Changes in Life...

Really...can we stop changes in life? hmmm...

After almost two years of not seeing my sons, finally I was able to be with them. I was so happy upon seeing them and my hubby at Narita Airport in Tokyo last February 12, 2011. It was a moment of joy, of excitement and a heart-warming experience to see my children after a couple of years. It was indeed an awesome feeling.

As I look at them, I can see that Gerald has grown bigger than his usual physical built...Gene's built has remained though. They are both looking good. I can see in their faces that they love being and working in Japan. Probably because of the pay they get, the technology, the food the weather and the clean and peaceful environment.

How time flies, indeed! Few years ago, both were jobless in the Philippines. Then, they would ask me money to buy something, ask me what food I prepared, and usually Gerald would just stay home playing his flute and his PSP, while Gene would love to spend his time with friends. Both were very dependent, not being able to sometimes make their own choices and decisions in life.

Changes are evident because now it's different. They are now working and earning their own money. Now they know their money's worth. Now they are more independent...they have to. Hmm...to work in other countries really requires one to be empowered.

As I watch them prepare for work everyday, I can't help but recall the days when they were still in their elementary days. I used to prepare things for them, give them money and help them in their school work. Now it's no longer that way. They are the ones giving me money now. I love this...haha. They now pay for the stuffs I get from the malls and pay for the food we eat.

As a mother, in my heart, this gives me joy. The thought that they already have a job. What is heart warming is, they are generous. I love their ways of sharing their blessings to our relatives and to others who are in need not only during Christmas but also at times when somebody needs financial help.

Truly, how time flies...and with the time are the CHANGES IN LIFE...

Isang Pag-alala...

Bakit nga ba me mga taong dumarating sa ating buhay na sa pagdating ng takdang panahon sila din ay lilisan? Hindi ba maaring sila ay manatili sa ating piling upang tayo ay di mangulila sa kanila?

Walong taon na rin ang nakakaraan ng pumanaw ang aking biyenan. Ang inang umaruga at gumabay sa amin at sa aking mga anak. Tandang tanda ko pa ang masasayang ala ala ng s'ya ay kapiling pa namin. Malugud n'ya kaming sinamahan ng aking asawa sa pagpapalaki sa aming apat na anak. Hindi lang s'ya isang mabuting ina, isa rin s'yang lolang mapagmahal sa kanyang mga apo.

Hindi ko makakalimutan ang pag aasikaso at pagmamahal na nadama ko sa loob ng labing pitong taon naming pagsasama. Nananatili pa sa aking isipan ang mga pagkakataong ako ay kanyang ipagluto ng pagkaing gustong gusto ko at ibili ng mga prutas na aking paborito. Mga paraang naramdaman ko sa aking puso na mahalaga ako sa kanya at ako ay mahal n'ya. Nakaka miss ang mga bagay na ito kung kaya't ako ay lubhang nalulungkot sa aking pag alala sa kanya.

Sa aking pagbabalik ala ala, buhay pa sa aking isipan ang mga pagkakataong s'ya ay napapasaya ko sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng pagkain, damit, kung ano ano pang alam kong kanyang ikakatuwa. Natatandaan ko pa na bakas sa kanyang mukha ang kaligayahan sa tuwing s'ya ay bibigyan mo ng regalo sa kanyang kaarawan at aginaldo sa araw ng pasko. Ilang kaarawan na rin at ilang pasko na, na wala na akong binibigyan at ito ay isang nakaugalian ko na, na aking hinahanap hanap. Nakakalungkot isipin na wala na ang taong ito at di na namin s'ya kailanman makakapiling.

Sadya nga po sigurong mahirap makalimutan ang mga araw ng s'ya ay aming nakapiling. Yung mga panahong s'ya ay nagkasakit at naging paralitiko ng dalawang taon, na kung saan amin s'yang inalagaan hanggang sa huling sandali ng kanyang buhay. Mga panahong nagibigay ng pagsubok sa aming pamilya at nagbigay ng hamon sa aming kakayahan upang ibigay ang attention at pag aarugang kanyang kinakailangan. Mga ala alang kung saan kami ay nabigyan ng pagkakataon na ipadama ang aming pagmamahal at pagkalinga.

