Happy New Decade!

(My head is bursting with so many things to blog about. But my body is still lethargic from all the New Year revelry and for some reason, I am nodding off. So I’ll do the next best thing. I am uploading excerpts from my column "Big Little People" today in the Kids' Section of The Freeman, a major daily in Cebu City.)

"I am excited to announce to you that I fulfilled my one and only New Year’s resolution last year! I resolved in 2009 to read my chronological Bible from cover to cover.

"Well, I have read the last page, the last sentence, the last word.

"Finished. Done.

"Since it was dated like a diary, I was able to read the day’s passages every day. Sometimes I would read more than the day’s chapters to make up for those busy, busy days when I missed my reading schedule.

"By the end of last year (total of 365 days), success! I patted myself on the back when nobody was looking.

"It feels good to have been able to fulfill a New Year’s resolution. And it was a wonderful experience, too. Imagine reading about the beginning of time when God created the world to the time Jesus came to us on that first Christmas, died, and came back to life on Easter!

"It was better than reading a novel where there is a beginning, middle and ending. The Bible told me that there indeed was a beginning for man, a middle—but absolutely no ending.

"God’s people will live forever and ever (after they die), in a place called heaven.

"On New Year’s Eve, two houses in our neighborhood seemed like they were on fire. All the lights—inside and outside—were turned on, turned off only at sunrise.

"They claim that, 'A bright house on the first day of the year will be prosperous the rest of the year.'

"But from what I read in my chronological Bible, there is only One who can give us the riches we want—and that is Christ, whose birthday we celebrated on Christmas. Lights cannot give us gifts, but the one true Light can.

"Everything comes from Him. Only He can shower us with blessings, or withhold it.

"Let me quote what Jesus said to the religious teachers and leaders during His time: John 8:12—'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'

"May the Light of the world shine upon you in this new decade!"

(Photos: Last sunset of the decade taken by Tony from the balcony of our room at Punta de Fabian where we welcomed the New year with the Vergara clan.)