======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
Many things happened during the past how many days... all very good things!
***
All about choices
Like I said before, if I weren't starting the day in the University with a 7:00 AM lecture, I usually start it rather beautifully with a mass at the campus Church, usually at 7:30 AM... or 7:00 AM on good
The Santisimo Rosario Parish Church,
University of Santo Tomasdays. And, catching a homily from the Dominicans (you know, those "O.P. men") is usually a splendid experience for me... it brings out my most contemplative side - that part that is most aware of God's awesome presence in our midst! And the day proceeds in a fantastic way... like a walk in a fragrant garden with cheerful cherubim filling my thoughts with their delightful soft giggles, engulfed in the air of that mystic presence of the Holy Spirit.
Uhm, a-hem, yes, I'm exactly the same person who wrote that oh-gosh-inducing nostalgic post here a few weeks ago. =) Nope, I wasn't hallucinating when I wrote that either. :) It's probably another proof against the myth that we, "Catholic girls and women", are so boring that we are just about rosaries and prayer books. We are as
With former professor and fellow
Thomasians (UST Quadricentennial
Alumni Dinner, January, 2011). normal as every human beings in our natural ability to feel all sorts of human feelings. I guess, most of us are good in keeping things together in the right dosage. We slip up, of course... I believe it's called imperfection. But that's where the profound beauty of Catholic education comes in, I think. There's always that "buzz of reminder" engrained in our hearts that goes off when we slip up, or when we find ourselves trudging the dangerous boundaries of the "benign" zone of letting human frailities apparent. But this is not to say that other forms of education do not have the same wonderful effects on people. Perhaps, it's a matter of how a person let the good aspects of his or her education influence his or her conduct. That can be a struggle sometimes... but, hey, where's the beauty of living if there were no struggles?
Talking about "Catholic girls and women", I had such a wonderful experience last Friday... I was able to catch the 7:00 AM mass, and I got to hear the Gospel and the homily from one of my "favorite" Thomasian Dominicans, and in the company of a very good friend in the University, too. :) The Gospel was about the sisters, Martha and Mary... and the church was
The Dominican Fathers Residence,
University of Santo Tomas church. commemorating the feast of St. Martha, too, on that day. While I've always marveled the luck of the sisters and their brother, Lazarus, for being straightforwardly called "loved" by Jesus, I think that the difference in the sisters' personalities and how Jesus viewed them is totally interesting.
The practical Martha - always ready to extend a hand, render service lovingly to those who need them... and the contemplative Mary - who savors the sweetness of her faith in quiet contemplation, detached from the swirling hustle-bustle of the world around her. When Jesus and his disciples visited them in their house, Martha chose to take charge of the household chores while Mary chose to sit by Jesus's feet, which she bathed with her own tears, listening and thinking about his every word. But when the task was proving to be too much for Martha, she complained to Jesus about how Mary was not being of help to her. Jesus admonished Martha and told her to let Mary be... because Mary chose the "good part".
Hmmm... what a revelation, isn't it? Here we are, running around like crazy, thinking that our everyday activity is "crucial" to the continuous ticking of life's clock, forgetting to pause for the quiet contemplation of the incredible beauty that surrounds us. And, in the end, when our time is up, the swirling stops, the dust settles... and we find ourselves among the dust.
And yet, those moments when we took the briefest of pauses, those when we took the time to sit still, and made someone smile - by just being quiet and thoughtful with them as we savor God's kindness - were the little fragments of thoughts that seemed to float in the air endlessly into a beautiful swirl of awesome memories
The Fountain of Knowledge, UST campus.
of us in people's minds. It is probably why people hardly ever talk about a deceased person's professional accomplishments in eulogies... people often talk about how that person made them feel when he or she was still living. I myself never ever think about a deceased or dying person's professional accomplshments when I hear about their demise or illness. What comes to mind are always about how these people touched my life in ways that are unimaginable, and how their demise would leave a void in my heart... and that's what makes me miss those passed away friends and loved ones.
