All about inspiration

My Public Speaking lecture on October 4 and 5 was truly an inspiring experience. The response of my forty two (42) police officer-participants was most heartening and when it was time for them to deliver their individual speeches, I was inspired.
It was inspiring because I saw them worked on delivering their speeches using the essentials of public speaking that I taught them. Isn’t that the greatest fulfillment of a mentor? It simply is.
This week, I will return to the institution to handle Leadership for the same participants. I’m looking forward to another fruitful experience with the group.
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On October 13th, I will try to inspire senior Information Technology (IT) students of the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU), this city who are about to finish their On-the-Job-Training (OJT) exposure. The theme of the gathering is “Convergence: A challenge to Information Technology enthusiasts in the academe and industry”.
We are constantly faced with the challenge of inspiring. We have to rise up to the challenge.
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In most cases, I would say inspiration usually comes from people: people of all shapes and sizes; beliefs and convictions.
They come at unexpected moments when we least expect them. Of course God uses people to inspire other people. It’s always by divine appointment and divine providence.
It also depends on us. Like me, I always desire to inspire others most especially when I do lectures and speak before an audience. It gives me pleasure to be able to inspire my participants.
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I returned to Gen. Santos City in April, this year, after a short professional journey in the Visayas. In June this year, I decided to return to school. The motivation was to help me cope with my father’s loss. I am the type who copes badly when I lose a parent. I only enrolled in one subject. Being in school is a coping mechanism and enrolling in several subjects would unnecessarily stress me.
True enough, school gave me something to think about. It also afforded me the opportunity to build new friendships and more importantly to revisit the lessons I learned in the past, and learn new ones.
One of the requirements to fully pass the subject is to organize a Seminar. So on October 9th, our Thursday class in tandem with the Saturday class organized the “Public Service is a Public Trust” Seminar with Atty. Marilou B. Unabia of the Office of the Ombudsman-Davao as speaker.

It is true: education should not be confined within the four corners or four walls of the classroom. It is incumbent upon teachers to inspire and motivate students by employing teaching approaches and methodologies that are unique, creative and fun.
It may be tough at times but that’s the only way to do it. Hey, we don’t want to bore our students to death, right? Or employ outdated teaching approaches that have seen better days. Our students deserve only the best from us. It’s the only way to go.
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The semester break is here. Thank God. Parents can now relax with expenses most especially on their college students.
I don’t know about you but having a college student is really heavy on the pockets of parents.
The break will enable the parents to relax a bit on the required weekly allowances and channel the same to other home needs.
I look forward to my son Hezekiah Kit’s vacation at home for the duration of the semester break.
Thank God for breaks.
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Friends are a true source of inspiration. Last week, these ladies have been an excellent source of inspiration and I would like to thank them individually: Jennifer Felisilda who is now based in Cebu City by virtue of work; Jet Reyes of PNB-Santiago; Ruth Fernandez of BDO-Pendatun (but I like to call it BDO-Sydney), and Maricris (Cris) Cabalhin of Metro Manila. Thank you ladies. Your presence in my life is refreshing and soothing.
Incidentally during my Visayas journey, Jennifer Felisilda provided me company during her breaks from her Call Center job. We had plenty of bonding moments, most especially when I had bouts of loneliness being away from my kids and hubby. She was a great source of comfort when I was alone and lonely in Cebu City. She is so much younger than me but she is mature in many ways.
Maricris is a wonderful woman in many ways. We used to work together in the last power company I served. We worked together for only a short time but we became closer when we both left the company. Thanks Cris. Like I always say, you are the greatest!
Ms. Ruth, Ahh, a beautiful woman inside-out whom I got to know through Marsha. Very attuned to her humanity; grounded on the basics, and carinosa. Who wouldn’t love a woman like Ruth?
Jet, she is the older sister I don’t have. Okay, okay she is going to wring my neck for saying that. She is only one year older than me, for all intents and purposes, but you know I am the oldest sister in the family, so it is really comforting to be treated like a younger sister. Get it? She is a lovely petite beauty.

And of course, my prayer “power” partner Catherine Pedregosa Velasco. Cathy is my constant source of prayer back-up for three years now. Thanks Cathy. I am so grateful that our paths crossed.
Like I always said, life’s surprises come in either tall or thin packages called people.

Food for thought: If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair. > Samuel Johnson