December break

December was truly an experience. It was the first for me. I returned home in late November for my much-needed break after the nerve-wracking earthquake experience in Bohol and the succeeding blackout affecting the province after Yolanda. It was not an easy time for Boholanos. So you can imagine my desire to go home. Ah rest, I craved for it.

By December, I was beginning to enjoy the homecoming when I got sick. I confined in the hospital before Christmas. My friendly doctor made sure I discharged on December 22, days before Christmas day. Instead of getting well, I felt sicker. Talk about peri-menopausal discomforts and the harsh effects of antibiotics on my system.

Well, I just let December 24 passed. No frills, no fuzz. By afternoon of December 25, I went back to the hospital. This time I was treated for gastritis. My first time to experience two confinements in less than a week. It was also my first-time ever to undergo endoscopy. There’s always a first time for everything huh! Well, endoscopy was not a pleasant experience I tell you, but I survived haha. Best part is my stomach is clear. Thank God.

When I left the hospital by evening of December 27, I was looking forward to a wonderful New Year celebration with my young adults. I used to call them teens but they have turned into young adults now with their own unique mind sets.

True, we had a more fun New Year’s Eve devouring a giant pizza. The pizza lasted until mid-morning. It was huge, I tell you.

January 1 was pleasurable. Hezekiah turned twenty and his high school friends came over to the house for an afternoon of guess what? You would never guess! Two giant pizzas. The fun lasted until late into the night. It was so good to be with young people. You imbibe their zeal, energy, and passion for life.

Well, thank God December ended with January 1st. And it was fun!

My favorite book

Two months after my mom passed away in 2001 while I was reeling from the pain of loss, we decided to spend our Christmas in Davao City. Our intention was to diminish a bit of the loneliness and emptiness that we all felt. It was Christmastime and the city was alive with mirth. Christmas was in the air.

My favorite book

Part of our itinerary was to visit the malls and bookstores. In one of our window shopping sessions, we proceeded to the National Bookstore. There I chanced upon the book, Maximize The Moment by T.D. Jakes. I started browsing and boy was it a wham! The book was totally a revelation. It was like the author directly spoke to me. The lessons were mind-boggling and I was excited to apply them in my life. I didn’t want to return the book to the shelf so I bought it pronto.

By the time we went home, I was reading the book with gusto. Since I was going through a lot of pain then owing to my mom’s death, the book spoke to me in ways I can only fathom. It opened my mind to a larger world. It changed my perspective on things. It elevated my way of thinking and doing things. It’s like the world has totally changed for me.

Over the years, I have always kept the book nearby. When I go through some confusing times, I revisit the book. When I hit a roadblock, I reread the book. The book has become a companion leading me on.

I have lent the book to several friends and one close friend told me something brilliant: “I now understand why you think they way you do. It’s the book. You have totally applied it in your life.” I was amazed at her discovery. It was a confirmation that the book totally impacted my life. I was never the same again.

Now, I smile at the thought that Mother guided me to pick that book that fateful day. She knew I needed it then.

Thanks Mother.

Christmas visit

It's not everyday that our sibling visits us from afar.

For starters, travels entail cost. Of course, you have to synchronize schedules. On top of that, you must be in top shape. Travel is always accompanied by stress so it is important to be physically and emotionally healthy.

I'm glad that my sister Delora and husband Daryl spent the Christmas holidays with us. Early this morning though, I drove them to the van station. They preferred the van over the bus. They have to return to Butuan City for a school activity tomorrow (read: Rizal Day).

We had bonding time and took many photos. Thanks to the inventor of the digital camera, we just point and shoot, so to speak.

Delora is impressed with the development of Gen. Santos City. She is often here but the last time she was here was in December 2007. Since then, it has grown, as she pointed out. We also drove to nearby Alabel, Sarangani.

That the city has grown as observed by a non-resident is wonderful to hear. Now, each Gen. Santos resident or General is duty bound to keep the moral fiber strong as the city is poised to grow even more in the upcoming months.

Like I said, "the best is yet to come".

http://www.gensantos.gov.ph/

http://www.sarangani.gov.ph/

Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

The reason for the season

By Hezekiah Kit Sales Canlas

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”         

You’ve guessed it! Nobody can ever forget about Christmas. Overflowing gifts, imaginary snow, candy canes, colored lights, delicious ham paired with Queso de bola, sweet manitos and manitas, noisy caroling outside the house, happy faces of children receiving gifts, the cold atmosphere, joyful friends and relatives splurging their money on shopping, and the evasive Ninongs and Ninangs. These are just some of the most common things you remember when you hear the word “Christmas”.

Aside from the things mentioned, there is an important person who plays an essential part in your annual celebration of Christmas, and don’t you tell me that you forgot about him!

Of course, he’s no other than Jesus Christ! He is the reason why we celebrate Christmas. Isn’t it obvious? Well then, let’s get to know the meaning of “Christmas”. According to www.dictionary.com, Christmas is “the annual festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.” In another definition provided by Webster Illustrated Contemporary Dictionary, Christmas is “a holiday marking the birth of Jesus Christ.”

We celebrate Christmas because we believe that on December 25, our Savior from sin and wickedness was born. Every Christmas season we spread love, give gifts and help people who are in need, just like the way Jesus Christ lived on Earth before He left His earthly life. If only every day were Christmas.

But, through the years, more and more children around the world are influenced by society into thinking that we celebrate Christmas for the annual receiving of gifts from the “plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed trousers and black leather belt and boots.” In this person’s arsenal are his cute little elves in his factory/house somewhere in the freezing North Pole, working on the gifts he’ll give the children who have been good every year. In addition, he has nine reindeers to assist him fly his sleigh and personally put the gifts under the kids’ Christmas trees! Yes, it’s Santa Claus!
Instead of Jesus Christ, Santa Claus becomes the person of the season, which sends the wrong message to the younger generation. In most parts of the United States, Santa Claus stands as the lead character of the yuletide. Children automatically think about Santa Claus when the word Christmas is blurted out. Sadly, Santa becomes more important than Christ, who should be the one given credit for this festivity.

However, unlike other Christmases celebrated by other races in different parts of the world, the Filipinos emphasize Christmas with Jesus Christ as the bearer of the season. Christmas designs are put up on houses and establishments which depict the baby Jesus sleeping innocently on the manger in the barn, with His parents Mary and Joseph, the Three Wise Men with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and the farm animals bowing down to their King.

Even though we may have the longest celebration of Christmas (starting on the month of September until mid-January) unlike any other country, I can say we have the best. We celebrate not because of Santa Claus, but because of Jesus Christ our Savior, who is the main reason for the season.

http://facebook.com/brilliant.belinda

I love Christmas Trees