Sa buhay, ang mga taong nagpahalaga at nagmahal sa iyo ay tunay ngang mahirap makalimutan. Mga taong naging bahagi na ng buhay mo. Wala na nga s'ya...wala na kaming tatawaging "Ima" ngunit ang kanyang alala ay mananatili sa aming mga puso habang kami ay nabubuhay sa mundo.

Sa pagkakataong ito muli kong ginugunita ang lahat ng mga ala-alang kanyang iniwan. Maaring s'ya ay wala na sa aming piling, pero ang mga pagkakataong amin s'yang nakasama ay mananatiling buhay sa aming mga puso at isipan. Sadyang ako ay pinapagpala dahil minsan s'ya ay aking nakasama at nakapiling. Maaaring nasa kabilang buhay man s'ya ngayon, ngunit sa aming kanyang iniwan, mananatiling buhay ang kanyang mga alaala.

Sa kanyang Araw ng Kamatayan, amin s'yang inaalala sa pamamagitan ng pag-aalay ng dasal sa ating Poong Maykapal. Amin ding inaalay ang taos puso naming pasasalamat sa lahat lahat ng biyayang aming tinatamasa ngayon. Nang dahil sa kanya naging maganda at naging makahulugan ang aming paglalakbay sa buhay. Maraming Salamat "Ima" sa magandang kinabukasang iyong pinamana. Maraming salamat sa pagmamahal na aming nadama...!

We LOVE you po and we MISS you. Sana patuloy mo kaming gabayan kahit nasaan ka man ngayon.

HAPPY DEATH ANNIVERSARY,"IMA"!

My Convictions On LOVE...

LOVE has taught me to be patient, to endure, to understand, to give myself more because its real essence is to love unconditionally...

I have realized that sincere and true LOVE is to care for the happiness of other people, to forgive others for their wrongdoings, to accept what can't be changed.

One cannot give what she or he does NOT have. People who have so much love in their hearts can give more because they have so much to give.

LOVE has made me understand that it does NOT set rules nor standards, that it does NOT look into one's stature in life, for when one feels it and honors it, he or she becomes SHORT OF REASONS to justify what he/she feels.

LOVE has taught me to understand people who defies reasons because of it...


LOVE is UNCONVENTIONAL...

It DEFIES all REASONS.

It defies HUMAN DEFINITIONS...

Yet, DEFINES our HUMAN EXISTENCE.

It has its distinct ESSENCE…

The DVD Boy....

Last night, I was out with my friend Pey for a dinner for us to be together before I fly to Japan. So, we went to Northwalk in intersection in the City of San Fernando Pampanga. After our dinner, we decided to have coffee to continue our bonding moment.

Pey bought coffee and we sat in one of the seats around Northwalk and took our pictures. After a while, we want to have our pictures taken...the two of us. We saw a boy approaching... selling DVDs, so we asked him to take our picture. After taking our picture, he asked us to buy DVDs. I was not focused on the DVDs he was selling... instead, I started asking him some questions.

I first ask how old is he, and he said he is eight (8) years old. The next question was if he is still in school, and he answered that he is in Grade 2. I became interested about the boy, so I continued asking him questions. I found out that his parents are in prison cell and that he stays with his uncle. I also came to know that he has 9 siblings and that he is not staying with them at the moment. He stays with his grandparents.

In our conversation, I found out that he walks his way to work sometimes.  He goes to school from 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM. After hiss class, he would sell DVDs. He said that sometimes nobody buys DVDs and this makes him miss his classes because he has no money for his fare.

As I listen to his story, I can't help but have compassion for him...I was really touched. I can't imagine at his age, he is already working hard to support his studies. I really do not know what to feel. I asked further how is he treated by his uncle and he said that his uncle and aunt are kind. I told him to buy the materials he needed for his project with the money I gave him and that he has to go home early...anyway he has already money for his school needs. He said yes, he will go home at 12:00 midnight. Usually, if nobody buys he would stay until the morning... selling.

