The Last Post of 2008

      Boy oh boy... what a ride 2008 has been! It was a year of many first’s... of triumphs and losses, heart ache and joy, moments of affirmation that made my head swell and timely pin pricks of humility that brought me down to earth not as gently as I would have liked. Waaaa... what an unforgettable year.

            This year I’ve become more aware of how He has been orchestrating every minute detail of my life. The details are too personal to post but the awe I felt (and still feel) cannot be contained. It is real. It is concrete. His hand in my life is the surest thing in my existence.

            I have been blessed with so many gifts, of which I count my family as the primary one. Without them, I am nothing.

            I am also so blessed to have good friends... one of whom I had the good fortune to meet just the other day, and we tried our best to cram two years worth of kuwento in two hours chitchat over coffee. I was struck by how humble she remains despite being renowned as a guitar goddess, teacher and performer. Domini dear, I pray that God grants you more success in the coming years! (As one person put it: “She’s so humble, it hurts.”)

            My book club friends have been a huge blessing to me as well. Our once-a-month meetings were a source of light amidst the tiresome daily grind. I have benefited from their generosity with books and personal experiences, and have grown wiser from their shared testimonies. Sometimes I wish I could shrink them and put them in my pocket, to be consulted in times of doubt and insecurity :)  (Christian, Rich, Nicole, Judie, TJ, Tata, Venice, Nerie... you guys are the best!)

            The Internet exposes one to many evils (viruses being the least of them), but I will be forever grateful to modern technology. Without it, I would not have been able to make the acquaintance of my “blog buddies.” I am especially grateful to have met Meewa, who has been such a good influence on me! Perhaps 2009 will bring an opportunity for us to meet face to face. I would really love that!

            In these harsh times when people are being released from their old jobs, I am very lucky to have TWO, and am luckier still that these occupations are not only challenging and interesting, but also very spiritually rewarding.

            I am grateful to have graduated on time, and to have had employment waiting for me as soon as I finished college. I would not have graduated if it had not been for the likes of Kuya Paul Aquino, Kim Feliz, Eric Ferrer, Ate Diane Catibog, and Kuya Jonaf del Fierro, who generously gave of their time and prodigious talents. Maraming salamat sa inyo!

            I am extremely blessed to have passed the entrance examinations for graduate school and to be studying in a godly environment for my M.A. studies in Basic Education.

            I am grateful for all these opportunities to learn. In 2008, I became:

 

·         A graduate of UP (and on her centennial, too! What a lucky batch ours was)

·         A teacher (of English, Music, Asian Civiliation, Speech and Theater, Diction, and Voice)

·         A choir directress

- A high school drama club director (yeees and the first play under my direction will be performed sometime February 2009, please pray for us!!)

·         A church musician

·         A graduate student

·        A pop singer (when I sang as one of the Dreamgirls from CMu during the Centennial Faculty Follies)

 

I started 2008 with a great deal of anxiety... “Shall I graduate this sem? Will I be able to get a job after I graduate? Where shall I work? Can I continue making music after I graduate?” And all my questions were answered, in ways I never expected. And I couldn’t be happier. Truly, He knows the desires of our hearts even more than we know ourselves. And despite the trials that plague all of us, deep down I rest assured that they are His way of moulding us, for He cares more for our souls than for our comfort.

            May 2009 be a year of peace and prosperity for all of us. God bless and have a happy New Year! *hug*