food for the soul vol. 3

033

A true story

Jason is the only son of Jessica

a Filipino woman dentist in New Jersey

fatherless but rich

Jason was spoiled by his mom

She could not even ask him

to mow the lawn

He was bored with life

He looked far away for hours

to the horizon, lost in thought

Jessica decided to send him

to Guatemala as a Peace Corps volunteer

there for the first time

He knew the meaning of poverty and pain

forgetting the luxury of home

beyond the discomfort of mosquito bites

His heart opened up for the first time

He realized how much power he had

to change things and people

Coming home to New Jersey after a year

the first thing Jason asked his mom

was if she wanted him to mow the lawn

Jessica fell into tears

Things were never the same

Jason was no longer a child

It took the awareness of suffering

to awaken his restless soul

Dunk your children in the mud

so they can grow strong and learn to love

extricate them from the turmoil

of comfort and false peace

035

An expensive pilgrimage

to Our Lady of Medjugorje

is the same as a cheap one

to Our Lady of Manaoag

She is the same Lady

It is our faith that heals us

not our pockets

Pray at antipolo or baclaran

instead of at Lourdes or the Vatican

and give the rest of the money

you saved to the poor

and believe me

you will receive a hundredfold

Sister Raquel Reodica, RVM

039

What makes water gold is the sun

Water by itself is clear and colorless

The water is your soul

The sun is the light of the Lord in you

040

Lord, be the Mirror

Lord, be the Mirror

that we may see ourselves in You

and You in ourselves

Be the Window

that we may look out of ourselves

and see the beauty in others

Be the Music

we hear in our times of darkness

that soothes our souls

Be the Wind

on our sail as we head for home

on windless days

Be the Fire

that moves our spirits

and kindles our energies

Isabuhay (surf reyes) — hangingsilangan (eastwind)

041

metamorphosis

The lost message of the butterfly

A multitude of caterpillars

crawled to gather in awe

of a butterfly who said —

I come to show you what you can do

for what I am, all of you will be

There was the roaring whisper of disbelief

He said you must die that you may fly

and they made a God of him to worship

as they remained crawling in their gardens

In the blink of an eye

they changed instantly

From crawling caterpillars to winged butterflies

from crawling to soaring from one flower to another

Isabuhay

042

In Bhutan, the president has declared

that life is to be measured

not in gross domestic product

but in gross domestic happiness

a return to the spirit in a world of matter

043

Seeing the old man grieving

because he recently lost his wife

The boy climbed up his lap

and just sat there

Asked later by a friend

what he said to the old man

He answered

nothing, I just helped him cry

Leo Buscaglia

044

The bigger the wound, the harder to forgive

The greater the effort, the greater the virtue

Be with us, Lord of forgiveness

in our relationships and conflicts

Heal our wounds that we may heal others

045

As I decrease, You increase

as my body ages

My spirit grows strong

as I diminish, You flourish

049

In Him you will discover

silence amid the noise

serenity amid conflict

love amid hatred

Your inner peace is within you

You can defy the turmoil around you

by the sheer power of your will

You are calm or agitated only by free will

050

Love is not reciprocal

It is unconditional

Love is blind to the peripheral

It sees only the essential

Love is immune to pain

It is obsessed with giving

There are no expectations

Love is its own reward

Ang nagmamahal, walang hinihinging kabalikan

walang mga kondisyon

Sarili niyang gantimpala ang magmahal

Wala siyang takot

Tnatawanan ang dusa at kirot

Magmahal lang ang nasa isip

Ibigay nang lubos ang sarili

nang ang sarili maging lubos

Excerpts from the book foodforthesoul, free hard copy available at redgate77@gmail.com