The Things That Are of God
I was watering the backyard plants earlier and as I was "encouraging" our guava tree to bear more fruits, I remembered that about five or six years ago, I tried to kill this tree, not recognizing what it was!
You see, I planted a guava tree before. I waited for three years, but it did not bear any fruit. That tree was uprooted and we had a grotto of Our Lady was built there. A couple of yards from the grotto was a fire tree that died. I had the trunk of the fire tree uprooted as well. One day, I saw a green spurt where the fire tree had been, and thinking it was some wild brush, I started to cut it down - until I smelled the leaves and realized it was a guava tree.
I allowed it to grow and I tended to it. Within a year, it had flowers and later on it actually bore one fruit. That one fruit was bigger than my fist. I patiently waited for it to ripen and when I picked it, the sweetnest and tartness of that guava was just perfect. The flesh was crunchy and delicious. It was worth the wait. The following year, the tree gave us two fruits. They were as big and as good as the first one. On the third year, we had about five fruits and we were able to share them with others. On the fourth and fifth years, we had close to twenty, and we were able to share the "harvest" with more people. As always, because they were very few, the fruits were bigger and tasted better.
I was laid off five months ago. I did not question why. I was not sorry for myself. I looked at it as an opportunity to explore other possibilities. I travelled to Southeast Asia where in Vietnam and Cambodia, I sought to understand the people I had the privilege of serving and working with in the refugee camp in the Philippines (prior to settling here in the states). I saw for the first time the actual models of the pictures the refugees they painted, of the sculptures they carved - I experienced the people, the vegitation, the temples, the wildlife, the culture, the food, the smells, the lifestyle - they all came to life. I ate the same food they served us in the market and neighborhood street cafes in the camp - served in the same short benches and tables - the soups, the noodles, the bean sprouts, the mints, the spring rolls. I was transported back in time. I didn't fully understand what was happening, but in my heart, I found peace and a new sense of purpose.
With my cousins already in Cambodia, we formed Agapayan International, a small consulting enterprise with the objective of helping individuals and communities at the grassroots level in developing countries. I was to operate from LA working mainly on everything written and published on the web and on paper, on all paperworks and general operations, while they were to do the actual implementations and trainings in Vietnam, Cambodia or wherever the project would be. We had hoped it would self sufficient, but idealism alone, no matter how well-intentioned, rarely pays the bills.
Sometime around the end of April, after ruminating on what I want to do in life, I have come to the conclusion that: 1. I enjoy travelling - and travelling requires money; and 2. I want to continue with my altruistic avocations, and those activities also require money. Ergo, I need a job sooner than I thought I would. Agapayan is still in operation, but it is never to be a source of financial security. I need a stable income to help ensure that we could continue with our objectives.
So...I sent out one application to one company and uploaded my resume in another. Both responded. I withdrew from the first one because it was going to tie me down and have me on call 24/7 - the very thing that would have prevented me from activities that give meaning to my life. The second one turned out to be the ONE for me. I was offered a job last Friday, which I accepted after a little negotiation.
This job with NEP Broadcasting is providential. I was doubtful they would call me. Although I uploaded my resume in their website, I had not filled out the application form online completely. I did not even get to write an application letter as I had to rush somewhere. When I signed off from their website, I was sure they would not consider me. But they did. Someone saw something - and the rest, as they say, is history.
In the last formation session for lectors at St. Genevieve, Brother Adam said that we can never expect to fully understand the things that are of God. I could not agree mnore. I will not try to understand how my guava tree or my new job came to be. Sometimes our search for reasons blur the things that are more important - seeing with our hearts, having faith and accepting the "things that are of God."
I do not know how many fruits my guava tree will bear this year. All I know is that I will enjoy them and share them. I am excited about my new job. I am with people that I look forward to working and forging new relationships with.
My friend Agie said it best - the Lord is leading me in this dance. And so with my eyes closed and my heart open, I intend to follow the lead and enjoy every step, every note, every beat.
