only knew how to talk, screaming was not taught in rock school.
Soon they arrived in an old room. He felt himself rolling on a wooden table. He opened his eyes, and noticed a woman walking here and there in that room. His eyes also noticed a machine with a disk, “a sharpening tool or grinding tool”, he thought to himself. He suddenly felt cold like a rock, he forgot that he was a rock. Fear started to consume him. He tried to feel if his heart was beating fast but he was not able to find the pulse.
“Is this my last day on earth?” he sobbed.
The woman heard the talking rock, astounded with what she heard, she draw near that rock. She picked up the rock with her hand and closely she examined it.
“Can you really speak?” the woman asked the rock.
“No.”, replied the rock, trying to hide his talent.
The woman laughed hard, not really sure if she was insane at that moment. But she knew that everything is possible in this fairytale. She stopped laughing soon when she realized that laughing too hard was not part of the script.
She turned to the rock again, and said to him, “What is your name?”.
“Batu Puti”, the rock replied. He got his name from the writer of this tale. (Can anyone suggest a better name, please?)
The woman said to the rock, “Batu Puti, from now on, I will call you Duke.”
Tears started to roll from on the face of the rock. His heart, though he does not have one, was pierced by this happy moment in his life. No one has ever done this before. For several years, nobody seemed to care about his existence. He was just the same as the other rocks that can be found somewhere else, maybe in Batong Malake, though I don’t know if there are other talking slash walking slash crying rocks out there. He felt special at that moment, as if his life had its bearing in this world. The two became friends as they talked, shared stories, and talked again, and shared stories again (the woman in the story is not Muztahpuh).
After a while, the woman lifted him again and placed it on a vise. She turned on the machine and started to trim the Duke. She worked at different angles, carefully touching each side so as to maintain harmony in what she was doing. Duke felt the pain forming in his rocky body, as if he was suffering a tremendous pain. Maybe because that was the first time a sharpening tool touched him.
Several hours of grinding and sharpening soon came to a stop. Duke opened his eyes and saw the woman smiling at him. The woman picked up a mirror and faced it towards Duke. Light reflected on the mirror as he gleamed in his own reflection. He was not the same as before, technically, after that long series of sharpening and grinding. He has a new form. Light was reflected and refracted (nosebleed…) over his entire body. He was not an ordinary rock anymore. The long suffering reached its limit, thus opening the gates of salvation, he felt special.
He had a new name. He had a new friend. He had a new form. Most specially, he had a new life. At that moment, his heart was softened (though he doesn’t have one, again he forgot this fact), he was happy that he met the woman.
Duke was affirmed with what the woman did. The woman restored Duke’s dignity, she gave him a new identity, one that will restore him. His new life inspired him to change for the better, to live a good life. He was thankful to the One who created everything. He was grateful that God allowed their paths to cross, so as to give him restoration of life.
Just as how most fairytales end, everyone lived happily ever after. The woman continued to inspire more rocks. Duke was now at a jewelry shop (don’t get me wrong, he was happy here living a new life here as a manager). :-D
May we be an affirmation to everyone :-) AMDG!
P.S. If you wish to suggest better names for the characters, please feel free to do so. :D I know I'm not an expert here hahahah! :D
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Untitled Yet...
Once upon a time there was a prince who lived in a far away kingdom. Yes, this is always the setting in almost all common fairytales, a prince or a princess living in a kingdom far away from the society, in some mountainous areas perhaps. And like the other fairytales involving princes and princesses, the story has this battle of good and evil, light and shadows, love and bruises. Don’t worry, I changed my mind.. definitely, this would not be a fairytale, I just cannot pick a good introduction about this story that's why i used these lines to start this note. To give you an brief intro, this story happened several eons ago, February 14, 2010 (I think we cannot call this “eons ago”, but since I am the one writing, I have the license). Its title: "____________". (Please feel free to give a title for this. it's very much appreciated! Thank you!!!)
"_______________"
Staring at the blue skies, I kept on digging myself. I tried to calm my mind and focused on my staring. Birds were flying in groups, as if every movement is coordinated with one another. From my bed, I can clearly see how the clouds were drifted by the swiftly blowing wind, reforming itself into various shapes. Some were remodeled into a shape of a puppy, and some into a shape of an angel, or it was just my wild imagination, I suppose. I remember, one time, I attended a workshop-seminar. They told us that those who can imagine things greatly are those with green minds. Well, I guess I am one of them, those who have great imaginations, that’s the one I’m pertaining to, not those with green minds, of course, though I admit it too, I was once one of them.
