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.
Yep, this is so 100% me. I guess this is why my parents chose to have glass doors installed on the front balcony. The setup was so perfect for me.
When our dogs start barking, that means there are visitors approaching. What I would do next is take a peek through the glass doors just to confirm and if my hunches are correct, off I go scampering to the bedroom. 😅
And sometimes I go to the bathroom and take a bath even if I just finished taking a bath just to avoid saying “Hi.” lol I know. You’re dealing with a real-deal introvert here. And you guessed that right, too. I’m so good at playing hide-and-seek especially if I don’t want to be found. All the rest have come out, I’m still hiding until they all go home. 😂
And parties are a nightmare for me. Like how do I look at people staring back at me and watching every awkward facial expression I make when I talk? When I’m expected to act all prim and proper, I just have this uncontrollable habit of acting the opposite that’s more in an obnoxious way. And I make all these weird responses, too, so I decided to just zip thy lips and “dili na lang ako mag-talk, beh.” 😆
I hope this article made you laugh one way or the other. I am currently working on a whole lot of serious stuff for major transitions when I get back to Bicol, so, this is actually my way of clearing my mind off. 😉
Stay blessed, stay joyful, and stay hopeful, my loves. God loves you, never forget that. And be grateful always. ❤️
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22
P.S. If you ever meet me at a party or an event where I’m required to attend and I look so serious and intimidating, please don’t be fooled. I am actually lost in my thoughts thinking of an escape plan to get out of the crowd fast. I attend parties and events for one reason only – food. ✌️😅
Last night, I had the urge to eat out at one of the popular fast food chains in our place. When I arrived, all the seats downstairs were taken so I went up and was glad to see lots of available seats. I took a look around and chose the perfect spot for me to eat and stay for a while. It’s a seat which overlooks an intersection and where most of the traffic activity in the place converge. There’s also a glass window which gave me the opportunity to observe people behind me through the reflection.
I never really had an idea why I chose that spot but something in me told me about this word – story. Yes, the reason why I love observing people and activities is that I can get a lot of stories from them. As a writer, these scenes are an opportunity to come up with new and fresh ideas and concepts. They also propose a different take on a lot of things.
I believe God placed me in that seat to write this story.
Being seated at the end of the room, I can see from the reflection in the glass window if someone is approaching me. This night, there were 3 scenarios that came into play featuring 3-not-so-ordinary kids.
Scenario 1
The first kid who approached me was a street kid in rugged and dirty clothes carrying 5 pesos with him and drinking a soda from that fast-food chain which I believe was given by someone who also ate there or he could’ve bought it from the money he was able to gather from begging. The first thing he asked was if I can give him coins enough to buy him a meal for that night. I looked at him and though I normally don’t give out money to beggars, something in his appeal made me do so. I gave him a couple of coins but told him to buy it dinner. He then thanked me and went towards the next table.
Scenario 2
Another kid came by but this one’s different. He’s carrying a basket of packed marinated milkfish. The boy sounded like a young salesman with his bubbly sales pitch that almost sounded like an advertisement you hear on television. I thought it was entertaining and true enough, I wasn’t the only one who was entertained. He approached a couple eating at a table with his bubbly pitch and also joked around with the guy. He was able to hook his client – the guy took his offer to buy 3 pieces (1 set) for 120 pesos. Then the guy started asking him like who prepared the milkfish to which he answered that it’s his aunt. The guy actually tried to haggle saying he wants to buy 1 piece only. But the boy didn’t give in and smilingly told the guy that he only sells a 3-piece set and that he needs to be home soon because he will be going to school early the next day. He didn’t approach me although I was tempted to buy, too.
Scenario 3
Then, a few minutes later, another boy came in carrying a basket, too. But this time, the contents of his basket are polvoron. The boy approached me with a very sad introduction and offered his products almost to the point of begging. He already had around 60 pesos placed on top of the items. I looked at the boy and I declined his offer. He still wouldn’t budge until a high school student seated behind me called his attention saying he wanted to buy one.
