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.
It is often very easy to be caught up in the ways of the world that we fail to see the change, and yet other people can notice that we are slowly drifting apart from our faith because the world now governs our choices, even in our relationships with others. I stumbled upon one quotation on Facebook that says, “People will not remember you for your achievements, but for how you made them feel.” My prayer is that pride won’t take root in any of us, especially when we are surrounded by the comforts and conveniences this world offers, and we are at the peak of our successes. May we not depart from the reminder that it was God who made it all happen; we are merely receiving His grace.
CTTO
I was also never given the opportunity to raise my own family, but the set of rules above would’ve been among the templates for our moral compass, along with the Bible. 🙂
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”. – Deuteronomy 6:6-7
P.S.
I am praying I won’t end up as someone na hindi marunong mag-regulate ng emotions at ibe-blame ang ibang tao as their triggers at sa mga responses nila. And yes, I know kung ano ang pakiramdam na walking on eggshells ka. Na hindi mo alam kung may nagawa ka bang masama o may nasabi kang hindi maganda bakit bigla na lang naging ganito ang treatment sa’yo ng tao. And kailangan mo pag-isipan ng maigi ang mga sasabihin mo kasi hindi mo alam ano ang makaka-trigger ng galit nila. And yes, it is also best to live with someone for at least a year, doon mo talaga mate-test ang totoong character ng isang tao. So if I retreat, that is because I am avoiding conversations that will affect my peace of mind and not because I am being dramatic. I also avoid conversations na puro gossip at buhay ng ibang tao ang pinaguusapan, and I have very low tolerance for energy vampires, those who complain often without any proposed solutions, and those who make an argument out of everything. And yes, Bipolar Disorder runs in families.Btw, until now hindi ko pa din ma-pronounce ng maayos surname ni Dok. Minsan nagiging Dr. Kangaroo. Peace, Dok. Sana hindi nya ito mabasa. lol Pero andami kong natutunan kay Doc Kilimanguru kaya really thankful na nag-pop up sya sa newsfeed ko. 😀
P.P.S.
To quote the late Emman Atienza, “Be a little kind to everyone.” Sabi naman ni Jesus, “love one another as I have loved you” and “love your enemies.” Worth it ba isakripisyo ang mental health para lang mahalin ang mga taong mahirap mahalin? Napakahirap na every day lagi kang fight or flight mode noh. Hindi mo alam kung kakayanin ba ng katawan mo ang cortisol na niri-release nya dahil palagi kang defensive. Napakahirap talaga, Lord. Pramis. Pero huhugot at huhugot pa din ng lakas from You hangga’t kaya. And if you have survived something like this for how many years or most of your life, that is definitely God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ when you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. Because honestly, we just couldn’t survive on our own. ❤
I was compelled to write this article today while the ideas are still fresh in my mind and relevant to what is happening around us lately. If you’re wondering why I chose this topic to write about at the start of the year, events led me to make one fascinating discovery after another.
Why Now, Mt. Mayon?
If you’ve read the article before this, I mentioned the numbers 888, which, in Biblical numerology, represent a fresh start and Jesus’ resurrection. I just didn’t expect that personally, the fresh start would be painful, although not as painful, since I had seen it coming. I think it isn’t a coincidence that Mt. Mayon also started erupting again. And yet Mayon is the only creation I know that remains admirable even in her fury.
Last year, I was able to check one item on my bucket list, which is to get as close to Mt. Mayon as possible. I believe it isn’t a coincidence, too, that the Grab driver in Legazpi City who fetched us while we were having the new tires of our car aligned shared with us out of the blue about the quarrying projects in Mt. Mayon.
He said it’s easy and more money for the local government. I just had no idea of the extent of these quarrying sites, and I was able to see one during the ATV ride going up to Mt. Mayon (jump to 4:16 in this video).
Since January 6, 2026, the lava flows on Mt. Mayon have continued, and the gullies have widened and deepened with each pyroclastic flow, according to experts. I think the Albay government is already considering extending the 6-km permanent danger zone if alert level 4 is raised over Mt. Mayon. Given the unpredictable weather patterns that we are experiencing now, which are expected to worsen as we are in a climate emergency, heavy rainfall will pose a major threat to the communities near Mt. Mayon.
Beauty In Ashes
Quarrying plays a vital role in the construction industry as well as in creating local employment, but it also destroys the natural habitat. I hope the quarry sites were assessed properly before the start of the project, making sure each quarry site won’t contribute to biodiversity loss. Quarrying also changes the topography of the area, making the soil unstable and prone to soil erosion and surface water runoff.
Now that the gullies are wider and deeper, and combined with the high volume of rainwater coming from the mountain, lahar flows will be the bigger problem. I am hoping and praying that the local government will double its reforestation and rehabilitation efforts at the foot of the volcano to increase natural barriers and make the soil more compact as more roots grow.
Local legend has it that when Mt. Mayon erupts, Pagtuga is disturbing Daragang Magayon. I can hear myself telling her, “Tahan na, Mayon. When all of this is over, we will be refined. As experts say, through subsequent healing, your cone will be new again – perfect as ever. God will rebuild what was damaged, He will restore what we’ve lost. You will be back in your original beauty and will continue to be a spectacle.”
But for now, there will be a battle. We are going through a battle of some sort. Mine is a spiritual warfare – letting go of what God is asking me to let go. Because there’s a part of me that is resisting, and yet God was saying, it is about time – be firm and keep the faith.
ChatGPT Warrior
I wanted ChatGPT to come up with an image I have visualized, which best describes the season I am in, and it is an image of a woman warrior dressed up in a full body armor similar to knights in the Medieval Ages, or more like Joan of Arc. I initially asked ChatGPT to come up with a video.
I made a prompt with the complete details of the video concept showing a woman warrior in battle, but she’s exhausted. She kneeled and, with bowed head and sword lowered to the ground, she whispered, “I am tired, I cannot keep up with this fight.”
Then an angel appeared, kneeled down beside her, whispered something in the warrior’s ear, and left. The warrior stood up, and with an even fiercer stance, charged towards her enemies and let out a battlecry – Jehovah Nissi.
Unfortunately, ChatGPT is unable to generate a video but recommended an app. So I asked ChatGPT to create an avatar in my likeness instead, dressed up as a female knight, and I uploaded a smiling photo of mine. I was so amused when ChatGPT generated an image of a cute warrior instead. lol
So I asked ChatGPT again to recreate the image and change it to a warrior in the middle of a fighting scene. The image generated was a smiling warrior while in battle. How I wish I could still smile while fighting with all the strength I could muster. 😀
Ang gondo naman ng warrior na ito, sana ganito itsura ng anak ko kung magkakaanak pa ako. lol
I then requested another edit, and this time ChatGPT got the right facial expression. I would like to applaud ChatGPT, though, for capturing my flat nose perfectly – it’s my most prized asset, just in case some of you don’t know yet. lol
I do wish this image would be used as an avatar in a role-playing game similar to Assassin’s Creed and combined with Rurouni Kenshin’s sword-fighting techniques. Methinks it would be an awesome game. And I will name this warrior “Caden.” 🙂
Ah yes, I am so in love with my flat nose. It’s so cute, right?GGSS lang ang peg, saree. ahaha 😀
Seriously, I am in a spiritual battle, and I know why – no fellowship, no physical church, less quiet time, no actual Bible reading – all because I am becoming like Martha at home, God’s reminder that spiritual devotion is more important than busyness. I am also isolated, which makes me more vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks.
