joy in life

I just watched the movie The Bucket List again and it strikes a chord in my heart every time. A line in the movie resonated with me: "Did you find joy in your life?" I recount my day today as I write this post and ask myself that question and it hit me: "Have I?"

Life goes by pretty quickly. I realize that the question is one I would want to ask myself at the end of every day, every moment, every second of my borrowed time here on earth. Interesting: the phrase 'borrowed time.' Let me correct that to say - gift of time here on earth. Knowing that life is a gift puts a smile on my face and answers the question every time. Yes, I have found the joy in my life.  That joy is to know that I am loved by my Creator, my dear Heavenly Father, who sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, so that I may be live life to the full. I thank Him for this gift.

The next question is - have I shared this joy with others? I can do a better job. I would like to do a better job. I hope this new post can be a good start. I can't promise regular posts, but I can promise to do my best to share the joy that I have found every moment, of every day of my life.

May the good Lord bless you that you may find the joy in your life!

respect life

I've been wanting to get back to my blogging. I can't fully take it on yet, but let me start by making a stand on issues prevailing in my country today.

I am one with my parish in actively promoting the messages of truth to other people.

"For the Christian, it is an absolute imperative to respect, love, and promote the life of every brother and sister, in accordance with the requirements of God's bountiful love in Jesus Christ," 

(St. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae n.77)

desire to connect

There is in the deepest and innermost being of man the need to connect.

I hear and read about it a lot - man's desire to connect, not being an island, or a lone ranger. As I walked through a row of establishments in a mall one day, I saw a man, grinning with excitement as he was taking a selfie with his meal - I quickly judged it was a selfie but then I saw and realized he was talking to someone using his device. In the next establishment I saw through the glass a young lady with long black hair, sitting at the bar facing me and the passers by. She was chatting happily with someone using her phone with her white earphones in her ears. How powerful indeed has technology evolved to bring us such a gift for us to connect with people!

Yet technology only aids our means to connect. What pushes us to connect is our deepest desire of being in touch with another. What fuels this desire is just that real longing of something that is inside us - a truth of what we lost and what we wish to recover.

The truth is - we were born united with the One who made us. We were separated from Him because of our ways which are against His intention for us and for our lives. Yet even though we willfully choose to do things our way, inside of us there is a yearning that can never be quenched. This yearning is to just be back with Him, be one with Him, and do His will.

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." John 6:35-40

throw your life away

To the young, throw your youth - your prime years to the Lord. To the elders, it seems that at this point, what this means is to throw your whole life away to the Lord!

- Andy Juan, March 28, 2016

PS. I paraphrase the statement above from a senior leader in the community I am a part of (Ligaya ng Panginoon). He was addressing the brothers of the Servants of the Word during an Alumni Night, himself being alumnus of the brotherhood.

life for a life

"As how I offered my Beloved Son to redeem your life, will you offer your life to redeem yours?"

balance in life

Living a life of excellence is doing the best one can do in everything, giving more than one can give, and pursuing what can give greater glory to God.
This is how we are called to be living testimonies of His goodness.

"It is not so much as striking a balance in our lives. It is more of excelling in as much areas of our lives as possible," said a mentor of mine.

Who am I?

Sunday mornings, sunrise, mountains, rice terraces, waterfalls, running, avocado, hot cup of tablea chocolate on a cold night, rainy days, grilled bangus, mangoes, mango float, mango bene, leche flan, chat over hot vanilla with good ol' friends, inun-unang isda, dark chocolate, hot piaya, spicy tuna tomato pasta, that refreshing ice cold beer down the throat on a hot summer day, the smell of sautéed garlic in the morning, the stress relieving feel and sound when ripping paper, the feel of warm sand between your toes, a good book on a rainy night, screwball comedy, classics, behavioral psychology, non-fiction, foreign films, jazz, soul, harmonica, acoustic guitar ballads, and marshmallows - they're all my cup o' mint tea.

Breathtaking view of the Banaue Rice Terraces

Today I was reminded of a question that led me to an awesome realization in life, "Who am I?"

Who am I to have been given the chance to see, smell, taste, touch, hear, and experience life?

gem of a book

Before I officially became part of the 'working class,' I had plenty of time on my hands. Of course, I buried myself in books. Depending on my family for a meager allowance, I rummaged through used books from local bookshops and just picked up anything that I thought looked interesting. I read anything from literature classics, programming in MS Access for dummies, to even obscure books on the music duo Simon & Garfunkel. My key criterion: anything below a hundred.

I would be amazed at the number of books I can bring home after a week's worth of savings from my measly allowance! There were lemons, no doubt. These were the ones I usually force myself to read for a couple of days, convincing myself that the peso-to-book page ratio was worth it. There are gems as well. There's this sense of accomplishment after reading a used book bought at a very cheap price that unexpectedly ends up putting a sense of direction in your life. I picked up a couple of these books.

One of those gems got me interested just by looking at the cover page. I bought it in a heartbeat when I opened it and saw the flyleaf.

Seizing Your Divine Moment: Dare to Live a Life of Adventure