LAST

december 31. the last day of 2005. tomorrow will be the start of a new year. a harbinger of what's in store for us in 2006. for most, the first day of the year symbolizes a new beginning. a chance to set things right.. to make new resolutions.. to look forward to better things. january 1st usually brings renewed hope.. and more opportunities for success and prosperity.

but for me, the last day of the year is just as important (if not *more* important) than the first. for while it is good to look to the future with hope and expectation, it is even more valuable to reflect on the blessings of the previous year. to learn from past mistakes. to reflect on the lessons of the year that was. and of course, to thank the Lord for His kindness, mercy and guidance for the whole of 2005.

so while i do look forward to the year ahead, i thank God for *everything* that's happened this 2005: the joys, the love and companionship, the friends and special people He sent my way.. and yes, even the trials, the heartaches, the mistakes and blunders that caused torrents of tears. i am grateful for all that He has allowed me to go through these past 364 days. invaluable lessons that continue to shape and mold me into the kind of person He wants me to be.

to all my friends and loved ones.. a great big THANKS to all of you Ü for your presence, for your company, for your words of wisdom, for your prayers and most of all, for your love, friendship and support. it is mostly for His gift of you that i thank the Lord Ü

A BLESSED AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE! Ü

christmas is for the kids

“all i want for christmas is my two front teeth so i can wish you merry christmas!”

christmas. just the mere mention of that word is enough to make children’s eyes sparkle.maybe it’s the thought of presents, good food and more presents that does that, hehe.whatever the reason, i believe that popular saying is true: christmas IS for children.

for as long as i could remember, we’ve always celebrated christmas with family. and by family, i mean the big, extended jorda CLAN. when i was much younger, it used to be just my titos and titas, our lolo and lola and our pinsans. but as we kids grew, so did the family.

last monday, mom, dad and i (that’s our entire family, hehehe) went to bulacan to join the rest of the clan in holding the annual Christmas celebration. when we got there, we were introduced to the “new additions” to the family - babies of my cousins and secondcousins :) after all the introductions, the greetings, hugs and kisses, it was off to the table for food, food and more food! and once everyone has had their fill, it was time for the traditional christmas program :p

if there’s one thing i remember about christmas through the years, it’s THE PROGRAM. yup. because *everyone* is asked to participate in it. young or old.. single or married.. boy or girl. if you’re a member of the family (or an aspiring member, hahaha), you *have* to join in the games or give an intermission number or a christmas message :p

the kids have no problem with that. after the initial hiya and stage fright has passed, the toddlers just give their all! they sing.. dance.. recite poems.. join games.. etc. they’re just so excited to be part of the celebration. And probably happy to be part of the family, too.

the grownups (especially my wild and wacky cousins!) have *less* of a problem with that :wala nang hiya-hiya. wala nang stage fright. They join the games. they belt their tunes. they even do standup comedy and crack jokes. it’s hilarious. it’s fun. it’s crazy. it’s *family* :)

for one day, it would seem like our family consists entirely of children. we’re wacky and noisy and loony and uninhibited and noisy and happy and galawgaw and noisy and.. well, you get the picture :p

because we’re all happy to be with each other. we’re glad to be part of the family. we’re grateful for the time to be together. and we’re thankful for the opportunity to share with one another how the Lord has blessed us for the past year :)

so yes, i believe that christmas is for kids. And i also believe that WE can all be like little children - grateful for big and small blessings, enjoying the gift of family, and able to let go of worries.. trusting in the One Who is able to provide all our needs :)

The day after Christmas: What’s Next?

The gifts under the tree are gone. The presents have been opened.. the aginaldos have been given away.. and the mouth-watering lechon consumed. It is the day after Christmas. And for most of us, it’s back to work once more. But though Christmas 2006 is already over, it does not mean our celebration has to stop! For while the season may last for only a few days, the *REASON* for our joy transcends time and culture :)

As that popular Christmas song goes:

Joy to the world! The LORD is come!

Let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heav’n and nature sing

And heav’n and nature sing

And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing!

Joy to the world! The SAVIOR reigns!

Let men their songs employ!

While fields and floods,

Rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy!

Yes, we really have a reason to be joyful. In the midst of a hurting, war-torn world, we have a Savior Whom we can count on. Jesus may have been born more than 2000 years ago.. but He lives on, to this day. Giving His gift of hope.. and peace.. and healing.. and LOVE :) The decors, the carols, the presents may be gone; but let the CHRIST in Christmas always remain in our hearts :)

what can i give you this christmas?

“what can i give you this christmas? Something sparkling to go with your eyes..?” december is such a hectic month. traffic is terrible. queues at grocery and department stores are sooooo long! it’s difficult to find a place to hang out ‘coz parking lots are almost always full. there are so many parties and events to attend that no december day on my planner is vacant.

i guess this month has always been one of the most stressful for me. and it isn’t just the traffic or the hectic schedule that makes me uptight. what really occupies my thoughts during the holiday season is one question: “what do i give my friends/loved ones for christmas?” for me, this question isn’t something that’s easy to answer. there are many things to consider, after all.. such as: (1) what does he/she want? (2) do i know where to buy it? (3) is it something that his/her other friends might get for him/her? (4) can i afford to give him/her that gift?.. and so on.

christmas was *way* more fun when i was younger. haha. when you’re a kid, you’re only excited to get presents. you don’t worry about what to buy for your friends (usually your mom/dad does that for you). and you certainly don’t concern yourself with stuff like budget, parking and the like. you just wait for your gift.. and tear through tons of presents and envelopes with christmas money.

now that i’m older, though, the Christmas season feels so different. it’s busy. it’s rushed. it’s hectic. it’s stressful. and somehow, the fun and excitement i used to feel just got hidden away somewhere :(

it’s really hard to come up with that *perfect* gift for that *perfect* someone. personally, I find it so much harder to look for gifts for those who are close to me. probably it’s ‘coz nothing seems good enough. and the stuff that i want to give, i cannot afford :( and it just sucks. and i thought, maybe the same is true with me and God. i try to do so many things.. try to dream up ways by which i could please Him. and more often than not, i end up frustrated because i simply cannot be perfect. and I cannot be content with my offering because it’s not good enough.

