Q&A on (My) Blogging

Whenever conversations go in the direction of blogging (as it did again this week), I am always asked these same questions.

Q. Why blog? 

A. My sons talked me into blogging in 2006 because almost all I do is write. 

Q. What?! You’ve been blogging for, uh, 18 years?!

A. Well, yeah. I post a blog every three to four days; I haven’t missed my rhythm yet. 

Q. What?! 

A. . . . 

Q. What do you write about?  

A. Anything about grace, God’s grace.  

Q. Don’t you run out of things to write about?

A. Does grace run out? Ever?  In fact, I have six months of blogs already written and scheduled for posting.  

Q. What?! You have to be kidding! 

A. . . . 

See, nobody believes me, as though I were some kind of a leg-puller. But to young people who want to be published writers and come to me for tips, I say like a looped recording, “You have to have the itch to write, every single day. Write on all spaces. Blogging is one such space."  

However you want to call it, for me, writing is a tic. A most welcome, delightful tic! It’s my stress buster, vitamin pill, picker-upper, den, refreshment, and watering hole—all in one. 

There's a hitch though. 

Because all my finished blogs have already been scheduled, I need to alter the scheduling when I blog again. And that takes keen attention to details such as the dates on current and future calendars so that not one is missed or misplaced in a different portal.  

If you are a blogger and you have a tic like mine, I am sure you enjoy answering questions such as those above.  

  

Gen Z: Uncharted Territory

“Talking to Gen Z’s is always a treat,” this I say often. Because each time I do, I navigate an unknown territory.  I see familiar terrains, but when I go closer, they are unrecognizable. It’s like being lost in my own space. Scary, but in fear, there is adventure. 

When Gen Z nieces (daughters of BFFs) invite me to a Gen Z gathering, I can’t say “no.” One such invite was Hanna’s. She said her Literary Society was considering me to be a speaker for its career seminar.  

It was my undoing. 

Preparing my talk required me to see the topic “Outside the Box” from their POV. There are gray areas in what this means to different generations. Just look at how differently we visualized the concept. 

But from my experience and research, there is a common ground among all life stages: not theories, but stories. We all like to listen to real-life stories that touch our own. 

So I interwove age-old theories on success with authentic stories from the workplace, my milieu for 20 years. 

Although I got hugs of appreciation at the end of the event, I was concerned whether my message resonated with them. Then I read this article on their social media page: 

 

After the successful event 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘅: 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, let us share impactful moments that truly resonated with our Literature majors.   

“ . . . [she] opened up with stories about her career. She shared a well-designed acronym to help in navigating the jungle which is the workplace. IMHO: Innovate, Move emotions, Hone abilities, and Overcome weaknesses. She highlighted the importance of excellence as the standard for working.

Grace enabled us to be on the same page!   

Yet I maintain: Gen Z remains an uncharted territory. My friend Ggie, who accompanied me to the event, said I failed to answer one question, “Would you advice taking a gap before applying for a job?’” 

Gap?! What's that?! Duh. In my time, we had to keep going . . . and going . . .and going. 

Inheritance Woes (2)

Erning, the eldest of nine siblings, was born to parents who owned vast farmlands in the province. After his parents had gone to glory, he found himself in charge of their estate which they had divided equally among their children.  

It was a problem because all his siblings had migrated to various parts of the world.  So they begged him to please take care of logistics—paying taxes, solving tenant problems, and overseeing the planting and reaping seasons. Naturally, Erning had to account for the profits and expenses.  

In the process, he was accused of being dishonest—pocketing profits and not remitting all that was due them.  

Long distance communication created problems. Details were missed out and all this erupted into a huge family feud. The once closely-knit family had broken into factions. 

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:10 NLT)  

After one church service, where Erning was a lay pastor, he invited the elders to his house and let his heart out. (I have taken the liberty to narrate his words briefly.) 

“You all know how my parents worked hard to buy properties so that that they could leave them all to us, their children. I wish they had not left us anything. Money has brought nothing but trouble. What’s worse,  I no longer have a family—most of my siblings have turned against me. And I have no way of explaining to those who still haven’t.” 

The elders laid their hands on Erning and prayed for him.   

Inheritance woes (or a feud) in families have existed since Biblical times. Only those who live by grace, not by greed for material wealth, can escape this age-old disease. 

Inheritance Woes (1)

“Sorry I’m late,” Troy apologized to his buddy, Paolo, in a coffee shop. “I was with my lawyer, signing away all my properties to my children.” 

"What?!" Paolo was aghast, “Are you crazy?! Why?” 

“Well, I want to spare them the trouble after my death. You know, inheritance taxes and transfer of deeds are a pain.”  

“Didn’t you hear about what happened to Caloy?” Paolo asked.  

“No, what happened?” 

“He transferred the deed of his big house to his only daughter. A year later, she and her husband asked Caloy to move out and stay in a small condo unit which they rented for him.” 

Dread started to line Troy’s face. Trying to look calm, he said, “Before my wife passed, my children promised her they’d take care of me.”  

“Yeah, our children may not be a problem, but we have no control over their spouses, you know, in-laws,”  Paolo shrugged. 

There are two schools of thought among parents about their investments: 

1) bequeath them, while they are still lucid, to their heirs; 

2) Keep them, so in their sunset years, they still have a hold over their children.    

Material possessions have been, since ancient times, the most common source of conflict among siblings. No wonder parents worry about how they should be left behind. 

Let’s seek Scripture for wisdom about material wealth: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19–20 NLT)

“If you have savings and properties you worked hard for,” my late Mom used to say, “remember that these are grace that you need to bequeath to the needy and church ministries."  

