Kairos

Our house almost got razed to the ground! Oh, okay, I may be exaggerating just a little bit but it could have happened, God only knows. There was a power interruption last night in the area where we live, actually one of the very few times that I experienced black out since being here in the US. It lasted for a couple of seconds only and within a blink of an eye, the power came back on again…. so that was no biggie – until I heard something like a gurgling sound coming from the kitchen. It was very similar to that which a coffee machine makes towards the end of it’s brewing time, except much louder. So perplexed, I ran to the kitchen to check out what it was, in time to see our refrigerator burst aflame! “Oh my God!” I thought, “ FIRE! Our house is going to burn!” My instinct was to grab a glass of water to quench the fire but instead I yelled frantically to my husband (who was upstairs at that time so he had no idea what was going on) -- “Fire! Fire! The refrigerator is on fire!!!” ...

I had a core biopsy done yesterday on cystic growths in my breasts. Many of you may not know, but I am "lumpy" :oD I have multiple cysts and nodules in both my breasts. I have known about this since 2003 and had been having my annual mammogram and sonogram since then. I dreaded the thought of having a biopsy, but I guess, this procedure became inevitable the moment my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and died from it the following year. It was just a matter of time. Last month on my breast sonogram routine exam, the doctors found multiple new growths (bilaterally), and some of those existing ones increased in size. But what really concerned them are two particular lumps, one from each breast, that look suspicious. These findings established the need for me to have biopsy done on those two lumps in question, especially given the history of my family, particularly that of my very own mother. I first noticed the lumps during a self-examination. Looking b...

It was 1:30am. I was in that state between deep sleep and consciousness. I heard the phone ring, but faintly. It seemed like it came from a cave, the ring sounded hollow and far. But the ringing got louder, until it got too loud that I jolted up from my bed. It wasn’t a dream. Our phone was indeed ringing, slicing through the stillness of the night. I’ve had too many incidents like this in the past 2-3 years – from when my mother was fighting her life due to breast cancer, and later on, my father having his own medical crisis as well. So, hearing the phone ring in the middle of the night brought back the all too familiar feeling of doom. Fear flooded my soul in an instant. My heart began to pound so heavy in my chest, like someone beating my bosom with a 2x4 piece of wood. My thoughts are immediately with my father in the Philippines. Whatever it is, I prayed quickly “Lord, I hope it’s nothing serious.” I jumped out of the bedroom, made my way to the next room, all while blindly gropin...

Once years ago when my friends and I were on an island vacation, we decided to go on an excursion to see a waterfall. This waterfall, we were told, was in a secluded spot in the middle of the island’s forest, and that, its water cascades down to form a beautiful pool at its foot where one may swim. But despite its beauty, the locals told us that not a lot go there because it is not very accessible. We were too consumed with excitement to even recognize the warning behind these words. So on we go, only to find out soon enough that the trek was far from being simple. It turned out to be a challenging one - especially for city girls like us – with all the difficult climbs up the hill, slippery paths and hours and hours of walking. Now we know why not a lot of people frequent the spot. I was hot and tired and my knees felt like they were going to give out on me. But it was in the midst of my exhaustion that my eye caught sight of a pretty little pink flower growing among the bushes and wee...

Whoever said that having a dog is like having a baby can never be more right. I mean, as cute and as lovable my dog, Prince, is, but he can be a such a handful sometimes. He requires so much attention and tender loving care… much like a baby! Prince got it all easy – he plays, eats, poops and sleeps – that’s what his world is all about. The worse thing is, he doesn’t know how to adapt to my sleeping patterns, much less know if it is a weekend or a holiday, for crying out loud! He thinks that he has every right to demand that he be walked at 7:00AM regardless of what day it is! So, even if it is a weekend and my only chance to sleep in, I have to, against my will, get up so he can have his nature bonding and do his bathroom business at the same time. Otherwise, if I ignore his yelping and yapping, I will for sure be paying for it later. So unless I want to be cleaning pee and picking up poop inside my house, I gotta have to drag my butt out of the bed! So this Sunday morning was no diff...

I was watching Joel Osteen the other night, and he was talking about reaching our God-given potential. This is probably one of the most predominant question every believer has in his/her mind. I wish there was an instruction manual on how to get there, but unfortunately, there is none. In God's book, reaching our potential in Him doesn't mean just simply going to school to get a degree for it. It's not that simple. In the true Kingdom of God fashion, reaching our potential involves (among others) enrolling in the school of SACRIFICE and of DYING. We need to die to our own pride to give way to humility; we have to die to our own self to be able to truly love others. There is an every-day giving up of our own desires and pleasures, so as to learn how to have compassion especially on those whom we think least deserves it. So it was just a blessing when I received this email from a friend which I am sharing with you below. How timely is it for her to send me this, when I was j...

I was cleaning the house today when I began reminiscing the times I had with friends when I was in the Philippines, remembering the occasional weekend getaways we used to take. One particular trip was to Santander, located south of Cebu island, Philippines (where I come from). Dolphin sightings have begun to attract tourists there at that time, and of course, it was the perfect excuse for a weekend rendezvous. So off we went on a motorized boat to see those Dolphins at around 5:00AM. The guide took us to the middle of the ocean around where the Dolphins usually choose to show themselves. We waited for hours in anticipation, but alas, the Dolphins decided to take a leave of absence that day, much to our disappointment. Oftentimes we forget that we have a limited view of life – because we are limited beings. We do not see what God sees. That’s why it’s hard for us to understand what is happening around us at times, especially when we are in the midst of a difficult circumstance. The situ...