OF LOSING AND GAINING
By May R. Sicat-Saquing
How sweet it was to reach 30! With a very loving and supportive husband who greeted me with aHappy Pearly White Birthday banner, 30 shots of firecrackers, a choir and my pearl-set jewelry (hidden in a cake), what more could I ask for?
I was born at 11:40am via Cesarean section on 5 May 1975. I told the people around me that I’d be one of the luckiest persons on earth when I turned 30 on 05-05-05. Indeed, I was.
By Narcelle B. Toñacao
When I was a child, being a nurse someday was always my dream. It’s as if it was a program in my mind because until now my goal hasn’t changed. It started when I had a car accident and was hospitalized for a month. The nurses were so dedicated in their profession. They took good care of me even if they were already tired from taking care of other patients.
By Cherry Mee T. Degoro
One of the best features of Misyon is the youth page. I wish, one day, through this best feature I could pay tribute to my best teacher.
By Bernadette Pattugalan
The author is now in Fourth Year high school at St Scholastica’s College, Manila.
We had our class outreach in Pandacan, Manila, a squatters’ area where the houses are beside the railroad. I really didn’t know what to expect when we were going there. When we got off the jeepney, children came and greeted us.
They brought us on a tour around the place. While we were touring, a train was coming our direction. I felt its rush and roar, just a feet away from me. I realized at that moment the danger it could bring. I also asked myself, ‘Of all places, why build a house beside a railroad?’
By Cris Evert Berdin Lato
The author is in third year at the University of the Philippines, Cebu College, taking a BA in Mass Communication. She’s also active in Youth for Christ.
Imagine a world where no human exists. Animals and plants are there, the wind blows and rivers keep on flowing. Trees bear fruit and the sea continues to produce fish; yet no man exists. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west without catching a glimpse of a single individual. Now if we will try to go back to reality, nature still continues the same routine with the presence of one being - man. Everything is turning out fine without man, but we often find ourselves asking, ‘Why does man exist?’ Man came into this world and destroyed the blissful world God created. If this is so, why did God create man?
By Regina Fabularum
Regina Fabularum is a student at St Scholastica's College, Manila.
Searching for a Best Friend
Since I started studying at SSC, I’ve been searching for a ‘best friend,’ meaning … a person who would always be there for me especially when I’d have problems, who would accept me for who I am, who would listen to my stories truthfully, who would make me happy if I was in a bad mood, who would guide and protect me from danger, who would understand my feelings and who would love me. I might have had friends, but not the kind of friend I was looking for.
I know what my plans for you are’
By Lester Alamares
Lester Alamares, a teacher, is a former seminarian with the Columbans.
In high school, I heard many stories from my teacher about ordinary people making a big difference in the lives of others. These stories so inspired me that I wished that someday I, too, would make a difference in the lives of other people.
By Janelle Darien Tan
This year I turned 13. I am now at the threshold of my teen-age life. Gone are the days of my childhood when everything in my life depended on my mom and the people around me.
Now things are different. Aside form the physical changes, I am given more freedom to decide on things affecting myself. I am free to choose my friends, what to wear and where to go. Of course my mom and my siblings give advises but it is me who ultimately decides. I know that with this freedom comes responsibility, so much so that at times I am afraid to make decisions because sometimes I still am afraid to face the consequences of my actions. I am still a neophyte in these things.
By Mark Agustin Barcebal
Near Sta Ana Church in Davao I saw a father holding his daughter’s hand, both happily walking towards the church. Suddenly, the girl stumbled and her father asked, ‘Ba’t ka bumitaw?’ The girl answered, ‘Nahulog kasi ang laruan ko.’ The man picked up his little daughter and they went inside the church.
By Aida P. Lucasan
In complicated situations, we sometimes find it hard to let things go back to normal. We often just say,‘katalaka,’ and aren’t inspired to face life, which we think is a continuous and never ending heavy load. If we only try to recall and appreciate the best things that have happened in our lives, we can keep on moving forward. We can make our best efforts to help others as we serve God wholeheartedly. But most of us find ourselves looking back because we keep on recalling the trials and troubles we’ve experienced, resulting in self-pity instead of self-esteem.