Amen.
You see, I planted a guava tree before. I waited for three years, but it did not bear any fruit. That tree was uprooted and we had a grotto of Our Lady was built there. A couple of yards from the grotto was a fire tree that died. I had the trunk of the fire tree uprooted as well. One day, I saw a green spurt where the fire tree had been, and thinking it was some wild brush, I started to cut it down - until I smelled the leaves and realized it was a guava tree.
I allowed it to grow and I tended to it. Within a year, it had flowers and later on it actually bore one fruit. That one fruit was bigger than my fist. I patiently waited for it to ripen and when I picked it, the sweetnest and tartness of that guava was just perfect. The flesh was crunchy and delicious. It was worth the wait. The following year, the tree gave us two fruits. They were as big and as good as the first one. On the third year, we had about five fruits and we were able to share them with others. On the fourth and fifth years, we had close to twenty, and we were able to share the "harvest" with more people. As always, because they were very few, the fruits were bigger and tasted better.
I was laid off five months ago. I did not question why. I was not sorry for myself. I looked at it as an opportunity to explore other possibilities. I travelled to Southeast Asia where in Vietnam and Cambodia, I sought to understand the people I had the privilege of serving and working with in the refugee camp in the Philippines (prior to settling here in the states). I saw for the first time the actual models of the pictures the refugees they painted, of the sculptures they carved - I experienced the people, the vegitation, the temples, the wildlife, the culture, the food, the smells, the lifestyle - they all came to life. I ate the same food they served us in the market and neighborhood street cafes in the camp - served in the same short benches and tables - the soups, the noodles, the bean sprouts, the mints, the spring rolls. I was transported back in time. I didn't fully understand what was happening, but in my heart, I found peace and a new sense of purpose.
With my cousins already in Cambodia, we formed Agapayan International, a small consulting enterprise with the objective of helping individuals and communities at the grassroots level in developing countries. I was to operate from LA working mainly on everything written and published on the web and on paper, on all paperworks and general operations, while they were to do the actual implementations and trainings in Vietnam, Cambodia or wherever the project would be. We had hoped it would self sufficient, but idealism alone, no matter how well-intentioned, rarely pays the bills.
Sometime around the end of April, after ruminating on what I want to do in life, I have come to the conclusion that: 1. I enjoy travelling - and travelling requires money; and 2. I want to continue with my altruistic avocations, and those activities also require money. Ergo, I need a job sooner than I thought I would. Agapayan is still in operation, but it is never to be a source of financial security. I need a stable income to help ensure that we could continue with our objectives.
So...I sent out one application to one company and uploaded my resume in another. Both responded. I withdrew from the first one because it was going to tie me down and have me on call 24/7 - the very thing that would have prevented me from activities that give meaning to my life. The second one turned out to be the ONE for me. I was offered a job last Friday, which I accepted after a little negotiation.
This job with NEP Broadcasting is providential. I was doubtful they would call me. Although I uploaded my resume in their website, I had not filled out the application form online completely. I did not even get to write an application letter as I had to rush somewhere. When I signed off from their website, I was sure they would not consider me. But they did. Someone saw something - and the rest, as they say, is history.
In the last formation session for lectors at St. Genevieve, Brother Adam said that we can never expect to fully understand the things that are of God. I could not agree mnore. I will not try to understand how my guava tree or my new job came to be. Sometimes our search for reasons blur the things that are more important - seeing with our hearts, having faith and accepting the "things that are of God."
I do not know how many fruits my guava tree will bear this year. All I know is that I will enjoy them and share them. I am excited about my new job. I am with people that I look forward to working and forging new relationships with.
My friend Agie said it best - the Lord is leading me in this dance. And so with my eyes closed and my heart open, I intend to follow the lead and enjoy every step, every note, every beat.
Amen.
posted by PHLOR TORREJOS at 10:25 PM
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