Marks

I am not a writer. In fact, the highest I could reach in this department was as Campusiana editor of our paper way back in high school. It wasn't really a serious column, just a corner where you found jokes, puzzles, light gossip, etc. In fact, the name of my column was "Chatterbox". Got the point?
But once in a while I do get flashes of inspiration, which a favorite author of mine calls "Sophia moments". Well, when I do get "possessed" by my Sophia moment, I just write and write and write. It seems like the pen has a life of its own that neither my hands nor my brain can cope with. I cannot even check the grammar (I do that later) and my right hand feels numb and tired because of the haste. So my handwriting is undecipherable and heavy. Yes, it is so heavy that the following five pages still bear the marks of what I've written down. When I touch these pages, it is like reading braille.
In a way, life is like that. The pages ahead of me may look blank, but they are not. My future bears some marks, leftovers or ghosts of my past.
As we begin this new year, we are exhorted to leave the past behind, turn on a new leaf and start anew. Well, they do sound good and offer much hope, but they are not very realistic.
The pages ahead in the book of my life are not blank. But it doesn't mean that I cannot write down anything. Yes, I can and I am called to turn the page, but aware of the baggage that I carry. I will not let the baggage prevent me from filling up a new page, from writing a new story. The baggage will help me to understand why my story has to take another twist, or why it seems to wander in another direction.
Yes, these marks will remind me that my stories are part of a bigger story. But there is an eternal hope in my heart that despite the twists and turns, my story has a happy ending.

A new year blessing

A friend of mine texted me a beautiful blessing for the new year. I do not know if it is something original. I find it very simple but deep. I shared it with other friends and one added another line.
Now it really sounds like a Hallmark greeting.
How wonderful it is to know that despite our differences, in many ways we are connected in our dreams and desires.
Here is the blessing...

May all your sunrises in 2011 be glorious and bright,
and all your sunsets be filled with fulfillment and delight,
and thanksgiving, peace and hope hum you to sleep at night.

Thank you, Jesus

Thank you, Lord, for the good times. They fill my heart with joy.
Thank you, Lord, for the bad times. They make me discover my inner treasures.
Thank you, Lord, for your quiet Presence that permeates my every day.
Thank you, my Everyday Compassion.

Searching for God's face

When I started this blog two years ago, I did it as a sort of experiment, to try my hand on this new technology. I had my own reservations as to writing down my deepest thoughts and experiences and sharing them online, so I opted to use a pseudonym. I even had a hard time looking for a title for this blog.
Looking back, I can see that everything has been a blessing. The title, "Everyday Compassion" is how I want to describe God. He is a God of the ordinary. He is a God who is with me in the monotony of daily life, in the exciting adventures, in my little victories and in my failures. As I read through the postings I've made these past two years, indeed, the face of God as "Everyday Compassion" emerges.
I wouldn't have arrived at this point if He hadn't stayed on patiently with me. God's greatest gift to me is not His magically resolving my problems or getting me out of my difficulties. His greatest gift is His choice to stay with me, in good and in bad times. He is truly Emmanuel, God-with-us.

The quiet joy that Jesus gives

Wow, 2010 is almost over! It hasn't exactly been an easy year. Once in a while I still feel that biting ache in my heart. Will it be there forever, haunting my life from time to time? A favorite author of mine says yes, because that is the human person's unending search for God.
However, I believe that I am making progress. I am moving forward. Even the physical signs of tiredness, insomnia, excessive weight loss and melancholy have greatly diminished.
But I still have to continue each day - to try my best to approach life and circumstances with more hope. May I always remember that Jesus has won, and is always giving me the joy that no one can take away.
I've always thought that joy and sorrow can never co-exist. But more and more I realize that it is sorrow that exposes mirth for what it is, superficial and transitory. It is not joy.
Joy is quiet. Joy is pure. Joy lasts because it doesn't depend on people, things and circumstances.
Only Jesus gives me this joy and He has promised that no one can take it away.

Christmas without Christ

These days I am treating myself to viewing feel-good Christmas movies. They really make me feel good, albeit a little bit nostalgic, with their message of family, love, forgiveness, faith. They almost succeed in selling the idea that miracles still do happen.
I have a problem, though. In almost all of these movies, the protagonist that personifies the Christmas spirit is ... Santa Claus. Well, he isn't really a bad guy. He loves kids, gives gifts to the good ones. He is jolly and kind. He wants to make people happy. He seems to embody everything that is ideal so that there would be harmony, joy and love.
But in reality, this is not really something originally Santa Claus'.
It is Jesus Christ who embodies these ideals.
Before Jesus came, the best the human race could come up with, in terms of governing relationships is the eye-for-an-eye-rule.
But Jesus, through His life and His teachings, has showed us that we can go beyond that. We can go the extra mile, we can turn the other cheek, we can love our enemies and pray for those who hate us. And it is this which makes harmony, joy and love possible.
So, move aside, Santa dear. Let us make way for Jesus. Let us put back Christ in Christmas. With Christ in our lives, everyday can be Christmas.

Happy birthday, Jesus

When You came to this world more than 2000 years ago, very few people welcomed You.
This Christmas day and always, may You find a home in my heart and in the hearts of my family, friends and loved ones.
Happy birthday, Jesus. Thank you for loving me.