I have witnessed how the child defies poverty through his effort and perseverance, with his hard, diligent, persistent and strategic struggle.  As I put myself to rest,  I can still remember vividly his face, and so I offered a  prayer for him... that someday I his dreams will come true. Truly, defying poverty is a struggle...how many of these kids do we have around? What can we do then so we can help? hmmm...the call is there...All we need is to ANSWER the CALL!



                NOVEMBER 21, 2012.....MY SECOND ENCOUNTER WITH THE DVD BOY...

My friend, Sis Airene asked me for a cup of coffee at Northwalk, and to my surprise I saw this young boy again for the second time.  I never thought that I would see him again in the same place at almost the same time when I met him before I went to Japan last February of 211 and I was surprised to see him after almost 2 years.

Hmmm....as I look at him, I had rambling thoughts...I was thinking about how is he now, and so I asked him  if he is still in school, and he said, "yes." I said, "that is good." The next thing I did was to make him recall the first time we saw each other...I told him that I already met him before and asked if he can still remember me.  He said, yes.

As I asked him some questions, I noticed that he was not wearing his slippers, and so I asked if he has one.  He said that his slippers are just there...pointing to a corner.  I asked him why he is in his bare feet...and he said, his slippers are too big, and so he doesn't want to wear these.  I told him that he has to wear them because it is raining and because the cement is cold.  So he hurriedly went to the corner where he left his slippers and wear them.

He went back to me after that.  I told him that he has to go home because it is already late...and he said he will, as soon as somebody will buy his DVD's.  He said that he needs money for his school needs and so the need for him to sell the DVD's.

I was touched and realized my social responsibility to this young child and so I shared my blessings.   As I look at him, I told him to go home and have a rest.

As I write tonight...I have realized that the young boy is really determined to continue his studies.  I saw his persistence and his determination.  As I try to think about his situation, I came to think about my concern. After a few moments,  I have realized that this young boy has just affirmed my decision, my decision to  have my focus on my work and my mission. With my encounter with him tonight, I know that God's message to me is clear...that my choice and decision is right. I thank the kid for showing up to me because my thoughts were affirmed.

With this encounter and experience with the young boy, once again I felt God's presence in my work and in my mission.  I am grateful indeed for the encounter, and I thank God for the opportunity to do an act of kindness, to express compassion to him and for the affirmation of my decision.  Truly, God works in mysterious ways.  We just have to believe and recognize His presence in everything we do,  that He is always there WITH us and FOR us.  As I end the night, my heart says; THANK you LORD for the wonderful encounter and for the awesome DAY!

I am God's Beloved....

I am a person who is bound with so different convictions in life. These are based on the word of God that have become my beliefs which later on turned to principles I value.

One of the convictions I have in life is I am God's beloved. I believe this in my heart. This makes me confident and have no fear and worries.

With His love I know I will be fine during my down moments. I know that I will be able to face challenges and trials that will come my way. With this LOVE, I know that my journey to life will be awesome because His loving presence is within me and by the power of His love, I will be blessed.

I am indeed grateful because I have realized how great it is to know and feel his love for me. I am God's beloved because He loves me deeply. We are God's beloved because we are truly and sincerely loved by God. More importantly, I believe that with this LOVE I am assured that NO amount of temptation can separate me from Him because His love for me is powerful and everlasting.

With this conviction, I am at PEACE and I feel the JOY in my heart because I know that my Father's LOVING PRESENCE will see me through in my journey to life.

Love and Care...A Gift to the Community...

Getting the Vital Signs of the one of the adult patients...

The scenario during the medical and dental mission...

The Dental Team...administering dental treatment with the patients...

A Sense of Gratitude....

Thank GOD, the Medical and Dental Mission was a success. thanks to all the volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses, student nurses, some faculty and non teaching staff, the marketing department, Student Council,MQC Chorale, student volunteers, our maintenance group, our cook, to manong guard, to the PNP of Guagua, the Rotary of Western Pampanga District, to the different Drug Stores for the meds, Chowking and Jollibee and to everyone who has supported the Medical Dental Mission...thanks too to all the patients who came and to my IFG family for the support. Especial thanks to my co workers, our MQC nurses, Ma'am Lizette and Sir Eugene.

