Category: Uncategorized

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Uncategorized Work

Mums Go Free at Staglands on Mother’s Day Weekend!

Mums Go Free at Staglands on Mothers Day Weekend

Saturday 12th to Sunday13th May      

 

At Staglands we all know how important mums are so are offering each and every one of them free entry into The Reserve on Mothers Day weekend, 12th to 13th May! That’s not just one day but the whole weekend!

Mothers must be accompanied by their children aged 16 years or under to enjoy this special treat.  So why not make a day of it and bring up a family picnic or if you prefer put your feet up and relax by the log fire in our cosy cafe.

Grab your free entry vouchers at www.staglands.co.nz today!

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The Long Drive Chronicles Uncategorized

The Other Side

We have received terrible news in the past week, the passing of two sisters in our prayer groups in the Philippines and here in New Zealand. I was surprised with how devastating it felt. I honestly am not too close with both of them but I knew them enough.

I knew of Giki’s passing through a common friend. I really thought, or maybe I kind of hoped, that it was only a joke. She died of childbirth complications. Fortunately, their baby is alive and well. She’s almost my age and her husband’s a good friend of mine. I knew how long he waited for her and how happy he was when they finally got married.

I wasn’t too affected at first but it hit me the second day I’ve received the news. I was crying my heart out the whole day. The people at work might have found it odd that my eyes are red and swollen the whole day but I didn’t really have the courage to tell them about it. Even if I felt like telling them what happened, nothing would make a difference because I was miles away from home. I couldn’t be there for my friend.

The next news was of Rose’s passing. We knew her for just a year. I think the first conversation I had with her was before one of our meetings and no one was in the venue yet so she invited me to wait with her in her car. She shared how it was for her when she migrated to New Zealand.

I remember this was the time I was really anxious if I’d ever have a decent job here. We both were HR professionals back in the Philippines so we had something that we can talk about. She shifted to a career in finance here, I think. She talked about how she herself experienced how difficult it was to find a job here. Our conversation for the most part was uneventful but she made an impact to me that day. She assured me that all will be well and that I had to trust that God will provide for me and my family. She didn’t know how thankful I was of that assurance. I needed that badly at that time.

I tend to be pretty dense during these situations. I try to avoid my emotions and deny them most of the time but the Lord confronted me through them. I see death as something beautiful and freeing. I have learned this when my dad passed away. I had to hope that it is indeed beautiful, that death does not simply end in death alone, but it is a meaningful reunion with our Maker and that someday, we’ll join them.

Like I said, the second day after the news of their passing was different for me. For some reason, I could not fight back the tears that day. My drive going home is an hour so I have a lot of “silent moments” that I tend to think about things.  While I was driving home that day, I heard this song entitled The Other Side. Here is an excerpt of the lyrics that really stuck with me:

I bet you feel you’re finally home
Running down those streets of gold
The kind of peace you can’t explain
Looking into Jesus’ face

I know that you’re in a better place
I know I’ll be joining you someday

It isn’t easy to say goodbye
But I know it’s only for a little while
Run up ahead and I will catch up
‘Cause I’m gonna see you when tomorrow comes
On the other side

Where there are no more goodbyes
No more pain, no more tears left to cry
We will join with the angels singing their song
Praising our savior, all the day long

It isn’t easy to say goodbye
But I know it’s only for a little while
Run up ahead and I will catch up
‘Cause I’m gonna see you when tomorrow comes
On the other side

There are times when the Lord speaks to me through songs and I felt like He was dealing with me through this song. It didn’t deny the pain of death but it sheds a ray of hope that someday, we will meet again. This time, there’ll be no goodbyes. It gives hope that yes, those who have gone ahead of us are free. They are joyfully looking into Jesus’ face. In the meantime, I can continue my journey here so that someday, we may all meet again…

So to you, sisters, Giki and Rose, bask in God’s embrace. You had been His faithful servants. We will all be looking forward to seeing you someday, until we meet again.