I decided to cut back on some tasks and randomly opened my Bible and stumbled upon the book of Numbers about offerings. When I read the chapters, none of them made sense to me, and to what I was currently going through.
Then I thought maybe it is about time I start watching the Morning Worship and Prayer at Victory Philippines on YouTube again regularly. I guess it was the Spirit’s tugging, because the message for January 22 was about the Feast of Tabernacles. I remembered reading it earlier in the Bible.
I opened my Bible again and read through the bookmarked page, and that’s when I realized why I was brought to the verses about the Offerings for the Feast of Booths – the Feast of Tabernacles is also called the Feast of Booths. This prompted me to do my research on what the feast is all about. It commemorates Israel’s release from 40 years of captivity.
I just turned 40 in December of last year, and the start of 2026, for me, was also a liberation of some sort. I’m sure that this isn’t a coincidence. The numbers 888 I mentioned in this article signified not just a new start, but also a resurrection.
And the receipt that was mistakenly dated to October 21, which I thought was referring to the birthday of this blog, because I was relating it to the past, also made me think that it might be referring to an event in the future as well. Some say that Jesus’ birthday actually falls during the Feast of Tabernacles, but there is just not enough data to prove this.
I also found out that the Feast of Tabernacles refers to Jesus Christ’s Second Coming. And I just want to share an experience I had during the recent typhoon Ada. News reports said that it’s not going to make landfall, but it will come near the land mass of the Bicol region, especially Southern Bicol, which includes our town.
We didn’t receive any NDRRMC updates of a rainfall warning or very strong winds. But around 2am of January 19, I woke up to the sound of very strong winds and a blowing horn. I thought it was the howling winds, but no, this was different. I can tell the sound of a howling wind during a very strong typhoon since our town is frequented by very strong typhoons.
I went outside to check on the chicken coops and made sure their covers were still intact. And there went the sound again as if someone was blowing a trumpet, similar to the sound of a ship’s horn. I went back to bed and thought that maybe there’s a ship docked near our port since we are a coastal town. But then again, at around 2am? The port is already closed during this time.
It was also the first time I heard it, and I never heard it again. It looked like I was given a first-hand experience of what we could possibly hear when Jesus starts descending during the Second Coming. 😀 Or if it signifies the start of battle, then maybe God is building an army, a huge one. If this article resonates with you, maybe you are among God’s warriors being called out to lift His banner high.
Padayon, Padagos, Paraoma
The Feast of Tabernacles also included a celebration after the agricultural harvest. For last year’s wet season, we harvested on October 23 in one of our rice fields. This rice field is located inside a farm, an agricultural property that’s been passed on from one generation to another, starting from our maternal great-grandparents.
Though we no longer grew up on the farm, we felt like we were still called to be keepers of that property, tend it, develop it, and utilize it according to God’s will and plans. Unfortunately, the income generated from last season’s harvest hit an all-time low, prompting me to ask Dad if we should still continue with palay production or not.
Hi, Daddy! I am taking a photo of you, errr, your back. 😀
We are among the micro agribusinesses that comprise the 2.9 million palay/rice farmers who feed this country. It wouldn’t create a dent in the rice production numbers if we stopped farming, and yet Dad’s answer was that if none of the other rice farmers stop, we will continue regardless of whether we hit an all-time low or not.
Padayon, padagos (move forward), even if my siblings and I feel like it’s a losing battle – the farmers are just not making enough profit from their produce. I was apprehensive, I had my doubts, my worries piled up, and I think God felt my need for an assurance.
When God Watches Over
Because right after we harvested the palay and we were waiting for the sacks of palay to be transported to the buyer’s warehouse, I went out to walk on the rice paddies. When I looked up, I witnessed this particularly interesting and beautiful cloud formation. I have never seen anything like it in my entire life.
And after I took the photo, I zoomed it in, and I can see an outline of a face or a creature, sort of like looking down on me peering through the clouds, which is why the clouds were somehow parted in the middle. Or it’s just my very imaginative mind working. lol But what do you think?
This farm is under God’s care, supervision, and protection, and no weapon formed against it will prosper in Jesus’ Name. ❤ This is a raw and unedited image, by the way. I only added my watermark.
The message from God was crystal clear, though – “I am with you always.” I have also been seeing perfect rainbows lately, similar to what I saw in Albay back in 2020, along with these promises:
“The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever.” – Genesis 9:12-13
“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
Tending the Old Earth To Usher The New Earth
Going back to the Feast of Tabernacles, there’s also a mention of the new heaven and the new earth. My family and I have been planting new coconuts, fruiting plants, and flowering trees in this farm. My siblings and I also plan to add fruit-bearing trees that no one would eat because they’re too sour, etc., to discourage trespassing inside the farm, since we don’t have a caretaker yet. But these fruit trees will be a perfect addition to the food web of the wildlife inside the farm.
We also discussed the possibility of partnering with an investor (whoever God will give us) who will help us utilize the property on one condition – environmental conservation will be at the heart of the mission. God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it. Unfortunately, man has now altered so much of what nature has, or had.
Do you see the coconuts on the left side? That’s the slope where I had the vision to integrate the hospice I was talking about in this article: https://thejourneymansmoments.wordpress.com/2023/12/27/not-just-an-advocacy-but-a-higher-calling/. If you’re standing on that slope, the overlooking view is biophilia at its best. 🙂3-Year-Old Fire TreePalawan Cherry Blossom (before the typhoons)3-Year-Old PCBPalawan Cherry Blossom (w/ cracks after the typhoons)Farm GateGerolao-Ginete FamilyCoprahan/Niyugan HouseOyango Creek / NIA DamThe PondThe not-so-hidden Japanese tunnel.Bamboo to Mango: I will bend, but I will not break. Says our faith, too. 🙂
I’m currently experimenting with different sustainable planting solutions in our garden.
I traded the hands in this article for the hand below. And yet I have no regrets because the hand below accomplished more in terms of purposeful and meaningful work.
As a poultry keeper, I also traded the photo on the left below for the photo on the right. I am not sure if you get the connection, but if you do, please refrain from commenting about it. It’s our dirty (literally), little secret. lol 😀
Thanks to my siblings for these lovely gifts. ❤This is an AI-generated image.
Kidding aside, let’s wrap this article up. After reading this article, some of you might diagnose me as someone who is depressed, a narcissist, has Bipolar Disorder, has anxiety, has ADHD, has Autism, or even delusional. And I will not be mad at you because it might be true that I could have all of them. But they are just labels. I know who I am in Christ, and that’s what matters. 🙂
(You may want to read this article about discovering your identity in Jesus Christ: “Sentimental: Who Am I?”)
