At 5:00 A.M.

The past days, I have been waking up quite earlier than the usual time.
It seems like that my body clock begins at 5:00 a.m.
I love early mornings.
Where everyone is still asleep. No text messages. No calls. No noise.
Complete silence.
I like waking up early. I would normally take a peek outside our lanai and just check on the weather for today. I like feeling the morning dew and the cool breeze.
Stillness.

I realized that adding an extra hour to my schedule changes the pacing of my day.
I badly need this extra hour to spend more time with the Lord and to prepare myself for the challenges that today will bring.
Readiness.

At 5:00 a.m, day in and day out, I always realize the goodness of the Lord.
The reality that His faithfulness is new every morning.
Another life He gives graciously and lovingly for a purpose that He only knows.

Thank you my dearest God.

I shall meet you at 5:00 A.M.

Walking by Faith and not by Sight

Trusting even when it appears you have been forsaken;
praying when it seems your words are simply entering a vast expanse
when no one hears and no voice answers;
believing that God's love is complete and that He is aware of your circumstances,
even when your world seems to grind on as if setting its own direction and not
caring for life or moving one inch in response to your petition;
discerning only what God's hands have planned for you,
waiting patiently while seemingly starving to death...
"this is the victory that has overcome the world,"; this is
genuine faith indeed
-George MacDonald

Lord, it's not about Me, after all. It is about You.
It is only by your Grace and Love that you heed our requests and reach out to us.
Not on any other grounds.

"In his heart, a man plan his course but the Lord determines his step" (Proverbs 16:9).

Education outside the box

Traveler, there is no road.

The road is made as one walks

Antonio Machada

Among the many other principles that my parents instilled in us, it would have to be exploring and discovering the world that made such a huge impact in my life. We are blessed for opportunities to learn about other countries not just through books or stories but through real life experiences. Thank you to my dearest Mama and Papa for taking us to awesome adventures.

Studying and living abroad has enabled me to look at the world with the third lens. It has given me such an excitement to know more about other cultures but more importantly, to appreciate my very own.

When I came back to the Philippines a few months ago, I told myself that it would take me a long time before I would leave this country again. Homesick, perhaps, but there is really something about home that draws you to it. Some friends have invited me for a quick vacation outside the country but I instead suggested that it would

be more worthwhile to tour the Philippines.

Honestly, I wanted to take a break from traveling. In the past two years, I have lived a commuter life. A fast-paced one, day in and day out. I took the public transportation to anywhere that my feet would take me- to school, to work, to adventures. Tiring most of the time, but they were outstanding experiences. And so, I have postponed any vacation for next year.

Apparently, my timeline didn't work out the way I planned it out. Thanks to PAL for their frequent flyer deals. I learned that I need to avail of my miles before they all expire. So, in a month's time, I will be going on a vacation to a country that I have always wanted to visit. Perhaps, it's because of my heritage or maybe, it's just simply, my love for their food and (Jet Li) haha:)

Truly, Once a traveler, always a traveler.

:)

Day by Day

One of my favorite hymns, written by Karolina Sandell-Berg in 1865

Day by Day

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day, the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He Whose Name is Counselor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid; “As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made...

This song was inspired by 2 Corinthians 4:16, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

Life's passion.

Borongan, Samar 2007

Apart from working with children, one of the things that I could probably do for the rest of my life is to be a researcher.

Here was a picture of my first out-of-town trip as a documentor for a non-government organization. With my good friend, spearheading the early childhood education arm of that organization, she invited me and another friend to fly to Samar to facilitate a training for Day Care workers.

Our team was composed of the consultant and two facilitators (one coming from Pangasinan and my friend). As a documentor, I had to take note of everything that happened throughout the training. This also meant bringing the laptop (which I borrowed from my cousin's and mind you, it was so heavy) wherever we went (whether we were taking that bumpy jeepney ride to another barrio or touring this quiet yet captivating province.
We went wherever my dearest friend would take us-from the nearby plaza to the remote island in Samar.

Whenever I think about that trip and look through our pictures, I am always reminded that I met great people, who with the meager resources available to them, still find a way to make teaching Filipino children a meaningful experience. It was an adventure that stirred in me the love for my own country and the challenge of transforming lives- one child at a time, one parent at a time, one teacher at a time, no matter how impossible it seems to be.

It will always be one of those trips that assured me that I could go beyond my comfort zone at least once in my lifetime.

It paved the way for me to discover my other life's passion.

P.S. Special thanks to Teacher MCA for inspiring me to be a life-long researcher. I first met T. MCA in U.P. where we collaborated together for a preschool outreach project. I then worked for T. MCA as her research assistant. She then became my thesis adviser, prayer partner and mentor.

Deeper.

The deeper you get, the sweeter His grace
-John MacArthur during his sermon on
"Blessed are the poor in Spirit"

The beggar. We see their hands wide open on a lonely street. We see them very persistent
just so they could grab a coin from us or some of our leftovers.
We avoid them. We run away from them. We pity them.
But never do we admire their attitude of patience, of intense persistence and utmost
optimism that they will survive for now, for a day.
I wonder how and where they derive their willpower to do so.

John MacArthur likened the poor in Spirit to a beggar. He points out that a person who is poor in Spirit is someone who thinks less of himself, who is in constant wonder of blessings in his life, who recognizes that everything happening to him is because of God's grace and love for him.

I honestly believe that we tend to forget. Just one blow of circumstance or difficulty, we shrink. Just one unfavorable situation, we lose sight of God's faithful track record in our lives. I easily forget.

I thank God for these gentle thugs in my heart.
Simple yet life-changing reminders.
Truly, as one digs deeper into his soul,
he begins to realize the wonder of being alive in this unpredictable and challenging times.

Dash!

I miss my running buddies...

Glendale Downtown Dash Marathon 2009

Till we all run again...:)