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Settling in NZ Uncategorized

NZ Visa Experience

One of the issues immigrants face is applying for visas to work and stay in another country. In the years past, it was not too difficult for migrants to get a visa to stay permanently here in New Zealand. Unfortunately, we came at a time when a lot of the processes and requirements have changed. As for me, here is my experience of the whole process. Bear in mind that this is not a comprehensive one since everything is already a blurry for me.

What visa do I apply for?

Presentation1
The visas I applied for in a nutshell.

I came to New Zealand through a Visitor’s Visa that will last for 59 days. We opted for this one because it was free. We knew that once I get here, I will apply for another visa, thus we chose not to have any additional spend for this. Note that Howell is already a Permanent Resident visa holder since 2011 so we did not have to worry about his visa here.

When we were already here, we did not know what options we had for my visa so we consulted Immigration NZ. They have confirmed that with our specific case, given that we were already living together for more than 12 months during the time of application, we can opt to apply straight to residency (which can take up to 9 months at the time we called) or if we wish to have a visa that would allow me to work soon, then we can choose the work visa (with processing time of 25 days max) instead. Given that there were more opportunities for me at that time, we decided to apply for the work visa since its processing time is shorter.

After I got a job, we pushed for the application of my residency visa. We needed to save up for another application (because fee$$$ haha) so we postponed it until I had my own job.

Timelines

My visitor’s visa was approved in 10 days if I can remember it right. Processing time was shorter perhaps because it was my second visit already.

My work visa was approved 4 months after I submitted my application, in contrary to the 25 days stated in their website then. This was the toughest visa I had to apply for because I had issues with my urine test. I had to retake because they found traces of sugar in my urine sample (which was not normal). It went downhill from there. For some reason, it was difficult for them then to confirm what stage my application was but it was approved nevertheless.

My resident visa was approved 5 months after my application. Should we have known that the timelines for the work and resident visa would be the same, we would have opted to apply straight to resident visa since we spent a significant amount for both applications.

Requirements

All requirements can be found on Immigration NZ’s website. Their list of requirements are pretty comprehensive and straightforward so there is no guesswork, especially for the visitor’s visa.

The requirements for my work and resident visa are almost the same, except we added a few items like the tenancy agreement and home bills to the resident visa application since we were already renting on our own then. Since my application is partnership-based, we had to provide documents that will prove that we are in a genuine and stable relationship for more than 12 months. A marriage certificate here is a recognized proof of a relationship but is not enough to prove a genuine and stable one so we had to add on several items to the application. Below is a list of all the requirements  I can remember:

  • Marriage certificate
  • Tenancy agreement
  • Statement of joint bank account
  • Statement of joint investments
  • Copious amount of photos, especially the ones we’ve posted on social media
  • Letters from family members posted to our home
  • Utility billings
  • Timeline of the relationship (a friend told me a bullet-type of timeline is acceptable but since I am extra, I did a 3-page narration of our love story;) )
  • Tickets and bookings from all our travels throughout the years
  • Some people submit references (statements from people in NZ who know them and can testify about the status of their relationship) but we chose not to because we are both not comfortable asking people for this

Extra items to take note of

  • Personally, keeping in touch with Immigration is helpful throughout the process of applying. I usually call them at least twice a month just to check on the status of my application. When my case officer emailed me, I emailed her twice. There is a thin line between asking and being pushy in terms of asking for updates so you’d have to strike a balance on this.
  • Be as organized as possible because you may need your documents in another application. We have all our documents filed in one binder so it is easy to produce them when it is needed.

What now?

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My Resident Visa

For those who wanted to know what my current visa is, it will allow me to stay in New Zealand indefinitely. However, should I choose to travel outside of New Zealand after 19th March 2020, I will need to apply for another resident visa to re-enter the country.

I can also apply for a permanent resident visa after 2 years. So if we will be travelling outside New Zealand after 19th March 2020, we might need to apply for permanent resident visa. In 5 years, I will be eligible to apply for citizenship.

