June 18, 2001 and June 18, 2009: A Destiny Fulfilled

I have always believed in destiny and how it strings together lives that are once separated and even broken. That was what happened in June 18, 2001. I got married to my destiny.

Fast forward to an afternoon in June 18, 2009. I was anxiously hurrying to get to church at the EDSA Shrine because I wanted to complete my nine-day novena mass to our Sacred Heart of Jesus. As I entered the church, I saw a couple kneeling in front of the altar. Only a handful were there. It was only as I was taking my seat that I realized that a wedding was taking place. I was enthralled by what was transpiring before me. The bride was beautiful, even radiant. If happiness can be seen, I saw it so clearly that moment. Then, after a few minutes admiring the couple did it dawned on me that on the very same day and time, 8 years ago, I was myself that bride, and Andrew, the groom.

It was a sign, an omen, that afternoon in June 18, 2009, for us and, probably, for the other couple, as well. But, as to what it exactly conveys, I do not know. I remembered that day 8 years ago with an assortment of emotions, pure, unadulterated bliss, unexplained anxiety, even sorrow. As I tried to rationalize those feelings, I recalled the blessing the priest gave us after the ceremony as he recited:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Although I may never see or even meet the couple from June 18, 2009, I give them back the same blessing.

Mothers Are Great

Last July, inspite of feeling that my days would never end with endless work, errands, and responsibilities, I decided to go out of my comfort zone and sign up for Jim Paredes' "Tapping the Creative Universe Workshop". So, for one week from 7 to 9 pm, I was out of the house and rediscovering my passions, unearthing my creativity, and interacting with people who were similarly searching for the same things.

I atrribute my being able to put up this blog to this workshop and Jim's mentoring. I cannot exactly put into words how the workshop had changed me but it definitely made me yearn to write, to create more. The workshop did not only give me time to rediscover my creative side but also time to reflect on my most important task of being a mother.

One of Jim's assignment in the workshop was to write something about the topic, "Why I Am Great?". It took me some time to decide on what to write since I have never really thought of myself as great, either as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, or even a lawyer. However, in the course of reflecting on who I really am, I have discovered that I am, in my own simple way, great, notwithstanding my quirks, my faults, my omissions, and my shortcomings.

I am reprinting below what I have written as a tribute to all mothers who love fiercely and unconditionally without expecting anything in return:

Why I Am Great

I am great simply because I am a child of God. I was not created through random acts of the Creator and put on earth to live mindlessly and senselessly. I was created for a purpose and this makes me great. In my years of existence, I have come to realize my greatness, in every facet of my entire being, the manifestations of which have always caught me by surprise, delight, and even disbelief.

I have a great brain. I have foresight and intuition. I can sense things and events that have not yet happened. I can bring to fruition things I have just visualized in my mind. I listen to people's opinions and know that they are up to no good. I can come up and find solutions to the most intricate problems.

I have a great heart. Apart from my love for my family and children, I have a heart huge enough to share the same love for the underprivileged and unwanted. I have a heart capable of breaking when bombarded with pain and suffering but, at the same time, I have a heart capable of healing on its own after all the scars.

I have great arms and hands. They help ease the pain of another person or being. They can carry loads of goods desperately needed by the wounded and sick. They can create inspiring words for those in despair. They can bring warmth and protection to the vulnerable.

I have great legs and feet. These can traverse miles of dust and mud to reach the uninformed and uneducated. These can bring me to far-flung places to bring joy and comfort. The same feet and legs helped me to overcome my greatest fear.

I have a great smile. This is the smile which brought me down the aisle to marry the man I love. This is the smile that broke barriers of indifference. This is the same smile which resulted in more smiles that seemed to lighten up an entire darkened room.

These are all the embodiments of my greatness. Although in my being human, I have experienced weakness in one form or another, these sparks of greatness within me have always been my salvation.