Still staring at the clouds, the open skies, the birds in harmonic flight, I felt myself being pulled into a deep abyss, a place within me where emotions suddenly does not exist. My strength was ruptured as I sink within this dark portal in my being, for several minutes, everything became blank. I felt the air getting thinner and thinner as I sink deeper that I tried to choke, to gasp for air. It was a battle, a warfare that I always avoid. I denied its existence, or should I say, I shrug it off as soon as I perceive it coming. I felt fear slowly ravaging me. At that instance, my eyes became dysfunctional, and sooner, I felt my other senses failing too. I yielded to that moment as I did not have the will power to fight against it. But before I become totally numb, I suddenly felt a warm touch on my face. I heard a voice calling my name, saying that I should face this fight. I tried to open my eyes though I knew that these eyes of mine had already failed functioning. To my surprise, I saw a very bright light. It is then that I realize that it was my angel.
It was a miracle that my senses came back. I felt rejuvenated at that point. I tried to get myself up to avoid being swallowed. I did manage to recover, and at last, I reached the surface again. I looked back to see if my angel was there. With my own eyes, I saw her vanished, leaving a smile. Everything went on a flash. I was back again.
Clouds, open skies, birds in flight, I can see them again with my eyes, but this time, it was quite different. I smiled.
"_______________"
Staring at the blue skies, I kept on digging myself. I tried to calm my mind and focused on my staring. Birds were flying in groups, as if every movement is coordinated with one another. From my bed, I can clearly see how the clouds were drifted by the swiftly blowing wind, reforming itself into various shapes. Some were remodeled into a shape of a puppy, and some into a shape of an angel, or it was just my wild imagination, I suppose. I remember, one time, I attended a workshop-seminar. They told us that those who can imagine things greatly are those with green minds. Well, I guess I am one of them, those who have great imaginations, that’s the one I’m pertaining to, not those with green minds, of course, though I admit it too, I was once one of them.
Still staring at the clouds, the open skies, the birds in harmonic flight, I felt myself being pulled into a deep abyss, a place within me where emotions suddenly does not exist. My strength was ruptured as I sink within this dark portal in my being, for several minutes, everything became blank. I felt the air getting thinner and thinner as I sink deeper that I tried to choke, to gasp for air. It was a battle, a warfare that I always avoid. I denied its existence, or should I say, I shrug it off as soon as I perceive it coming. I felt fear slowly ravaging me. At that instance, my eyes became dysfunctional, and sooner, I felt my other senses failing too. I yielded to that moment as I did not have the will power to fight against it. But before I become totally numb, I suddenly felt a warm touch on my face. I heard a voice calling my name, saying that I should face this fight. I tried to open my eyes though I knew that these eyes of mine had already failed functioning. To my surprise, I saw a very bright light. It is then that I realize that it was my angel.
It was a miracle that my senses came back. I felt rejuvenated at that point. I tried to get myself up to avoid being swallowed. I did manage to recover, and at last, I reached the surface again. I looked back to see if my angel was there. With my own eyes, I saw her vanished, leaving a smile. Everything went on a flash. I was back again.
Clouds, open skies, birds in flight, I can see them again with my eyes, but this time, it was quite different. I smiled.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
His Time
When I was younger, I had this weird hobby. I was fond of collecting insects and arachnids (thanks to my Biology subject). These include some pitiful dragonflies, beetles, spiders and some species of butterflies (though I really do not know the exact order and class to which these insects belonged). If they catch my attention, I follow them and try to catch them with my bare hands. If they are swift enough to escape my fury, I use some sort of net to increase my field of attack. If they were still fast enough to get themselves away from me, I use brute force: get them dead or alive (Okay, please do not judge me for behaving that way, I was too young back then).
And alas, the poor insect would find themselves spending the rest of their lives inside a bottle, or a box, or any container that I could get. I was not merciless though, after some time, I give them pardon and release them depending on their condition (if they were about to die out of starvation or loneliness) or depending on the guilt that was harnessed within me.