Indeed, with the your participation and through our coordinated effort, the activity we had has helped a number of our less fortunate brothers and sisters who cannot afford medical and dental treatment. I am grateful for your presence and I thank God for your expression of love and care. We have answered a call to action...and this is...the call for us to be SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE.

To all of us, let us thank God for the gift of opportunity to help. Truly, to extend help is self-fulfilling and self-rewarding. I know we will forever treasure the experience because the joy we have in our hearts is overwhelming. Once again a MILLION THANKS to everyone...MAY OUR TRIBE INCREASE

LIVE Simply...

LIVE simply….
I am pretty darn busy woman…with all the activities I have been through last year, I know that life for me was not really that simple. Well, all these months, I was tied up with work. There were times when I have to turn down other activities because of prior commitments. It makes me sad sometimes missing some social functions and occasions because of my unavailability.

I need to prioritize my concerns…much that I would want to LIVE simply, I can only dream of this because of my toxic schedule most of the time…I will however try my best to simplify my undertakings this year…

SPEAK kindly…
A word has its power. It can make or break a person…It can foster peace and ignite war. In speaking, we have to be careful of the words we utter…we have to always mean what we say and say what we mean.

Correct choice of word is needed...we should always use then the most appropriate word to express our ideas, our desires, thoughts and our insights. We should be generous of kind words for these can inspire other people. Kind words make people do more, these inspire them to pursue their dreams and continue journeying to life because they are motivated.

CARE deeply …
This is one of the qualities I know I have. I always show care for other people…I care a lot for others the very reason why I respond the call to help. To care means to do something because you are sensitive to the needs of other people. You care because you want to empathize, to be there for others who need help, and to make people feel that you are there for them in times that they need somebody to listen to their concerns.

Oftentimes, I see myself in situations where people confide to me even their most private and personal concerns. Probably because they know that I care a lot to listen to them and understand their situation. To show care would also mean to just be there for a person. Sometimes your mere presence is good enough to show that you really care.

The reason why I REACH OUT and Touch lives is because I CARE…


LOVE generously…
How does one love generously? It is when one gives all that he has. . .the total giving of oneself. It means giving love without limits, making one feel a true and sincere love.

It is when one becomes selfless…when LOVE is unconditional…The love of God when He gave his life for us is an example of a love that was generously given. But how does one express this?

To love generously is to give your time when one needs you to be there. It means you are ready to give up your other concerns because the person needs you. When you make yourself available because you believe that the other person needs you and will be relieved of his or her concern, then loving generously is manifested.

WoUlD iT mAtTeR?

I have these thoughts before I went to bed last night. Would people's impressions, judgments, assessments and appraisals of your being matter at all?

Hmmm....in our encounter with people...more often we are evaluated and given an appraisal of our behavior. Sometimes people pass judgments on us based on what they see...like our mannerisms and body language. Even our manner of speaking and the words we utter are taken into consideration for them to have an assessment of what kind of persons we are. But do these things matter?

People will always have their prejudices and biases. One therefore has to veer away from the thought of minding what people would say...for at the end of the day, what matters most is...you know you have enjoyed life's pleasures to the fullest and truly lived life according to how you want it to be without the cost of others...

Yes, impressions maybe issued to us by people based on their observations, but what is important is the fact that we are fully aware of WHO we are and WHAT we are for this spells out the difference. If we know ourselves, regardless of people's good or bad impressions, we will continue to live a life with convictions, with principles and values that are based on the Word of God. This undoubtedly will make us have a well lived life as we journey.

One of the realizations I have in life is to continue to live life to the fullest notwithstanding the impressions issued and given to me by people. To each his own.

"If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things."
- Albert Einstein -

A Touching Encounter....

It was drizzling... I got up at 4:30 because I have to meet Sir Robert at the Mini Stop in Sta. Rita. The place is about 30 minutes travel from our place. We are scheduled to have an ocular visit in Camias, Planas, Pampanga where our Aeta scholars reside. Despite the bad weather I have decided to dispatch myself and prayerfully go for a special mission that which is to visit the Aetas.

