The musings of a wandergeselle about faith, literature, music, dancing, culture, food, travels, art, fashion, photography, life experiences, and everything in-between from journée to journée.
Today’s mood led me to search for a good romantic movie on YouTube, and I stumbled upon this Hallmark movie entitled “The Story of Us.”
I highly recommend watching this feel-good movie. Well, aside from the fairytale ending (as expected 😉), I totally love the bookstore + cafe concept.
I’m thinking about integrating it later on at the farm, God willing, since my family and I love to read. Network signals are also intermittent there so book reading will become a necessity to ease boredom. lol We have lots of books at home in Bicol and in our homes here in Manila, which I plan on consolidating if my siblings and their families agree when we’re seniors already. I hope to include it as part of the family legacy. 🙂
Some of my favorites from my personal collection.
If you want a good marriage, invest in it, as they say. But the catch here is that both of you have to invest in it to make it work. 😃
Mini library at your service– the condo version. 😊
Nothing is more enjoyable than having that secluded nook to read where no one can disturb you and you’re surrounded by nature in all her splendor. This is one of the best views there at the farm and my Dad loves this view. This is also the reason why he loves to visit the rice fields when the palay is all lush and green.
I’ll come up with a better and longer video next time. 👍
The rice fields become all bare though after the harvest season. So I was thinking of planting and growing short-lived plants like sunflowers (I already have the seeds) by the end of the Dry Season as a crop alternative. The pollinators will love this, and it will also offer quite a scenic and lovely view to (future) guests.
Ah yes, so many plans, and yet it is the Lord’s purpose that will prevail. But the mission remains – make the farm as a retreat place for holistic wellness, and this includes the hospice facility which will be the topic for my next article. 🙏❤️😊
Going back to the movie, I loved the concept of grassroots, going back to the hometown, preserving the history of a place while being open to possibilities in future improvements, soulmate union after being apart for some time, and true love.
Yes, that is the “Story of Us.” Go watch it now if you haven’t watched it yet. And the Bible verse below resonates with the movie’s theme. 🥰
“When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen.” – Isaiah 60:22
This might be our last, only God knows, our last Christmas together as a married couple. Every goodbye is painful, and it would’ve been really easy to just walk away and leave everything behind.
But that is not what God is calling me to do. He’s asking me to wait a little longer because He still has some tasks for me to do here in Manila.
When I came here, I was asking God for an answer whether to fight for my marriage or not. An incident that took place on my birthday (sadly) prompted me to let go.
I was hurt. Deeply hurt. All the trauma of the past came back – lies, broken trust, and unfulfilled promises. I believe this is also why my infection got worse, my body was going through excessive emotional stress.
I was hoping for a change. But as they say, if people do not want to change, no amount of convincing is enough for them to do it. Unless they, themselves, decide that they want to change.
Finally, the right movie ticketsthis time. No need to change. 🙂
For the past 8 years, I have chosen to forgive even without the promise of change and at times the absence of apologies. It never mattered to me if I was disrespected or if boundaries had been violated.
Because the Bible says that if a brother sins against you and asks for forgiveness, forgive him every time. I was willing to endure. Though there were times when I asked God when will this suffering end.
A change in perspective. God, what else am I missing?
God’s answer to me was to endure until last December 22. I did cry a little bit, but a decision has been made. It was made in peace – a sign for me that God’s discipline is over. I endured, and God is releasing me from the bondage of sin and being unequally yoked.
I would’ve fought this decision over by being stubborn and by using my free will to fight for our marriage. But the day after, my infection got worse and God’s final words came:
“Your willpower is strong, Tin, but your body can no longer take it. I am giving you rest from everything, give you time to recharge, a time to heal so your body can recover, because I have more tasks for you to do. And the mission I am about to ask you to do requires that you are at your best self – healthy, at peace, and joyful. This mission requires helping others and you cannot help them if you, yourself, are dying on the inside and on the outside.”
I am claiming God’s beautiful promise that I will live long and die of old age though there are far too many times that I felt like maybe I would only make it this year or next year because all I ever did for the past years was to survive. So it does make sense if His first instruction to me for next year is to HEAL.
I will stay here in the city for now to help my husband because he needs a place to stay here in Manila while processing all the paperwork. This is the task that God is asking me to do while I am here. My husband is still my brother in Christ, and I will provide any help that I can give because that is the right thing to do in return for all the favors that he did for me and my family.
When awkward silences become unbearable, just take a photo. lol When you’re married, your best friend can also be your worst enemy. 😅
We all have our demons. We all have sinned. And yet, it is only God who can save us from these demons that haunt us every now and then and compel us to do things that we never want to do. And yet, this requires that we work with God, too. God can never save us if we feel like we don’t need any saving.
The acts of salvation and redemption always start with surrendering everything that is dark within us so God can eventually usher us out into the light. God is giving my husband another chance to change but without me this time, thus, God called my husband to work abroad.
My husband working abroad means it will be extremely difficult for us to navigate through every conflict that may arise in our marriage because of the distance especially if he still hasn’t learned from his past mistakes. Temptations will be even greater. If he comes back a changed man (for the better), then this marriage might still stand a chance until death parts us both.
But for now, we will pursue our dreams apart from each other because God wills it – his dream to work abroad and my dream to pursue agribusiness projects in Bicol. I may not see and understand the plans of God, but this separation is a divine calling, and God is asking me to obey.
The processing of my husband’s paperwork for his work abroad has also been smooth with very minimal hassle. I see this as a sign that this is what God is asking him to do for our own good. If my husband finds another woman to love while he’s abroad, then I will accept (though heartbreaking) the fact that I was never God’s intended true love for him.
And yet that will be another problem at another time. But for now, I will keep holding on to God’s promise for me when I saw my first perfect rainbow in Albay back in 2020 accompanied by the first Bible verse below. 🙏
“What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day, I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” – Genesis 28:15
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!” – Luke 1:45
The Journeyman's Moments 