Some of these mediocre animals did not let themselves be captured without fighting for their lives of course. Some of them bit me as hard as they can. Then I felt the sudden burst of my cells within me, my genes reaarranged themselves in some sort of alien-ish order, my senses became stronger, then I woke up (I was just daydreaming). Luckily they were not mutated, thus I was spared of finding my own costume as soon as I felt the mutation in my genes. I was spared of that difficulty in creating my own code name and tag line. Spiderman (of course it would be pirated), Tutubi Man (Eeker?), Beetle Boy, Butterflyhero (alright, this doesn't sound good at all), etc. Good thing I did not include flies and mosquitoes in my "to-capture" list. I cannot imagine myself wearing a mosquito or a fly costume.
One thing got my interest suddenly when I was on my search. I have noticed a cocoon hanging on a branch of a mango tree. I knew what was inside that cocoon, of course, though I did not know how it will look like as soon as it emerges from the pod. Out of my wild curiosity, I picked the cocoon and held it gently with my hands. I tried to open the pod to let the insect out. Though I was very careful on opening it, I was still not careful enough to avoid rupturing it. I succeeded in unwrapping the cocoon after a couple of minutes, but to my surprise, I failed to see the wings. They were not yet developed, I suppose. Sadness filled my heart, and regret started to build in my mind. I laid the lifeless corpse of the insect on the table. Its life was a pity; it was not able to spread its wings. I felt that I robbed from it the fulfillment of being a flying insect.
After that incident, I realized one good thing; we cannot force things to happen in our own time. Each has its own time line that it has to undergo, small and big things alike. There is a perfect time for everything. Things go odd if we try to make it happen as we wanted it to be. We should just let things be. Butterflies will emerge from their cocoons as soon as they are ready. Everything, all things will happen as God planned it to be.
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
(Ecc 3:1-8)
And alas, the poor insect would find themselves spending the rest of their lives inside a bottle, or a box, or any container that I could get. I was not merciless though, after some time, I give them pardon and release them depending on their condition (if they were about to die out of starvation or loneliness) or depending on the guilt that was harnessed within me.
Some of these mediocre animals did not let themselves be captured without fighting for their lives of course. Some of them bit me as hard as they can. Then I felt the sudden burst of my cells within me, my genes reaarranged themselves in some sort of alien-ish order, my senses became stronger, then I woke up (I was just daydreaming). Luckily they were not mutated, thus I was spared of finding my own costume as soon as I felt the mutation in my genes. I was spared of that difficulty in creating my own code name and tag line. Spiderman (of course it would be pirated), Tutubi Man (Eeker?), Beetle Boy, Butterflyhero (alright, this doesn't sound good at all), etc. Good thing I did not include flies and mosquitoes in my "to-capture" list. I cannot imagine myself wearing a mosquito or a fly costume.
One thing got my interest suddenly when I was on my search. I have noticed a cocoon hanging on a branch of a mango tree. I knew what was inside that cocoon, of course, though I did not know how it will look like as soon as it emerges from the pod. Out of my wild curiosity, I picked the cocoon and held it gently with my hands. I tried to open the pod to let the insect out. Though I was very careful on opening it, I was still not careful enough to avoid rupturing it. I succeeded in unwrapping the cocoon after a couple of minutes, but to my surprise, I failed to see the wings. They were not yet developed, I suppose. Sadness filled my heart, and regret started to build in my mind. I laid the lifeless corpse of the insect on the table. Its life was a pity; it was not able to spread its wings. I felt that I robbed from it the fulfillment of being a flying insect.
After that incident, I realized one good thing; we cannot force things to happen in our own time. Each has its own time line that it has to undergo, small and big things alike. There is a perfect time for everything. Things go odd if we try to make it happen as we wanted it to be. We should just let things be. Butterflies will emerge from their cocoons as soon as they are ready. Everything, all things will happen as God planned it to be.
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
(Ecc 3:1-8)
Monday, January 25, 2010
When Angels Visit
After almost four hours of waiting in line, my name was called by the cashier.
“Quilloy, Erwin. Andyan ba?”
“Opo.”, I replied.
I sprang to my feet and happily, or should I say, excitingly I quickly went to the cashier’s window. I paid the fee for the renewal of my driver’s license, excluding the application fee, the card case, and the test drive fee which did not have a real car driving test (“pitik” in other word, or let’s just call it a fund raising activity of the office, no receipts, no complaints allowed).
Anyway, I almost forgot about that test drive fee, because I was too happy that I will be having my professional license after a short while. And as I expected, my name was again called from the ID releasing window. I felt blessed, and surely, I was happy. I logged my name and signed the paper for releasing and then left the licensing office.
