Experience of a stranger turned friend

I was new to Kidapawan when I came there because of my work. As a tourist-at-work, the mirth that I felt was invigorated more by knowing somebody who at first was a complete stranger. From our conversation, I have discovered that she is a believer of Christ. I felt at home talking to her. She is a widow and the feeling of being helpless was the topic of her stories. She told me of her past and of how God played a very important part in her life. God provided everything for her family, who lost the "post" of their home. She shared to me how the verses she had kept in her heart and mind made her day to day life enduring. She mused that having no husband is a difficult situation and looking for somebody to love is so crucial. I asked her why and she responded that her children would not approve of that idea. Doing so would mean losing the respect of her children. It is in Filipino culture that getting married after losing a partner is not so acceptable. What struck me much is the belief she held in her heart, that is believing in Christ, that Christ will be there in all life's adversities. This has increased my faith and I felt the lightness in my heart. I am hoping that I too could copy her strong belief and let God lead my way with complete trust. From her, I learned the 3 verses from the bible, those are Jeremiah 33:3, John 14:1 and Psalms 46:1. I will surely keep and remember these verses dearly in my life.

Glad I’m Alive!

Life is precious. I cannot put in on or off. It is irreversible!

I was born in 1976, year of the dragon under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius. According to astrologers, Sagittarians are fun-loving, philosophical, intellectual, straightforward and expansive. Some of these traits are true because I am very optimistic.

When I was young I was inquisitive. I threw many questions to my mother. She always had answers. When I asked her about events in the past she would tell me, "That happened when you were still water or soup." I always believe my mother because she is a retired elementary teacher. But sometimes she gets tired of answering my questions. There was this incident I will never forget. I am used to see chili pepper as red. When I saw a yellow one during a birthday party preparation of my younger sister, I asked my mom, "What's this color yellow? She answered me, "That's "kutitot", the sweetest pepper on earth. I got a piece of it and bit. Indeed, it was the "sweetest" pepper I've ever tasted that I cried because it was very hot! My mother gave me sugar to defuse the sensation.

It was a bitter experience. I accused my mother of fooling me. But she said, "I told you that it was the sweetest but I never told you to take it." Well, I took it literally. She was rhetoric when she said that. It was a learning experience for me.

I realized there's a lot to learn in life. I can FEEL a lot of emotions-happiness, sorrow, excitement, frustration, joy, disappointment, etc. I can TASTE a lot of flavors-sweet, hot, spicy, bitter, etc. etc. I can SMELL a lot of odors-fragrant, pungent, sweet, fresh, odoriferous, foul etc. I can HEAR a lot of sounds-music, noise, loud, soft, pleasing, cry etc. I can SEE a lot of views-beautiful, ugly, pretty, magnificent, etc. All experiences, whether good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant are part of life. They say that life is full of ups and downs. I will take everything because it will make me a better person.

Having this capability, I take responsibility for my life. I can hear from other people but in the end I will listen to myself. It's my life. I am born to express myself because my life is a gift for others.

I'm glad that a small drop of water before took its form and having space. I'm glad, I'm alive!