From Dawn Till Dusk

Anticipating that I’ll occupied for five days for some last hurrah at work, I was kinda hesitant at the last minute to sleep over the Hotel where my little team will be staying even if I concurred to do overnight work just as to accomplish many expected tasks. Not that I don’t want to sacrifice my precious time with the family, because always when I am asked, I would say that I am more than willing to devote the five days for the big event since it will be my last. It’s just that I am so worried that even Jun would be there to supervise the housework that needs to be accomplished by our two kasambahays Rizza and Ness, they won’t be able to manage everything well in the house.

The laundry and ironing of clothes (most especially Nico’s school uniforms), what to cook for the three major meals, bathing and dressing up Nico for school, and keeping up with the scheduled napping and sleep hours in the night for Nico were topmost of my concerns.I wonder if they could do everything because the last time I was on a three-day seminar in Tagaytay two years back, I remember Jun didn’t do a good job - - at all. Hay grabe, disaster. He resorted to buying viands (and even rice, imagine that?) in what he called “trusted Carinderias” near our residence even if I stocked meals to cook inside the fridge. Good thing though Nico didn’t catch anything bad in the stomach out of his Dad’s frequent trips to the Carinderias. And to add to that three-day disaster, the Dad shy away from keeping up with the scheduled long-afternoon naps of Nico even if it was my strict bilin that he should stick on a scheduled routine. Shucks, his only reason for not adhering to the schedule: Nico just wanted to play the entire afternoon and simply wouldn’t want to sleep. Well, I had no other choice then but to accept things as they were. What’s been done were done, so need I complain? Continue Reading »

Children are our most valuable natural resource.” — Herbert Hoover

True enough, the quote above was exactly how I felt a week ago. In the middle of a very hectic and toxic day at the AEM Press Center last week, I got an unexpected text message from Hubby asking me to call home as he’s got good news. “Pls call home, matutuwa ka. Gud news,” the text message stated. I didn’t pay attention to the text message at first as I thought Hubby was just making pa-cute and pa-miss to me since I haven’t been home for two days. But Jun persisted calling my attention by texting one or two more SMS prodding me to call home ASAP. So after some more minutes of seeing most of the media persons quite contented in their working stations doing their stories, I called home. “So what’s the good news? We’re so busy here and exhausted na ako and I can’t keep talking to you on the phone for long,” I said. “Hay naku matutuwa ka at mawawala ang pagod mo. Nandito na ang test results ni Nico for the first quarter and you know what?” Jun said but hanging his statement. “What?” said me. “He’s got very high grades, nakakatuwa!” Jun said, then dictating to me Nico’s exam results for all the four subjects.

Continue Reading »

“There he comes to his senses, and determines to return home and throw himself on his father’s mercy.” (An excerpt from Luke 15:11-32)

Above is the highlight of the Parable of the Prodigal Son- - a legendary Gospel story that brings to life Jesus’ teachings of repentance, forgiveness and love. It tales about a father whose willful son refuses to work on the family farm, and instead demanded for his inheritance and goes off to see the challenges in the world, encounters glittering temptations along his way and eventually return to his family, where his father, welcomed him again with open arms.

Personally, I’ve known of the story since childhood as it was one of the many Bible stories told to us back then in Sunday school. But it never occurred to me I’d be referring to the same Bible story again until a recent episode in our lives gave way to reflect onto the moral lessons of the story. Continue Reading »