The poem, “How the Great Guest Came,” was written by the famous poet Edwin Markham.
It tells the story of a poor cobbler named Conrad. He was known in his village as a righteous and kindhearted man. One night Conrad dreamt Jesus Christ was going to visit him the very next day.
The dream was so vivid the cobbler prepared for the visit of the Great Guest. He decorated his humble shop with beautiful evergreens and bought the most delicious foods he could get in the market.
The poem says:
He lived the moments o’er and o’er,
When the Lord should enter the lowly door—
The knock, the call, the latch pulled up,
The lighted face, the offered cup.
He would wash the feet where the spikes had been,
He would kiss the hands where the nails went in,
And then at the last would sit with Him
And break the bread as the day grew dim.
It would be the greatest day in Conrad’s life! The hours flew so fast. Shortly after noon, an old beggar came. His feet were bruised and bloody and his shoes were already worn out.Conrad gave the beggar a sturdy pair of shoes. A little while later, an old woman came by, tired and hungry, with a bundle of firewood on her back. Conrad fed the hungry stranger and gave her a loaf of bread to take.
Then, at dusk, a little boy came to his door, lost and afraid. Conrad took the crying child in his arms, gave him milk to drink and asked him where he lived. He took the child home to the anxious mother.
It was already dark when Conrad got home. Suddenly, he felt sad that the Great Guest he was expecting did not come.
The poem continues:
Why is it, Lord, that Your feet delay?
Did you forget that this was the day?
Then, soft in the silence a Voice was heard:
Lift up your heart, for I kept My word.
Three times I came to your friendly door,
Three times My Shadow was on your floor;
I was the beggar with bruised feet;
I was the woman you gave to eat;
I was the child of the homeless street.
In this day and age when people’s inhumanity to others still persists here and in many parts of the world, what could be a better reminder of the true spirit of Christmas than this story about the Great Guest?
Friday, July 11, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
A shopaholic's best friend
A few days ago my best friend left for Dubai. I would say that in my entire life I have never cried as much for a friend as I did with him but then, I knew in my heart that I would never find somebody like him. A few days have passed and I am still grieving, tortured by memories of us together laughing in this and that place. My workplace alone commands so much memories of us making fun of our work,the disdain drowned by laughter, of us eating lunch together and so many more things. I pass by familiar places where we were once and i hold back tears knowing it will be a while before we even go to that particular place again. In many many ways he made my life happier, troubles easier to bear with him listening and giving advice and he also gave me confidence that my ideas and advice are worth listening to.
He taught me a lot of things, how to be generous and how to be forgiving by example. He showed me the kind of love that I was ignorant and deprived of , the love of a child for a parent. I am continuously amazed by the strength and compassion of his character. He has shown me courage too that while he continues to fight his personal battles his faith in God has never wavered.
He has the power to turn my frown into a smile, my tears into laughter, my sorrows into happiness. Indeed I have found a very unique relationship, though not bound by blood or kinship is stronger with unconditional love.
I was able to tell him things I would not have dared tell anybody. He knows me inside out and has never judged me .He shows me his true person. I know a lot of things about him that other people don't see as much as I do. He is very sweet, caring and very protective. What's amazing too is that we always try to outdo each other in giving . When he does something for me I always think about what to give him next and he does the same .We could fight without being mad at each other (how weird is that ?) and we could both say anything , anything at all to each other. Words unspoken we would look at each other and know what the other is thinking most especially at work before when we wanted to say something that is not appropriate for other people to hear or when we're being nasty about something.
Most of the time when we are walking to somewhere we lose our way because we are deep in conversation. I think one characteristic of a good friend is to be a good listener. We both listened without judgement, only understanding. Upon reading Dr. Norman Peale's book , The Power of Positive Thinking, he said that as a pastor he has often observed how much it means to people to have someone to whom they can truly and in confidence tell everything troubling their minds . I guess that is why we both mean so much to each other.