I then made my way back my town. I rode a jeepney, a quite spacious one; luckily, there were only a few passengers. It was past twelve noon. I estimated the time that I will arrive at Los Baños, and thought of having a quick lunch, then go to my office for work, though half a day work. The jeep was traveling so fast, it was Vin Diesel driving the ten-second jeep. Of course I was exaggerating that one. But it was really traveling fast, taking advantage of the light traffic in that area of Pila to Bay. It took only a couple of minutes before we arrive at the boundary of Los Baños. Some passengers alighted the jeep upon arriving the town. Again, the jeep went on its way.
It was almost 12:30pm, and I was almost reaching my destination when I heard the manong driver saying to his “pahinante” (Filipino term for a driver’s co-pilot), “Pare nawawalan ata ng preno..”
“Bombahin mo nang maigi!”, the manong pahinante shouted.
I was staring at manong driver’s face through the rear view mirror. I saw his thin eyes giving some bizarre expression. Maybe he was panicking too.
Everyone in the jeep panicked upon hearing these very exciting, heart pumping, jaw dropping conversation of the manong driver and manong pahinante, except for me. Alright, alright, I panicked too. Now the jeep was suddenly in autopilot mode, no one knows if it will stop moving forward.
At that moment, I was able to prove (and experience too) Newton's First Law of Motion. It says, "Any object in motion will continue moving in that straight line unless acted upon by some external force." The jeepney was moving in that straight line (I think we have the same velocity too since I was inside it), and it won’t stop if nothing will hinder it from moving forward. Though, i still think it will soon stop as soon as we hit something along the way, or due to the gravitational pull of our dying planet (not an ideal scenario.. hehehe).
Back to the story: I heard the engine chuckling while the jeep was moving. “May engine break effect naman.”, I thought to myself. The engine's actuation will have its effect on the jeepney's speed. And as expected, the jeep slowed down and soon the engine was shut, leading to a full stop after a couple of seconds. I was able to breathe deeply at that instant. “Yehey! Buhay pa me!” (Nope, I did not say this, it was just at the back of my mind). It was really weird that it happened when I was almost about to disembark.
But thank God, nobody got hurt, thank God the traffic was light when it happened, thank God we were traveling slower as compared earlier. I was thankful; I guess it was not yet my time to leave. Maybe an angel of death came there to reap some poor souls, but apparently, God too sent His angels of light to protect us, causing some delays in the plan of sabotage of the evil one. If the malfunction occurred earlier when we were traveling ala “Fast and Furious”, I would not be able to use my newly acquired license. Sad… more than that, maybe this would mean goodbye cruel world, or I-mode forever and beyond.
As I left the jeep, I thought of my family, my loved ones, and those special to me. I realized that God has just given me another chance to see these people, to thank them and to give love to them. It was not my luck that saved me; nor I am one of those “masamang damo na ‘di mamatay-matay…”. I knew that it was God’s grace that extended my lifeline. And He has some reasons why He did that, maybe because, I have not yet fulfilled my mission here, that’s why. This was not the first time though.
So great, it was not yet my time to leave today, maybe tomorrow, perhaps, or some other day. Only God knows. Right now, I do feel blessed and loved by God. AMDG
“Quilloy, Erwin. Andyan ba?”
“Opo.”, I replied.
I sprang to my feet and happily, or should I say, excitingly I quickly went to the cashier’s window. I paid the fee for the renewal of my driver’s license, excluding the application fee, the card case, and the test drive fee which did not have a real car driving test (“pitik” in other word, or let’s just call it a fund raising activity of the office, no receipts, no complaints allowed).
Anyway, I almost forgot about that test drive fee, because I was too happy that I will be having my professional license after a short while. And as I expected, my name was again called from the ID releasing window. I felt blessed, and surely, I was happy. I logged my name and signed the paper for releasing and then left the licensing office.
I then made my way back my town. I rode a jeepney, a quite spacious one; luckily, there were only a few passengers. It was past twelve noon. I estimated the time that I will arrive at Los Baños, and thought of having a quick lunch, then go to my office for work, though half a day work. The jeep was traveling so fast, it was Vin Diesel driving the ten-second jeep. Of course I was exaggerating that one. But it was really traveling fast, taking advantage of the light traffic in that area of Pila to Bay. It took only a couple of minutes before we arrive at the boundary of Los Baños. Some passengers alighted the jeep upon arriving the town. Again, the jeep went on its way.
