Good Friday, Happy Friday

Today is Good Friday.

When I reminisce about the thirty-odd Good Fridays that have passed through my life so far, it is invariably colored by a somber mood, with marathon TV viewing of such Holy Week classics such as the Ten Commandments and Jesus of Nazareth. We were not supposed to eat meat. We were discouraged from engaging in boisterous horseplay. There were numerous TV specials showing flagellants and re-enactments of the Stations of the Cross, not to mention the actual crucifixions in certain provinces in the Philippines that were undertaken by some of the faithful who have vowed to keep on doing such as their life-long "panata."

It was supposed to be a quiet day, to make it conducive to reflection of Christ's life and internal dialogue.

Nowadays, although the focus should still very well be at introspection and renewing one's faith, the seriousness of the occasion, the gray color that seem to permeate the Holy Week (at least in the days leading to Easter Sunday) appear to have considerably lessened. There is less pressure to force a serious mien all the time. Changing times, perhaps?

Not that that's a bad thing. If anything, it makes things more "palatable" to the younger generation, whose attention will rarely be held by four-hour movies that do not feature 3-D animated characters or dancing princesses.

One thing that does not change (in my mind, at least) is the weather during this time. It seems as if Good Friday goes hand in hand with a sun-bleached day, with a stillness that is broken only by listless breezes that barely ruffle the green-and-brown leaves on the trees. But how people chose to spend this bright, balmy day has changed markedly over the years.

Whereas in years gone by this was marked by people praying the rosary and watching Moses part the Red Sea for the umpteenth time, nowadays a considerable chunk of the population flock in droves to the beaches, resorts, and go on road trips to vacation destinations. Holy Week has become synonymous to travel.

Hubby's birthday happened to fall on Good Friday this year. We did have a moderate celebration of sorts, albeit without cake or singing, nor balloons or party hats -- not that he would have preferred the last two though. It did not seem disrespectful to have this small celebration -- Christ indeed died on the Cross for us all, that we may have eternal life. And we did give thanks for another year, for the continued gift of life. I'd like to believe that these are not mutually exclusive.

The changes in the times are quite evident. Whether this ultimately becomes a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.

Faith of course is still the key. I am thankful for the blessing that is my Family, for the health that we continue to enjoy, for the gift of Life that we have been presented with.

May we all use these gifts wisely and for the Glory of God.

Thankful for a Lot of Things

What am I thankful for these days?

• That my older daughter has once again been awarded a gold medal in their recognition program, with special awards in English, Math and Reading. She makes it seem so effortless!
• That my not-so-little toddler has been so quickly developing her communication skills and is now speaking in complete sentences, singing nursery rhymes and even making up her own tricks and jokes.
• That my husband will be celebrating his birthday this month, even though it sits right smack in the Holy Week.
• That my father will soon be celebrating his 75th birthday. It will be tinged with sadness though as our mother would not be here to witness this event.
• That a short summer break from work is just around the corner. Times off like these are essential if we are to avoid burn-out. We really need this!
• That we are all together as a family.

Vacation is... What?

I've been neglecting this blog once more, with my last posting having been almost 2 weeks ago. Blame it on the Kindle. Or not.

I've just been so engrossed in reading on the Kindle, I've barely glanced at my trusty old paperbacks. Hmm, so far the novelty has not worn off. This has meant though that there has been less time for me to surf the web and write new entries.

I'm counting down the days till our week-long break comes. I sorely miss the summer vacations I used to have while still a student! Those were the days -- waking up leisurely, with nary a care but what to read, or watch on TV, or games to play, or where to go.

My daughter frequently tells me that she wants to "go on vacation", a statement which is a bit unfathomable to me since school is out and she is, already, "on vacation". Maybe it's the generation gap to blame, but when I was a kid, simply not being required to go to school was already cause for celebration. Staying at home and doing whatever it was that kids did those days -- that was something I looked forward to all school-year.

Apparently the standards have now changed. Kids now define "vacation" as going out of town, flying off to Disneyland or going to the beach, or going on road trips to popular, touristy places. Of course these are nothing to turn one's nose up at, but it just makes me wonder: What happened to just enjoying the lazy days at home and having some down-time? Are kids now so used to a fast-paced, technology-driven world that not having these elements in their lives makes them feel bored?

Whatever happened to just being? This is what we want to emphasize to our daughter -- that simply having the time to do what one wants to is already a luxury in itself. One that she should enjoy while she can.