blessing after blessing

I've been lousy (it should be spelled in ALL CAPS really) this past. It's just been totally crazy at work, and call it a faulty time management from my end - it really is.

Nevertheless, here I am once again - what with the 2009 just started to roll... Allow me to look back on the blissful year that 2008 was!

I've always proclaimed boldly, with so much conviction, how I am blissful. I recognize blessing after blessing in my life as coming only from God. Yes, call HIM the One solely responsible for each and every blessing that's come my blissful way. One morning, in my prayer time, I read in a reflection from the book of Psalms: "Whatever the appearances may be at times, true happiness is for those who are faithful to the Will of God." Blissful further defined in my oh-so-reliable Mac dictionary states, "extremely happy", "full of joy", "providing perfect happiness or joy".

With all those said, I really need not say much more. Just the same, there is much more to say. Much more blessings to share. With conviction, I dare say and share:

As written in the Gospel of Matthew 6:33 - "Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and everything will be added unto you." That couldn't have been said any better.

2008, for me, was all about responding to God's call to serve HIM, foremost through Lingkod, the Catholic faith community I belong to, and doing so has fulfilled my very being - desires and joys included. Don't get me wrong - following HIM and spending sooo much of my time in Lingkod activities did not make life perfect for me; the journey, as in all journeys of every single being on earth - saint and sinners alike - was not all smooth-sailing. As in every normal person encounters, life was full of ups and downs, I still went through and fought against so many difficulties and challenges, trials and temptations. I have to say I fought many victoriously, with God as my sole source of strength; other times, I was being the typical worldly person, fighting my way, relying on myself, my wits, my human power - yes, my usual, "I am superwoman, I can do anything myself" righteous mantra. Needless to say, I fell into the traps and drowned myself into the deep pit of worldliness and all that jazz. Shame on me, yes. After all, I am only human. This is who I am, strengths and weaknesses all accounted for. There were moments when I felt unworthy - unworthy to serve Him, unworthy to attend community activities, unworthy to hear Mass, unworthy even to pray. Yes, I wallowed in self-pity, self-hatred at worst. 

Talk about being blissful, huh?

Of course, it didn't end there. GOD is truly an amazing One. HE is the only epitome of unconditional love - I've said this one too many times but that's exactly how I would put it - on a very, very personal note.

God's unconditional love is manifested in all these blissful, beautiful joys of the year that was.

*Serving God through community with amazing, inspiring, loving brothers and sisters has been an ultimate, fulfilling source of joy and contentment, completion even I dare say. After a long day's work, when all I can think of is heading home and straight into the comforts of my cold bed and big, fluffy pillows, I attend community activities and suddenly, I am rejuvenated and inspired by the smiles, stories, hugs, and teachings - and I realize all the more that this is as heavenly as it can get here on earth. Imagine what awaits us in our true home in heaven!

*The love only a family, God's basic unit of community, could ever shower you with - my father, ever the stronghold, the sticky glue that keeps all of us together and rooted in God's grace; mother, who is the source of great joy and laughter; my sisters, who I can simply be myself with, who I can laugh and cry with through everything thrown my way, who can be downright honest (and mean, sometimes, if I need it haha) with me about just anything; my little BIG brother, who is as protective as he is loving (in his deadma, nonchalant, macho brotherly way); my super bundle of joy, Bieni, who is my source of daily doses of killer smiles and giggles, who, at age 6, speaks her mind and tests my wits every single day.

This is only my immediate family we're talking about. I haven't yet gotten to the extended family part. And we're a big bunch - headed by our matriarch Mamita - who, this past year - has, of course grown older and seemingly more loving and more expressive at that. As in every single year, she gathers the family for whatever occasion and reason she can come up with herself! We got to travel together as a family this year and visited Beijing where Mamita's favorite (and youngest) son is now based. It was a fun trip, to say the least! (our fun pictures are at my multiply site http://maicarodriguez.multiply.com/photos/album/81/Beijing_in_the_Fall_FREEZING_COLD).

*I wake up every single morning at 6:30 almost always without fail - this astonishes my sisters, my friends! Somehow my body's so used to this, my alarm need not go on before I actually get up! I don't fear Mondays (like most people I know who work do, i.e. my sister who used to work for Kenneth Cobonpue, Pancho who's a banker, etc.), I don't check the clock and wait till it's time to go home (gosh, sometimes I wish there were more hours in a day!), I don't look forward to weekends because that would mean another end of a work week - nope, nope. All these, I feel strongly, are such blessings because my work is a blessing! I LOVE my work. Don't get wrong, working for a family business doesn't make it technically easier just because I'm my own boss and I have my own work time but because I LOVE it simply, I have such passion for what I do. Don't get me wrong, I do have my stressful days - I do have days when I wanna strangle others or myself even! But that doesn't change the fact that I love what I'm doing!

*Ormoc is a beautiful blessing in itself! Everything about it really - specially that people I love are here: my family, my berks (except for you Idamae, but your heart's in ormoc after all), my work & business, my community, many many other things! I wasn't born here but I was raised here, I spent my elementary and secondary schooling here, etc etc etc. Oh well, I think Ormoc feels betrayed now that it seems I'm appreciating it only now that I'm about to leave it (long story, another story altogether) but then again, I've always loved this place - I've always preferred this place over other cities where I could've ended up in. This is where I always dreamed I'd raise my own family, where I'd die and get buried.

*My relationship with Pancho established its beautiful, "official" beginnings in 2008 (during my 26th birthday)! As if to cap our already big year, he proposed to me just as the year was about to end! Yes, Pancho and I are engaged to be married! (the engagement story would be a different blog entry altogether) I remember the moment we hugged after I said yes, I was sobbing like anything and all I could see clearly was the clear blue sky, the calm sea, and the bright sun shining on us, I strongly felt God's love - more than anything, more than my love for Pancho and his love for me, I felt God's GREAT and AMAZING love not just at that moment but all throughout my life! It was just overwhelming!

Truly, at that very moment, I felt that my year was about heeding HIS call, and how HE truly blesses HIS servants faithfully; how HE truly fulfills faithfully HIS promises... ALL IN HIS PERFECT TIME.