WHILE I STILL CAN....

My loving Aunt as I remembered her before

I have an Aunt who was always kind and loving. She would always welcome us in their home and cook immediately for us to eat. She wouldn't allow us to leave their house without making sure our tummies were full. She was the wife of my Papa's brother and she became my Mama's best friend, too.

She always had so many stories to tell with her loud voice. She was also fond of making different kinds and sizes of beautiful flowers out of crepe papers and straws, very artistic indeed. She was very good at this. It always made her happy to give us a little something. She was very friendly and likable that whenever it was the feast day of Sto. Nino in their place, their house was always full of friends and relatives.

Last Thursday morning, my two sisters, my niece and I visited their house to see her and bring our Christmas gifts for them. I noticed something different with my Aunt. Her face was more wrinkled than months ago when I last saw her. Her hairs were whiter. She looked thinner. She was weaker than before. She could not cook anymore. She was noticeably quiet and answered our questions briefly with a soft voice. She answered us like a shy little girl. She said with sadness that she couldn't make the crepe paper flowers for us anymore. Her memory was not good anymore. She even had a hard time recognizing us, at times even exchanging our names.

As I sat in front of her, I took a close look at her. I remembered how she was before and it pinched my heart a bit to see her like that. I couldn't see the light I saw before in her eyes, no laughter just smiles from time to time. She was not really herself anymore.

Oh, how time flew and yes she is older now, in her 70's in fact. And then I thought, "Someday....one day, I will be like her. I will get old. I will be weaker and I can only do less. But before that happens, Lord, use me while I still have my strength. Change me and make me more loving to You, to my family and to others while I still have a chance. With the time I still have, may I give glory to Your name and by Your grace, build a home for You in the hearts of people and bring You home to them....while I still can..."

In a few days, we will be welcoming another new year in our lives. May we put more meaning, more love, more joy, more peace and more God in each of the 365 days we will have.

As the clock turns to midnight on December 31 to welcome the 1st day of 2013, may the desire in our hearts to have God's Presence in our lives be inflamed enough that we can not deny it so we can strive to have more of Him in the whole year coming our way...and in the next years beyond it, if God will allow us still to breathe His breath...Let's live a fruitful life worthy of God.

May the peace and joy of Jesus be in your homes. A wonderful New Year for you and your families! God bless your homes! 

-luisadelacruz

 

GOD IS STILL THERE....

Wednesday morning, after breakfast, I sat in the terrace of the third floor unit of a duplex house in Talisay, Batangas. My family rented a unit for an overnight stay. As I sat there, I just enjoyed the view of Taal Volcano, with a few birds flying, a boat passing and the cool wind gently touching me. Taal Volcano was beautiful against the lake and the blue sky surrounding it.

In a while, there were drizzles of raindrops, then, the rain poured hard a bit. As I looked again at Taal Volcano, oh, I didn’t see it anymore because the fog covered it fully, but I know it was there. Where else would it go?

When the rain stopped and the fog was gone, the beautiful volcano was visible again.

There are times, God and His hand in our lives seem so visible. When this is so, we feel confident enough that we are not alone and we see the beauty of life. We are optimistic about our future. But when problems come and God seems quiet and distant, when He seems to disappear in the scene of our lives, that’s the moment when our problems are the fogs and rain that cover God from our sight.

But one thing we have to believe in…Like the Taal Volcano, God is still there. God will not go anywhere, He will never abandon us. Behind the fogs of life, God is still very much present, not seen by our naked eye, but seen by the eyes of our hearts. We’ve got to always remember that we can be secured in God and we have nothing to be afraid of. We may not see Him nor sense Him for a while but He is still there taking care of us and helping us to get through our troubles, wiping each tear that falls from our eyes and healing each pain that pierces our hearts. A moment will come these fogs and rain will soon be gone and once more, God will again be visible in our sight.

And with grateful hearts, we enjoy the gift of life and thank Him for it.

This is truth: God will always be there for you...

God bless your homes! 

-luisadelacruz