For the Birthday Girl

While I know that it will take years for you to appreciate what I’ve written here, I want to dedicate this post to you, our little Angel. Happy 2nd Birthday darling!

If I were a fairy godmother these are my wishes for you, princess…

May you have Tita Dionne’s zest for adventure, passion for learning and love for pets… and may you also find (when the time is right) a prince charming that will sweep you off your feet.

May you have Tita Desire’s love for her siblings, which enables her to see beyond shortcomings, and give past what she is capable of… and may you also win the adoration of a lovable rogue even if he comes into your life unexpectedly.

May you have Lola Zeny’s principled ways, forgiving heart and pride in the accomplishments of her children… and may your cooking skills be at par with hers as well.

May you have Lolo Rene’s sensibility, wit and humor that will enable you to find delight even during inopportune situations… and may you earn the respect of people around you, for the significant role you play in their lives.

May you learn to love books, play fair, revere your elders, cook gourmet and give a great massage.

May you know how to stand up for your convictions without losing respect for the opinion of others.

May you learn to write with passion and speak your mind with eloquence to influence others positively.

May you dance gracefully, sing on key or know how to play an instrument; but learning all three wouldn’t be so bad.

May you always see what is bright and colorful about life, believe in yourself and learn to love and give unconditionally.

All these, I wish for you little girl, and I will pray that you grow up to be one fine lady; one that your brothers and parents will take pride on.

My Wishes

I'd like to live when men were gentlemen and women were ladies, and everyone knew where they stood. Ideally, I'd like to be roused on a hammock on a tropical beach, where the sand is powder white and the sea the deepest sapphire blue, an during the day I'd prepare myself mentally for my concert at Wembley stadium; If I thought about it, I really need a big case of cash, no questions asked, and sometimes I wish I could be an artist, messing around with media and materials, really doing something new. I'd like to be invisible when I felt like it, because the possibilities are endless, and it would be amazing to hang out in an island of my own, in some far-off tropical sea, one never touched by human contact. Pets? a funny electronic dog from Japan, one who doesn't make mess, would do the trick for me. Finally I'd like to throw a party with a few old friends in the cellar of my favorite cantina, and maybe I'd invite an angel along, to bring a blessing on everyone there.

The Feast

For the past four months, Lyndon and I have been attending The Feast every Sunday. It is a weekly gathering organized by the Light of Jesus Community, a Catholic Organization founded by Bo Sanchez.

For a number of years I’ve been remiss in religious obligations; I rarely went to church and consciously avoided every opportunity to do so. For me, putting up with an hour long church service was pure torment; I had to listen to an often boring if not difficult to understand homily. I had to mouth words (supposed to be prayers) that simply did not do much to strengthen my faith. I started to attend Protestant services and discovered that I felt more fulfilled and blessed singing songs of praise and listening to God’s word. It came to a point that I thought of leaving the Catholic Church and be baptized in Christian/Protestant rites. But having been brought up and educated in the Catholic faith, this was a very difficult choice to make. Not knowing how to proceed, I simply stopped going to church, Catholic or otherwise.

Then Lyndon’s brother and his wife invited us to join them at the Feast. For many years, they have been inviting us to attend church services with them, back when they used to hold gatherings at the AFP Theater. But their congregation grew in number and so they had to move to the Arena, a new sports complex in San Juan. The place was a lot nearer Pasig so we went one Sunday in April. Lyndon went first and he came home raving about the experience. I told myself, “If he could last all three hours of the church service and still come home feeling he wanted more of it – then this is something else.” I joined him the week after.

Since then, we try not to miss a single church service. The Feast starts with a Catholic mass, then “Praise and Worship” where we sing songs and dance and have fun while glorifying, thanking and worshiping the Lord. After which, an inspirational talk by one of the Kerygma preachers.

When before, attending a Sunday mass tested my patience, now I’ve come to appreciate and understand how each ritual is a vital part of my Catholic faith. The Praise and Worship that comes after allows me to profess my faith in the Lord, ask for forgiveness for my mistakes and glorify and thank Him for keeping me under his wing.

The inspirational talk that comes in the end allows me learn from gifted preachers (Bo Sanchez, Arun Gogna, Alvin Barcelona, Obet Cabrillas, Jon Escoto and Adrian Panganiban) who have become instruments of the Lord in spreading His Word.

Attending the Feast has done so much for me that I do not know how to begin counting. Being there every Sunday allows me to thank the Lord for all the blessings he showered me during the week that passed and affirm my faith that he will continue to sustain and protect me in the coming week.

I’ve been inviting my family and friends to come to the Feast as well, because I want them to experience the same kind of high that I get every week. I haven’t been too successful in this endeavor just yet. Maybe it will take a few years (as how it happened to me) but I will continue to prod and insist because the Feast will open doors for more blessings in their life.

I know. It happened to me.