It was almost 12:30pm, and I was almost reaching my destination when I heard the manong driver saying to his “pahinante” (Filipino term for a driver’s co-pilot), “Pare nawawalan ata ng preno..”
“Bombahin mo nang maigi!”, the manong pahinante shouted.
I was staring at manong driver’s face through the rear view mirror. I saw his thin eyes giving some bizarre expression. Maybe he was panicking too.
Everyone in the jeep panicked upon hearing these very exciting, heart pumping, jaw dropping conversation of the manong driver and manong pahinante, except for me. Alright, alright, I panicked too. Now the jeep was suddenly in autopilot mode, no one knows if it will stop moving forward.
At that moment, I was able to prove (and experience too) Newton's First Law of Motion. It says, "Any object in motion will continue moving in that straight line unless acted upon by some external force." The jeepney was moving in that straight line (I think we have the same velocity too since I was inside it), and it won’t stop if nothing will hinder it from moving forward. Though, i still think it will soon stop as soon as we hit something along the way, or due to the gravitational pull of our dying planet (not an ideal scenario.. hehehe).
Back to the story: I heard the engine chuckling while the jeep was moving. “May engine break effect naman.”, I thought to myself. The engine's actuation will have its effect on the jeepney's speed. And as expected, the jeep slowed down and soon the engine was shut, leading to a full stop after a couple of seconds. I was able to breathe deeply at that instant. “Yehey! Buhay pa me!” (Nope, I did not say this, it was just at the back of my mind). It was really weird that it happened when I was almost about to disembark.
But thank God, nobody got hurt, thank God the traffic was light when it happened, thank God we were traveling slower as compared earlier. I was thankful; I guess it was not yet my time to leave. Maybe an angel of death came there to reap some poor souls, but apparently, God too sent His angels of light to protect us, causing some delays in the plan of sabotage of the evil one. If the malfunction occurred earlier when we were traveling ala “Fast and Furious”, I would not be able to use my newly acquired license. Sad… more than that, maybe this would mean goodbye cruel world, or I-mode forever and beyond.
As I left the jeep, I thought of my family, my loved ones, and those special to me. I realized that God has just given me another chance to see these people, to thank them and to give love to them. It was not my luck that saved me; nor I am one of those “masamang damo na ‘di mamatay-matay…”. I knew that it was God’s grace that extended my lifeline. And He has some reasons why He did that, maybe because, I have not yet fulfilled my mission here, that’s why. This was not the first time though.
So great, it was not yet my time to leave today, maybe tomorrow, perhaps, or some other day. Only God knows. Right now, I do feel blessed and loved by God. AMDG
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Virtues - Faith
In a battle, he uses his weapons, not to hurt the enemies, but to keep the battle going. He fights and struggles until he sees that his enemy is exhausted. If his sword breaks, he will use that broken sword to continue the fight. If He loses his right arm, he will use his other arm to stay in the game. If he loses both of them, he will use his legs to thrive for survival. He believes that his enemies will soon reach their limits, and things will be clearer to them. He believes that they will see his persistence, his faith on them. He knows that he can lead his enemies to see things right without putting scratch on their foreheads.
Virtues - Obedience
He is chosen by God to be His servant, it is not him who chose God to be served. And he knows his mandate as a servant. He is to be obedient to his Master, although there are times that he falters. He has faith that his Master knows the best for him. And when his Master commands him to follow, he obeys it. When his Master asks him to surrender, he holds on to his faith and willingly yields to the will of the Master. When his Master asks him to let go of his strongholds, he lets go of these with the thought that the Master has something bigger for him, He has plans for him, plans of peace and prosperity.
Virtues - Persistence
He knows that he has to move, and grow. Regardless of the situation or obstructions along his way, he knows he has to achieve his objective. Surrender is not an option, unless commanded by the Great One. But as long as the drums are rolling, he knows that he has to continue the fight until he has won it, or until he is facing the ground. Nevertheless, he has to use the strength that was given to him wisely to last until the very end.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Virtues - Existence
Everyone is created for a purpose. They say that their life is going according to the purpose that was given to them. For some, they are still in the vicious process of seeking their own paths. Sometimes, or even most of the times, a knight has this struggle, his search for his purpose in life- the purpose of his existence.
