On a Rainy Day watching trains go by

It's very tempting to watch trains go by, either for a day, or for the rest of one's life.  Losers do it all the time.

But when one is semi-retired like me, watching trains go by, becomes acceptable. Even watching birds fly onto my window sill, or watching the five dogs in the household mangle each other for food or for playtime become A-okay, specially on  a rainy day.

We were planning to watch the new Bourne movie but the on-and- of- again rain ruined the day's plan.

Which brings to mind that summer in Canada is winding down whilst the rainy season in Manila has just started its reign. 

During summer in Toronto, we did what true blue Canadians did - stayed out in the sun.  Indoor malls were deserted during summer, except for visitors and some Asian families who protected their skin from the ravages of UV rays.

We never enjoyed backpacking, though.  Nor pitching- in tents in some woods for weekend camping.
We were traditionalists; we loved long trips, stopping at restaurants, arriving at destinations for rest and recreation which included souvenir hunts.

We love cottage markets, open flea markets, outlet stores, museums, parks, old churches, summer jazz, cook-outs,  I-Hops, and hotels and motels on the roads.

In Manila on summers, we love driving to the beaches up North or down South.

But wet Manila makes one lazy.  The cool breeze brought by rains makes it ideal for napping.

On a rainy day, I can watch imaginary trains go by, and let my memories rekindle events of long ago.

 

The Terror of Ordinary People.

They  look ordinary.   Ekking out a living, selling properties, selling wares and services, crunching numbers, serving higher ups, a lot are professionals.  They go to church. Worshippers. Church people.

At their beautiful homes, they serve delicious food, wear nice clothes, spend money on friends, on families, and on leisure.  They drive nice cars. They travel.

They are ordinary amidst their own kind of upper middle burgeoning class in  upwardly mobile housing villages. And outstanding amongst those beneath them.

But one thing stands out.  Outside of their ordinary skin, beneath the pores and bones, their hearts beat a different beat.  They breath power.  Their mouths, when closed, and only open to the most inner circle of friends, twitch lies.  Their brain think of money, and how they can spend it to promote themselves.

Yet, they carry their bibles close to their hearts, they kneel at prayers, they whisper "hallelujahs."

They are the terrors amongst ordinary people.  They think they tower amongst their peers and non peers. They flaunt and hide, at the same time.

They are plagues. They make ordinary people tremble at their fakery.

The real ordinary people amongst them laugh at their hypocrisy.

Our Hardworking Pinoy Sisters and Brothers Overseas.

I wrote a piece several years back about The Dentists in general, and Filipinos in particular
( luckycanary.blogspot.com/2009/03/dentist.html).  And one Keith Allen commented:

"Dentists are very nice, there is nothing to be afraid of. I always go to my friend for a dental check up. Filipinos are very nice and hospitable. Their service is good too."

Philippine dentists and other medical practitioners in different parts of the globe are not the only Pinoys heralded for their hard and outstanding work. Filipino workers excel in service and hospitality sectors, in restaurants and hotels, in cruise ships, in educational settings, retail, banking and finance, blue collar jobs and other fields.

In my last work at Canada, our office helped thousands of newcomer professionals train, adapt and find jobs in their new country, and I met hundreds of Philippine-born immigrant professionals and caregivers who got successful either in their own field or in a new career.

OFW's, as they've come to be called, are a unique lot of individuals.  They leave their country for one reason alone: to improve their lot so their families can survive. They face abuse, irregularities, loneliness, ridicule, religious persecution and tons of other difficulties, yet they are able to survive. Of course, there are those, who in their course of working with other culture, succumb to depression and anger, and commit crimes.

But it is very sad that there are some individuals who manipulate and use the cause of OFW's to promote their own agenda.  Some politicians pander to OFW's issues not to help them but to help themselves become popular.

OFW's need not succumb to these hydra-politicos.
 

Hydra, in    Greek legend, is the offspring of Typhon and Echidna (according to the early Greek poet Hesiod’s Theogeny), a gigantic monster with nine heads (the number varies), the centre one immortal.

These local Hydra-politicos attack all issues that confront day-to-day living and promise to solve all of them when elected, without giving specific solutions. They go for drama; voters would, sooner or later, discover they are all FICTION, not real.

What is real and true are the hardworking Pinoys overseas. I'd met them, worked with them, had been under their care.

If Filipinos could excel and be honest overseas, the more that they should do and be in their own homeland. If they can demand from the government officials of their host country, the more that they should in their native land.

When foreigners ask why Filipinos lack the brand of nationalism of other Asians, the only answer I can think of is that they are too embarrassed to be associated with some corrupt and inept officials and law enforcers, and weakened by the too timid approach or non-assertive values taught at home and at school.

