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| To all the "Ilaw ng Tahanan" out there, Happy Mother's Day! Thanks be to God for all of you. |
Something that a colleague of mine said yesterday made me pause to think. She said: "You've been serving as a loving mother, nurturing the whole Faculty of Engineering...."
That might just have been my colleague's opinion, and she might just have been being generous about it, just the same, it made me think about my work... and how I got there in the first place, considering that, growing up as child, I never thought I'd ever work in the Academe. And later, after finishing College, I still could not picture myself adopting teaching as a profession. I guess, when you surrender your life to God, and pray that He helps you become His faithful servant - in whatever little way that your 'smallness' as an individual could handle - He really does guide you, and help you.
Today, as a way of celebrating Mother's Day, my eldest sister and I spent the day helping out her daughter, who is also a goddaughter of mine. Our daughter is getting married soon. My sister and I went to accompany her in accomplishing one of her Catholic preparations for the marriage, heard the Holy Mass together, and then ate lunch together. We spoke about a number of things... very good things. Just to make sure that I am not getting too stressed out, my sister subtly asked about my "daily routine" these days at work.
As I was going through my activities in my head, arranging them so I could give my sister an overview... this and that scenes from my conversations with students and my colleagues at work came to mind. I realized one thing: most of the things I spoke to them as the Faculty's "mother"... the pieces of advice and opinions that I gave them... most of those are words from my own late mother. I am certain, too, that those are the pieces of wisdom she gained from discerning God's will in fulfilling her role as our mother.
Indeed, mothers are the instruments of God in shaping us to become the unique individuals that God intended us to become. Biological motherhood is one way, I'm sure the best way, of experiencing motherhood. However, as my colleague's observation, there are other ways by which a woman can fulfill the role of a "mother" the way God has intended mothers for - the nurturing shepherd of young and inexperienced souls. The important thing is we endeavor to be humble enough to accept God's will and wisdom, serve with all our hearts and with all the love we are capable of, and remain faithful and appreciative of His love. And, without a doubt, life becomes truly meaningful then... and happiness is the perfumed mist that keeps you refreshed and envigorated all day long. And you glow with the beauty of it all.
Indeed, mothers are the instruments of God in shaping us to become the unique individuals that God intended us to become. Biological motherhood is one way, I'm sure the best way, of experiencing motherhood. However, as my colleague's observation, there are other ways by which a woman can fulfill the role of a "mother" the way God has intended mothers for - the nurturing shepherd of young and inexperienced souls. The important thing is we endeavor to be humble enough to accept God's will and wisdom, serve with all our hearts and with all the love we are capable of, and remain faithful and appreciative of His love. And, without a doubt, life becomes truly meaningful then... and happiness is the perfumed mist that keeps you refreshed and envigorated all day long. And you glow with the beauty of it all.
And, to lighten things up a bit, let me share a song that comes to mind on this occasion...
"Hey Mom... what was it like when you were young?
Has the world changed, or is it the same?"
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Video Credit: Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.
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