I dreamt to see Pope Francis and prayed hard to see His Holiness in the White House under 44th US President, whom I highly respect. I was invited to cover Pope Francis’ visit in the White House, as 300+ media folks. I felt fortunate to be there. I stood in line starting at 4am, got my security clearance, saw Bishop Barron, Maria Shriver, and went inside the South Lawn. That was Sept. 2015.
For my #princess2015la, barely 3 years old when she touched and looked at the letters inscribed, Believe, she said, “B. E. Love, that’s what it is, Grandma.”
Be Love to others so we can move forward. “We quarantine because we care that others live.”
Another dream of mine was to eat at Purple Yam with my husband and we were joined by a good colleague Momar G. Visaya in 2018. This eggplant salad stood out for me, I ordered another one.
Elsa B. Azote, a classmate, had a dream of meeting National Artist of the Philippines’Ryan Cayabyab, as she sent her then young kids to Ryan’s summer camp. To help realize her dream, I drove to San Diego, a round trip of 5 hours, so she can meet Maestro Ryan.
During this pandemic 2020, Maestro worked hard to curate artists to raise funds for the support workers in the entertainment industry affected by the pandemic and he and they succeeded.
“What have you become?” Have you been making grievances’ inventory believing you are a victim, or are you contributing to others’ well-being? Are you looking for gaps and hurling criticisms? Or are you cooking, baking and sharing them with family and neighbors?
Are you like this cactus, with sustained growth of flowers? Would you, for one and half years, now? Or perhaps, this new fruit, the first lime in this tree?
Have you been changed by this pandemic?
We now seem to require our political leaders to give us truth, facts, governance with accountability, decisions based on science, caring for all people. The rhetoric, the divisiveness, the incompetence, the shrill loud noises are no longer acceptable from politicians. They must act righteously for the American people. No more sideshows. We need the masks and personal protective equipment for our #frontlineworkers.
“I believe in God. And I believe in science. God has given us minds to use. If we choose to ignore science, and refuse to take all the necessary precautions against the Coronavirus, for as long as we need to, then our prayers will be ineffective. A little humility is in order here.” -Fr. James Martin, S.J.
“Allow the Holy Spirit to help you go forward,” Pope Francis said, “help you remember and grow.”