The Filipino worker is a world class act. I've seen this many times.

TELL ME A STORY.

I attended a Kerygma Conference one time.  That was in 2014. In one of the sessions I went to, there were five preachers who talked about their style of preaching and talking to a large audience.  In that session alone, (two same sessions ran concurrently side by side) there were at least a thousand people.

All preachers were excellent.  I actually liked them all, in varying degrees. But one preacher stood out for me.  She was the only woman preacher in the crop.

Up to this day, almost 400 days later, I could still recall parts of the story. 

What made her "talk" stand out? She told a simple story; a very tiny slice of her life.

This was the story as I remember it told:
She and her sisters were about to exhume the remains of her late mother for transfer to another site and were debating who would supervise it. Although they loved their mother dearly, they felt queasy having to see her actual bones and all. So they assigned the family driver to oversee.

The preacher then related how her mother used to be very careful about her physical appearance when she was still alive, but now that she'd gone, and just all ashes and bones, all the speaker could remember of her mother were the values she imparted to her and her siblings. She then told a scene in which her son asked for a hotel room with a big tub, and how the little boy said he'd pray for it when she told him they could not afford a fancy room. Her son learned early the value of prayer that she inculcated in him.

Simple story. And simple stories touch the hearts of people.

We do not have to look farther. When we read the Bible, we will discover that it is full of stories. The entire Bible, Old and New Testament, is a STORY.

The Old Testament is the story of the coming of the Messiah, and the New Testament is the story of Jesus, the Messiah.

Jesus loved to tell stories or parables. In all, He told 46 parables.
Parables of Jesus in Chronological Order:
1 New cloth on an old coat 9:16 2:21 5:36
2 New wine in old wine skins 9:17 2:22 5:37-38
3 Lamp on a stand (also see #6) 5:14-15
4 Wise and foolish builders 7:24-27 6:47-49
5 Moneylender forgives unequal debts 7:41-43
6 Lamp on a stand (2nd time, see #3) 4:21-22 8:16, 11:33
7 Rich man foolishly builds bigger barns 12:16-21
8 Servants must remain watchful (also see #44) 12:35-40
9 Wise and foolish servants (also see #42) 12:42-48
10 Unfruitful fig tree 13:6-9
11 Sower and four types of soil 13:3-8, 18-23 4:3-8, 14-20 8:5-8, 11-15
12 Weeds among good plants (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:24-30, 36-43
13 Growing seed (Kingdom of Heaven) 4:26-29
14 Mustard seed (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:31-32 4:30-32 13:18-19
15 Yeast (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:33 13:20-21
16 Hidden treasure (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:44
17 Valuable pearl (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:45-46
18 Fishing net (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:47-50
19 Owner of a house (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:52
20 Lost sheep (sheep as children, also see #29) 18:12-14
21 The sheep, gate, and shepherd ( John 10:1-5, 7-18 )
22 Master and his servant 17:7-10
23 Unmerciful servant (Kingdom of Heaven) 18:23-34
24 Good Samaritan 10:30-37
25 Friend in need 11:5-8
26 Lowest seat at the feast 14:7-14
27 Invitation to a great banquet 14:16-24
28 Cost of discipleship 14:28-33
29 Lost sheep (sheep as sinners, also see #20) 15:4-7
30 Lost coin 15:8-10
31 Lost (prodigal) son 15:11-32
32 Shrewd manager 16:1-8
33 Rich man and Lazarus 16:19-31
34 Workers in the vineyard, early and late 20:1-16
35 Persistent widow and crooked judge 18:2-8
36 Pharisee and tax collector 18:10-14
37 King’s ten servants given minas (also see #45) 19:12-27
38 Two sons, one obeys one does not 21:28-32
39 Wicked tenants 21:33-44 12:1-11 20:9-18
40 Invitation to a wedding banquet 22:2-14
41 Signs of the future from a fig tree 24:32-35 13:28-29 21:29-31
42 Wise and foolish servants (2nd time, see #9) 24:45-51
43 Wise and foolish virgins 25:1-13
44 Servants must remain watchful (2nd time, see #8) 13:35-37
45 Three servants given talents (also see #37) 25:14-30
46 Sheep and goats will be separated 25:31-46

In the Basic Bible Seminars that we run through the Biblical Apostolate at our Parish of San Andres Apostol, participants learn Bible sharing, and they become earnest and eager when it's time to share their personal stories and encounter with Jesus.

I have had also many opportunities to deliver small talks in our prayer meetings, seminars and fellowships.  I always tell stories. 

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY.  I have many to tell.  In this very blog.  By the way, the woman preacher above is Rissa Singson Kawpeng, Editor-in-Chief of Kerygma Magazine.