SIMBANG GABI

Yearly, as soon as Christmas time arrives, one thing that I really anticipate is the Simbang Gabi. For the past years, which started back when I was in high school, I’ve been really doing my best to complete the 9 days of dawn masses.  I’ve been completing it most of the time. If I have an absent, I must be sick or there must be some valid reason. When I was in college, it was such a struggle because there were times when I had to attend the mass alone. It was a bit scary because there is always danger in walking alone most especially in that time of the day. But God had graciously kept me safe from any harm in a span of four years. How great is that? On the other side, it was really more enjoyable when there were many of us in the dorm who attended the mass together

They say that when you are able to complete the nine days of masses and you make a wish, it will surely come true. Well, to tell you honestly, it’s also one of my driving force and I think God had granted most of my wishes. I remember, I would almost cry when I had to wake up so early and I didn’t have enough sleep because I had to stay up late at night reviewing for my exams. It was a struggle and a sacrifice, too! And I think God has rewarded me very well for it! I graduated and passed the board exam and now I’m already a working professional.

This year, I really intend to complete another nine days of Simbang Gabi. But the ridiculous thing is that on the first day, I was late! I set my alarm clocks, yes, there were two of them. And yes, I was awakened and I turned them off, but I didn’t rise immediately. And guess what! In a matter of second, I drifted back into my sleep! I was awakened at around 4:45 (the mass starts at 4:00). I felt so sad and terrible! The thought of my record being ruined really troubled me. But an “angel” helped me. I texted a friend who attended the mass and expressed my dismay about not being able to wake up early. Surprisingly, she replied and told me that the mass is just in the homily part and I could still catch up. My spirit was lifted and I woke up my mom and we rushed and headed into the church. Well, technically, we were able to attend the mass. But it was not really that satisfying for me! I must not let it happen again! God help me!

Lessons learned? First, never ignore your precious alarm clock.Seriously! Second, it’s better to be late than never. 

I must and I will complete it! :)

SEIZE THE MOMENT

This is a bit late for me to write but anyway, I still want to share a few experiences that I had. The past weeks had been quite different, entwined with fortunate and unfortunate series of events.  Sometimes things can become such a mess because of some inevitable unlucky happenings. And yet, such despair or annoyance can be wiped out with simple, inexplicable joy resulting from precious moments that we experience especially when spent with people close to our hearts.

So I am writing these few cherished moments because it only happens once in a blue moon and can possibly not happen again. As I have said many bad things have happened for the past days but I opt not to go with those anymore. It will only spoil my mood. So I just want to tell my story.

My uncle who is living in Manila came to the province to attend some personal and family matters. You should know that when I say family matters, it can mean complicated and chaotic matters. But the good part is that it also means some get-together/reunions. Last December 8, Saturday, upon arriving from work, I and my mom went to our relative’s house. My mom’s two brothers, their aunt and a few cousins were there and we shared stories while having a merienda, an early dinner actually. It was such a very precious time because I got to see them talk and share stories. I really enjoyed listening to their stories which shifted from one topic to another. There, they discussed about problems, gossips, personal matters and anything that comes out of the blue. But do you know what I loved the most? It was seeing our family share laughter. It was a very rare, funny moment, indeed! I truly wish that it will happen more often.

Another story, last December 10, Monday, there was no electricity in the province- for the record, let me just say that the electricity was cut because of some annoying unpaid debt. Okay! So we had a quiet evening. We finished all the chores that had to be done when there was still daylight. When it got dark, we started preparing our dinner. Since we were anticipating that the electricity will not be restored instantly, we had to cook the meat and fish stored in the fridge. So my mom and my uncle did the cooking and everything else and all that I did was to hold the flashlight (laughs!). After then, we had a sumptuous dinner and everybody was full!

After dinner, my uncle went outside the house and stargazed. I followed. The stars were so beautiful! There were so many tiny illuminating lights above us, our only source of light aside from the flickering candlelight. It was such a splendor to see! My uncle even took a small chair and went to the middle of the garden and just looked up above. He even played music and sang along. 

One thing I realized from that one is that it’s also a good thing that we sometimes get detached from our busy, modern world. All of the times, we get too preoccupied with so many things and we already forget to take enjoyment from simple things, especially from the beauty of nature. For that instance, when there’s no electricity, people were just in their homes with their families, perhaps having talks or whatsoever with one another. How many times do we get to have the entire member of the family in just one place? There was no television, radio, laptop or even cellphone; hence, you get a moment of silence, away from the fuss of worldly stuff. We rarely have this kind of moment now. It is even very calming to just enjoy the silence and serenity of the world around you.

Rare things happen in unexpected circumstances. Thus, the best thing that we can do is to simply savor those moments for they might not happen again!