General:
- Glory to God in the Highest (published: Tabor Voice, Nov-Dec 2002; Divine Light, Dec 2003)
- Living in the Will of God (published: Tabor Voice, Jan-Feb 2003)
- What we should do this Lent (published: The Examiner, March 2003)
- Lost your reputation? Rejoice! (published: Divine Light, July 2004)
- The Potter & His Clay - A Spiritual Analogy
- Death on an Easter Sunday
- How Jesus saved us from the fire next door
- God isn't deaf
- Get on a Barnabus trip
- A Year Older and a lot less Wise (Part 1 of the Birthday Trilogy)
- He sang to me (Part 2 of the Birthday Trilogy)
- The Value of Intercession (Part 3 of the Birthday Trilogy)
- Do you want a FREE GIFT that can never be taken from you?! (Dec 2003 / Jan 2004)
- Love is in the air... (February 2004)
- Was it worth it all? (March 2004)
- I Confess... (April 2004)
- The Beautiful Blessing of Christian Fellowship! (May 2004)
- Power Evangelize! (June 2004)
- 'Best Friends' till the end (July 2004)
- Family Matters (August 2004)
- Do you know WHY you believe? (September 2004)
- You're going to be let down (October 2004)
- Praying with the Holy Pope (November 2004)
- Hang in there (December 2004) (published: Divine Light, Jan 2005)
- Just like that. And you're gone (January 2005)
- The Divine Lover of My Soul (February 2005)
- Is it ever "too late" to do right? (March 2005)
- To Emmaus, or back again? The choice is yours! (April 2005) (published:Divine Truth, April 2007)
- Bear Much Fruit (May 2005) (published: Divine Light, July 2005)
- Holiness and the Heart of Love (June 2005)
- Spiritual Boot Camp (July 2005)
- Abundant Life! (August 2005)
- Unanswered Prayers? (September 2005)
- Trust in the Lord! (October 2005)
- Persevere! (December 2005)
- New Resolutions this New Year (January 2006)
- 'Having it All' = Having Jesus (February 2006)
- He Understands (April 2006)
- My Invisible Tattoo (September 2006)
- Cardinal Justin Rigali ~ "Glorify God in Your Body" (October 2006)
- A Fattened Calf for me (December 2006)
- How to come out of a Spiritual Downward Spiral - Part 1 (January 2007)
- Jesus is Alive. Need Proof? ( October 2007)
- Biblical Catholics (November 2007)
- Religion or Spirituality? (September 2008)
- Lessons from the strange race between the Tortoise and the Hare (October 2008)
- How to react when Spiritual Leaders fall / backslide: (November 2008)
August 2004
Family Matters
It's criminal to only realize the value of people when they're not around anymore.
A couple of years ago I got a 'call' from the Lord to serve Him full time at a retreat center. It was not a lifetime calling; maybe a year or two tops. Though not far away from my home, it meant staying away from my family and not getting to see or speak to them regularly (there was almost always a huge line for the solitary pay phone & more often than not the phone did not work). This went on sometimes for as long as two or three weeks in a row.
Initially enjoyed my new found freedom, but I learnt fast the immense value of my family. Though I made amazing friends at the center, I knew that no one could ever replace the intimate friendships that are born out of staying with people over a period of many years. I missed my mum's cooking. I missed my dad's jokes. Heck, I even missed my sister - probably the one person who I've fought with all my life. I missed talking to them all. I missed finding out what was happening, knowing the 'boring', 'mundane' and 'silly' things that took place in their daily lives.
My family would usually bring me up to speed whenever I got home or when anything important or big happened, I still felt disconnected. I was blessed that they went out of their way to show me their love - my dad would drop me by car to the center (a 1½ hr journey each way!) at every given opportunity, my mum would especially cook all my favorite meals when I got home (sometimes I'd just be eating meat, morning to night as our center diet was mostly vegetarian!).
Best of all, my sister and I learnt to have normal conversations. Suddenly it wasn't important anymore about who was wearing whose clothes. I didn't even remember any of the other fights we had in the past - they all just seem so trivial.
After my two year stay at the center, I got back home & back into daily life. The fights with my sister re-appeared, though mercifully, infrequently (now it was mainly about who got to use the computer).
In less than a month as I write this, my sister; my sole sibling will migrate down under. Recently after an argument I told her I felt quite schizophrenic - a part of me wants her to go quickly though the other doesn't want her to go at all.
One thing is sure; the part of me that wants her to go will quickly learn the immense value of my sister once she's gone. In fact, sometimes I don't think it has any say anymore. There are so many times I wish I could just command my sister not to leave and go anywhere.
But I can't. Time must go on. Change is a constant.
What also is a constant, what will never change with the passage of time, is the sibling bond, the parental bond. You can never get 'new' parents. Or break away from your siblings.
How are things in your family? Maybe things haven't been rosy in the past. Maybe things are still tough. But just imagine for a minute that you will lose your family, that you will never ever see them again. In light of that, you probably would appreciate them a lot more!
I encourage you all to pick up a phone and call home (yes, right now!!). Call your siblings, your parents (surely you don't have to stand in a long line!). Write an email (what a blessing the internet is!). Send a gift, something perhaps inexpensive but personal.
As I bid farewell to my sister (with a hope that she'll not like Oz & come home soon!), I invite you all to reconnect with your siblings.
God bless you and your family,
August 2004