Thus, I will continue to share the message if that is my calling, and those called by God to also get the message will know what the message is. This is also why I keep on asking God why, why choose underqualified people, people that society sees as not normal, or do not fit in with the standards of this world, to deliver His message to the world?
Who will I be anointing? 😀 You may read more about the Spikenard Magdalena Perfume and the Anointing Oil in the “Mary Magdalene” hyperlinks below.
I got the message – just like Mary Magdalene, who was possessed by 7 demons, we are the kind of people who need God’s saving grace more for us to be delivered from the afflictions that we go through. Most of them, as I have mentioned above, are battles unseen. And yet when we overcome them all by faith and with the proper support, ours is a great testimony of what Jesus did on the Cross, and God’s glory, authority, and power over all creation.
Just like Mary Magdalene, it would be an honor and a great privilege, too, to be the first to witness the unfolding of Jesus Christ’s Second Coming and to celebrate the news that He is finally here with us for all eternity – it will truly be a spectacle. ❤
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
I can’t help but mention my cute, flat nose again in this photo. lol
Pangadyi Para Sa Paraoma
I will be ending this article with a prayer, which will be entitled “Pangadyi Para Sa Paraoma (A Prayer for the Farmers)”. Why the farmers? I feel like the Spirit is leading us to pray fervently for farmers as we encounter more environmental challenges and geopolitical tensions in the coming years, and food security will be one of the pressing issues that every nation all over the world will be tackling.
Why in Bikol? I kind of miss my maternal grandma and how she would always pray in the vernacular (Bikol-Albay) – she lived for a couple of years (half of her life, if I’m not mistaken) in Daraga. Her father, my great-grandfather (a former Protestant pastor), was also born in Bacacay, Albay.
There’s something very heartfelt in her prayers, even though I can only understand a couple of them. If I am to pray like her, I can only utter a line that goes “Ini po Kagurangnan an samuyang pamibi ngunyan…” and I don’t know how to continue that prayer because my Bikol-Albay vocabulary is very limited. Or maybe it’s Bikol-Naga (Central Bikol)? Libong much. lol Any Albayano out there who can help me out? 😀
Let’s pray for the safety of everyone in Albay who will be affected by the ongoing activity of Mt. Mayon. ❤
Here’s the Bikol-Bulan version of the prayer for the farmers:
“Pangadyi Para Sa Paraoma”
“Amang Kagurangnan, nagrarani kami saimo para sa intero na paraoma na nagpapadagos sa pagtanom sa butnga san mga kalamidad nan distroso na indadara sadi sa mga pananom. Naiimod namo an pagtios san kada paraoma para lang makatanom nan makaani para sa kakaunon nan ikakaayad san bilog na komunidad. Sa mga masunod na taon, hatagan mo tabi kami sin dunong kun pan-o masolusyunan an nagdadaghan na problema san saamo kapalibutan, nyan sin kusog san lawas nyan san boot para magpadagos lalo na sa panahon sin kaperwisyuhan. Inpapangadyi namo ini sa ngaran ni Hesu Kristo, Amen.”
My handwritten (cursive) version on a 2020 journal that I will be using just now. 😀
P.S.
I stumbled upon this playlist on YouTube, and it summarizes my faith for the start of 2026. ❤
P.P.S.
Since I just turned 40 last year, I am also praying for deliverance from another generational curse. I have been praying hard that our generation and the future generations be healed from this in Jesus’ Name, since genetics plays a huge role. Though we are not dismissing environmental factors and lifestyle choices. Kami na sana ang huling henerasyon na makakaranas nito sa pamamagitan ng dalangin at mga praktikal and medikal na solusyon galing sa mga eksperto.
Experts recommend a yearly mammogram to monitor any cancer cell growth, given a family’s breast cancer history, such as ours (both sides of our parents). Ah, yes, it will truly be a miracle if none of us (my siblings and I) have it. And yet, let God’s will be done. At age 40, I have nothing more to ask. God already gave me more than I asked for, and I am ready to go any time. My prayers now come down to 2 choices: let nature run its own course or allow Science to intervene should I have cancer. 🙂
I reactivated my personal Facebook account for just a couple of minutes to search for old photos of my 2nd sister and brother when I stumbled upon these old photos of mine. I thought I should also post these photos here just in case I decide not to reactivate my Fb account for good.
I am also feeling oh-so-shameless now to post them publicly because I seldom post anything like this. lol In fact, this is the first and probably the last time I’ll be posing in front of a professional photographer, given my introverted nature. Actually, I think I am more of an otrovert.
Do otroverts look like this? 😂
Just for context, here’s the story behind these photos.
I was working on my master’s thesis in 2013 when a couple of my friends from graduate studies suggested we have our graduation photos taken already, as we were targeting to finish it in just two semesters. Sadly, only 1 of us was able to graduate on time. lol My reason, though, was a shift in priorities.
The Creative Shot was part of the graduation pictorial along with the Toga and UP Sablay Shots. Since I had no prior experience in modeling, I asked the photographer if he could be creative enough on my behalf. 😂
Before we started, he asked me if I’m a “rakista.” I told him that I am not. I guess the fedora gave away my love for singing and the guitar, since there are some musicians who wear fedoras, which became their signature style onstage. Or he’s just too good at reading people’s personalities based on their fashion style or aura.
By the way, this dress belonged to the photography team and is included in the set of costumes for the pictorial. I chose this dress because blue violet is my favorite color, and it was also the right fit. I was weighing 49 kgs only back then, compared to my 60 kgs now. lol But the fedora (borrowed from my bro), accessories, and shoes were all mine. I was supposed to bring the guitar with me, but it’s too bulky. Though it looked like I pulled off the “rakista” look even without the guitar.
I would like to commend the photographer because he’s just very skilled in capturing the right angles. He also captured the “rakista” vibe in me just by guiding me on how to pose. Since I have a flat nose, the serious look isn’t my best bet. So, I wasn’t really confident doing these poses because I knew I wouldn’t be looking my best. And they really aren’t the best in my honest opinion. lol
But I guess the photos turned out okay, all thanks to Kuya photographer’s superb skills in composing every photo. He even climbed on a chair to get a good overhead shot. I just edited these photos using Adobe Lightroom because I was aiming for a “morena” skin complemented by my flat nose to pull off the “dalagang Pilipina” look. 😉
Personality wise, this is my other side. Beneath the “smiling always” demeanor, I also have a temper, which I call “The Kraken.” I tend to be on the extreme ends of the spectrum – I am either too kind or too harsh. I still have to find the right balance, so while I’m in the process of doing that, I don’t socialize often because there’s a high chance I’ll offend people if I won’t be able to control myself.
But praise God for the gift of salvation and faith, I think I am making progress on self control albeit slow and small. A progress is still a progress, right? As they say, celebrate even your small wins. 🙂🙏
What’s another side of you that people don’t get to see often?
P.S.
If you’re wondering why I was digging old photos on Facebook, my 2nd sister and brother are the November celebrants in the family. I was looking for something nostalgic to add to my birthday greetings for them. 😊
I’ll also take this time to share one of my brother’s greatest milestones, which is being one of the 189 officers who finished the Command and General Staff Course (Class 76) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines representing Philippine Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Force. And he finished it as an Honor Graduate, too. 😻
Congratulations, Kuya Commander Abe! 🫡With his very own Gal Gadot, my very pretty sis-in-law, Heather. 😻
Ah, yes, that is my brother, one of my accountability partners, and the one who planted the seed for my being born again. Together with my sister-in-law, they are living proof of God’s profound love and faithfulness.
May God’s favors and protection be upon you always, our brother bear, as you conquer new heights in your career.
This blog turned 13 last October 21 – it’s officially a “teen.” 😄To celebrate this milestone, I thought about writing a letter instead because I need to write this quick.
We have had no internet connection for 2 weeks now, despite following up with Converge. I’m currently using my cellular network’s data just so I could post this – thank you, Globe. Still, God is good all the time. 🙏😊
To my dearly beloved The Journeyman’s Moments,
You were born in 2012out of a need to clear my name from a painful past. I never thought that you would become an online journal for my spiritual journey.
I also wasn’t expecting that I’d be able to post here regularly. And yet, the weekly posts turned to monthly posts, and eventually, to posting every year.
You bear witness to my every rise and fall, to my every tear and laughter – a testament of God’s saving grace day in and day out, year in and year out.
As my experiences grew, you grew with it. When I became wiser, your words became better.I changed, you changed, too.
You are more than an online journal for me. Because you are my constant reminderof a life lived in full despite the changing seasons.
When I need a good laugh, I come back to the old memories here. When I need encouragement, your words give me renewed hope and comfort.
But I guess the most important reason as to why you’re one of God’s greatest gifts is that because of you, a deeper sense of accountability was instilled in me over every single word I post here.
You are my testimony on how living by faith does not happen by mere words alone, but by living it out and letting itbe known through you for the whole world to see.
My dear, we still have so many stories to tell – I have more than a hundred drafts. lol You know what that means, we have a lot of work to do for as long as God is still working in us. 🥰
You are me, and I am you. Thanks be to WordPress – our memories will be preserved for future generations to laugh with, to cry with, and to be inspired by.
So, with internet or not, we will find a way to make our stories seen and heard – God will make a way. 😁
Always your creator made by another Creator,
Christine ❤️
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10
Some say that the end times are near, some say this is only the beginning of a transition. Some believe evil is getting stronger, some say good will still triumph. Some are hopeless, some are still hopeful.
The vast expanse of easily accessible information on the internet is learning at its best, but can also get everyone baffled, almost to the point of “sheep getting lost” – once again. There’s just too much groaning and a dire need for a Savior, a change, or an ending.
He will come again, but for now, the sheep is instructed to listen and listen carefully amidst the noise and the chaos. This means putting on our “spiritual ears,” as I call it, to filter out God’s message for us. And also putting on our “spiritual lenses” to see and interpret the signs appropriately, because not all signs come from the Lord. As the Bible said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” – John 10:27
I may be talking in riddles, but I know those who have been called by God to read this and have been anointed with the gift to interpret them will get the true message. Now is the time for some people to do what God has asked them to do with the Spirit’s guidance.
On my end, I would’ve continued my WordPress hibernation because I have been extremely busy (still am) lately, dealing with and adjusting to major life transitions (career shifts, family duties as a sandwich generation, LDR in my marriage, project launches, health adjustments, etc.) if not for the Spirit’s tugging that I post this article. The signs have been too visible to dismiss. And I believe this is now God’s perfect time to share them all here.
Angels Here on Earth
Let me start with angels. They came as winged, but not huge. They didn’t come as bearers of Good News, but they came as a sign. Let me introduce you to our new batch of chicks (the 3rd time is a charm, as they say) from Mama White, our white hen. 😃 They are special because we seldom get a batch with only one color.
Our previous batches of hatched chicks were usually a mix of different colors, but this time, the chicks were all white. I’ll be writing more about my backyard poultry raising experience in a separate post, which will cover everything from creating and putting systems in place for sustainability purposes to the challenges we encountered and the solutions we came up with.
Wings In White
Is an all-white batch of chicks a coincidence? No. Because they were all born during a time when there was too much happening in and around me. If you are a follower of Christ (this is the literal meaning of my name, actually), and you are doing everything you can to spread the Gospel, do expect that the attacks of the enemy will increase. But also remember, God is greater than every single one of these enemies.
The white color is oftentimes associated with angelic beings, as this color typically represents purity, holiness, and spiritual light. Though we all know that angels in the Bible come in many forms, and they are not always in white.
Going back to the chicks, 7 chicks hatched. I interpreted it as 7 archangels and also God’s number, which means completion, perfection, and fulfilment. Unfortunately, I lost 4 of them to a disease that has been killing some of the free-range chickens in the neighborhood. Only 3 survived with sizes that range from small, medium, and large. I interpreted it as the top 3 archangels – Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
The Whities
Getting Acquainted With Archangels
Who are these archangels? Michael is the most powerful archangel. He is considered the “Warrior of God” among all the archangels, and it’s no wonder that his name translates to “who is like God?”. Gabriel is “God’s Messenger,” or the archangel of revelation. And Raphael is the archangel of healing and guidance, whose Hebrew name means “God has healed.” I see all these 3 archangels in these 3 white chicks who survived. How?
Archangel Michael is best represented by the biggest chick. He is very strong and asserts dominance in the batch. Archangel Gabriel is best represented by the mid-size chick because he seems to be chirping always. lol And I see Archangel Raphael in the smallest chick because he’s survived two waves of the disease already. He always recovers every time.
By the way, for this batch, I did pray to God to give me at least one stag because in the previous batches, the chicks that survived were all pullets. God answered my prayer, and He gave me a batch of roosters, all 7 of them newly hatched chicks. It’s like God’s way of telling me, “Christine, you are so serious about life, here’s something to make you laugh that will be one for the books.” 😀
And indeed, the experience made it to “the book,” a.k.a. this online journal of mine. I am just grateful for this opportunity to share my spiritual journey with everyone, with the hope that you might be able to discover God’s specific instructions for you as well here.
How Judgment Will Take Place
Angels were sent to protect and to destroy. A war could be coming, thus, warriors were sent for protection. Then, judgment begins.
In Christ’s second coming, we will be judged and rewarded based on what we did that God said we are not supposed to do and what we didn’t do that God said we are supposed to do. How should we respond then? You might want to ponder on some of the following thoughts/questions in relation to this:
Is God asking you to speak up?
Is God asking you to keep quiet?
Is God asking you to extend mercy?
Is God asking you to defend?
Is God asking you to lead?
Is God asking you to submit?
Is God asking you to let go?
Is God asking you to hold on?
Is God asking you to wait?
Is God asking you to act?
I can come up with a long list of these kinds of questions, but I will let the Spirit do the tugging in your heart and reveal what He wants you to know. But one thing is for sure after encountering a lot of “warriors”, God is asking us to declare “Jehovah Nissi” – the war will intensify.
