i love weddings especially if i'm the one organizing it yet
it's been a long time since i really, really enjoyed one.
that was until saturday, april 24 at dagupan. it was really
a looong drive, and we got off a bad start - there were so
many problems that occured - like people being late, not
respecting time that even ate rose was hassled because of
this - and the worst thing is, my best friend decided to
shut up to make a statement about this but I don't think
people actually understood or even noticed it (this should
be in another entry but anyway)... but good thing we
arrived and we were able to rest a bit before the wedding
started. i personally know ahia chris. and i love this guy.
we hang out a lot when he was still national steward for
fccy. he was marrying aireen, a lovely girl from dagupan.
it was actually a very simple and very traditional
wedding... but maybe it was different for me at this time
because it made me believe true love can really exist even
for just a few hours. ;)

i'm a cynic when it comes to love, and jeff and i talked
about it going home. i believe in the idea that true love
can happen but i'm not a fan of commitment. this is not to
say that i don't believe in marriage, i do... but it needs
so much responsibility and accountability to be able to do
so and at this point, i really think i can't make that
commitment yet. add to that my feminism ideals (and this is
another entry) and my conviction will all the more be
stronger.

last sunday, i received a letter from joan, a fccyer. what
she wrote was so touching. i can't believe that i'm able to
inspire. and it deepened the fact that Jesus really works
in me because i'm able to bring people closer to God.
that's why even if i'm on the brink of giving up on people,
i know God has plans for all of us and all he asks of me is
to patient for even just one bit. ;)

Abortion. Euthanasia. Divorce. Homosexuality. Population
Control. Premarital Sex. And the list goes on. These are
pro-life issues that are defended and mocked by pro-life
and anti-life groups, respectively. I ask myself… Are these
issues relevant to me? When I was still in High School and
College, were these issues ever raised and more
importantly, was I ever aware of the importance of these
issues?

Life has its way of showing you different facets of life.
And not everything about life is beautiful. In God’s time,
each person is developed to SEE, not just view, the world
we live in and if there is really a need for us to care
about Pro-life issues.

Looking back, I never thought about it. I was raised in a
Catholic School where values and tradition existed. I grew
up in a normal home with loving parents and difficult (but
loving all the same) siblings. I knew right from wrong and
which are bad and good. My friends were good influences, a
reason why dealing with different people, knowing how to
have good, clean fun, understanding friends and boy-girl
relationships were developed. I assumed everyone had the
same set-up as mine, until life showed me that my set-up
was considered unique and on the verge of extinction in
these times.

My experiences in life has shown me so much beauty yet at
the same time, shown me so much ugliness that it’s hard to
see the beauty in such situations. I saw a friend who got
burned by premarital sex experiencing extreme depression
and no longer knowing how to differentiate LOVE from LUST
after her experience. I have a friend who paid the price of
promiscuity by being pregnant at an early age and not being
able to enjoy her youth. I have a friend who wanted to die
and attempted suicide more than once because she aborted
her babies. These cases are real and are happening today.

I ask you, why should we care? Why should the youth care?
Because one day, you will have your own family and you will
have your own children. Would you want them to live a life
where morality is a thing of the past?
Because one day, whether you like it or not, you will meet
people you CAN influence. Would you want them to fall into
a deep hole and take years before you can help pull them up
again?
Because one day if abortion is legalized, the right to life
will all the more be violated. You wouldn’t be reading this
if your mother aborted you, would you?
Because one day if divorce is legalized, the essence of
marriage will be forgotten. Would you want to constantly
ask yourself if your marriage would survive another day?
Because one day, you will realize that you are a product of
the consequences of the past generation and realize that
while being responsible is hard, it is one thing we should
care about if we still want to see the beauty life has to
offer?

Confucius said: “Don’t do to others what you don’t
want
them to do unto you.”
Jesus proclaimed: “Do to others as you would have others do
to you.” Luke 6:31
I remember these wise words whenever I think of
consequences. In this time and age, consequences are rarely
given thought, if at all. Don’t you ever have this gnawing
feeling whenever you let your emotions get the better of
you? Don’t you ever feel a bit sad that because you cared
more for selfish reasons, you forgot to think about how it
affected others? Don’t you feel uneasy and worried that you
said “OK” to things like pre-marital sex and could get
pregnant at an early age? Don’t you feel sad for the mother
taking pills or other contraceptives because it’s
convenient knowing that it could harm her body and make
ectopic pregnancies possible? Don’t you feel guilty that
you are unable to stop mercy killing and abortions? Don’t
you feel distressed that we are more concerned about the
rights of animals but we don’t think a few weeks old unborn
baby has the right to live?

I believe that if we just take time to think about our
actions and look at the consequences they may bring, we
would be avoiding a lot of issues that will be brought up
in the future. I am not saying we should take away the
learnings one can get from the experiences of mistakes and
falling (because I believe we become stronger when we fall)
all I want to say is that we can help ourselves by being
informed, by being aware of these issues that we can see
the blessing in such trials and don’t get too burned to be
disillusioned about life.

I am grateful that I have seen what I saw and the graces to
look at the beauty of life in spite of these experiences. I
felt the need to know more about Pro-life issues because I
want to be responsible for my actions and the consequences
that arise from them.

On an ending note, please come to our office at Good
Shepherd Convent, 1043 Aurora Blvd, Q.C. or call 4228877,
4217147 to learn more about Pro-life and how you can be
more aware of Pro-life issues. I did and I will never
regret this decision I made.

(Arlene C. Thay is the newest and youngest staff member of
Pro-life Phils.)

