I am in awe of being surrounded by the love of my dear friends Miko Zuñiga, Don Martin Sagarbarria and dear Ana Burog who rearranged their schedules for us to meet.
It was at first a choice of eating at a Pinoy restaurant but, I changed my mind when Mike said, “Tita, that’s too simple!” I don’t know what it is with me, it is easier for me to treat my family and friends but to myself, I hesitate. Is that a form of feeling less than?
So, Ana and Mike and Don joined me at Genwa and travelled in peak traffic last night for our dinner, an advanced celebration of my 72nd.
Last night was a very sumptuous and overwhelmingly abundant Korean barbecue: marinated wagyu, ribeye, galbi, mushrooms, onions, scallops, lobsters and unlimited ban chan of turnips, tofu cakes, pickled jalapeños, green salad, potato salad, and my favorite – purple rice.
Anyhow, we had “baon” for my dinner tonight, as Ana’s.
I have grown fond of these loving friends of mine. Each get together, we freely share perspectives and I have gained wider perspective about life, travels, generosity of time and attention, health and safety, small businesses, and music.
You get a sense of their great musical voices when the trio sang Happy Birthday for me. It was so special-had tears threatening to cascade.
Speaking of miracles, I visited Monastery of Poor Clares with JV and attended mass with him and Rina on July 19. We wrote our prayer petitions together in Rina’s serene and very calm patio, rich in blooming plants and wildflowers, including hydrangea.
Rina immediately thought of giving me her robust Queen of the Night plant with three budding small blooms. She even gave me the fish fertilizer to go with it. Last night, it bloomed soon after I got home.
A divine gift – as when I got home, I witnessed the blooming of the Queen of the night’s flower, whose fragrance permeated the kitchen and dining room. A thoughtful gift from Rina Bentajado and carefully loaded into my car by Jv Samson!
Here’s the other miracle. The day of July 19, we dropped off our prayer petitions imploring God the Almighty through Lord Jesus and Mama Mary to grant a full measure of healing and good health and wellness for Rina – that was 930am. When I got home at around 3pm, same day, I got a letter from Monastery of Poor Clares responding to my prayer intentions, postmarked July 17 and inside, a note, dated July 15. Seven days later, I got another generic response from the monks acknowledging my prayers. Isn’t that a divine miracle, a direct line from the heavens, a friend said, “The Lord is surely keeping an eye on you.”
Hubby said it could have been a response to a prior visit. Nope, as JV and I did not visit the chapel until July 19 and I got a response dated two days earlier. Hubby requested to see the postmarked letters – I showed it to him. Would that have made him a believer in miracles?
My daughter, C nodded when I shared her my divine experience, acknowledging it was a miracle.
What a beautiful gift of friendship and nature’s love for us! Thank you God for these miracles! You are indeed with us!