I've met his family twice and it only proves that the best foundation a person can get is in the home. They are wonderful people and it is evident where he got his character. When I entered their home all I felt was warmth and welcome and to this day I will never stop thanking them for making me feel so at home and a part of their family as well.
In any relationship be at a marriage, a friendship or within the family the most important aspect would be respect apart from love . It seems to me one cannot exist without the other. I have seen marriages dissolved , friendships broken just because there lacks respect for one or the other. We have always regarded each other with respect no matter what. In the highest esteem I look upon him . We know our limits and boundaries. We know the things we ought and not ought to say to each other. We both know when to be silent.
I truly miss him and I will continue to do so until he comes back. He is always reassuring me that modern times do allow us to keep in touch via real time through chat and we can always call each other but I still miss his presence and the thought that we can see each other anytime. I am praying hard that one day soon he will be able to come home with all his goals fulfilled.
I am writing this in celebration of a great friendship. A lifetime could pass and you could never find one that is why I consider myself very lucky . I have not been very fortunate with my parents and family during my younger years but now I am blessed with my own family and a true friend.
By God's grace may you reach your dreams KJT. You know who you are . I believe in you and what you can do . Continue to be God fearing and grow in your faith. You know all that I wish for you is only for the best and most of all may God bless you with peace in your heart. I love you bestfriend!
He taught me a lot of things, how to be generous and how to be forgiving by example. He showed me the kind of love that I was ignorant and deprived of , the love of a child for a parent. I am continuously amazed by the strength and compassion of his character. He has shown me courage too that while he continues to fight his personal battles his faith in God has never wavered.
He has the power to turn my frown into a smile, my tears into laughter, my sorrows into happiness. Indeed I have found a very unique relationship, though not bound by blood or kinship is stronger with unconditional love.
I was able to tell him things I would not have dared tell anybody. He knows me inside out and has never judged me .He shows me his true person. I know a lot of things about him that other people don't see as much as I do. He is very sweet, caring and very protective. What's amazing too is that we always try to outdo each other in giving . When he does something for me I always think about what to give him next and he does the same .We could fight without being mad at each other (how weird is that ?) and we could both say anything , anything at all to each other. Words unspoken we would look at each other and know what the other is thinking most especially at work before when we wanted to say something that is not appropriate for other people to hear or when we're being nasty about something.
Most of the time when we are walking to somewhere we lose our way because we are deep in conversation. I think one characteristic of a good friend is to be a good listener. We both listened without judgement, only understanding. Upon reading Dr. Norman Peale's book , The Power of Positive Thinking, he said that as a pastor he has often observed how much it means to people to have someone to whom they can truly and in confidence tell everything troubling their minds . I guess that is why we both mean so much to each other.
I've met his family twice and it only proves that the best foundation a person can get is in the home. They are wonderful people and it is evident where he got his character. When I entered their home all I felt was warmth and welcome and to this day I will never stop thanking them for making me feel so at home and a part of their family as well.
In any relationship be at a marriage, a friendship or within the family the most important aspect would be respect apart from love . It seems to me one cannot exist without the other. I have seen marriages dissolved , friendships broken just because there lacks respect for one or the other. We have always regarded each other with respect no matter what. In the highest esteem I look upon him . We know our limits and boundaries. We know the things we ought and not ought to say to each other. We both know when to be silent.
I truly miss him and I will continue to do so until he comes back. He is always reassuring me that modern times do allow us to keep in touch via real time through chat and we can always call each other but I still miss his presence and the thought that we can see each other anytime. I am praying hard that one day soon he will be able to come home with all his goals fulfilled.
I am writing this in celebration of a great friendship. A lifetime could pass and you could never find one that is why I consider myself very lucky . I have not been very fortunate with my parents and family during my younger years but now I am blessed with my own family and a true friend.
