When Seniors Dance

That blog title should really be.”When Seniors Attempt, Strive, Try, Struggle, Venture, Undertake, and Exert Remaining Effort to Dance.” But that would be too long—as long as the hours it took to get every step right.  

Still, we didn’t get it right. Not even if we kept following the vocal instructions and physical movements of our non-senior choreographer (center). These photos speak the truth. 

But the applause after the dance number was deafening and as long as the what-should-have-been the blog title.  

It’s our church's golden anniversary. And we’d do anything to honor the God Who has been faithful for 50 years, His grace keeping us seniors strong and mobile to celebrate it. 

"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiaah 46:4 NIV   

Serves You Right: Schadenfreude

We have an expression in Filipino that gloats over another person’s misfortune, “Buti nga sa yo” (literal translation: serves you right). 

What happened to Mr. Ramon, a haughty, arrogant man, dramatizes this. He was rude to people below his status. He wore only designer clothes and shoes. His car: Mercedes Benz, no less. 

On his way to a client call one afternoon, his car rammed into another car. In his Armani suit, he got down and lamented his plight. His office mates, who were in a separate cab, saw Mr. Ramon’s predicament. Instead of helping him, they all laughed and exchanged high fives, “Buti nga sa yo.”

 

There is a German word that accurately describes the group’s attitude, Schadenfreude (meaning, damage-joy).  It captures that satisfied feeling we get when someone, who has repeatedly wronged or belittled us, runs into trouble.  

In 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 (NLT), Apostle Paul could have reacted with Schadenfreude when a member of the church, who had committed a grievous sin, was disciplined and punished by the church members. But his attitude baffled the people. He said that the man had already repented and that disciplining him was punishment enough. 

He encouraged them instead: “. . . it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him . . . when you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. . . “  

Paul’s message to all followers of Jesus: we should not gloat over the misfortune of those who oppose us. In fact, in a message by Pastor Moe three Sundays ago, he encouraged us to do the opposite to the unlovable.  One of the many verses he quoted was Romans 12:14, "Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them."  

The next verse can make any believer quiver: |If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer,that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? (1 John 4:20)

Truth to tell, it is extremnely difficult not to revel in Schadenfreude. But it is our (those of us who have been born again and now living under the saving grace of Christ) mandate to keep trying . . . and trying.  

Queuing for a Signature and a Selfie

First, the good news.  

The huge, noisy crowd before the pandemic at the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) is back! I could hardly navigate my way to the CSM booth where I launched my new book, a devoseries titled “Ready, Set, Focus!” I was pushed in so many directions by the excited throng of book enthusiasts. 

Second, the not-so-good news. 

The looooong queues for signature and selfie were toward celebrities (movie and TV stars) and authors of romance novels written in either Tagalog or Taglish. These demonstrate where reading in the Philippines is going. 

I am neither a celebrity nor an author of romance books, so I sign books for those who value reading about grace, which is where I am in writing for children and adults. 

On the other hand, this is good news, a very good news. As we called it in advertising: niche market. Readers queue for my books, not for me. This is a concrete reminder that writing about values is not about fame or fortune. 

I am grateful for the grace every stroke of a pen brings--writing a short message on the blessings that come with every book, every book fair--for every reader.  

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice"  Philippians 4:4  

Closet Voyage

Try opening one of your closets. (If you are a male reading this, I mean your wife’s closet.) What do you see?  

My aunt, a frugal Ilocana, advised me one day, “If you have not worn or used something for two years, you will never wear or use it again. So give it away to someone who needs it.”  She said that when she heard me gushing over a mall where all goods go on sale every quarter.  

Those were grace words I never took seriously till I left the corporate world and found myself at home more often than in malls that go on sale. And then came the pandemic, which changed my life thereafter! 

And so when I opened one closet one day, my vision suddenly cleared and beheld all the things I had not used/worn in two years.  

I opened another closet, and there they were! I pulled them out (not that easily; some I thought I could still wear after losing the weight I gained during the Covid-19 lockdowns) and donated them to our church’s rummage sale or to victims of calamity—whichever was more urgent at the moment.  