God Calls For His Children
Most likely you will think of my actions as unfair. So why didn’t I buy from the last boy? I am unsure how the polvoron was prepared and I couldn’t cook it to make it safe to eat compared with the marinated milkfish. Although honestly, I feel sorry that I didn’t buy some because I really felt that I should. So I am praying to God I’d still have another opportunity to see this kid and I’ll buy what he has to offer.
Some will agree that it’s better to buy from kids than to give money to those who just beg. I also agree with this and that we need to empower them to strive instead of encouraging them to depend on other people for their needs by begging for money. I believe this will help solve the poverty mentality – that everyone has the opportunity to make a living as long as you have the discipline, perseverance, patience, and will power.
But this is not always the case. And this is why I gave coins to the first boy who begged me to give him some. Why? When I looked at the boy, the first thing I thought was, where are his parents? He looked as if no one’s taking care of him. So this means, he’s alone fending for himself trying to get by with whatever he has and what he can get from begging. But what I also thought is that he’s in need of a mentor, someone who can usher him towards the right opportunities to make a living like working in a car wash shop for example as a washer boy, etc.
Compared to the other two boys, they sure have parents or relatives who care for them because they have items to sell in the first place. They already have the means to make it out of poverty and there are people who are guiding them what to do and how to earn a living.
The Other Side of the Coin
Looking at all 3, it can give us the different facets of human life and the different kinds of people:
1.) Trying to live life with no support system – living by grace.
2.) Trying to earn a living with the help of relatives and enjoying it – a positive disposition.
3.) Trying to earn a living with the help of relatives but with a disgruntled heart – discontentment.
These are all hasty generalizations based on the different scenarios I have witnessed and I have no idea what really goes on in their lives or what they went through on that day. And yet each one of them carries a hope that all of us try to live out each day trying to make meaning out of what we do and why we do things.
I am praying for these kids and other kids like them. May God continue to guide them as they go about with life’s atrocities. All may come from different backgrounds and may be given different opportunities, and yet the gift of God is free for all and that is all that matters. I pray that is what they will experience and hold on to wherever fate would bring them as they get older. ❤
‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.’ – Numbers 6:24-26
It is one thing to be great and yet it is another thing to be happy and fulfilled. Which of these two are you after? 🙂
Hubby and I watched the movie “Gifted” starring Captain America’sChris Evans. I was captivated by the movie’s portrayal that not all individuals who have the potential to be “great” are subjected to society’s dictates that they be the next Albert Einstein or Bill Gates. It depicted how parents overlooked the fact that greatness is not equated to a life well-lived but only if the child be given the chance to live life by his/her own choosing – a great life or a life lived otherwise, simple, normal, and devoid of titles.
The story was set in a small town in Tampa, Florida and revolved around the life of 7-year old Mary Adler (McKenna Grace) who’s been living with her Uncle Frank (Chris Evans). Mary’s remarkable talent in Math was discovered by her 1st grade teacher and raised this concern with the school’s principal who then proposed to Frank that Mary be sent to a school for the gifted children. However, this setup changed when a battle on custody between her uncle and grandmother took place. Mary’s grandmother intended on giving Mary full access on all resources to maximize her potential while her Uncle Frank, on the other hand, wanted to fulfill the request of his late sister (Mary’s mom) that Mary should experience a normal childhood. The story ended with the court’s decision that Frank be granted custody over Mary and Mary will be taking regular classes in a public grade school in the morning and taking high-level college courses in the afternoon.
Special Education gave way in addressing these problems regarding special children or children with special needs. I was very curious regarding this branch of education back in 2008 when I worked as a communication assistant for the deaf and mute which then prompted me to pursue a graduate study in this field. My eldest sister graduated with a degree in Special Education also and I’ve heard her recount stories and experiences in dealing with special children.
Out of my curiosity to understand them better and the dire need to alleviate the challenges they go through, it led me to finding out that there are actually more of these children who are trying to live ‘normal’ lives out there. It is not only a constant challenge to these children but to their parents as well who try all the best they could to give them a normal life.
