Belated Birthday Blog

This is proof that I am definitely sooo busy. Imagine I didn’t have time to blog about my birthday! Yes, the Missus turned 30-something last September 5 and though I didn’t have plans for any “celebration” of some sort, I found myself scathing my butt on a 20-hour drive from Manila to Iloilo to Boracay (back & forth). So on my birthday weekend, I was able to travel by air, land, and sea. Don’t let me go into the harrowing details on how I ended up on that grueling trip. Maybe that was the reason why I could not find myself blogging about my birthday weekend in the first place. It was too stressful to tell, anyway… let me just focus on the BLESSINGS.

Another year and definitely a remarkable lease on my life!
That weekend when we were in Bora, despite the bad weather, my husband’s family (being Bora first-timers) wanted to try parasailing, which was on half-price because of the low season. And since, you have to fly in twos, and upon my husband’s encouragement, I was prodded to go up with him. I am a maverick in my life pursuits but I am not so much of an adventurous person when it comes to anything sporty or physical. Besides the sky was an evil gray at that time. Typhoon Labuyo was still lingering in the horizon. On a normal day you could not get me up there but blame it on the looong trip that brought in some mounting friction with my husband I decided to go against each unwilling bone in my body to please him and his family, and resisted all urge to be a sourpuss.

My In-Laws up in the air

Minutes before our Take-Off

So off we went. It was surreal and beautiful up there but despite being suspended in air, I felt heavy. All I could think about were my pending projects in Manila. I wanted to go home and work. Imagine that? But thanks to my husband’s ever nakakakilig ways, he gave me a heavenly kiss up there and requested that I enjoy the ride. So kahit papano naman I was able to forget my worries and basked in the bliss.

On our way down, the wind had gotten stronger and worry rushed back into my system. The handlers had to grab our legs or else we could have been blown away to the side and hit the boat. Well THANK GOD that didn’t happen to us. But it happened to somebody else.

Just as soon as we reached the shore, a gale suddenly came from nowhere and we saw with our very own eyes how the remaining parasailers met their death. Maybe this news didn’t reach TV Patrol or 24 Oras but two Koreans died on a parasailing accident on the weekend of September 5… AND IT COULD HAVE BEEN US! I was gripped with disbelief. If we had just lingered a few more minutes… if we were just a little late in our ascent… then this blog entry would not have been possible.

We only found out the exact turn of events the following day. Chill ran down my spine. And that totally changed how I looked at that trip. God always knew how to poke me. For me, it was not only a reminder, but a warning. I realized that I have become so consumed with my own plans that I forgot the Lordship of God in my life. He can really take my life back ANYTIME ANY PLACE ANY HOW. My life is not mine to plan. It was really more than a gentle rebuke. I felt like I received a Memo from God. I was so caught up in becoming my own boss that I forgot about the BIG BOSS up in heaven.

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)

As my mom always say, Birthday noodles for LONG LIFE!