It is the choices we make in this life that define our legacy as individuals. And we can't go wrong by choosing God. Alas, it isn't about those shiny trophies and certificates in fancy cases - while they serve as helpful mileposts in our professional journey, they will rot and fade in time... it's all about the experience, the journey, and how much we have paused to appreciate the incredible gifts - of love, joyful moments with family and friends - that God handed to us along the way. It's about the time we spent thanking and praising God for these gifts. And it's about sharing those gifts with those who haven't found them, so that they, too, would find the courage to seek them... and rejoice in the awesome feeling of finding them.
***
Meaningful friendships: the condiments of a "tasty journey"
These days, I usually catch myself wondering why some days are less than enjoyable in my workplace. Today, I found the answer.
A former colleague and a very dear friend came with his wife - another former colleague and very dear friend - to give a career talk to our graduating students. These friends have been two of my great companions in that part of our professional journey where we confronted the towering challenge of modernizing our laboratory facilities and some aspects of our academic programs. Both being brilliant and extremely committed professionals, they were my stalwart allies in bringing changes that were unimaginable to our predecessors! The same changes that
A reunion with a dear friend and
her Dad (Singapore, Nov. 2010).fueled people's imagination and brought the "wheel of change" in motion in the four corners of our workplace. Those changes remained to be the solid framework on which more positive changes these days are laid upon... and we are joyful for it all!
During those joyful days, my two friends and I would spend many hours in those open-air good-for-the-budget fast food chains that served a great variety of rice porridge - for "25 hours" - as we figured our plans. :) We were dreamers - the very big kinds! We were incredibly in the same wavelength that we could talk about anything... and everything! From science to politics, teaching and engineering, love and marriage, family and friends, books and films, music and travels, faith and loyalty, romance and sex... and, shoes and clothes - the subjects are endless, and there was never enough time to cover all of them! And then, there was one more wonderful friend, younger than us, who joined our eating sprees... and she dropped by with her husband, too, today. Together with our other young friends, we made an incredible team. We were "feared" by so many... and admired by those who dared! =) But most of all, there was so much laughter among us, and we got everyone laughing with us, too. Great years, those were - most definitely!
And then, our paths slowly parted... I went to another continent - to study... and I missed my dear friends' wedding in the process. Another time, I went away again to study in yet another continent. When I came back, the husband and wife and their little family just completed a relocation to another country - career move - a
Somewhere in Stanford University, July 2010.decision made with a good future for the kids in mind, a fulfillment of a dream. Our young friend started to be busier with demanding studies, various scholarly pursuits, and budding family life, too. At one point, I contemplated another move to another continent... and it was the husband and wife, who spent one evening of their vacation in Manila with me, who helped me cement my decision to go for it - as usual, in that open-air rice porridge place! :) It was a fantastic decision with fantastic results! And I have the two of them to thank for so very, very sincerely.
After a short while, husband and wife went "country hopping" - career con familia move - while I served a self-imposed "lab slavery" in another continent. When I came back, our young friend was all set to move to another continent, too, with hubby - for "world peace" as we call it. :) And then, other friends moved to other continents, too. Soon, we were living in different countries... pursuing different things.
In our mini-reunion today, I re-discovered the immense happiness that I have been missing so badly in my workplace. They were the missing pieces of that "puzzle" - my dear friends. It was like being back to 15 years ago or so... when youth, not just youthful thoughts, were with us! Those days when we feared nothing... when age-related illnesses were unimaginable to us... when the world was a huge playground that was beckoning for us to explore... when our whole life was right in front of us - pregnant with exhilarating challenges!
While their brief presence brought me joy, I also knew that it was going to come to an end before the day ended. While we remained great friends, who understand each others' feelings without verbalizing them, I know, too, that we are now pursuing different paths - paths, that will no doubt cross often enough to savor friendship because they are made of the same basic stuff... faith, hope, idealism, sense of humor, and enduring love and care for each other. Therefore, I resolve to enjoy the remaining days in my present workplace without their physical presence... and to seek comfort and encouragement from our little successes as a team in the past when the going gets tough in the coming days... until the day that I myself depart for yet another "new adventure".
Life goes on... and we move on.
***
Photos: I own all photos.
