It seemed ironic this year that the start of the Lenten season of penance and sacrifice with Ash Wednesay should be followed the next day with the loving concern for The Other, and/or others, and even happy, love theme of Valentine’s Day. Then it occurred to me that the practices of Lent should awaken us [...]
The top news of the week was the re-election of US President Barack Obama in the Tuesday, Nov. 6th elections, (Wednesday, November 7th in the Philippines). Results were announced on TV soon after lunch in the Philippines. In this, our own pre-election year, there is a lesson there to be learned. With the wonders of [...]
Welcome to this special month of February, the shortest month of the year, with 28 days compared to the 30 or 31 in other months, but this year, being a leap year, we have 29 days to commemorate Valentine’s Day and National Arts Month.
The river of time flows smoothly through the years: past, present and future. We bade goodbye to what was an eventful 2011 as we looked forward to this year with hope. I spent the New Year’s first day and last month’s Christmas Day here in Cebu. I used to spend both with my youngest son and his family in Manila after my husband passed away. Now that they have immigrated to Canada, and with my other three children having already immigrated to the States long before, it’s Christmas and New Year’s home here at last.
With days to go as we prepared for our much-awaited Christmas Day this year, when the familiar carol proclaims it should be “Silent Night … (when), all is calm, (and) all is bright …,” our days in the country seem darkest, beset with natural and human disasters and political turmoil. When Tropical Storm Sendong struck the eastern part of the country, particularly Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities in northern Mindanao, we were witness to mass floodings that washed away life, property, and even, more tragically, hope.
This week we have been blessed with a series of religious/spiritual, cultural/historical and celebratory activities to see us through a trying time of national political dissension, as well as unusual weather conditions.
The days of this week have been emotionally charged with concerns both for us still alive and those who have gone ahead. As we look forward to the observance of All Saints’ Day (Todos Los Santos) on Nov. 1st, and All Souls’ Day (Todos Los Muertos) on Nov. 2nd, commonly referred to as Adlaw sa [...]