A Call For Warriors
If your name means a “warrior,” your parents gave you that name not out of coincidence, but it was preordained. It means the time will come when God will ask you to be the warrior that He has called you to be, and you have to respond in obedience. I happened to name our new boy cat “Finley.” The name just popped into my head, and when I searched about the meaning of the name online, I found out that it means “fair warrior.” It just seemed fair given that he is a semi ginger cat. lol
What our boy cat is doing lately. 😸
I guess it is also not a coincidence that I chose the name “Caden” a few years back, if ever God will give me a son or a daughter. When I searched the meaning of the name online, it means “spirit of war.” I first mentioned the name in this article.
Also, my favorite verses in this season are about the Armor of God. Then I had this image of a woman warrior in my mind, and I searched the internet for any similar images so I could put it on one of my social media profiles. It now makes sense to me as I feel like I am being “attacked” on every side. Well, I think everyone is going through all sorts of battles right now.
I also just came across the “Warrior Nun” series on Netflix, which is all about a warrior of God, too. But be on your guard when you watch this series because some dialogues contain quite a lot of profanity, and the series can only be interpreted as a work of fiction and nothing else.
Spirit-Led Signs
I do believe, however, that God did not send these signs for nothing, nor are they a coincidence. They were visible assurances from the Lord that only mean one thing – soldier on.
At this point, I felt like suggesting we study how great kingdoms led by powerful and anointed kings and leaders crumble. The likes of King David, King Solomon, and we can also include Samson, or use Joseph as an example when avoiding temptations. The common theme I am seeing from these stories is the failure to run away (except for Joseph) from temptations, particularly the temptation of lust and women.
What socio-political issues are we facing now that somehow highlight the failure to avoid temptations stirring people (victims or not) and dragging them to the pitfalls of sin and doom? I am not going to name names, but I will be sharing the following Bible verses as God’s reminder for us all that we are not fighting against flesh and blood. I also stumbled upon Isaiah 34 while I randomly opened the Bible out of my need to find answers and to quiet my soul.
“Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.” – Proverbs 13:11
Psalm 37
A Psalm of David
1 Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. 2 For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. 6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
7 Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.
8 Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. 9 For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.
10 Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. 11 The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. 13 But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.
14 The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. 15 But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. 17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly.
18 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. 19 They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.
20 But the wicked will die. The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field— they will disappear like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. 22 Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die.
23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. 24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
25 Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. 26 The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing.
27 Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly.
He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die. 29 The godly will possess the land and will live there forever.
30 The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. 31 They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path.
32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them. 33 But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.
34 Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.
35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil. 36 But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them!
37 Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. 38 But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future.
39 The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him.
Isaiah 34: Judgment on the Nations
But here’s the good thing about God’s grace and mercy when there’s repentance – God redeems. There is no fallen warrior in God’s sight. Some will die by the sword, some will fight battles unseen. But every battle fought in His name spells “V-I-C-T-O-R-Y” in Heaven’s realm. So fear not, for His angels are fighting alongside us, all led by the Holy Spirit. Again, the time to declare JEHOVAH NISSI is now. Whose side are you on?
Please pray this prayer with me:
Dear Lord,
We humbly come before you with all our battlescars, tired and wounded. And yet we know the battle is far from over. We know there will be moments when we feel like we are on the losing end, but we have faith that as our Jehovah Nissi, You will fight alongside us to bring redemption and once and for all extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy meant to destroy Your beautiful creations.
You are a God of justice, and where You are, Lord, we know that justice will prevail. Call out, Lord, those whom you have anointed and appointed to rise up and lead Your armies. Equip us, Lord, with the armor fitting for every bearer of Your Name. May You lift every brave soul to commit to their calling as God’s warriors until such time that You say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
We pray for the nations and for Your people, Lord. Though we fight battles seen or unseen that may divide us and displace us, our dwelling remains in You, for You live inside each of us. May we never forget that in the midst of the rise and fall of kingdoms and the worshipping of other gods is a one true God who remains in control. This we claim in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
P.S. Because I am no Disney princess (definitely not a nepo baby, too), but a simple and introverted gardener, I care less about how I look. So, I have started this poultry project with such exuberance that I totally forgot about protecting myself from mosquito bites, coming in contact with chicken poop, and prolonging outdoor activities, which made me lose track of time, skip meals, and be dehydrated for most of the day.
The consequences? Well, my immune system went down and I got this severe skin allergy flare-up from mosquito bites that even the ointment that I used previously to treat these allergies seemed to now have an adverse reaction on my skin, too. Crazy body of mine, eh? lol
But I also got another health scare – what if this was cellulitis because I also have minor cuts on my hands and feet from play time with ze baby boy cat, and I’ve been washing soiled chicken feeders with my bare hands? But of course, I will not blame him because his cuteness overload will just melt your heart. I am going to write an article about him in my future posts, so be prepared to fall in a furry kind of love. 😉
Is it just me or is this postscript getting longer already? 😁 So, I am ending it with this realization from the skin allergy flare-up that has now left my arms and hands with visible scars that are actually the least of my concerns.
It was my Dad who was a bit worried about these scars and asked me if there was an ointment to whiten the dark spots fast. I smiled and told him that there’s no need to do that because I will let my skin heal itself, albeit slowly. I intend on wearing these scars loud and proud. They remind me that my body survived – I survived.
Battlescars, tangible or not, meant little to nothing when you have a God who loves you just the same even when you are all disfigured – that kind of rare and real love that goes beyond the superficial. ❤️
On a side note, my top 3 priorities if it is God’s plan that I’d be a good steward of generational wealth as a nepo baby (which will never happen, btw 😆) are expanding the businesses, organizing charitable foundations, and creating social enterprises. Because what I do with what God has given me is my way of giving back to Him. This blog is one of my gifts to God. 🙏🙂
This is, by far, the longest postscript I have ever written it can pass up as another article. lol Sorry, Lord, I’m just feeling lazy editing this article, but I have faith the readers will get the message crystal clear. 😉
Ah yes, thank God for rest days and for quiet evenings when I can listen to peaceful classical music (my fave work music) while writing this. 🙏 I’m currently listening to Canon in D (Wedding Version) Playlist on Spotify, and I always play it on loop. As they say, repetition is key to mastery. 😉
By the way, this will be the first time that I will be writing a blog post without images including a feature image. I already maxed out my website’s free media storage capacity. And I am having second thoughts whether to monetize this blog or not should I opt to subscribe for a paid domain. I hope to increase my storage space without losing the main reason as to why I set up this blog in the first place – never about the money, but only about faith.
So for now, my future blog posts will be as plain as a journal can get except that it’s not handwritten. I miss to handwrite, too. I was actually thinking about getting a hard-bound diary or planner again soon.
But first, let’s go back to why I entitled this blog post as “In Hindsight.” Are you familiar or have you heard about “ESP” or “Extrasensory Perception?”
I grew up being so familiar with the term because my Mom would always bring it up during conversations, especially when she and Dad would discuss about our agribusiness. I remember how she would tell us that it’s too strong in our family. My late grandpa had it, she had it, and my siblings and I seemed to have gotten it, too.