Nowadays, the idea of Special Education is not so new anymore in our society. For those who haven’t been truly exposed to what Special Education is all about, the general objective of it is good in all aspects. However, as practitioners of this branch of education, there are some challenges that Special Education still has to address in which researchers are currently exploring. This ranges from teacher competencies to the after-school support programs because education for these children doesn’t end in the four corners of the academe.
The demands are greater – demands for better understanding on a holistic sense i.e. emotional, social, biological, intellectual, behavioral, etc. Indeed, their education is referred to as “special” because they are not regular students who fit more or less in a standardized curriculum. With these children, however, the Individualized Educational Plan addresses their needs best, academically speaking. But there are other needs that should be met as well i.e. emotional, social, and behavioral developments in which a Special Education school with special students alone may not be able to provide.
As with the case of Mary, she is intellectually gifted. But if we will focus on just unleashing her full potential just like what her grandmother wants, she may truly miss a lot, most especially her childhood. It was portrayed in the movie that Mary’s mom committed suicide which, I assume, has something to do with her low emotional quotient though considered a Math prodigy. This low EQ, I believe, has been sidetracked as the school for the gifted she attended focused more on improving the technical side of her intellectual giftedness not taking into consideration the other essential factors needed in order for her to function fully and normally as a person.
This movie is an eye-opener to parents either of a special child or a normal one. Though we all have dreams for our children to have the best in life and give them the best opportunities available, what matters still is not the achievement nor success (worldly definition) they could have in this life but to live it according not to our standards as parents nor of this world’s but that of God’s. God knows His plans for our children. We just need to trust Him that He will give us, parents, the right instructions to raise them well according to His plans.
And what does God say about gifts? My previous article will answer that. *wink* Or better yet, watch the entire movie. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer of the movie below. 🙂
This movie review is a Father’s Day tribute to honor the roles of the father in the family and in society. If you are wondering why I don’t have a Mother’s Day tribute here in my blog for this year, hubby and I went home to my province and celebrated it with my 69-year-old Mom and 91-year-old grandma – two great matriarchs in my family.
Circumstances won’t allow me to visit my hometown again and celebrate Father’s Day this June 19 with my 76-year-old Dad. I thought about honoring my Dad here instead. Since he is not updated with thetechnology-driven world, he’d probably joke around saying what I wrote about him over social media will already “expire” before it reaches him. Yup, that’s how funny my Dad is. 😉
This photo of us taken around year 2011 is enough proof on how funny we are. 😀
Before I proceed with the movie review, I’d like to share some snippets on who my Dad is. My brother wrote an essay about him 11 years ago, which was selected as one of the articles read during the graduation rites of my brother’s class (Sanlingan 2005) at the Philippine Military Academy. When the announcer started reading Kuya’s essay during the ceremony, there came the gushing and shedding of tears – our tears. It did bring us all to tears because my brother was right, our Dad is “The Unsung Hero” and yet loved and respected by all.
Taken inside the cockpit of the Cessna aircraft during Kuya’s Naval Aviation Group Graduation in 2010.
Our Dad is a man of few words and yet he cracks the silliest of jokes. He is seldom the disciplinarian and yet when discipline comes from him, we all remembered this need to hide as his discipline would mean leaving a mark for the rest of your life. He seldom gets angry but when he does, it is the kind of anger that you would not want to see.
I am grateful though to my Dad that he got to “discipline” us.If it wasn’t for this, our lives might be in a total mess right now and without direction. Now that I am a believer, I have learned that discipline in a family is very important not to show who’s the boss in the household, but for parents to guide their children in the right way because they love them and only because they wanted the best for them. It’s just like how God, a Father to His sons and daughters, disciplines and rebukes us so we could live fruitful and better lives.
