The Necessity of Adversity

 “Every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there!” -Rilke

I was so struck by this quote from a recent email i got from my dad. He was referring to my son who at a young age has had to hurdle some tough life issues. I know that the journey is far from over. It has been that way for me. And for everyone of us trying to find our way around life. 

Oftentimes the dirt that we are mired in is of our own doing. Wrong choices, skewered priorities, not knowing what really matters, and so on... Also, the rubble or dirt we go through is simply the given circumstances we are not in control of.  But all these --- when we look back --- make us grow, and bloom.

I think about friends who have gone through the throes of addiction with their dark, dark tales -- and are now serving communities -- with a blossom of love for those trudging the old paths they themselves have worn out.  We all have our own stories to tell about some past event that has been instrumental to the good we now have. 

Then there are also the likes of those who by perseverance and painful years of practice, give us the most amazing art, music, novels, and world records. Their journeys inspire us to greater heights.

The Everyday, Ordinary Life

It has been raining everyday these past days. Yet the sun comes out still. One can never predict what the weather will look like for it is as if the rains and the sun are playing some game, the rules only they know. And so this is the outline for our laundry: hang the clothes to dry, scramble to harvest the clothes when it pours. We have done this hide and seek game over and over. But hurray for the sun when it is out. It is a blessing, indeed!

"Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."

Romans 12:1 The Message

Generosity

In a recent workshop held in a small hotel in Tagaytay --- i couldn't help but take notice of the profuse blooms of this orchid. The color of the petals was a pale yellow -- a hue we can easily miss out on especially on a rainy day when the pictures were taken. But yes, they grabbed me. 

It was  not so much the petals which arrested me. It was the way this plant gave of itself. I had to stop and regard its generosity...blooming like there was no tomorrow. The only angle it did not cover is the part where the whole plant is anchored to its host, the tree. Here you are -- host and epiphyte (not parasite)-- a great example of what it means to be giving: one props up the one who clothes the other beautifully.

"But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in
knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us -
see that you also excel in this grace of giving."

2 Corinthians 8:7

Sharing One of My Mornings

Thought i'd share with you what a morning in my part of this universe looks like. Coffee in hand. Loyal dog at my feet. Cool escaping dewy air on my cheek. Neighbors probably rousing from their sleep. And some peace and quiet. My visual Psalm 19.

The heavens declare the glory of God; 

    the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

 

Day after day they pour forth speech;

    night after night they reveal knowledge. 

 

They have no speech, they use no words;

    no sound is heard from them.

 

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

    their words to the ends of the world. 

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. 

 

    It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, 

    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

 

It rises at one end of the heavens 

    and makes its circuit to the other; 

    nothing is deprived of its warmth.