The Great Wall's Rise and Fall

It was almost eleven in the evening here when my sister and I finished our Skype conversation... it was fun talking to her and hearing her speak German.

------
The Weeping WALL

Three of my intimate friends knew how distracted I was this week. I haven't slept much... I have been practicing the 'receiving' game after the LoA post and I've cried two times to my brother for the 'test' he's giving me... 

The invitation to Tokyo was primarily for the medical editors and he, out of benevolence, included me in the list of attendees. 

David Bronson's tweet

*The Great WALL: The Culture of 'Hiya' (Shame) vs, 'Kababaang Loob' (Humility)

I immediately declined it... come to think of it, I never had second thoughts to any invitations... I was always quick to say 'no.'

"Oh you shouldn't... you musn't... you're not obliged...please, no...you're too kind... I don't need it... NO, thanks..." were common replies I dish out to family, colleagues and friends that I've earned the 'Patay Ligaya' (Kill Joy) award in our office.

Maybe, I have even showed it too often that, at one point, some people have given up asking or communicating...oh! but not my *brother. I just talked to him this morning and he told me the same thing, "Trust me."

 *Ethan, my musician friend gave me company for two nights with another soul friend...my sister, last night and my Muslim friend this morning...

 They came sans asking...They crushed the 'wall' and built a 'bridge.'


 They invited me out of this self-enclosed shell...
to reach out instead of 'hide'...
to embrace people than 'cross' my arms in neglect...
to stay than 'ran' away...
to face life and its challenges than to 'cover' it...
to sleep and trust the flow than continuously 'fight' the current...


 The culture of 'hiya' has to step down. God made me realize that it was 'false humility' to deny any goodness, to cover up talents and to be untrue to oneself...

Bury this shame or throw it away and instead plant the seed of humility... Today, I learned that openness consists not in receiving what I desire... but receiving what is meant for me.




"Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly." ~ St. Ignatius of Loyola (EWTN)
------

With my Satur-dates:

My sister Michelle suggested that I put up a FB page for the kids (Saturdays with Jesus) and they seem to enjoy it. 
*Reminder to parents: Always view/browse the internet with your children.

They also like music so we inserted liturgical songs in between the sessions. 
 Today we had, 'I Love the Lord.'


I Love the Lord 
sung by Sr. Bubbles Bandojo, rc: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbEwFJ2osQY
composed by Fr. Arnel Aquino, SJ



 We took our lessons from the Bible
Tools: Bible in Filipino
Downloadble Powerpoint Presentations via Free Bible Images

Comments

  1. ♥●• İzdihër •●♥June 29, 2013 at 7:34 PM

    Lovely post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Martha Jane OrlandoJune 29, 2013 at 7:46 PM

    "Not receiving what I desire . . . but receiving what is meant for me."
    Melissa, this says it all - God has a plan for you and all of us. We have to keep our hearts and minds open to His will for our lives. Holding back or retreating won't get us there. We must don the mantle of His love and protection and go forward into His light.
    Love you so much, my friend. God bless always!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa TandocJuly 2, 2013 at 5:47 AM

      You are the best Martha and I'd like to share all my blessings with you.

      I think I have always been like this with God... He always rocks my boat and challenges me to go further. I know I'll get there and arrive in the lessons He wishes to impart.

      Love love love you Martha!

      Delete
  3. VishnuJune 30, 2013 at 3:46 PM

    hey Melissa, yes, just like Martha points out, that line is a powerful line.

    Taking yourself out of the situation and letting God into the picture. If God wants you to do certain things, have certain things, meet a certain dentist (haha) or travel to a certain place, allow God to act. Otherwise, it's turning away a gift that He's sending your way. You will make Him happy by accepting!

    If we don't allow God's gifts in, we may never allow Him to answer our prayers:) We all have to do what your brother told you - trust him. Yes, but also trust God.

    If we trust God, He'll bring in everything in our life that we're supposed to have and nothing we're not.

    I too am giving God more control of my life and doing my best to do His will:)

    Another Saturdate which means more art projects to share with us?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa TandocJuly 2, 2013 at 10:42 AM

      Thanks Vishnu. Just wanted to say Amen to everything you wrote and not 'argue' nor 'wrestle' with God.

