The Roller Coaster

Rainbows emanate from your soul You draw pictures in the sky Leaving children in awe Determined to pursue the extraordinary “Anything worth pursuing requires hard work” Your hands are never idle You never rest Your ears perk up when you hear a cry You drop everything to listen to the lonely Comfort the weary Mend the broken Your life was not lived for yourself But for every moment You touched a life You painted the world with your words Your children exalt you Your husband adores you You brought color to a black and white world Your legacy will live on Your colors will not fade

The New Year came with a whisper as I enjoyed the end of the year and first few days of 2013 in Indonesia. Unlike the Philippines, Indonesia did not welcome the new year with fireworks that would make one think World War 3 had been declared. Instead I found myself in a church singing "Thank you Lord" with a large number of God's people. Though it was not my typical new year since I was without my dad and siblings, I was thankful for the opportunity to start the year saying "Thank You". I don't know if this is true in your case but as I reflected on the past year I realized thanksgiving did not take up most of my time. I was always rushing to and fro, worrying about this and that, and complaining when things didn't go my way. I spent so little time in the quietness of God's presence to just utter those two words that mean so much more. I spent so little time reflecting on God's blessings to encourage me and so much time trying fran...

When grief is a drowning ocean I look to you When my world is in turmoil I look to you When my shattered heart refuses to beat I look to you When pain is my constant companion I look to you When sorrow is my food I look to you When tears freely fall I look to you When anguish threatens to tear apart I look to you When the future is bleak I look to you When happiness and joy have lost their way I look to you When peace is an elusive memory I look to you When fear and uncertainty whisper I look to you When memories start fading I look to you When the strength to get out of bed has vanished I look to you When regrets torment me  I look to you When the longing swells within I look to you When hopelessness abounds I look to you I look to you My rock and my salvation My fortress and refuge My ever present help in times of trouble The rock I cling to The hope that will not fail I look to you I trust in you 

Hearing Never listening Looking Never seeing Alone in the dark Thoughts a whirlwind Arms wrapped around herself Rivers flowing from her sunken eyes Alone, misplaced When will the sorrow cease? When will the pain subside? When will comfort arrive? When will joy come knocking? The world goes on by Oblivious to the hurting soul Oblivious of the desperate plea within No one stops No time to care Caught up in the rat race of their lives Hearing Never listening Looking Never seeing

Oh youth of the Philippines, hope of the motherland, the time has come to awaken from your slumber. The season of complacency and apathy has passed. Shake off the shackles of addictions that bind and leave you helpless. Break free from the chains of drugs, sex and violence. Ignite your dreams that were snuffed out, gather your ambitions that were trampled. Rise from the ashes of poverty. Rise from the low expectations of our elders. Rise from the grave of corruption and greed. Awaken hope. Awaken faith. Awaken life. We were born for a bright horizon. We were born, the future of our motherland. Let us not just hope for a better tomorrow. But let us together work to make that longing a reality. Let us take up the torch of our forefathers and echo their cries for justice, freedom and equality. They shed their blood for freedom from foreign oppressor, but we fight for freedom against our very own flesh and blood. We are the future and we must fight for the oppressed  wh...

Time stalls for no man It marches on leaving victims at its wake Opportunities lost lie trampled in its grave While weeds of regret abound She tries to pull back the hands of time Her fragile hands grasping desperately Weak arms straining under the weight Sweat and tears come rushing down Emotionless eyes, no trace of hope She wishes she could take back words uttered in darkness Deeds done at dusk Alone and afraid she clings to nothing Scarred, fragile hands fall helplessly to her side All is lost The past cannot be rewritten What’s uttered cannot be taken back Now the future looms ahead Unknown, uncharted Questions pester her nearly insane mind Doubts fill the creases of her heart Yet she takes one tiny step forward Despite the excruciating pain and immobilizing fear Another step follows Tears flowing down She yearns to look back She yearns to run back Her foot fumbles forward Her future may be unknown But it can be brighter than her past Her pace quickens as courage fills her heart ...

Life seems to pass by us in a blur and in order to keep up we need to go through life at high speed. Work, school, family demand so much of our time that we feel 24 hours is not enough. We go through the daily routines of life tired missing out on the beauty God has created for us to enjoy... Or maybe this just describes me. My life in school has me pretty much on full speed. Requirements from teachers, exams, seminars, and personal life all have me tired and wishing I had 42 hours a day to finish the myriad of work that is being piled on me. But today I had a treat. Today time stopped. Today I glimpsed beauty. On my way up to my apartment I noticed a small beetle on the stairs. I stopped to look closely at it and marvelled how beautiful it was up close. It’s back was colored a shiny green, blue, yellow, and orange that all blended together leaving a beautiful medley of colors that cannot be captured in words. The sight made me catch my breath. I quickly got out my cel...