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

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?

the River

I cannot fully express my reflection on the Scriptures for today in writing so I attempted to look for a graphic rendering of my emotions. I'm grateful to have stumbled upon the poem below.

As River Flows

by Peter Duggan

As river flows so peacefully

I sit here just content to be

As Ravens flow so high above

This morning, it was made for love

It enters deep into my soul

It's sweetness making me so whole

This softest morning mystery

Oh, how it reaches out to me

The trees, they dance so gracefully

They wave, and flow upon the breeze

Bird song drifts from happy branches

Oh lord, how this my heart enhances

Silence rules above all this

A kind of stillness filled with bliss

Captivates my very core

Oh, I'd not wish for any more. 

The river peaceful, calm and still

So wonderful it makes me feel

As it reflects those dancing trees

I watch and let the morning breeze

Caress my skin so tenderly

Then all is gone, there's only me

The emptiness of all that is

I'm sailing on the waves of bliss. 

The river is life. From the source, it flows down to the seas giving life to luscious vegetation along the way. To be separated from it would mean scarcity - a struggling existence, even death. To be beside it is life! (Ezekiel 47:12)