Sometimes, he does not believe that he really exists. He too asks himself if his existence has an impact on this busy world. If the day would come that he needs to depart from this place, would anyone care? Though he has this dilemma, he does not stop seeking his objective. He has faith that the day would come that everything would fall into its proper place, according to the great mind of the Creator, then he would see his purpose fulfilled.
Sometimes, he does not believe that he really exists. He too asks himself if his existence has an impact on this busy world. If the day would come that he needs to depart from this place, would anyone care? Though he has this dilemma, he does not stop seeking his objective. He has faith that the day would come that everything would fall into its proper place, according to the great mind of the Creator, then he would see his purpose fulfilled.
Virtues - Pain
Pain is part of life. Pain is an opportunity for growth. Pain is always there, it is real. A knight knows that pain is real. He knows the suffering caused by pain. He knows how hard it is to rise after taking a deep plunge into the painful realm. And so he does not want his friends to experience the same pain that he had gone through. He does not want them to feel the painful blows of the world. But he can only mend just a little bit of it. He believes that the best way that he can relieve the pain from his fellowmen is to help them carry their burdens, to share their pain.
Virtues - Experiences
Experience is the best teacher.
He believes in this saying. He knows that he learns from his experiences. But he knows that his experience alone would not suffice his needs for growth. And so he tries to go through the experiences of his comrades. He put his foot into their shoes. He lets each scene to be part of him. And he allows himself to be part of the picture. He sympathizes with them, and feels their pain, their joy, their freedom. He integrates these necessary details and writes them into his notebook. He knows that he can use this sometime later in his life. The knight in rusty armor keeps his notebook together with his shield and sword.
He believes in this saying. He knows that he learns from his experiences. But he knows that his experience alone would not suffice his needs for growth. And so he tries to go through the experiences of his comrades. He put his foot into their shoes. He lets each scene to be part of him. And he allows himself to be part of the picture. He sympathizes with them, and feels their pain, their joy, their freedom. He integrates these necessary details and writes them into his notebook. He knows that he can use this sometime later in his life. The knight in rusty armor keeps his notebook together with his shield and sword.
Virtues - Weakness
He may look strong and brave because he has survived numerous battles. But experience did not make his heart hard as stone. He still feels weary, and his faith crumbles sometimes. He hides his weak nature beneath his armor, his gloomy face behind his mask. He knows, deep inside, he is weak too, though not everyone seems to notice.
He acknowledges his penetrable nature. Blades can cut through him, arrows can pierce his body. He knows that he is vulnerable. Blood is flowing through his veins; a heart is pumping from within. Every time that his strength fails, he retreats and kneels down. He weeps at the foot of the Almighty. The Great One embraces and restores him; God lends him the strength that he needs to rise again.
He acknowledges his penetrable nature. Blades can cut through him, arrows can pierce his body. He knows that he is vulnerable. Blood is flowing through his veins; a heart is pumping from within. Every time that his strength fails, he retreats and kneels down. He weeps at the foot of the Almighty. The Great One embraces and restores him; God lends him the strength that he needs to rise again.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Virtues - Sacrifices
In the middle of the sea, a captain and his crew was sailing. The water was calm, and the wind was low. The captain rested for a while until he was alarmed by one of his men.
"The wind is growing mad, captain!", the crew exclaimed.
The captain tried to maneuver his ship back to the shore. But the waves are getting bigger, thus making it harder for them to stir the ship. The captain noticed that the ship is hard to control with all that weight that the ship is carrying. He then decided to order his crew to throw all the heavy things from the ship into the sea. In doing so, he was able to drive the ship safely back to the shore.
The captain knows that he has to give up things, or a lot of things to keep his ship moving. And so is the knight in rusty armor, he knows that sacrifice is sometimes inevitable. It is helpful, so that he can move and go on with life.
"The wind is growing mad, captain!", the crew exclaimed.
The captain tried to maneuver his ship back to the shore. But the waves are getting bigger, thus making it harder for them to stir the ship. The captain noticed that the ship is hard to control with all that weight that the ship is carrying. He then decided to order his crew to throw all the heavy things from the ship into the sea. In doing so, he was able to drive the ship safely back to the shore.
The captain knows that he has to give up things, or a lot of things to keep his ship moving. And so is the knight in rusty armor, he knows that sacrifice is sometimes inevitable. It is helpful, so that he can move and go on with life.