The Language of Kindness

Book talks had often brought me to many places in the country. It was a regular activity with my publishers. 

The pandemic, however, put a stop to that. And now that the restrictions have been lifted, it is not easy to go back to regular programming. Many things ground to a halt (procedures, traffic, transportation, protocols, etc.) 

And today, there’s the punishing heat! 

The way to go is online. The invitation to speak at Brightwoods School, as organized by Teacher Catherine Martinez during its Language Week, was not one to pass up. From my workroom, without having to worry about the long road trip to Pampanga, I was able to speak to over 100 school children and their teachers about “Kindness.”

As an author, I weave stories around values, using characters to model them. For me, values go way beyond literal words. They speak through words of behavior and relationships.  

For this, I used some books in the Mateo series in inculcating kindness among children and titled my talk with two words, “Be kind.” 

During His ministry on earth, Jesus embodied this wherever He went. That, to me, is the crux of kindness—and concluded my talk. 

By perfect coincidence, Brightwoods (founded by Ana Maria Yap-Zubiri, the directress) featured my Mateo books that won Palanca Awards in the introduction. 

What I will always remember about that event was the Q&A. The young students asked incisive and profound questions that needed equally reflective answers. Some of them are interested in writing! This was critical thinking at its best (my dream for my college students).

Through Hiyas of OMF Literature, I thank all those involved in the event for inviting me. I am unable to name you all, but I hope to meet you someday. Till then, you will forever be remembered for your kindness. 

It was another peak experience for this writer on grace. 

Photos: by Meljie Lorenzo of OMFLit

I Don't Want to Judge

At first blow, “I don’t want to judge” is a noble statement among Christians. It is also what we call, in this era of compromise, "politically correct." 

Many now believe that every being has the right to say whatever he wants and what to do with his life. We are warned in so many ways not to rock the boat or be branded as self righteous. 

If you as much say a peep about the Word, about what is wrong, the world will hit you back with what is also in the Bible, ". . . let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" (John 8:7 NLT) 

So, can we censure and correct? Unless it is within our inner circle (family, friends, and church mates), we are afraid of being lynched if we even tried.  

This dilemma has bothered me as I watch with grief the way the world is going—people freely doing anything, sowing seeds of hatred, choosing the gender they prefer, and speaking in despicable language on the Internet.    

“I don't want to judge” then, among Christians, is a washing-of-hands stance. It is an abdication of our responsibility to lead people to Jesus. Every day, as abominations in the Bible (gender re-definition, cursing, greed, idolatry, theft, fake news, etc.) are blatantly committed and justified, we stand still.    

Worse, we can even be tempted to go with these modern “trends” and nobody will say we're wrong.    

What are we to do? 

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” (Philippians 2:14-15) 

In a perverse world, may the Lord always shine His grace on us so we can likewise let our light shine. 

Philippine Book Fest: Day 2

On day 2, I had book-signing assignments at both the Hiyas booth (children's books) and the OMF Lit booth (Inspirational books for adults). It was another hot day, and so to survive, I chose to wear a loose caftan I usually wear in the neighborhood. A little choker was a camouflage for the casual outfit.  

Signing books for adults opens the door for conversations—I am told about the reasons for buying the book. These reasons border on struggles and coping, my very own when writing every page. Their stories resonate with me and in between we hug tightly. 

I pray that grace may find all of us as we go through this precipice called life, especially these last days. 

"Are you still writing?" they ask.   

"Till the Lord takes me home," is my reply, which is also my wish and prayer. 

"Please do," they encourage me. 

Here are more memories that I will take to my grave: 

I thank the OMF Lit staff for being there every step of the way, overly fussing about and making sure I had everything I needed for the "job." But book events are never a job. They are refreshments, precious gifts from the author of life.  

Photos by: Meljie Lorenzo

Philippine Book Fest 2024: Day 1

These photos by Meljie Lorenzo of OMF Lit can tell the grace story better than I ever could. As you can see, it was a happy day well—very, very well—spent with book lovers. 

(Hosted by the National Book Development Board Philippines [NBDB], the second PBF was held at the World Trade Center. It promotes the culture of reading while developing the publishing industry in the country. NBDB is the government agency that focuses on the development of the book publishing industry.) 

Sense of Entitlement

“In the mall near our home,” narrated my friend Cely, “senior citizens sit in chairs provided by Starbucks for spill-over customers. At any given time, there are around eight to 10 of them. What’s odd is, they are there as soon as the coffee shop opens, ahead of paying customers.”  

Cely, who is likewise a senior, said this happens every single day—prior to the pandemic and immediately after the malls opened again. The elderly rush to the newspaper rack and start reading or start chatting with his/her companion. Not one orders anything. This must be frustrating to paying customers who want to read the newspapers, too. 

In the same light, there are: those who watch movies during free-for-seniors day and snore there, disturbing their neighbors; those who occupy store's rocking chairs or settees and put their unshod feet up and nap. 

Since the enactment of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 (Republic Act 9994), senior citizens are now experiencing a surge of respect for the elderly. Younger people allow us to be ahead in queues (bank, toilet, wherever) and offer their seats on a bus. 

Sadly, there is also a surge of seniors having a sense of entitlement. Some demand quick service and preferential treatment, often gesturing authoritatively and not mincing words. If all of these scenarios are replicated in all malls, well, what impression are we leaving the young?  

Seniors are in that enviable stage where we can be role models to all ages below ours. We therefore need to re-enact the good things we taught our children when we wanted them to behave properly and politely.           

The Bible enjoins young and old, “. . . let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16 NLT)

Don’t laugh, but I am now asking my adult children, and listing their answers in my mind, what were some of the things I taught them about good behavior, before it's too late for me to re-learn them.