“what can i give You this christmas?” yes, Lord what *can* i give You? as the song goes, “what can we give that You have not given? and what do we have that is not already Yours?” hmmm.. i don’t have much to offer. nothing perfect. nothing good enough, even. “but i’ll give You my heart and my own true love.. that will last the whole year through..”

and maybe, that’s all You want from me, after all :) happy birthday, Jesus! and i hope You can make use of my gift for You this year :)

the benefit of friends

today is the last prayer meeting for 2006. whaaaaat?!?!?! hahaha.. how quickly time flies! christmas is just around the corner (12 days away, to be exact).. and soon, the year will officially be over.

it seems as if 2006 just zipped by (literally!). i barely noticed the days pass. the past 365 days have probably been some of my busiest ever.. and also some of the most stressful: major problems at work.. extremely hectic schedules.. financial concerns.. discernment issues.. illnesses and health problems.. fatigue and insomnia, etc. all these kept me company throughout the year.

2006 sure has been one heck of a stressful year.. but i definitely wouldn’t call it all bad :p for though trials and difficulties abound, God’s grace and blessings abound even more :)

for me, the most important gifts that the Lord has given are the blessings of loved ones: people i love and who love me in return :) i’ve been blessed with the greatest parents in the world (hahaha.. sorry na lang ‘yung iba :p); and i would’ve been content having just both of them (did you know that parents can be really great friends & confidantes?! :p)

but probably to cushion the blows of the tests and trials i had to go through this year, God gave me the unexpected blessing of two special friends. they’re not perfect (who is?!).. but they understand and accept my imperfections.. and they are ever-ready sounding boards and shock absorbers :p

oh.. and did i mention that they’re always around to aid me whenever we’re in urgent need of an article for the newsletter? :p they also help promote (and sell!) our christmas album as well as update and layout our lyrics :) and they do so cheerfully. heck, i don’t even have to ask them.. ‘coz they volunteer! :)

this year, i learned that in friendship, it’s not the length of time you’ve known each other that counts. rather, it’s how much you give of yourselves.. and how willing you are to receive that gift.. that matters :)

“and if you just hold on.. if you find the courage to face it all for another day, someone or something will find you and make it all okay. because we all need a little help sometimes.. someone to help us hear the music in the world.. to remind us that it won’t always be this way.” - meredith grey

yup, i’ve had my share of troubles this year. but i’m glad i was able to suck it up.. to grin and bear it for another day :) ‘coz when i needed a little help, He sent me people to make it all okay :)

thank God for the benefit of friends! it’s going to be a merry christmas, indeed :p

ps: i’m working on that ‘beso beso’ thing :p

the heart of the matter

the other day, i was watching the national geographic channel. the title of the show was “fight science.” it was about the mysteries of martial arts.. and the search for the “ultimate weapon” in combat. in the show, scientists wanted to verify whether the legends about ninjas and martial arts experts were true. they wanted to find out if these people could really do seemingly superhuman acts (such as leaping from one high pole to another; breaking blocks that even sledgehammers could not shatter; and spinning a spear so fast that it actually forms a shield around the warrior).

i sat amazed as i watched the show. featured there were several martial arts experts trained in wielding various weapons. there was a master of ninjitsu (a ninja) who demonstrated perfect balance and speed. there were two burly brothers who used their hands, heads and entire bodies to shatter more than a dozen concrete blocks. there were also the weapon-wielding masters who used their favorite “tools”: the short stick, the “chako”, the spear and the samurai sword. it was unbelievable! i thought all these were simply legends. so did the scientists. but the numbers spewed out by their gadgets did not lie. these warriors were exhibiting strength that surpassed even that of the strongest muscleman. they were, quite literally, superhuman.

the scientists naturally wanted to know what enabled these warriors to perform such feats. they found out that some of them have altered physical characteristics. the brothers who shattered concrete with their bare hands? their bones were much, much denser than the average human’s. how did that happen? training. discipline. and lots and lots of pain. the quote “what does not kill you makes you stronger” certainly applies in their case.

what i found truly admirable, however, was not the strength/agility/accuracy of the warriors. what i marveled at was their control.. their discipline. imagine having the ability to bring down walls with one punch.. to kill a person with a single jab! think of the responsibility that comes with such great power! in the wrong hands.. such power can truly be deadly.

after the sticks, the spears and the swords were evaluated, the scientists concluded that there was more to these martial artists than just their skills and physical abilities. the ultimate weapon was not any of those that they wielded. it was not even their highly trained minds and bodies: “as every true fighter knows, the most important weapon is the heart of the warrior.”

we too are warriors. warriors for the Lord. and in our daily lives, we struggle.. we bear our crosses.. we try to discipline ourselves as we learn how to walk the Christian walk. we endeavor to strengthen our spiritual bones and muscles. we practice our faith. we try to please the Father the best way we know how. sometimes we stumble.. and sometimes we fall. but as we continue our training, He empowers us and changes us. and makes us truly superhuman.

in the end, the heart of the matter is really a matter of the heart. if we have the right heart, He will be faithful to transform us into more than what we ever imagined we could be.