As an NZ Resident, I am also eligible to receive all the benefits a citizen or permanent resident has, e.g. health care, KiwiSaver, maternity leave, etc.

Other options

For those wanting to apply for a visa here, visit https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas for more details. The information in their website is really helpful. You can also choose to ring them for specific questions. Here is a quick information on how to contact them.

Hope this was helpful!

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Musings Uncategorized

Entrusting the Fine Details

As I shared in my last blog post, Howell and I are doing leaps here. There are heaps of blessings and fulfilled promises coming our way. One of our recent leaps is a life-changing deal we made with another person. I cannot begin to describe the scale of it. Just a disclaimer, this is not a shady business deal and it is totally legal.

One description I can give is that this deal will accelerate our plans. The time it will take to achieve the things we hoped for will significantly be reduced. It sounded too good to be true but it’s no easy task and so we knew that we needed to work really hard for it. And with all high-return decisions, come high risks.

We knew that we will be trying to achieve lofty goals and we knew the type of effort and the risks needed for these to come into fruition. However, we are secure that these risks we are taking are well worth it basically because we know the person we are dealing with. This person is trustworthy and committed. We knew that he knows the highs and lows of what we are trying to do. Some of the details, we will build as we go along but we know that he is capable and together, these goals are achievable.

I was awed by the kind of trust we gave to this person. In the same way, I have come to realize that if we know that the one we are dealing with is trustworthy, we can trust fully without any hesitations. If we both can trust this human being, why can’t I entrust the entirety of my life to an all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God? It is, admittedly, a weakness of mine. I am a worrier, a control-freak. I like planning things to the detail. With this concrete experience of saying yes to someone we deem trustworthy, I know that we both will learn. We know that if we get to know more of this God like we knew this person we were dealing with, there will be no reason for anxiety. We can entrust our lives fully, we can entrust even the finer details of our lives.

Proverbs 3:1-6

Do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments. For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you.
Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

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Musings Uncategorized

The Year After

We arrived in New Zealand on 29 December 2016. We had high hopes of the future, given that we are confident that we have prayed for this decision, planned and plotted timelines tediously, and that we are certain of the support Howell’s family has generously committed.

Several bittersweet things happened in between. I named my blog post for today as The Year After, mainly because around the same time last year, we feel our life in New Zealand has finally started. This post is about recalling our leaps from last year and some of the many things we are grateful for.

Work

Both Howell and I were both blessed with good jobs here. Coming here, we were prepared to take on any role, irregardless of its relevance to our past work experiences. All we knew is that we were to earn dollars, and we’re pretty much content with that.

We’ve had our fair share of disappointments applying for a job. We both applied for entry-level jobs here that we were confident we can do but there would be close to a hundred (I kid you not, I think I did apply for 100+ jobs) letters saying that we were not qualified and that other high caliber applicants applied for the job. Apart from the rejection, it was ridiculously painful to receive messages like those.

We were ready to start from the bottom and move our way up but the Lord, in His generosity, had better plans for us. Howell was the first one to find a job. He was hired as a Graduate Engineer, with the main responsibility of doing reports for an insurance company which dealt with Earthquake damage claims from the 14th November 2016 earthquake event (i.e. Kaikoura earthquake). A few months into his work, he was given design jobs and a year after, he is already one of the Intermediate Engineers in his company, doing design work, account management, and client liaisons.

I, on the other hand, found a job as a Marketing Manager in one of New Zealand’s wonderful wildlife reserves. The role, the company itself, my workmates, and the environment, fit well with my needs and wants. I could not have wanted a better job for myself.

It is amazing how we were restored specifically in this area of our life. Work was one of our anxieties then. We had to pray for humility to accept whatever job the Lord grants us. We had to prepare for whatever opportunity may open for us.

Home

If I could remember it right, we transferred to our flat around April. We lived for 3 months with my in-laws. Our relationship with them isn’t perfect but I am proud to tell the world that I have learned to love them as my own and they love me the same. However, no matter how good our relationship with them is, we still had to stand on our own and build our own family, thus the decision to rent a home of our own.

