Binhi sang Pagtuo
November 2, 2009
Dear Centralians and Friends,
Greetings from Iloilo City!
Yesterday, November 1, most Filipinos went to the cemetery to visit the resting place of their loved ones. Some even went back to far flung provinces to be with relatives in this day of memorial. Last night as our family went back home in Pvia, we can still see a lot people camping near the burial ground in jolly moods reminiscing the days of their departed family members. In the second floor of my mother-in-law’s house (we are now living very near a cemetery), we can see a lot of burning candles – a Filipino tradition of honoring the dead.
Life is a constant change. It is a transition from one segment to another. In a cemetery in Negros, there is a sign that says, “Kami subong, Kamo sunod” (roughly translated as “Us now, You Next”).
We all love to be in our comfort zones. We like the normal situations because our actions are always almost automatic. We are not comfortable with transitions. Changes are oftentimes painful. But whether we like it or not, there will always be transitions.
My family is still in the process of acclimatization. A few days ago we decided to transfer in my mother-in-law’s home after 10 years of living in a rented apartment near CPU. Our house helper and children’s nanny for many years left for Manila. Now, our two kids will also have to get accustomed being cared for by their grandmother (I hope she will not spoil them).
As we cope with life’s transitions – birth, childhood, youth, young adults, adulthood, senior citizen, dying, death, and life after death – let us remember that our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our God is a constant like the mathematical equation pi is always 3.14. If we embrace this truth, then we can always be ready to face whatever life may bring to us. We will not be afraid because God will always be there.
May God bless us all!
Sincerely,
Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
Assistant Chaplain
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