It’s like having this mental ability to receive brain signals despite the distance and knowing what the other person wants. Then when we do see each other, we already know what the other family member needs or is about to say. This was how “ESP” became a favorite joke every time we have family gatherings because it kills the element of surprise. lol
My husband and I seemed to have developed this sort of telepathic connection with one another, too. He would always come home with stuff that I didn’t ask from him, but I was somehow thinking about it before he came home.
Going back to agribusiness, we all know that farmers back then rely heavily on climate predictions based on experience and word of mouth. Our grandparents here in the province never had the privileges that the generation now is enjoying – gadgets and technology.
What they used when listening to the news was a transistor radio that only a few families can afford. In other words, information was limited when it comes to weather updates like where exactly is the typhoon’s first landfall or if the country will experience seasons of La Niña and El Niño.
Just to share a little bit of info about my grandparents, my maternal grandfather was a true-blue farmer who, by experience, mastered the art of predicting possible scenarios based only on his observations of weather patterns and how nature and the animals respond to these patterns.
Mom called it as “ESP.” But when I did my research on “ESP,” I found out that it has no scientific basis. The closest term to “ESP” is “foresight.” What is “foresight?” Oxford Languages defined it as “the ability to predict or the action of predicting what will happen or be needed in the future.”
Mom would always recount situations wherein having “ESP” or foresight helped my grandpa make decisions that saved him from difficult situations that could have resulted in major livestock and crop losses. Having foresight and planning always go hand in hand though preparing is sometimes not enough, especially now when we are dealing with unpredictable and extreme weather conditions due to climate change.
But that is not what we are talking about in this blog, that’s only the introduction that I think should’ve been written as a separate article. lol We will talk about the opposite of “foresight,” which is “hindsight.” “Hindsight” means “understanding of a situation or event only after it has happened or developed.”
Between “foresight” and “hindsight,” I assume that it is the former that is favored more than the latter. And yet, I also think that both are very important not just in businesses, but also in our lives, in general. Why?
Trying to make sense of what happened gives us an opportunity to review our mistakes and learn from them. Science and technology benefits from this through A/B testing. In fact, almost every industry in our society was able to improve their processes based on the results of a previously implemented system.
With what is going on in our political landscape lately and with the upcoming elections, I can’t help but ponder on this idea that a majority of us need to take things in hindsight. I normally don’t talk about politics here in my blog.
But there’s just too much political clamor going around these days on the news that I can’t help but also give my ten cents about what’s really going on and what could possibly happen. No, I will not be mentioning particular names, only one phrase – it has happened before.
If we have hindsight, what have we learned so far? And this is the question that I’d like to leave to all of us to end this blog post. I want this blog to be a “breather” and a safe space for everyone, so as much as possible I want every content here to begin and end on a positive note.
And I think I am close to (or have already exceeded) writing 1,000 words, which is already my cue to wrap this up, otherwise I will bore you to death. 😅
Do watch out for my next article, which will be about transitions because that is my season now. Transitions just never seem to end on my part since 2022. Though for the most part of them, I can say that these transitions have contributed significantly on my personal growth and development, which then paved way for more doors opening and new experiences gained.
By the way, I’ll give you another hint for my next article – there’s a new fluffy in town. 😊
P.S. I’ll edit this later because I need to maximize my rest days by still staying productive a.k.a. fulfilling my other obligations while giving myself time to relax.
P.P.S. The palay harvest season is also fast approaching, so my foresight is telling me to plan ahead because I learned in hindsight that if you want to get the best out of multitasking, you have to develop your project management skills, which include but are not limited to time management, task delegation, setting priorities, and most importantly, self-care. 🙂
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.
On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” – Exodus 20:8-11
To answer the question, I think we have to ask every creative in the entire universe if this is a truth or a fallacy. 😃
But if true, I will most likely be a creative night owl. My creative hours usually start from 10 PM until the wee hours of the morning. That’s why working on a night shift isn’t much of an adjustment for me.
This is me making sure I don’t wake up the cats at 2 AM when I have my lunch break. lol
The Life of the Night Owl
I must say though that I still have to prepare my body to stay awake during these hours because if my mind is still very active past my bedtime (12 NN), I can go on without proper sleep for how many consecutive days even without help from caffeine and still function like a normal being.
Most of us in the family are light sleepers. I did my research on this and the medical term for it is “Short Sleeper.” I do feel a bit sleepy, especially around 4 or 5 AM or when I am having my monthly PMS. I just feel a little light-headed, but I still have the same energy to do things at work and around the house.
Can Melatonin Help?
I’m just concerned about the long-term effects on my body if I don’t get enough sleep, so I thought taking melatonin pills might help. I did a little bit of research on melatonin because I am turning 40 this year, so I am watching out for perimenopausal symptoms (I have none so far) and anything that could alter my hormones and activate the sleeping cancer cells in my body (breast cancer genes are dominant on both sides of my parents).
I read that taking melatonin pills is relatively safe although I’d still have to ask my doctor when I have my yearly executive checkup to make sure it is okay for me to take them. They do help me get my uninterrupted 8-hour slumber during the day though, especially when everyone’s up and about, and the ‘normal universe’ is all wide awake.
Prepping The Bedroom
Preparing the bedroom so your circadian rhythm won’t be interrupted is very beneficial, too. Blackout window curtains are a big help, and also make sure that your room is cool enough and soundproof. I bought a pair of earplugs from Shopee, and they really do the job of blocking all the noise, even the loudest ones. A white noise inside your room (like an electric fan running) can also drown out the noise outside.
This small room, by the way, used to be the maids’ quarters back when we were kids and when we had two stay-in yayas. 😀 I just converted it into my WFH office/sleeping area (thanks to my Ate and our stay-out yaya for helping me) because this is the only room in the house that is soundproof and stays cool throughout the day even when the midday sun is blazing hot. I don’t want to use an air conditioning unit because I have allergic rhinitis, and the cold, dry air aggravates the symptoms.
The After-Work Routine
It took about 2 weeks for me to fully adjust to being awake for the entire night until 7 AM. After the end of my shift at work, I go out of the house and get a dose of Vitamin D from the sun, walk around the house and the garden, feed our pets, pick Blue Ternate flowers for my morning tea, eat breakfast, and do some errands and other household chores.
By the way, speaking of strolling in the garden, remember this Gumamela plant I talked about in this post? Well, here’s the bud I mentioned in that article. It bloomed exactly during Dad’s 85th birthday 2 weeks ago. 🙏😍
I teased Dad that I thought it was Mom greeting him with a “Happy birthday.” Because true enough, the day after Dad’s birthday, the flower wilted already.
Is this you, Mom? 🌻🥰
It’s always a pretty sight to see the morning dew on Mom’s flowersand plants. ❤️
This Is How I Exercise At Home As An Introvert
Waking up Her Royal Fluffyness. 😹
Feeding Them Pets: Say “Hi” to the new members of the Ginete Pet Tribe – Whitey and Ten-Ten from the avian family. 🐥🐓 Torti is their new neighbor because I had to transfer him temporarily in the poultry cage while I find the time to make his prototype turtle cage because vermins just love stealing his food.