Virtues - Needs
As human, there are things that we need for us to live and grow. There are also things that we want as we live and grow. But the knight in rusty armor knows the difference between his needs and his wants. He has a list of things that he wanted, he also has a list of things that he needed. But he knows which one is more important. Getting what he need is enough for him. He thanks the One who sufficed him with the things that is necessary for him to grow and live. Sometimes, he receives things from his "want-list", he becomes happier and more thankful to Him for the extra blessings.
Virtues - Joy
Often times, the knight in rusty armor behaves like a child. He plays with his sword, he holds it the other way around, not thinking that his hands would get cut. He throws his shield up in the air and tries to catch it before it touches the ground, though most of the time he fails to grab it on its way down. He wears his boots and run from end to end as fast as he can. He paints his mask with colors even without scraping the rusty metal parts. He smiles after seeing what he has done. He finds joy in those things.
Virtues - Care
A knight feels tired of fighting, often times. And so he goes off to a place far away from his so called home. He climbs to a higher spot to take a good picture of his surroundings, to get a better view of the people and nature. He loves people watching, analyzing every mood that each one sets. He tries to understand their thoughts from afar. He stays still for some time. He keeps silent until somebody else climbs to the place where he is sitting. The knight becomes delighted when someone asks him how he feels. He feels rejuvenated upon receiving such concern and care. He then decides to go down back home, with joy in his heart.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Bugs
I am a troubleshooter.
I am fond of debugging certain complications,
whether in real life situation, or technical electronic matters.
I am a troubleshooter.
It makes me feel good after I resolve the problems.
It gives me a lift after I obliterate the culprit.
I am a troubleshooter.
But I fail to shoot the trouble sometimes.
It makes me feel bad when tables turn 'round
when I, myself, is the culprit,
when I, myself is the complication.
when the troubleshooter is the troublemaker.
I am fond of debugging certain complications,
whether in real life situation, or technical electronic matters.
I am a troubleshooter.
It makes me feel good after I resolve the problems.
It gives me a lift after I obliterate the culprit.
I am a troubleshooter.
But I fail to shoot the trouble sometimes.
It makes me feel bad when tables turn 'round
when I, myself, is the culprit,
when I, myself is the complication.
when the troubleshooter is the troublemaker.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
New
i find it hard to express a bit
and so my heart chose to stop its beat
to say such words to all my peers
and ask my dear ones how they feel
thus i have to leave most things
and start a new without a glitch
i thank the One who gave all these
sweet grace and blessings that i received.
and so my heart chose to stop its beat
to say such words to all my peers
and ask my dear ones how they feel
thus i have to leave most things
and start a new without a glitch
i thank the One who gave all these
sweet grace and blessings that i received.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Melody - A Short Story
Once there was a robin who loves flying. He travels from one place to another, in search for good memories. He gains more enthusiasm as he gazes upon the wonders of God’s creations. For several years, this was his mandate: to love and appreciate every little thing that he experiences in his journey.
One day, the robin’s attention was caught by the trees dancing with the wind. He was amazed and immediately, he dived from his flight to plunge into the rhythm. Eager to dance with the wind and the trees, the robin drew himself closer, so close that he fell in love with the dancing trees.
He flapped his wings gently as he swayed with the branches and the leaves. The robin stayed in flight for a while, enjoying the sweet moment, synchronizing every move so as to keep with the beat. Until one day, the wind suddenly changed its mood, varying its direction and from one way to another. A gust formed as the hands of the wind slammed its arms. The robin was very confused, as he did not anticipate this transition. “I just wanted to dance with the wind…”, he thought to himself. But the wind grew stronger, spitting wilder gusts in front on the robin’s eyes.
The branches of the trees tried to keep with the rhythm, swaying harder from end to end, much wilder this time. The robin did not notice the transition on the trees that once danced with him. Before his eyes could look into this monstrosity, he found his wings numbing. Instantly, he was accelerating due to the force of gravity.
Calm. Quiet. The surrounding was tranquil.The robin woke up from that terrible experience. He tried to move but he was to weak to stretch out his wings. It was then that he realized that his wings were broken. The essence of being an avian creature suddenly became void of its meaning. In spite of this, he did not lose hope. He dragged his wings as he continued to travel.
Just like the way he used to do, he appreciated every little thing that his eyes see, although at a different perspective. He cannot fly now. His journey continued, though much slower this time. In his voyage, he heard a faint but enchanting voice of someone singing nearby. The robin was tantalized, immediately, he followed the voice. It was getting clearer this time. To his surprise, he found a very beautiful princess. It was the most beautiful thing that he has seen, since the day after his accident.
