DI NA BA NATUTO?

Ave Maria:-)

DI NA NATUTO.. sings the one and only Gary Valenciano. this morning I asked Dilbert:"Tatay , ilan taon na nga ako?" Dilbert: " 54."

Mye: "54 ? hindi 55?"

Dil: " 54..1958 ka eh.."

DI NA NATUTO... what a catchy title for a song.. title lang hiramin ko... So at 54 have I learned my lessons well? 'Fraid not. Let's see.. some lessons learned the long..haaard way... until they finally sink in... you just wake up one morning and discover what works and what does not work out in life.

54 is like 5 decades na walking around this exciting planet.

Maybe we could have wished God settling us in pure Paradise -like planet... but in fact..in the beginning God did place us in a beautiful planet... sadly thru the centuries ... humankind has wounded this planet.. installing wars.. abuse... pollution.. you name it..we did it.

at 5 decades.. you must have gone thru a lot

keywords please.... the goo-goo..ga-ga stage.. I swear this must have been the best years... becoz others took responsibility , har,har,har -- I just needed to be uhh a baby and that did it, no sweat... 

childhood? --- twas wonderful enough with loving parents au presente... - yet not even their love could totally shield you from life's traumas and required growing up pains ( your own quota of mistakes/defeats/rejections and the like eeiou... we sure don't want to pass thru that stage again... ...meanwhile my Mother Dearest Lydia would keep drumming into my ears.."Iday..iday... stop complaining .. stop complaining.. others donot enjoy the blessings you have..."  

 Me? wuz like listening .. but at times ...in my brain tho' twas like:" Mother.. I do have my sources of angst and am entitled to complain ," eyes rolling perfectly.... hehe.. uy bratty...bratty na dramatic pa..."

 High school... a riot... ang saya with dear classmates schoolmates at STC QC...

 I think high school is where we can let it all hang out without elders nailing us to the wall... 

those are the years of discovery... when talents unfold... friendships develop.. both your mind and heart expand..and you see watta big.. big world it is out there. You begin to have ideas..hehe.

College was like.. oh dear.. kelangan na mag serious... this was also the phase of dabbling in matters of the heart..hahahaha... you know how it is when we're young... as we watch others fall in and out of love... we also want to try it out... beware tho that you don't get burned:-)

after college was Annie Batungbacal  phase... Hotdog band... Best of Friends Jazz Band.. will not hide the fact that I SO ENJOYED THESE YEARS..ANO BA ? Syempre naman ano. ... san ka nakakita kahit wala nang speaking voice.. pag ka kanta may boses..weirddd.. but talking ..wala talaga... almoranas and all... ay naku... still stubbornly appear for the gig at Siete Pecados .. or Bienvenida Bar.... With Hotdog , we had a manager... but when I left Hotdog... was able to experience.. managing and singing for Best of Friends.. iba pala yon... you inherit the head-aches.. but still and all ... twas la vida locca perfecta.

then the charismatic phase -at age 21 onwards...... hahaha was unprepared for this.. ok na sakin to be a "good Catholic" ... but what did good mean?

to be a graduate of a good Catholic school?

to be a regular Sunday mass-goer?

to gingerly or scrupulously avoid breaking the 10 Commandments? 

and when we do break it..rush right away to the nearest priest for confession?

to be productive.. successful...? 

to generally not make life miserable for others..and be a law -abiding citizen of the Republika ng Pilipinas................?

when my mother and I..and much later my late father entered the charismatic renewal..we soon found out.. there was much much more to being a Catholic Christian.

In a nutshell.. it meant really looking--> staring eyeball to eyeball Jesus Christ and figuring Him out...  wondering if His message that He was Messiah meant anything and everything for us...? wondering if accepting Him would truly change our status quo.. and start us on a completely different JOURNEY IN LIFE.Wondering really if Christianity was applicable to real life...modern times ?

 

Yes we do learn our catechism in school... but there are occasions when the Lord uses additional methods.. to help us " obtain that true connection" to our Lord and our faith. a spiritual breakthrough... a venue for growth...if you wish.

Tomorrow Sunday will be the Last Day of Christmas Season so it's still good to reflect on the Birth of our Lord... Like Mary and Joseph when they recieved Jesus and agreed to be part of God's Plan of Salvation .. things can also take a different track for us. As they learned to

 co-operate with God's grace.. as they agreed to be instruments of the Lord.. so too the same things can happen for us. If we believe and recieve Jesus as Lord and Saviour. we can be vessels of His love.

Many times I'd joke with God...buti pa di ka na muling Nagpakilala sakin..(twud have been better if you didn't Re-introduce Yourself to me) that way I could go thru life doing the things I want to do.,.the way I want to do it , when I wanna do it.. without having to think of You .. of offending You.

But In His great love for us.. our Heavenly Father continues to reach out to us..sending us men and women of faith.. to share the Good News with us... God even shapes circumstances... allows certain events /situations to happen just to make it easier for us to get to know Him.

The roller coaster rides and all thrill rides in the best carnivals in the world are nothing compared to our walk with the Lord. Each day is a challenge to live out our faith no matter what the cost may be.

my 30's till 40's was like a laboratory test with me as crazy scientist.. hahahaha..while getting to know Jesus and his teachings.. while making a return to Holy Mother Church.. being part of a charismatic community..getting married..raising Josh with Dilbert... working... I tested how much of Jesus would I allow to influence and affect my life... twas like liking..being attracted to the Lord - Super -Crush mo Siya, pero parang takot ka rin ma in love nang todo sa Kanya... trying hard to obey and follow Him - becoz You know It is the Best Thing to Do.....but knowing in your heart of hearts that :" Oh dear.. this is not playtime.. and this is gonna hurt...Big -Time." There's no greater love than this... that a man would give His life for a friend... a line form a favourite Christian song.

there were areas in my life..I'd allow Jesus to invade and fix up as there were nooks and crannies in my life na absolutely Off-limits Siya. Playing this game is the worst thing one can do... WORST SEE-SAW EVER.

and our Lord is such a Gentleman.. He does not insist .

He waits for us to say: " Lord, come in. I need you." 

50's says the famous singer Cher:" Being 50 sucks."

Oh Dear Cher.. you with the amazing talent in music and acting.. FIFTIES IS LIBERATING.

It was for me.

The Mad Scientist Phase had ended.. oh thank God for Deliverance.

And it was not because of old age on the horizon...hahaha .. into denial ba?

Our good Lord sent series of trials...santissima.. without let-up .. one after the other.. till You were wondering if maybe God mistook me for another soul? Lord... waaaah.. ba't Ka ganyan? Di ba friends tayo?

until along the way you realized.. the Lord was doing You a favor.. priceless favors.. as He would invent ways to make you give up false idols, be freed of evil oppressions... be released from  security blankets.

It ain't over till it's over... for sure... but may we not take life's lessons lightly.

As we unload one by one the things/principles we think are Essential for our well-being and true happiness... we will grow braver to let the Lord Jesus into our life.

The Holy Spirit will make his presence felt in wondrous ways... He will guide us, show us what to do, how to conduct our self in a Christ-like way.

If I live to my sixties..70's 80's ..may the years  help me comprehend  more God's love for mankind.

 "The vision of Jesus Christ inspired St. Paul to pray this grace for each one of us: “That He should grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened by His Spirit, with might unto the inward man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that being rooted and founded in charity, you may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and height and depth, to know also the charity of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God” (Ep. 1: 3-12). amen..amen..amen!

Let's have a memorable  2012 ...God bless you! te mye