Weddings in July

Grateful honored, and blessed to see it with my own eyes as couples exchanged their solemn vows in holy moments–in celebration of love. It was another milestone conceived through courtship and commitment to love for life–for better or for worse. Three happy days in July, when a month was both graced with elegance and simplicity, with colors and beauty, with rejoicing and tears of joy, with dancing and feasting–all these for the unconditional love of the brides and grooms I have known for years and years. I had to fly miles and miles just to be a part of these important days of their lives. And I am so glad to have made it. Each wedding told me a different story–the beauty of waiting; of grace and miracle; perfection in imperfection–what the Maker had planned long to knit every couple together no one could tear them apart. Blessings on your new journey as husbands and wives.  

Beautiful Weirdness

Do they really think they can predict what is on my mind? I am so grateful that the Father above is not transcendent. But your state of grace creeps me out–it grieves my heart rather. Undeniably, we do have different orientations or statuses in life because we clashed the way we understood things. OK, I’ll buy it this time. So call me weird for trying to be praxis or doing things out of the ordinary–not in the way you thought they would be, but we call it goodness or kindness or mercy where I come from. Please remind me because I can no longer recall how many individuals whom I didn’t know personally and yet had messaged me, called me, and even met me in person for favors big and small. They were never strangers–not even weird individuals–because they were God’s sent that I might grasp the meaning of serving, giving, blessing and honoring my Master through this encounter. It was all God’s grace.

     

Unspoken Words

For the past few weeks, my own words have been confined deep within me, unspoken–wondering what went wrong–driven by things unknown. Now I understand the reasons why. They were meant to be suppressed temporarily. I had to keep them even if it was against my will. I had to do it in a peaceful way or else things could have been the irony. As if the effort to utter spoken words right then could help. Silence for many instances–like this time–it truly matters. Never mind how many times it would occur, just learn the art of it once in a while.

Transient Again

In my short lifetime, the word transient has never been obsolete because our journey on earth is full of this stage–it comes on and off whenever and wherever the destiny pleases. It is an experience that many of us would like to look back or ignore perhaps. When that particular time is over, we do have our own choices to make–to dwell on that beautiful memory if not move on from that nightmare. Life as a transient is like a treasure hunting at times–we take out the good ones from the hidden box or keep the rest necessarily and unravel them in due time. I am a transient again–for now, but I know it is not going for long. And let me take life as it is for a while.

First Time

We all run into these first things or first times of our lives. Life has a lot of these unexpected encounter to learn or even to be angry about. You choose your response. In my decades of traveling and flying, it was only during this recent trip back home I experienced ever an odd situation (but a norm to many passengers) my stuff being stolen, and went home with a broken luggage. But I have chosen to let it go this time. I am not praying to come across for more of this though–a very disappointing first-time circumstance, but I pray for more improvements including safety at the airfields. I can’t typecast every worker or generalize this latest experience of mine, I just wish that every airport will produce trustworthy workmen. I know, it is hope against hope. I won’t name names here–not this time, but let God’s grace works through me and whoever did it. Hopefully, there will be no more first time like this in the future flights.

It Is Home

I am back home–for good. Funny it may seem, but from the past four days until this hour, there has been a strange feeling coming over me–that reality called isolation. Don’t judge me, but I can’t help to feel like an alien in my own homeland. One, I have been away for a very long period of time. This isn’t the first, but I always had this feeling whenever I was here–this time is no difference. I know the exact reason for this and have prepared myself even to the worst scenario, and yet this eerie feeling keeps coming back so often, disturbing. When this truth gets to me, I just have to remind myself, I think, that I still belong here and this is where I should be. I pray for God’s grace.

    

Chock-full

The last ten days of May were so exhausting to go through. Aside from four flights to mind, visa issues to tackle, a big conference in Southeast Asia to attend, and a few more important stuff to care about–had to be done in a short time–all chock-full of busy life, going home for good was also trying to steal the show. For the first time in my existence had to sleep late every single night during those times, the remaining ten days of last month’s. Although it was worth the effort, but my body almost gave in. left me worn out like I’d never been my entire life. What an experience to endure!