The robin walked closer to the deity and gave a loud chirp. The princess saw the robin. Seeing the broken wings, she had pity on him. She took the robin home and remedied the wings. After treating the robin, she placed him in a cage. Every day, the princess gives him food and water to drink. Sometimes, she even sings for him. The robin was so happy to be treated this way, so glad that he would want to be in that cage for the rest of his life. The robin recovered from his accident, but he chose to be in that cage. He found himself happy in that situation. He was happy to see the princess each day. He was glad that the princess visits him and sings for him. That was his last memory with the princess.
The robin woke up one day and found his cage unlocked. He was confused to see the hinge of the cage hanging down. He tried to look around for the princess but failed to see her. The robin wondered why the princess would leave the cage open. He did not go out, but waited for the princess to return instead.
Weeks passed but there was no sign of princess in the room. The robin was persistent to wait, so he still stayed, still hoping that one day, he would hear the beautiful voice of the princess, the melody that the princess instilled in the robin’s heart. Each morning, the robin wakes up joyfully, hoping that his eyes would see the princess as he opens them, though he always fails to find her there. Still, he never loses hope, he draws more optimism instead. The passion in his heart overcomes the frustration that each day gives, still having that faith that one day, he would hear that sweet melody that he used to hear.
=END=
One day, the robin’s attention was caught by the trees dancing with the wind. He was amazed and immediately, he dived from his flight to plunge into the rhythm. Eager to dance with the wind and the trees, the robin drew himself closer, so close that he fell in love with the dancing trees.
He flapped his wings gently as he swayed with the branches and the leaves. The robin stayed in flight for a while, enjoying the sweet moment, synchronizing every move so as to keep with the beat. Until one day, the wind suddenly changed its mood, varying its direction and from one way to another. A gust formed as the hands of the wind slammed its arms. The robin was very confused, as he did not anticipate this transition. “I just wanted to dance with the wind…”, he thought to himself. But the wind grew stronger, spitting wilder gusts in front on the robin’s eyes.
The branches of the trees tried to keep with the rhythm, swaying harder from end to end, much wilder this time. The robin did not notice the transition on the trees that once danced with him. Before his eyes could look into this monstrosity, he found his wings numbing. Instantly, he was accelerating due to the force of gravity.
Calm. Quiet. The surrounding was tranquil.The robin woke up from that terrible experience. He tried to move but he was to weak to stretch out his wings. It was then that he realized that his wings were broken. The essence of being an avian creature suddenly became void of its meaning. In spite of this, he did not lose hope. He dragged his wings as he continued to travel.
Just like the way he used to do, he appreciated every little thing that his eyes see, although at a different perspective. He cannot fly now. His journey continued, though much slower this time. In his voyage, he heard a faint but enchanting voice of someone singing nearby. The robin was tantalized, immediately, he followed the voice. It was getting clearer this time. To his surprise, he found a very beautiful princess. It was the most beautiful thing that he has seen, since the day after his accident.
The robin walked closer to the deity and gave a loud chirp. The princess saw the robin. Seeing the broken wings, she had pity on him. She took the robin home and remedied the wings. After treating the robin, she placed him in a cage. Every day, the princess gives him food and water to drink. Sometimes, she even sings for him. The robin was so happy to be treated this way, so glad that he would want to be in that cage for the rest of his life. The robin recovered from his accident, but he chose to be in that cage. He found himself happy in that situation. He was happy to see the princess each day. He was glad that the princess visits him and sings for him. That was his last memory with the princess.
The robin woke up one day and found his cage unlocked. He was confused to see the hinge of the cage hanging down. He tried to look around for the princess but failed to see her. The robin wondered why the princess would leave the cage open. He did not go out, but waited for the princess to return instead.
Weeks passed but there was no sign of princess in the room. The robin was persistent to wait, so he still stayed, still hoping that one day, he would hear the beautiful voice of the princess, the melody that the princess instilled in the robin’s heart. Each morning, the robin wakes up joyfully, hoping that his eyes would see the princess as he opens them, though he always fails to find her there. Still, he never loses hope, he draws more optimism instead. The passion in his heart overcomes the frustration that each day gives, still having that faith that one day, he would hear that sweet melody that he used to hear.
=END=
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
