One Solitary Life

One Solitary Life
He was born in an obscure village
The child of a peasant woman
He grew up in another obscure village
Where he worked in a carpenter shop
Until he was thirty
He never wrote a book
He never held an office
He never went to college
He never visited a big city
He never travelled more than two hundred miles
From the place where he was born
He did none of the things
Usually associated with greatness
He had no credentials but himself
He was only thirty three
His friends ran away
One of them denied him
He was turned over to his enemies
And went through the mockery of a trial
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves
While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing
The only property he had on earth
When he was dead
He was laid in a borrowed grave
Through the pity of a friend
Nineteen centuries have come and gone
And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race
And the leader of mankind’s progress
All the armies that have ever marched
All the navies that have ever sailed
All the parliaments that have ever sat
All the kings that ever reigned put together
Have not affected the life of mankind on earth
As powerfully as that one solitary life
Dr James Allan © 1926

Sharing this poetry because it might be relevant to the state of chaos the world we are now in. Shout out to those in power raring to annihilate the planet with their destroyers and missiles, rockets and drones, warheads, etcetera. That is not the way to live a life.

A Troubadour’s Song.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through all that you have made.

And first, my Lord, through Brother Sun,

who brings the day, the light you give to us through him.

How beautiful he is, how radiant in all his splendor.

Of you most high he bears the likeness.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through Sister Moon and Stars

in the heavens you made them

bright and precious and beautiful.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through Brother Wind and Air,

and fair and stormy,

all the weather’s moods by which you cherish

all that you have made.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through Sister Water.

She is so useful, lowly, precious and pure.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through Brother Fire,

through whom you brighten up the night.

How beautiful he is, how joyful.

Full of power and strength.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through Sister Earth our Mother,

who feeds us in her sovereignty

and produces various fruits,

colored flowers and herbs.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through those who grant pardon for love of you,

for those who endure sickness and trial,

may they endure in peace.

By you most high they will be crowned.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through Sister Death

from whose embrace no mortal can escape.

Happy are those she finds doing your will.

The second death they need not fear.

Praise and bless the Lord,

and give him thanks

and serve him with great humility.

This canticle was dictated by St. Francis of Assisi during his dying hours, much like the song of a troubadour. When he died at the age of 44, a lark was seen ascending to heaven.

Tattered Mementos.

I do not change my wallet so often, only when really necessary, as in when the edges and texture of the purse actually looks worn and tattered. Never fashionable, the same goes with my bag. Sometimes it takes years, and with prodding from someone, that I give in to something new. The wallet I use now was given to me by a fellow parent named Perlie, perhaps over a decade ago. She also gave me a red scarf that I carry in my bag all the time. I easily get cold in air-conditioned rooms and the scarf comes in handy.

The task of changing wallets is not something I like doing. There are some precious items that I do not want to touch any longer, such as the stampitas in the pictures. I have had those maxim cards since sixth or seventh grade, and as you see, the prints have faded.

No sentimental reason for keeping the mementoes. It’s just the way I am. Or better yet, it’s who I am.

Here’s An Effort Defining Love

Below the surface-stream, shallow and light,
Of what we say we feel—below the stream,
As light, of what we think we feel—there flows
With noiseless current strong, obscure and deep,
The central stream of what we feel indeed.

—Matthew Arnold

My classmate and friend Pam shared this on fb.  I just had to copy/paste this here so that these lines will not get  lost in the hundreds of messages loaded up on my fb Home daily.

Why?

Well, the lines spell out what I had been longing to express.  Love indeed is so deep to be simply defined in a few words. We can define it by saying something like “Love is a bed of roses.” Or we can define it by thinking “I am so happy because I am in love.”

That is love on the surface stream, what we say, what we think.

But Love, when it is genuine or true, is much deeper than what mere words can define. Love is like a noiseless current, so strong, so pervading, so whole, so totally encompassing. Love is within, moving so serene, and yet so powerful. Love. ❤

As the deer panteth for the water

I suppose I have not talked about my God as much as I think of Him. So I am sharing here my favorite Communion song, hoping that this would spell how much I long for my God. And if anyone wonders who wrote this, well, this came from a shepherd boy who rose to become king….

As the deer panteth for the water So my soul longeth after Thee You alone are my heart’s desire And I long to worship Thee You alone are my strength, my shield To you alone may my spirit yield You alone are my heart’s desire And I long to worship Thee You’re my friend and you are my brother Even though you are a king I love you more than any other So much more than anything I want you more than gold or silver Only you can satisfy You alone are the real joy giver And the apple of my eye

Hay naku, ang baba ng suweldo!

Sabi ko na nga ba eh, magkakatalo pag dating sa suweldo.

Kita mo naman, bigatin ang degree, at lahat ng mamamayan, agree,

Bakit kamo, di ga’t iskolar ng bayan, kaya kung sa talino lang, todo ang yabang.

Pero eto nga, di tulad ng ADMU, DLSU, USTE, at AMA na may placement after graduation,

Tiis sila kapipila sa paghahanap ng job, UP ka eh, kaya mo yan.

So, sa legwork pa lang, sanay na ang mga yan, sa haba ba naman ng pila sa OUR at cashier..grrrr…

At sa pakikinayam, bihasa yan, wala namang kailangan i-conceal,

Garantisado, lahat ng grade na nakareflect sa transcript, basta pasa, pinaghirapan.

Kaya nga, confident, ika nga, itong mga bagong salta ng graduates.

Nakahanap naman, walang problema, nakakagulat nga eh, dahil ang bilis, hired agad.

Eto ang siste, e di chika na. Tanungan how many figures ang nasa take home pay envelope.

Wala ngang gustong magsabi at first, akala mo G14 classified,

Yun pala, nung naglakas loob yung isa na pathetic four figure lang siya, shucks, lahat pala sila!

What a Gift Before Christmas!

‘Twas two days before Christmas

When all through the house

Not a creature was stirring

Not even a mouse….

And my Tish came down the stairs

Excited but scared

NMAT results had been posted

And she had to know hers…

So she turned on the laptop

And logged in at the site

And shrieked her lung out

At the score she received!

99 percentile

Was top merit

To get to a med school

And be a doctor that she wanted.

What a gift before Christmas

And all through the house

Just a prayer of thanks

For passing this exam!

 

NMAT stands for National Medical Admission Test

… and needless to say I am a proud and happy ma!

Hey Ninoy!

Hey Ninoy!

Can you see us now?

You must be smiling down upon us!

Taken a long time coming,

but we did it!

Hey genius!

You did not foresee it, huh!,

in all your intelligence and great foresight,

That your wife and your son will carry on the torch that you had lit!

Hey martyr!

Now you know that you did not die in vain.

You must be grinning down upon us.

Took us a long time coming,

but we did it again.