By God's grace may you reach your dreams KJT. You know who you are . I believe in you and what you can do . Continue to be God fearing and grow in your faith. You know all that I wish for you is only for the best and most of all may God bless you with peace in your heart. I love you bestfriend!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
When a shopaholic gets sick
It seems weird to be starting my blog with news about sickness however since this morning when I found out, I had wanted to vent out and shout and just cry hysterically instead I walked the corridors of Medical City in Manila looking dazed with unbelief and blinking back tears that I had gotten my results that showed I was on the verge of having diabetes and that there was a cyst on my thyroid glands .I will be having a biopsy tomorrow afternoon to determine if it is something that I can cure with oral medications or ..I don't even want to think about it.Being ignorant till now that I looked it up in the internet, I always thought that when you needed biopsy it means the big C.I am relieved to know that I am wrong about that .It is a test to determine whether you have the big C so..it doesn't mean that you have it yet.Fine needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid is used to rule out thyroid cancer, make a diagnosis or select therapy for a thyroid nodule, or drain a thyroid cyst..ok i can breathe better with that thought in my mind now .However ..the big deal is my life will never be the same again . I am such a food addict .I am one of those people who live to eat not the other way around.It's a struggle Iv'e had for as long as I can remember.I'm obese class 3 weighing 172 lbs with my 5 inch height.Scary huh? Well let me just defend myself for a bit here .I work in a call center the kind of job where y0u have no physical activity at all .You just sit there and take calls the whole darn day .We stuff ourself with frappucinnos and cappucinnos to keep awake at night.Starbucks is making a big business out of us people I tell you .Eating is our physical activity so most of us ,not all are overweight.My life revolves around food . I cook breakfast and I'm already thinking what I would be having for lunch and dinner.Being a good mom to me means I have to keep my kids well fed so on my way to work I think about what I'll eat at work and on my way home I'll be thinking what we'll eat at home . When we go out to the mall the discussion is about where we are going to eat.Filipinos love to eat but ok ..i overdid it .I'm guilty as charged and now I have to suffer the consequences.Hmm..back to how my life will never be the same again, being on the verge of diabetes my endocrinologist has forbidden me to eat anything sugary and in addition to that I have to cut my food intake to half. If I wanted to live I must , I must, I must (I keep repeating that to myself) follow my doctor .I think that was why I wanted to be hysterical anyway.For us people who are "fat" I would say that food is like an addiction the same way you would be addicted to drugs or the same way that you would be addicted to gambling because you can't help it .You just take in as much as you can without knowing that it's slowly damaging your body .Most people don't understand that it's like a disease you have to live with.Who wants to be fat anyway? hell iv'e never worn a bathing suit not even one piece in my whole entire life! Not to say that iv'e been this fat all my life but I guess I was always hmm...chubby and you know just always drawn to food.I tell you it is a struggle because you know it's not good for you and yet you keep doing it.I keep telling myself all the time that I should lose weight that I need to go on diet but well I do try to lose weight and go on diet but just for a day....and then i forget all about it...when I remember it again well, it's been months and then I start the whole sick cycle again.So now I guess I have to be firm in my resolve . I will keep you guys updated on what's been happening .For you guys out there like me who are food addicts, go to an endocrinologist just to check if everything's fine and at least the doctor can start you on a weight management plan.I guess I'll be giving more advise if I'm able to stick to my weight loss plan. For now I don't have the right at all to tell anybody "hey we all need to go on a diet and stick to it and exercise for our health etc. etc." At this point I am struggling with my emotions (sigh) .I still can't believe I can't touch a banana split with ice cream, brownies,chocolate fudge ice cream etc. etc., much more put it in my mouth ...ok stop thinking about those things...i must , i must follow my doctor (keep repeating it in my mind).I am tempted though to give you guys the prescribed drug my doctor gave me to lose weight it's guaranteed to make you lose weight in a week but I guess that won't be a good idea.What's good for me might not be good for you.
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