- Published in Pro-life magazine, March-April 2004

I don't know how, I don't know when, but when He called me
to love Him, I am grateful that I heeded his call. Because
in my twenty-six years of existence, I never would have
traded my experiences of love of Him for anything. In the
area of love, I am still a work of progress and I think I
will never really stop being one. Yet I am not at all
worried because I know that when I am empty, he will fill
me; when I am thirsty and hungry, he will feed me; when I
am sad, his joy shall reign; when I am weak, he will give
me strength; when I am irate, he will calm me; when I am
about to give up, he shall never let go... And all these
experiences, He makes me love him more.

I am blessed because He continues to affirm his love for me
through various instruments. Sometimes it's a book,
sometimes a person, sometimes a feeling, sometimes a song,
sometimes the view, sometimes in a message, sometimes i
think in everything yet it's just me who misses this
opportunity.

I just can't stop talking about Him. The best conversations
I have had consists him as the topic. No matter who I'm
having the conversation with, He's just so interesting to
talk about. And I do love talking about Him. He enlightens
me so much when He uses other people to bring insights, to
make me know Him better and to inspire me to love Him more.
He sometimes speaks to me, too. And when I get his love
messages, I also get "kilig" and I could barely express
what I am feeling inside.

Am I crazy for loving Him? A lot of times, the world
says "YES!"... but I do not falter, because He is the best,
and I know I am in love with Him who others could not stand
up to.

This love of mine, I will try not to let go. As they said,
love is a decision and my whole freewill wants to be with
this love of mine as long as I shall live.

To my Love, Jesus, I truly love you. I hope I won't make
you love me less, but instead, I hope our friendship and
love will remain forever.

I am so happy that I want to have an entry about this LRT.
This LRT runs from Recto until Santolan, Marikina. The LRT
is now operating from Legarda to Santolan!!! I am
ecstatic
because I will only ride once going to my office starting
Monday!!! Yehey! My usual 40 minutes commute is just

20minutes now. And I found a way to maximize my time by
finding a prayer time in the morning to the Lord!!! I
pray
I might be able to keep this up!!!

Just one of life's little joys to thank God for.

Most of my inspiration comes from the instruments the Lord
sends me. Today, I was inspired by Fred to deepen my faith.
His fervor for the Bible brought back memories of the times
where I had the opportunity to read the Bible, when there
was a time he sends me his messages every day, so when I
went to St. Paul today, I bought a lot of books... I bought
a bible concordance, a bible handbook, liturgy of the
hours - Christian Prayer Book (the kind of book that
Priests, Nuns, Monks, Mystics, Lay people use for prayer
for more than centuries ago) and a book about the life of
Blessed Mother Teresa. (The latter part an inspiration that
sprung out from a scrapbook I did for a great friend of
mine and I was able to take a look at it again and saw
Blessed Mother's picture in the scrapbook because at that
time she really inspired us.) I am grateful for the chance
to buy these books... they not only deepen my faith, but
are great references when the Spirit moves me to pray for
myself and other people and develop a relationship with my
Lord in a deeper sense. I realize that I am maturing
slowly. A friend of mine commented that I matured, yet no
matter how I think, I still feel I am a child who attunes
to God for guidance. Without Him, I know I am truly
nothing. I also feel that I can not defend my faith in the
truest sense so I am trying to learn as much as I can and
to have this opportunity of loving God every day. I pray,
God, that you will continue to inspire me. In other cases
that I feel so far from you, may I go back to You and love
You again...

I watched Passion again last Friday night with my barkada.
Even though it was my third time, tears still flow. I am
deeply wounded by Jesus' sufferings. There are some scenes
where I understood most of the reflections of other
people... and I am grateful that it inspires people. I am
definitely amazed at how God can work almost immediately to
a person.

Right now, I am praying hard for Fred who seems to want to
know HIM once again. There are always times in your life
that Jesus permeates our soul in the deepest sense and I
know that this time is also the most challenging part. Holy
Spirit, please guide my friend Fred. I am also praying for
Vangie, who also is in Your hands right now. Lord, guide
her to know you more clearly, follow you more nearly and
love you more dearly. Tonight, I also life up my best
friend Jeff, guide him also Lord that He may be inspired to
stay in Your presence, to be content in Your abundant
blessings for Him and to let him know the desires of his
heart. May He also continue to share Your insights to us so
that we know You better. I also lift up Popoy who is so
much like a younger brother to me. I pray You'll show Him
that You are there in his most vulnerable times. I believe
in You, Lord and I lift up all these petitions. You also
know the desires of my heart, Lord. Hear Your servant, I
cry out to You and I know You will deliver Your promise to
us. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus name and through his Passion
and Ressurection. Amen.

I've been exposed to this subject since November of last
year. Never did it hit me that I was really doing something
important. I realized lately how I am involved in something
truly worthy.

I can never swallow why people resort to Abortion as if a
life inside a mother's womb is not at all worth fighting
for. I can never accept why people treat abortion as
a "surgery" that takes away the reason for medicine - to
save lives. I can never understand why people think it is
okay to KILL a life... as Mother Theresa once said, "What
is left for us NOT to kill one another if we allow killing
of innocent babies?"

I can never understand why people wants to have this
mentality that everything America did is okay. For
instance, legalizing abortion in US' Roe v. Wade. After
1973, look at where America is now... Instead of preventing
pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, their numbers
are even rising! Morality seems to have long gone and there
are only a few left who knows this word. I am not trying to
judge but these are facts that are published for everyone
to see... yet sadly, no one hears.

Abortion is killing. It is an ugly fact that is still
happening today, and in our country, numbers are rising so
fast. Today's thinking on Abortion roots from promiscuity,
of getting laid just so and never thinking about any
consequences. If we, who do not persevere to know the
truth, how can we defend ourselves - as a woman and as a
man - when it is time to face evil head on, be able to
stand firm on what's truly right?