      Time to just be right?

      Delete
  4. Melissa TandocJuly 2, 2013 at 5:44 AM

    Saluti dalle Filippine Marlow!

    Thank you for the visit and the compliment.

    Your blogs i worth visiting, thank you for sharing it :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Corinne RodriguesJuly 15, 2013 at 7:36 PM

    I somehow missed this post, Melissa. I'm so pleasantly surprised by your 'correspondence' with David Bronson. To think he 'seemingly randomly' wanted to share on my blog and got connected with you. The questions he asks are so relevant. I have been thinking a lot about you since I read your comments to my latest two posts. Somehow, your statements disturbed me. I felt that in the name of 'goodness' and 'kindness' you have and will put up with a lot of pain. Somehow, I no longer agree that God gives us 'crosses' etc that we have to bear. Life happens, we make choices - there is pain, but there's also grace. There is no sense however in choosing to remain in painful situations or give up opportunities to enjoy yourself - without feeling like you have to 'earn' everything. You're in my heart and prayers a lot, dear Melissa. ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa TandocJuly 15, 2013 at 9:39 PM

      David Bronson's such a deep person, I agree, his questions are worth reflecting on.

      The truth BS is I don't 'see' it most of the time, someone points it out to me and that's it. It is indeed disturbing how one could be treated as such...my apologies for getting the wrong ideas.

      I really do things out of good intentions...

      About remaining in painful situations, perhaps, not so much as before. 'Someone' has helped me 'open up' my shell ~ I mean there are lots of you out there...but there's this friend who taught me how to receive God's blessings :)

      Lots of love and thank you so much BS ~ I've been praying for you too.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Soul Friends

Image
Linking into the 'Blogging and Friends' blog hop at Bongo Is Me and  Living with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease . I met with some friends this day. We've known each other since we were ten and somehow even though two of them already reside in the US, we've managed to communicate all throughout these years. Our traditional lunch at Abe (from L-R: Hazel, Ella, Me, Hazel's parents) 5 May 2012 Sto. Domingo (5 May 2012) Then I went on a date with my childhood friend. I have not visited Him for a while and I longed to see Him (He was waiting for me ). I came home and spent time with my friends online... It was while reading Bonnie's post that I became reminiscent of how my life started in the blogging world. It was January last year when my ARTner and friend for two years in Tagged asked me if I was interested to publish my ideas. I read Fher's blog but made comments on my online journal for discussion. I was a bit hesi...
Read more

ţlīthā qūm

  ţlīthā qūm Mark 5, 41 NIV I wonder how He said it... Was it similar to a song?... a soft whisper...  la Sua voce serena... tranquilla... 'Nowadays, we couldn't distinguish whether one is angry or affectionate ~ the tone with which we say things are the same...' preached the priest last Sunday. ...He  saw her, he called her forward and said to her,  “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”  Luke 13, 12 NIV There's something in This man... His look... His gaze... His eyes... mi penetra... nel profondo... fino all'anima mia... "He reached out His hand and touched the man. " Matthew 8, 3 NIV ...gently... senza timore... ------- I remember a story recounted by one Peruvian missionary nurse I worked with in North Africa. She was assigned to prepare a teenager for his first communion. He not only looked younger but he was quite smaller than his age. He was all curled up because of an unknown disease. His whole body...
Read more

Of Cups and Dreams

Image
I scooped up TWO EMPTY CUPS before leaving that Sacred place... and whispered something to two Franciscan priests... I woke up and reached playfully inside my pocket to see if I brought them home with me then I wrote Lisa Marie Farfalla about this dream. Empty...cups... It was the night before the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The next day, Corinne Rodrigues wrote  Half Empty or Half Full?  . On the 21st, Savira Gupta wrote something about emptiness:  "Emptiness or a feeling of void is a phase or a moment of pause. A time to observe, understand and digest what I have experienced. It is when I am nudged into looking or deciphering what is meaningful and what needs to be discarded. A time to ponder or be with myself....No judgments or labeling....  Making space for what is about to come" Yesterday, I came across Andy David 's  This Cup of Mine  . Symbols, colors, numbers, dreams ~ Each of us had CUP in mind...  A CUP ...
Read more