Checking the fence of the chicken’s forage areafor any damage from the rats. The madre de cacao fence posts have new leaves already – no need to replace them later on as they becomenew trees.
Helping my sister and our stay-out yaya monitor the growth of our plants in Mom’s garden. This is the root crop area – a new garden project of me and my sister. 🙏 And that’s my white shadow right beside me. 😹
And then your yaya will just tell you that you have a bleeding arm because you’ve been too busy doing stuff around the house and you barely noticed the scratches. 😅
This is what I love about working at night – I get to enjoy the night sky full of stars and the crisp, cool evening air during my break time and while quietly strolling in our garden, but still get to witness the break of dawn and see the rays of sun slowly creeping through the windows.
🎶 ‘Cause you’re a sky full of stars. 🎶
A quiet, evening walk – just me and my shadow. 😃
Timmy, The Black Sentinel: This is my shadow, actually. Because when I’m out in the garden at night, he would follow me around on alert mode sort of like wondering what must be wrong for my Fur Mom to be up and about when everyone’s asleep. lol
Why is the sun called “Mr. Sun?” Why not “Mrs. Sun?” lol 🌞
The only downside about working at night is scheduling your errands because some shops and offices won’t open until 9 AM, and I should be asleep by 11 AM. I’d have to thank my favorite delivery service here in our town because I get to delegate some tasks to them such as going to the market, buying prescription medicines, and ordering from our restos if I am already too tired to do these errands myself. Thank you, Moonride Delivery – I give you five stars for your awesome service. ⭐️
By the way, as an introvert, I enjoy working from home and being at home all the time. Today is my rest day, but I am still here at home writing and doing something “creative.” lol So yes, you’ll see me in my pambahay clothes often. And they are usually tattered and stained most of the time. Not because I am too stressed to care, but because I love wearing pambahay clothes like that.
I guess I will never be the embodiment of pasosyal and I have nothing against those who are because it’s a matter of personal preferences and choices. 🙂 But of course, if I have to dress up for the sake of looking decent, you can count on me to play the part. Just inform me ahead of time because it will take me about a week to plan my wardrobe for the occasion. lol
Because we need to look human in our meetings. 😁
It’s 5:50 AM as of writing, and it’s Sunday, so it’s my turn to cook our breakfast and then watch the online church service afterwards before heading on to Slumberland. Until my next post, beloved readers. ❤️
My Sunday Prayer
“But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength, I sing praise to You; You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” – Psalms 59: 15-17
I am often fascinated by how every living thing responds to an extra dose of TLC. It is so fascinating and fulfilling to watch how even a little bit of TLC can revive let’s say a plant that is unwell to actually seeing them bloom for the first time more like beating the odds.
This is a young Gumamela cutting washed away by the flood and got covered up by other piles of debris, which explains why some of the leaves are all curled up. And now, the new leaves are healthier, and I am also seeing tiny buds of flowers forming.
It’s the same for people. I would like to give a shoutout of appreciation to my 3rd sister for taking care of Dad. While I also assist in any way I could, it’s been my sister who provided most of the caregiving to Dad. And no, it wasn’t easy at all.
When Your Dad Isn’t Up To It
Dad wasn’t feeling all too well as of late. One time, I thought I should comb his hair for him. It’s already getting long after skipping visits to the barbershop since he couldn’t walk and stand properly on his own for some weeks now. So to uplift his spirits, I made him an offer.
Me: “Dad, would you want me to give you a haircut?”
Of course, I was so surprised that it was met with the most violent reaction.
Dad: “NOOOOOOOOOO.”
So I asked him again.
Me: “But why not, Dad? Don’t you trustme?”
Then there went his chuckle. So I added.
Me: “I will make you the most gwapo Lolo with your new haircut.”
And his chuckles became even louder.
Ah yes, Dad. This is payback time. It is now my turn to exasperate you. Please refer to this article, if you haven’t read it yet, to find out how it all started. lol
Okay, before you assume I am giving you a very lousy writeup with my corniest jokes, let’s go back to TLC. 😃
Giving TLC As A Profession
Did you know that when I was applying for college admission, I chose BS Nursing? But I didn’t have a lot of mentoring and tutorial opportunities back then when I was a grade school and high school student, so I flunked most of my Math tests since I was extremely bad with numbers.
In other words, I failed to qualify for most of the universities’ requirement to get in under their BS Nursing program except for one university, UST. But since UP Diliman is the first choice because of its low matriculation fees, I had to forego taking up BS Nursing in USTe. I ended up taking Literature instead, which somehow turned out to be a good choice also since it’s another favorite subject of mine.
Empaths And How They See The World
I guess, nobody was patient enough to teach an inquisitive child who asks a lot of “whys.” Like “Why can’t the Pythagorean theorem use the letters E, F, and Ginstead?” lol Or that type of kid you’d want to avoid because he keeps asking you questions like “Why is the sky blue?” Or why the leaves turn yellow and why not purple. 😅
I have learned by experience that the answer to these questions, by default, is to mention God as the ultimate creator whose creative powers in making this universe can never be questioned because He is the ultimate authority over mankind. But of course, if you don’t want to stifle the child’s imagination, you can always search Google for the right answer to make sure your answers will be coming from credible sources.
Being inquisitive is actually a good sign of your child’s capability to make sense of everything around him (can possibly lead to increased social awareness as an adult). That is why his curiousity is unstoppable. And this is also why I love talking to toddlers and preschoolers because they ask the most absurd, but actually very practical questions that we don’t even have the answers yet up to now. I learn a lot from them in a way. So don’t wonder if you hear me baby talk sometimes. lol 😄
A Possible Task In The Future
Going back to TLC, I am having this desire, albeit not too strongly, to get a short course on caregiving or what Nursing Assistants take. But given all the things I wanted to do and am currently doing, I don’t know how I’m going to fit it in my schedule. I guess I’ll leave it all up to God once again with these Bible verses in mind:
“Many are the plans of man , but it is the Lord’s purpose that will prevail.” – Proverbs 19:21
“Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], and your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].” – Proverbs 16:3
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
P.S. I’ll edit this later because this is an early morning (11am is early), I-just-woke-up-because-I-slept-late-and-I’ll-be-busy-later thoughts. 😁
What I’d love to do if my schedule is free – learn how to plant and grow rootcropsback home for the summer season and see how they will respond to TLC. This is the antidote to endless curiousity – keep on learning. 😉
P.S. Too much TLC though can’t be too good either. Like when I saw this plump feline of ours because we overfed her, I told her, [Darling, it’s about time you lose some weight or I’ll now call you “Fatto Catto.”]
I’m sure our cat will answer, “That is not my problem, that is your BIG problem.” 😹
Catzilla on my bed playing with my guitar picks.
Or this lizard I have here in the apartment. He would gobble up the morsels of steamed rice I’d put on the table though they’re still hot. So when I took a photo of him up close, I’m not really sure if his mouth was partly open because of the hot food or he’s just smiling and telling me “Hi, Mama! I missed you and your kanin.”😆
Smile though ze mouth is aching? Like a 3rd-degree burn from hot kanin maybe? Defnitely not TLC, Tin.