My Mom is never the stage mom type and when I was in grade school, I was always invited to participate in dance numbers, presentations, oral declamations, etc. So you’ve probably guessed who was with me most of the time during these activities – my Dad. 😀
It is a #FlashbackFriday today so please allow me to backtrack a little bit to when I was in grade school just to share some photos of moi and the extra curricular activities I have mentioned:
Here we are preparing for an Ati-Atihan folk dance number when I was 6 years old. That’s me second to the right.Before The Walking Dead, there was zombie dance. lol Seriously, this is a Hawaiian dance number.Grade 3 Star Scout Camping. There’s another star scouter wanting to have her photo taken with me – except that she became a photo bomber. Tsk, too late. 😀I totally love my childhood because of Girl Scout Camping. This was taken during our hiking and swimming at Obou Falls along with my childhood friends and classmates. That’s me in the middle wearing a white shirt.I played the role of a bridesmaid during a school program.Competed with other schools in the folk dance category during the Literary & Musical Contest.Performed during a school play when I was in Grade 6 and played the role of Thisbe in one of the stories in Greek mythology, “Pyramus and Thisbe.”
I’d just like to give credit to my Dad for being our all-time photographer – these photos and memories wouldn’t have been made possible. Nope, I am not a Daddy’s girl and I do not consider myself as one. I never experienced being so absolutely clingy to my Dad, but at some point I did feel a deeper connection with him more than my Mom when I was in high school. But when I got into college, I felt that both my parents did so well in raising me and my siblings, and they never had any “favorite” among the five of us.
I believe one thing that I am forever grateful to God for is the fact that I grew up with both my parents present through every milestone that we went through. Though we all had to leave home when we all went to college, we always looked forward to the days when we will all come home together and both our parents were there to welcome us.
As for my Dad, I admired him for being a civil engineer by weekdays and farmer by weekends (tending farms is difficult) just to make sure we have enough for all our expenses as a family, while Mom was a grade school teacher on weekdays and stayed at home cleaning, gardening, cooking, and doing take-home work on weekends. But this kind of setup didn’t mean Dad had no time for us at home. It was, on the other hand, quite the opposite. Despite juggling through a lot of responsibilities at work and at home, my Dad made sure all our needs (not just material things) were well-provided for including emotional support, bonding time, etc.
Dad, the civil engineer, fresh from oath taking during his late 20s.Dad, the farmer, and me, the farm girl. I mean, the photographer. 😉
I’d like to share at this point a little trivia on me – I was Daddy’s little maid. We all are actually, but I believe it is more of a “youngest” thing. *wink* Yes, every time he cuts grass in the garden with the lawn mower and he was all sweaty, you’ll hear him calling out to his “errand girl”:
“Nen (my nickname which is short for Nene)! Please get me a glass of cold water and towelette and wipe my back dry.”
Then, after a hard day’s work at the farm, Daddy would ask me to give him a back massage while he is resting. When I was little, back massages for my Dad meant doing my “cat walk” on his back while he’s lying face down. Well, that was when I was still skinny and little. When I grew older, it became just the regular back massage.
It was only when I was in college and the only child in the family still studying that my parents were able to gather enough funds for our house to have it completely constructed – the product of all their hard work, patience, and perseverance. But it is more than just constructing a house that they have built – they have built something greater in us over the years.
While reminiscing our younger moments spent with our parents, it just dawned on me how we were taught to value hard work over riches and accumulation of possessions, why quality time with loved ones is better than splurging and being with a lot of people on grand occasions, and being content with whatever we have. They didn’t particularly instruct us with Bible verses on how to live our lives, but now that I am slowly learning the Bible day by day, I realized that my parents brought us up according to the Scripture – live life simply with fear in the Lord.
To end this part, I’d like to share this text message that my Dad texted me about a difficult situation that I am going through. This was in the vernacular (Bicol), so I’d just translate it for you:
“As long as you trust in yourself, you trust in God and if it is meant for you, it will and it will come.”
Of course, Mom also has something similar regarding another event which I informed her yesterday:
Never mind the exclamation point because my Mom wasn’t angry nor excited, she just wanted to emphasize the last statement.That is how my Mom texts – stressed words in capital letters accompanied by exclamation points at the end a.k.a. generation gap. lol I’m just kidding. It’s a good thing my Mom doesn’t read this. But if she does, errrr, love you Mom! 😀
Another thing, praise God for Skype – long distance relationships are now easier to deal with. After reading this, you might have this impression that he is a perfect man. But honestly, like any Dad in this world, he is not perfect, too. Well, let’s just say he’s close to being perfect. I chose to see him that way despite his imperfections. He is our hero, anyway.