Robert and I rode a jeepney and as we travel, I can’t help but get excited. I did not mind transferring from one jeepney to another. The last ride was on a tricycle where we have to pay 300 pesos. Hmmm...I was surprised on this, and so I asked the driver why the fare is expensive. The driver explained that it is far and that the road is muddy and slippery so they charge 300 for one way. What else can we do but to pay and be on board the tricycle just to reach our destination.

Waaaaaah... true indeed, it was far and the road is not cemented. Robert has to get out of the tricycle four times to help the driver push the tricycle while I was just seated trying to refocus myself and enjoying the ride and the scenery of the mountain.

After almost two hours of traveling we were able to reach Camias. We headed to the house of the Barangay Chairman who happens to be the father of our two Aeta scholars. The parents of our scholars welcomed us enthusiastically and I was able to see in their faces expressions of happiness. I introduced myself and Sir Robert to them.

We had a short introduction of our names and our background, and after the "hi and hello" thing, I began to ask questions. I came to know some realities in their lives, like, sometimes they have to skip meals due to lack of food, that some of our students have to walk on hours just to be home and just to be on the terminal where they have to take a ride. They also grow vegetables and fruit bearing plants that they can eat and sell. It pains me to hear about the scarcity of food, to see the children up in the mountain dirty, sickly and not being in school.

Yes, life for them is difficult, but despite their poverty they have hope and with their simple life I can see that they can laugh and have joy in their hearts. I saw them smile as I try to wear the “bangkat”, a round shallow basket made of closely interwoven bamboo splits usually carried by women. When I try to learn their dialect, they laughed because I mispronounce some of the words like; “manged” (beautiful), “marake” (many) etc. I have seen them get excited but shy as I take pictures of them. They look and smile at me as I photographed the food they served and the squash they gave us.

After the picture taking, we had a break. I have to help prepare our lunch so I went to the kitchen and assist the women. I chopped the onions and opened the canned goods. I helped in setting the table and we had our simple lunch with the chicken cooked in lemon grass and the canned goods.

We had our siesta after our lunch. It rained heavily and it has crossed my mind how will we go home if the rain will NOT stop. Hmmm...I tried to be calm and not worry...Since it was raining I had a power nap because I was deadly tired. I was not able to sleep the night before because of too much excitement. I had a short nap though because I was not comfortable lying on the bench. So I got up and went to the nearby house and there I found a group of aetas watching a Filipino film on the old television. I took some pictures of them and talked to some adults.

Then, I went back to the nipa hut and asked the Barangay Chairman to call on the parents so we can finish our dialogue of life. We gathered again inside the hall and as I listen to their dreams and aspirations, to their concerns, I can’t help but be sad and be down spirited. I made some proposals about growing some vegetables which could make them earn money. I also proposed raising goats and chicken. They sort of like the suggestion and told me that they are willing to do just anything for their children.

I was surprised of their willingness to learn cooking lessons, to improve their lifestyle and to be partners with us in the education of their children. The determination they have in sending their children to school has made a huge impact in my heart. This has inspired me to help them more and to support them in their dreams for their children to finish college.

I was moved by their words of gratitude for the effort and time we have given them. They were expressive of their gratefulness. They were happy because despite the distance and the bad weather we visited them. They also expressed their appreciation for the scholarship given by our school to their children. Everybody became silent when I started to talk about our institution. I explained to them our vision and mission, discussed our objectives and gave them the assurance that we will help them in the education of their children. I also made them realize that we are willing to help them and that our school is the only school in Pampanga which have accepted most of their children to be our scholars. I have to end the meeting by thanking them.

As we walk down the place where we have to get a ride, I couldn’t help but think of the encounter I had with them which is worth the long travel, the time and the effort I have exerted. I know in my heart that I will have a great task ahead, that there is a demand from me to do something good for them, and that I have to act intuitively. I accept that I have a work to be done and that there is a call that need to be answered, an urgent call...A CALL TO ACTION.

As I look back...in my heart is HOPE, hope that someday some of them through their children who are determined to finish their education will have a better life. I was sad though because I know that at the moment they can only wish for their dreams to come true, but for as long as there are people who are willing to share their blessings, for as long as there are people who are moved to help and make a difference in their lives, this dream is not far-fetched. With the GRACE of God, NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE.