Stormy Weather
I can't really shake off my "no-work" mood for today. People here at the office can't stop complaining about the rainy weather. I refuse to complain.. Let me just use up company time to blog. That's a lot better.
Anyway, the rain brings both happy & sad times in my life. I had a normal childhood spent under the sun & under the rain with friends, which is a good thing. I will not miss playing for the world! I remember my friend Sheryl who calls out my name as it starts to drizzle.. that's a cue for us to start changing to our "pambasa outfits".. I would then ask my lola, "La, puede kaming maglaro sa ulan?"..., "Oo, wag masyadong matagal ha." Then that surge of excitement just kicks in. I will come running down the stairs to meet her, often with bruises in my legs, due to occassional falls. This, as usual, did not deter me from having fun. I had a very happy childhood. I am thankful for a family who allowed me to experience the richness of these commonplace activities. I always thought an average amount of playtime is a child's building block of sportsmanship & confidence.
On the other hand, I used to hate the rain since it equates to leaving home earlier than usual. Traffic jams from Munoz until Makati can make you crazy when it pours. Add the puddles of mud that prints remarkably on my shirt (thanks to overspeeding car drivers whose souls I cursed a thousand times, for lack of concern & compassion for poor commuters like me). The rain illicits my contemplative soul when I see it relentlessly beckoning my attention, slowly dripping from the roof, to the ceiling, to the floor... as if not enough that it falls on the ground. What now, I ask, "after I am soaked, my spirit is drenched?".. Why? Because no matter how soft or hard it falls, I am made aware of its presence in our house. The harder it falls , the bigger the drops. I was made aware (not to my liking) that our income is inversely proportional to the damage the rain created. But then again, as my lola would say, " Lilipas din ang bagyo." The sun will come out tomorrow.. Always!
I still think of my family & hundreds of families in the Philippines when it starts to rain here. I wish for the rain to come for crops to be nourished. I wish the rain would stop for those who barely has any roof left. How fitting it would be for the rain to be what we wish it to be. But we all know free lunches are limited.
I drive along our neighborhood & witness the deepening colors of the grass & the leaves. Their appearance to me is very lively, as if to show they have been thirsting for the rain. I now see the rain differently, maybe because life is much easier now. Rain, like other natural manifestations of God's wonderful creation, is to be revered.
I got bored listening to people's complaints about the weather. Instead, I searched for something opposite & found this prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through all that you have made.
And first my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day....
How beautiful is he, how radiant in
all his splendor!
Of you, Most High,
he bears the likeness.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Sister Moon and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them,
bright and precious and fair.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Brothers Wind and Air....
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Sister Water,
So useful, lowly, precious and fair.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Brother Fire,
through whom you brighten up the night....
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Sister Earth, our mother,
Who feeds us...and produces various fruits
With colored flowers and herbs...
Praise and bless my Lord,
and give him thanks,
And serve him with great humility.
T'would be nice to think about this when "nature" dampens our spirit..
Anyway, the rain brings both happy & sad times in my life. I had a normal childhood spent under the sun & under the rain with friends, which is a good thing. I will not miss playing for the world! I remember my friend Sheryl who calls out my name as it starts to drizzle.. that's a cue for us to start changing to our "pambasa outfits".. I would then ask my lola, "La, puede kaming maglaro sa ulan?"..., "Oo, wag masyadong matagal ha." Then that surge of excitement just kicks in. I will come running down the stairs to meet her, often with bruises in my legs, due to occassional falls. This, as usual, did not deter me from having fun. I had a very happy childhood. I am thankful for a family who allowed me to experience the richness of these commonplace activities. I always thought an average amount of playtime is a child's building block of sportsmanship & confidence.
On the other hand, I used to hate the rain since it equates to leaving home earlier than usual. Traffic jams from Munoz until Makati can make you crazy when it pours. Add the puddles of mud that prints remarkably on my shirt (thanks to overspeeding car drivers whose souls I cursed a thousand times, for lack of concern & compassion for poor commuters like me). The rain illicits my contemplative soul when I see it relentlessly beckoning my attention, slowly dripping from the roof, to the ceiling, to the floor... as if not enough that it falls on the ground. What now, I ask, "after I am soaked, my spirit is drenched?".. Why? Because no matter how soft or hard it falls, I am made aware of its presence in our house. The harder it falls , the bigger the drops. I was made aware (not to my liking) that our income is inversely proportional to the damage the rain created. But then again, as my lola would say, " Lilipas din ang bagyo." The sun will come out tomorrow.. Always!
I still think of my family & hundreds of families in the Philippines when it starts to rain here. I wish for the rain to come for crops to be nourished. I wish the rain would stop for those who barely has any roof left. How fitting it would be for the rain to be what we wish it to be. But we all know free lunches are limited.
I drive along our neighborhood & witness the deepening colors of the grass & the leaves. Their appearance to me is very lively, as if to show they have been thirsting for the rain. I now see the rain differently, maybe because life is much easier now. Rain, like other natural manifestations of God's wonderful creation, is to be revered.
I got bored listening to people's complaints about the weather. Instead, I searched for something opposite & found this prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through all that you have made.
And first my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day....
How beautiful is he, how radiant in
all his splendor!
Of you, Most High,
he bears the likeness.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Sister Moon and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them,
bright and precious and fair.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Brothers Wind and Air....
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Sister Water,
So useful, lowly, precious and fair.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Brother Fire,
through whom you brighten up the night....
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Sister Earth, our mother,
Who feeds us...and produces various fruits
With colored flowers and herbs...
Praise and bless my Lord,
and give him thanks,
And serve him with great humility.
T'would be nice to think about this when "nature" dampens our spirit..