“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” – Exodus 20:12
A portrait of Mom and Dad talen in 2012. 🙂
Courageous: The Movie
Now, let’s get on to the movie review. This is, by far, one of the best movies I have watched that focused on fathers. If I have to commend the Kendricks brothers for producing such great Christian films, it’s because a majority of the scenes portrayed all depicted real-life scenarios. Although we can say that some were tweaked to fit the entire theme of the movie. If all the scenes were to happen in real life though, some may take quite some time to happen, unlike how the timeline progressed in the movie.
Not all relationships and marriages are the same. They’re always a case-by-case basis and yet watching this movie now made me realize what to expect and what to do if time comes I am faced with the same situations. I highly encourage all the young men out there, fathers, and soon-to-be fathers to watch this film, and I am praying you will step up to the place that God has called you to be – as Godly leaders and future leaders of your homes. My husband and I watched this film together, and what he blurted to me after watching was this,
“Honey, can you look up on the internet for more movies like that?”
Ah yes, that’s an affirmation, a positive response. I was just glad that was the kind of response that the movie elicited from him. I wasn’t expecting anything at all regarding my husband’s reaction though I did my research what the movie was all about prior to watching. I just thought we’ll view it like any regular “chill time” movie that we come across and watch during rest days.
Praise God for sending the Spirit to guide and prepare our hearts, minds, and souls on how we are going to interpret the movie. I only recommend movies if I rated it with 5 stars (very good) meaning it made such a life-changing impact on me i.e. how I view things, how it changed my perspective on certain things, such as my lifestyle, my attitude, and my character, and so on. So yes, please do watch this movie.
Hubby and I watched it a couple of weeks ago, and we both agreed this is the perfect movie to watch on Father’s Day. Thus, I’ll cut this short for now and let you watch it. But first, don’t forget to shower your Dad with much love and appreciation on his special day as a father. 🙂
The Ginete family at Dad’s ancestral house circa 1993 and my favorite sheepish, no-teeth smile which I never seem to outgrow. 😀
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL THE FATHERS and most especially to my ONE, GREAT FATHER from up above, FATHER GOD! ❤
RESOLUTION
“…I now believe that God desires for EVERY father to courageously step up and do whatever it takes to be involved in the lives of his children. But more than just being there providing for them, he is to walk with them through their young lives and be a visual representation of the character of God, their father in heaven.
A father should love his children, and seek to win their hearts. He should protect them, discipline them, and teach them about God. He should model how to walk with integrity and treat others with respect, and should call out his children to become responsible men and women, who live their lives for what matters in eternity.
Some men will hear this, and mock it. Or ignore it. But I tell you that as a father, you are accountable to God for the position of influence He has given you. You can’t fall asleep at the wheel, only to wake up one day and realize that your job or your hobbies have no eternal value, but the souls of your children do.
Some men will hear this and agree with it, but have no resolve to live it out. Instead, they will live for themselves, and waste the opportunity to leave a godly legacy for the next generation.
But there are some men, who regardless of the mistakes we’ve made in the past, regardless of what our fathers did NOT do for us, will give the strength of our arms and the rest of our days to loving God with all that we are and to teach our children to do the same.
And whenever possible to love and mentor others who have no father in their lives, but who desperately need help and direction. And we are inviting any man whose heart is willing and courageous, to join us in this resolution.
In my home, the decision has already been made. You don’t have to ask who will guide my family, because by God’s grace, I will. You don’t have to ask who will teach my son to follow Christ, because I will.
Who will accept the responsibility of providing and protecting my family? I will. Who will ask God to break the chain of destructive patterns in my family’s history? I will. Who will pray for, and bless my children to boldly pursue whatever God calls them to do? I am their father. I will.
I accept this responsibility and it is my privilege to embrace it. I want the favor of God and His blessing on my home. Any good man does. So where are you men of courage? Where are you, fathers who fear the Lord? It’s time to rise up and answer the call that God has given to you and to say I will. I will. I will!”
The Journeyman's Moments 