May I now invite you to go on a closet voyage (unless you’ve beaten me to the draw)? You’ll find “trash” that were once “treasures” and you’ll be surprised at how much/many you want to give away. 

Your closet will thank you for the extra breathing space. And you will understand, as I now do, what Paul meant when he enjoined the Philippians (chapter 4:11-12 NLT), “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything . . .” 

To the men (including Tony beloved), here’s a gentle nudge. Ask yourself silently: How can I share with others and say bon voyage to what I have found in my wife’s closets?    

Note: This was written during the pandemic, when Tony was constantly teasing me about my bursting closets. But by fluke or absent-mindedness, this post was never uploaded. I am now going through the same closet voyage while our house is being repaired. Suddenly, I miss Tony's ribbing.   

Signing, Not Blogging

The Manila Internatonal Book Fair (MIBF) is in full swing. It's the third day, and if I don't go to the happiest place on earth, I will miss the books I had wanted to browse and buy. 

Most importantly, I need to see and touch my new book, "Ready,  Set, Go!" (published CSM and  illustrated by Urli Pagaduan) After my editor sent the last page of the manuscript months ago, I have been holding my breath, impatiently waiting to see and touch the actual book. 

Finally! Today, in a few hours, I will be at MIBF to hobnob with book afficionados and sign my books for readers. I already missed many of them. This photo was sent to me on Day1. 

I am looking forward to also meeting new friends and long-time buddies, whom I only chat with on social media. (Blogging will definitely come again soon.)  

Grace overload!   

Benefit of the Doubt

I used to hear this conversation (argument) between my sons and their father.  Whenever Tony gave street children food or treated them to snacks or meals, the debate ensued.  

“Papa, you are encouraging begging!” 

“I am not giving them money, I am simply feeding these poor, hungry children.” 

“But they’ll grow up thinking begging is the way to live. They will lose their drive to work hard for the things they need,” sons would stress. “Haven’t you read the government’s warning that these kids are controlled by syndicates?” 

“I give them the benefit of the doubt,” Tony would reply gently. To me he confided, "I simply love doing it." 

Giving someone the benefit of the doubt is to believe something good about him/her—rather than something bad, when you have the possibility of believing either. 

“You are being too kind!” sons would insist.   

Since Tony left us for home, these arguments are no more. And so I ask, is there such a thing as being too kind? 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NLT) says, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.” 

How then can we know if our heart and acts of kindness are what God means in the above verses? 

We can go to Him in prayer and ask for His grace of discernment, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:23-24) 

God encourages us to be kind to one another, even enemies. 

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32) 

My Dad’s Tree

This lomboy (duhat in Filipino; Java Plum in English) tree standing tall at the corner of two roads in our village is 48 years old. It was planted by my late dad. Behind it is our home which is just as old.  

Dad, the original plantito--long before the term was invented--planted many kinds of trees in our yard immediately after we moved in. He and mom lived in the province, but he came to visit us to work the ground. Unfortunately, we had to cut the trees down when we had a house extension for three growing sons. 

The only tree left is the lomboy because it is farthest from the house and didn’t interfere with the construction.  

Every year, this tree generously bears fruits. Because it has grown so tall, Mother Teresa had painstakingly constructed a fruit picker made of a long wooden pole. During the tree's peak season, she would serve us and our neighbors a bowl of lomboy—washed, sprinkled with salt, and gently shaken in  a covered bowl for a few minutes until the lomboy softens and the salt enhances its natural sweetness. Yum! 

Caution: lomboy leaves your lips and tongue blue, as though you’re suffering from cyanosis or lack of oxygen.  

Forty eight years later, today, our aged house is being renovated because it is falling apart. All the plants in the garden have disappeared from sight because they’re hidden by heaps upon heaps of construction materials.  

But the lomboy tree? 

It is far too tall, far too strong, and far too far away to be affected by it all. It needs to be pruned now and then because its branches get in the way of  electric wires, but Dad’s tree has set its place in the sun. 

From our terrace, Tony and I would often talk about Lolo Mate's tree, how it stood the test of time. With Tony gone, I view it still, but without words. So I decided to outdo words this morning by clicking my camera and let the photo above speak for itself.