A friend was reprimanded by a Catholic priest after confessing her “mortal sin”. It was such a grave one that shocked and angered the priest, who almost left her without finishing the confession, as if her sin was unforgivable. My friend felt embarrassed and rejected, but continued to listen to the priest’s harsh words without [...]
I can hardly ever recall how I learned to read and write. What I remembered most were my days as a kindergarten student, the face of my grumpy teacher, the laughter and smiles of my cute classmates as we played and studied together. But the memory of me learning reading and writing remains a mystery. [...]
I Love You. This phrase is redundant in most novels and films, in most conversations of any relationships and in most songs, greeting cards and love letters. Among all familiar phrases in the English language, this phrase sparks our curiosity in finding out its equivalent in many languages we do not know. This phrase has the power to enthrall [...]
I have some friends who share a similar dilemma: they all really want to have a relationship. Some of them have met an ideal person but the romantic potential between them is still lacking. Others have spent some time dating someone, yet they still cannot find the special one. In their many years of searching [...]
Meditation is not always peaceful He sits peacefully, while the eye of the storm stares at him. It was a metaphor I attempted to describe meditation, but my fellow participants in one workshop I attended took the phrase as an oxymoron. They thought that meditation is only an experience of peacefulness. They said that such description [...]
An Old Legend During grade school, I read in one of Filipino textbooks the origin of mango fruit. The legend says that there was a very kind young girl who was more than a good Samaritan. She helped many sick people, fed hungry beggars, and helped the elderly and the forsaken in ways she can. [...]
Two days ago I met Michael, a 20-year old college student. Together with his friend and classmate Earnest, who lives in my own neighborhood, Michael came to see me and ask my help for their writing project. I was eager to talk and help them, but our conversation led me to discover the other side of [...]
Whitney Houston’s recent passing evoked deep sadness among her fellow artists and multitude of fans worldwide. Although I do not consider myself a fan, somehow her songs made me sing in my childhood years. Nevertheless, hearing about what happened to her evoked in me a very different experience. She became a sudden reminder, an awakened [...]
Defining the indefinable A definition is used to make sense of something unintelligible. It clarifies any jargon found in many systems of thinking. Unclear and difficult words must be defined so they can be clearer and easier to understand. A definition gives a simplified picture of particular word, perhaps fixing its meaning and rendering it unchangeable. [...]
Just 2 weekends ago, I talked to group of college students about Love. It is always natural for young people like them to be drawn to the topic, as I always observed in many of my conversations with people of their age. They were interested in learning more. As usual, I engaged them with my [...]