I didn’t see him for 2 days now, so I am a bit worried. I think he needs to be rushed to the ER already.
When I was in my 20s, fresh off the indoctrination of the academe, I started out as an idealist. Gray areas were minimal, and discerning black from white was easy. The goal was crystal clear—infiltrate the system and change what needed to be changed from within.
A decade has passed, and the ideals started to crumble. It wasn’t as easy as I thought. You cannot implement change – never alone, and yet not even possible together, as a whole, when the system is just too broken to be fixed. Then, bit by bit, there’s this gradual loosening of beliefs. Until another decade later, a new way of thinking has taken over.
It dawned on me now that for an idealist, subservience is the enemy. But for a follower of Christ, subservience is the law. Submission is the core and at the forefront of Christianity. There would be no crucifixion and no Cross if Christ did not submit to God’s will. Thus, God mandated that to be followers of Christ, we, too, must submit to God’s will for our lives.
This means letting go of ideals that once shaped our identities and replacing them with a deeper sense of purpose, a divine calling from God that can only be fulfilled when we respond with humility. Subservience then becomes a necessity. It is now God’s requirement for us to qualify for the task up ahead, which is necessary to accomplish what needs to be done with only one intention – share God’s Word.
Subservience And Authority
The other day, my Dad, sister and I were discussing a project here at home. I made a quick sketch of the project layout to show my Dad and sister where it will be set up. In my mind, the orientation of the layout came from my perspective wherein I was facing East. So when I presented the sketch to Dad and my sister, I was standing right at the center of the backyard.
When Dad saw it, he was a bit disoriented. But it’s not because I lacked key details of the layout like the proper outline of structures in the area that will serve as reference points, directions, etc. He was disoriented because he was looking at the sketch from his perspective – he was facing West. In other words, he was standing in the spot where our house is located, the opposite of where I am standing.
And because Dad’s a retired civil engineer who’s done a whole lot of blueprints and sketches, I got reprimanded for presenting the project from my own perspective. 😅 As typical of me, I already had a rebuttal – it doesn’t matter where I am standing because I already have a mental map and I can picture the locations of the structures without having to refer to the sketch itself.
And Dad was like, “That is just not how you do it. You have to present your sketch in a way where you’re always facing the front of every structure you are going to sketch, most especially if you are presenting it to someone new to the place.” And again, I had the perfect alibi, “But we all know this place, Dad, and this is the only time I did this because I got too excited to share my ideas that I didn’t care if I was facing North, South, East, or West.” lol
And again, Dad had the final say, “What you made was incorrect, you have to do your sketch the right way next time.”And so I just (bitterly 😆) smiled through my exasperation. The convo between me and my Dad was a perfect example of being subservient – who was I to question Dad’s authority and wisdom in an industry where he retired from and rendered 40 years of professional work?
Nowadays, I observed that most of us have to be subservient so we can adapt to the changes around us. While some were able to make the adjustments and transition without any opposition, some struggled to obey.
I may be stubborn sometimes, but being a born-again Christian has taught me so much about submission. That it is better to be kind than to be right, and to submit to the authorities that God has placed over you (Romans 13:1) for as long as your boss did not ask you to do anything illegal.
And that it is okay to lose an argument sometimes (or most of the time) because “love does not insist its own way (1 Corinthians 13:5).”
The challenge now is how to become subservient and adapt to the necessary changes without losing so much of who you are and still retain a majority of what you truly believe in. While we are commanded to obey and submit, we were also reminded by Scripture to not conform to the patterns of this world but to be renewed in the way we think and act (Romans 12:2).
What’s your own story of subservience? Do you still struggle to submit? Or do you just “let go and let God” do the rest?
After hibernating here on WordPress for a month, which seemed like years to me already, it feels good to be back. I have a lot of stories to share, but I decided to keep most of them private because the memories were just too special. I prefer to keep them hidden deep down the recesses of my soul because there are things that are meant to be shared only between you and your God. 🙂
For this article, I will be talking about what holds things together and having the can-do attitude, and how these two concepts are always correlated with one another as far as problem solving is concerned. These concepts will also best describe the season I am going through now. And I know it is not a coincidence that this was also the topic in one of the worship services in the church. God has a good reason and purpose for this, and there’s just no coincidences in God.
I Can
Have you met people who have a can-do attitude? If yes, don’t you just love being around them often? These are the people whose first response when they encounter a problem is “We will find a way.” I admire these people a lot. Not only because they are resilient, but because they don’t see the obstacles as stumbling blocks, but as opportunities for learning and growth.
And if one of these people happens to be your mentor, you have found a rare gem. One that only becomes more precious as time goes by because of the wisdom they have accumulated through years of constant learning.
These people are thinkers and also doers. And yet they do not have the solution to every problem. In the process of looking for solutions, some of them learned something along the way. What they learned can be totally unrelated to the problem, but can be used in the future or in another problem.
This is why I don’t call them as problem solvers per se. Because I know they can’t solve every problem out there, but their can-do attitude is sometimes enough to help another person get out of the rut he’s in, for example. Then they show that person a fresh perspective, a different angle to tackle a problem, most especially when his situation is deemed hopeless.
The Goal
I am hoping to be one of these can-do people one day driven by my life verse, which is Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” And yet my journey to becoming one led me to discover that when a problem seems impossible to solve or I run out of moves and am helpless, or I’m in those moments when I feel like I hit a “wall” and it wouldn’t budge, or I am feeling the urge to do things my way (diskartehan kahit alam nang tagilid 😃), it is still God who holds all things together.
I am 39 years old, I haven’t accomplished much, I still fail (a lot), and yet God holds all things together for me. And I believe it is only His grace that gives us this can-do attitude because when it is God’s will, then it can be done, and it will be done. 🙏
[But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”] – Matthew 19:26
P.S. This article is unedited, I’m just having a quick break from my multitasking duties. I mean, you know me. 😅 I’ve been helping my sister take care of my 84-year-old Dad as he’s been unwell lately. I am thankful for the privilege of taking care of my Dad though it can also be a bit disheartening at times seeing him age and get weaker each passing weeks and months.
There’s this part of you that wants to do more for our aging parents and make them as comfortable and as joyful as possible as they journey towards old age making sure their remaining moments here in this world are peaceful. My Dad has lived life in full circle already, and I know he misses Mom every single day.
Mom and Dad, by the way, celebrated their 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary on June 2023, and then by the end of that month, Mom was hospitalized and passed away in August of the same year. It’s like she just waited for their 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary.
My parents’ journey as a married couple wasn’t a smooth one. There were a lot of tough moments as much as there were happy ones, and yet I am a witness to how their commitment towards each other was as solid as a rock for 50 years. It is just like when you put your faith in God who is immovable and who is a firm foundation through every season because He never changes. He is the Alpha and the Omega, and He is the same God in the past, the present, and the future.
It truly is a blessing to have witnessed a love story as inspiring as that of my parents, but all because God made it all possible for both of them to remain committed to one another until death parts them both. 🙏
The Journeyman's Moments 