It's been a year and a half since the launch of "Audrey's Mommy Corner." I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for walking with me on my spiritual journey. You have been a great source of support and inspiration, and I can honestly say that the journey would not have been the same without you.
Your words of encouragement have kept me writing.
Our shared struggles and triumphs have strengthened me.
And there is the frequently asked question: Where in the world do I find the time?
I never knew how to answer that question before because I simply wrote and shared. That was until a mommy friend asked me, "Have you always been spiritual?"
Then I had to dig deeper...
I have been blessed to have such a wonderful mother, who was my very first teacher about God. Growing up, she talked to me about how she always went to God for anything and everything, like a child totally dependent on her parents. And I mean everything - even crossing the street, which by the way, should be considered a contact sports in the Philippines. ;)
Growing up in a home where God was the central figure, a constant companion: talking to Him as if He were right next to us... it was just the way things were.
Going to a Catholic school from preschool to high school definitely solidified the lessons that I learned from home: prayers and sacraments - regular communication with the Lord... it was just the way things were.
Having been raised in the Philippines, a nation that was about 80 percent Catholic (90 percent Christian), I was soaked in a culture where every single patron saint feast was celebrated, where shrines were frequented by the public, and where Christmas was celebrated from the 1st of September until early January... it was just the way things were.
The line between being religious and being spiritual was all blurry to me, up until I was sixteen when, after a very ordinary mass, I heard the priest proclaim an out-of-the-ordinary invitation to the congregation: "The Mass is over. Your mission begins."
"What mission?" I remember thinking.
I don't remember who the priest was. I don't remember if the mass was a World Mission Sunday mass or not. But I do remember being tugged out of a place where everything was "the way things were" and being propelled into a spiritual quest.
In 1995, I shared a collective mission with the World Youth Day participants: "To bring the message to everyone in a voice loud and clear: Tell the world of His love." It became the blue print for the Lord's purpose for my being.
When my family and I immigrated to San Francisco in 1996, it felt like the protective gates of my Catholic school and my Catholic culture were taken away. I was very fortunate though that my family continued to be the reflection of God's unchanging love in my life. Little by little, we were able to adjust to our new life in the United States.
A big factor that definitely helped us with our adjustment was when my brother, my sister, and I joined the St. Patrick's Youth Council. Our weekends became filled with singing in the choir for masses, meeting with our group for prayer and activity planning, volunteering at Laguna Honda Hospital, and serving at the local soup kitchen. After a while, all of it became "the way things were," and somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I was still yet to respond to the calling, "Your mission begins."
And so: "I cried out to GOD, 'Lord, let me see Your face,' and then He gave me a child."
Were the circumstances ideal when Edison and I learned about our pregnancy? No.
Did we feel bad that we hurt our parents when we told them about the situation at hand? Yes.
How terrifying was it to face our family, friends, and church community, who would all soon find out about it? Very!
During such a trying time, did I ever question the Lord's plan and purpose for me? NEVER!
Because what disguised as the darkest time of my life, proved to be the pivotal moment that shed light on my spiritual quest. I became a mother and my mission in life could not have been more in focus: I was to prepare to meet God face-to-face through my children.
As I wrote before: On the one hand, I couldn't be more honored than being hand-picked by GOD to bear and rear these little miracles, who were the images of GOD Himself! On the other, how terrifying it all was to know that I would not do Him justice if I mess this all up! How difficult and overwhelming it was as I realized that real and actual destinies were in my hands!
Needless to say, parenthood changed me in more profound ways than I ever thought. (Read my February 2008 blog: Guess How Much I Love You.) And one thing I realized while raising my children was the importance of my "Quiet Time with God." When Edward and Alison were infants, up until they were toddlers, it was all about sneaking 15 minutes here and there. Once they entered preschool and we got settled into a more predictable routine, I have been able to carve out a decent half hour early in the morning before everybody else woke up.
In 2005, I was blessed to have come across Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven
Life." Reading and reflecting on the questions at the end of each chapter allowed me to focus in and renew my spiritual quest. I was a wife and a mother, who had experienced quite a lot of trials at such a fairly young age. I prayed for GOD to use me: "Lord, how can I lead people to You? You know so well how busy my schedule is as a working family woman. I do not have the time, like I had before, to commit to practicing and singing with the choir, or for volunteering at the hospital or soup kitchen. But please use me with what I have..."In 2007, I was then again blessed. This time it was through a reconnection with a close friend in High School. Through our email exchanges, she had a brilliant thought: "I wish there were a way for us High School girlfriends to post our life lessons and sharing..." And thus, the birth of "Audrey's Mommy Corner." :)
It was first meant to be shared with the select few in my life, as I knew that any spiritual journey was indeed very personal. However, after I received comments on how my family and close friends have been blessed by my blog, I was compelled to share it with my entire network.
So where do I find the time?
I find it by protecting my "Quiet Time with God," a time when I allow Him to speak to me through prayer, reflection, reading, and writing.
Writing has been a source of serenity in my otherwise hectic life. It has also been the answer to my spiritual quest on how to be of service to the Lord: My mission is to bring people closer to God, as I write and proclaim the beautiful things that He brings to my life.
Thank You, Lord, for being the solid part of my life. Thank You for Your gift of peace, of knowing that I am not alone in my journey. Bless my mission for the world to know You better. I pray that my family and friends may find their own source of serenity. And when they do find it, may they acknowledge that it came from You, and is therefore meant to be shared in order to give the glory back to You! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment