Beachcombing

This summer season is slipping away and it has been raining in the afternoons more regularly now. I cherish the changing of the seasons much as i cherish how in each passage of time there are nuggets to be found. 

One of the habits  i have whenever i happen to be at the beach is to crouch down and be on the lookout for nature's gems. I get fired up finding oddly-shaped pebbles and glass shards that have been smoothened out by the sand, and most of all, discovering beautiful shells that have been washed to shore.

Some of the things that caught my eye this summer vacation are the barnacles and limpets that cling tenaciously to the rocks. I find them beautiful. I truly do.

They are not as popular as their more colorful sea sisters but they are a delight to the senses. They have that rugged, unpretentious character. These little unassuming ones are my pegs for the time when my son and i went for an early morning swim and he accompanied me to comb the beach as he knew i would. I still keep the "finds" he offered to add to my collection. The moment he crouched down to sift through the sand and pebbles i knew i passed on this simple delight -- the appreciation of nature.

Nugget:  a time spent lovingly with my son.

On The Cheap

Wikipedia defines thrifting as "the act of shopping at a thrift store, flea market, garage sale, or a shop of a charitable organization, usually with the intent of finding interesting items at a cheap price."

And i do agree that "a larger philosophy permeates the act of thrifting which celebrates the recycling of formerly-owned items, finding new use and new love for vintage material goods which had been thrown out, and the thrill of imagining what the former life of the item was like."

You may call it a vice of mine, this propensity to covet what formerly belonged to others. What they --- those who remain nameless and faceless -- deemed as a throw-away, has become to me a treasure. My latest "acquisition" is that Jim Thompson scarf you see hanging on my wall. Never mind that the cost of the frame let me dig way deeper  into my pockets.

I tell you. That silk scarf with the pink hibiscus and some parrots and a cockatoo cost me a measly fifty pesos.

Life is Good

I love that this quaint village cafe in Quezon City has carnations in each table. Many small cafes would rather choose lesser expensive blooms as centerpieces. It didn't hurt that my friends and i had the place to ourselves as we met at an in-between-meals time. We were able to catch up with each other's goings on, shared some laughs, and dug into the Good Book together.

Times like these are a treasure. If i just open my eyes more often, there's a lot to appreciate. 

Thank God for the flowers. Thank God for friends.

Children Are a Gift From the Lord

Mother's Day is this weekend. I do have my own self-doubts as to how i have mothered my children. I could have done better. Definitely so. The three are all grown up now and have charted their own lives -- which sometimes i wish i could somehow fix, re-arrange, or still be able to mold. But then again the time and opportunity to do just that has passed. The only consolation is that, just like me --- they are works in progress...in the process of becoming. I pray that they have been seeded with values to see them through.

And besides, they are on loan. Time with them is a grace from the Lord. While they still hang out with us -- is something to be cherished. Appreciation and gratitude goes to their Maker for having them pass this way.

Children are a gift from the LORD; 

they are a reward from him. 

Psalm 127:3 (NLT)

Music That Makes the Soul Bloom

I always had the notion that music that lifts up the spirit and makes me focus on the more noble things in life come from the angels. For how else can those beautifully blended notes come out from the composers' hearts and fingers if it were not inspired.

I think about King Saul of biblical fame. When he was bothered by distress and torment, he had to have young David at his side to minister to him by playing the harp until he was calmed to sleep.

  

Pumping up the volume on rock or dance music makes me more alive and energized. I like this for when i am in active or angry mode.

But when i want to be in touch with the sublime and have better perspective -- i go for classical, worshipful, meditation music. Bach and Pachelbel are favorites. So is the Vespers album produced by the Jesuit Music Ministry. 

Agua de Mayo

Raindrops on Flowers by Clara Sala

While the social networks are abuzz with rants about how hot it has been these days in this part of the world, the heavens sent forth showers -- strong & abrupt. Albeit short-lived --- yes, in a flash --- it was very much welcome. Status posts switched from never-ending heated exhalations about the sweltering heat to sighs of relief. Even the earth exhaled. I could smell it.

The first drops of rain on the month of May are said to carry with it healing properties and good luck. I remember some old folk back in  the day when they would run out to catch this water from the heavens with their receptacles and keep it for the days when they needed to count on its curative, and blessed qualities.

If i had my way, i would have gone out and pranced buck naked in the rain just like i used to when i was a child. That's how happy the rain made me feel. 

Likha Diwa

Just came back from this quaint cafe tucked in the not-so-visited site of UP Diliman in Quezon City. By chance alone...because my husband happened to have our car brakes repaired in the nearby motor shop and i didn't want to spend lunchtime waiting inside that sardine can-like place. This vegetarian cafe was just about a handful of steps away and it was just perfect. Well, almost --- for lack of airconditioning.

I dropped in and found myself second only to this other patron, a lady who seemed too engrossed filling up some pages of her journal. She didn't take long and i found the cafe all to myself. I took the place in, absorbed the quiet ambience. No music. Just me and my thoughts.

I sank into "likha diwa," as the cafe's name suggests ."Likha" means create while 'diwa" means spirit. It is a necessity for me to be in a space where i can just "be". This opens me up to a process of refreshing, a renewal of perspective, a going back to what is essential.