Transferring home has been one of my concrete experiences of God’s generosity through the people around us. Most of our furniture and appliances, even our cutlery, came from my in-laws and from members of the Lamb of God community. Salvation Army and the Trash Palace has been one of the most helpful places we’ve been when we were starting. Little by little, we are able to build something that we can call ours. It is a joy to experience this with Howell.

Community Life

Community life has a completely different meaning here in New Zealand so I’d have to put a bit of context. When I say community life, I am referring to my prayer group here in New Zealand, the Lamb of God community. It is different from communal living, which some religious groups do.

We started as observers for almost a year. We adjusted to the way they did things, tried to learn their patterns, and basically established relationships with all of the other members. Today, we are happily serving the community’s youth. Bigger things are laid out and we are praying that someday, all these will bear fruit.

Quality of Life

One thing that has greatly improved is the quality of our life. We have quite a number of responsibilities here but the way New Zealand’s overall systems work is that it allows you to have work-life balance. You are encouraged, and in fact, supported, even by your employers, to pursue your passions.

We both are able to exercise regularly, eat healthy meals, and do our individual interests.

Howell is actively playing his most loved sport, ultimate frisbee. He will be playing at Nationals in 2 weeks. That’s a huge leap he would not have experienced back in our home county. He is also able to play music (drums and guitar) in our community events, something that he always wanted to do even back home.

Meanwhile, I get to regularly swim because there are heaps of swimming pools here. I get to read at least one book a week because the library is a few blocks from our home and they have good choices of books. It’s worth noting that Howell was also able to get interested in reading books simply because of the e-book app that the library has. I also am able to get back to my love for arts–calligraphy, painting, photography. One thing I am not able to do now is practice piano but we’ll get there.

Gazing Forward

Last year was a leap of faith for us. We had to trust that God delivers what He promises to do. It was an unbelievably eventful year for us. We are proud to be settling nicely here, with the help of our family and friends. We never would have imagined to be where we are now a year ago. We are humbled by all your kindness and generosity to us, especially in our time of need.

Today, we are gazing forward. We are praying for a child soon, but we are not rushing into anything. We know that that child will come in God’s time. We will continue to prepare and to look ahead as we’ve only just begun. We are continuously setting our sights on all of God’s other promises to us but for now, we live fully in the here and now.

If there is only one thing that I can describe our past year, it’s that it started with a leap of faith that led us to other leaps we never would have dreamed of. Trust that once the Lord has spoken, no matter the circumstance, He will deliver.

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Musings Uncategorized

Turning 29

My 29th birthday celebration yesterday was unlike no other. There was no fancy celebration, nothing huge like my previous birthdays when I used to meet with my friends. It was a simple and quiet celebration.

We have planned on going for a road trip but sometimes things just wouldn’t go our way. There was a huge change of plan for several reasons I’d rather not elaborate.

I started my day with a fun event with the Lamb of God youth, followed by a “shopping spree” in Wellington City, and a movie in the evening. I was so psyched with the shopping spree part because it was the first time in years that I was able to buy gadgets for myself. Howell bought a phone (this purchase wasn’t planned since my phone broke down a day just before my birthday, coincidentally) and a DSLR camera (since I wanted to dabble with photography).

My sister called me at midnight, just in time for my birthday. I was able to chat with her and my mom for a bit so it made my celebration so much special.

Another wonderful thing that happened is that my residency visa was approved! It was one of my biggest anxieties the past year, given the immigration changes here so it is such a blessing that this news came in. That will altogether be a different post, for those looking at migrating here.

It’s so surprising that even in this simplest celebration, everything that happened yesterday seemed so meaningful. I am in the process of restoration. All the things I have never thought would happen, happened.

As a friend quoted to me recently, it seemed that the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. I am convinced that these things happening in my life is a fulfillment of God’s promises He made years past. The Lord is restoring the years stolen from me by the responsibilities I had to take on at an early age. I am now capable of exploring things that I have wanted to do in my younger years, such as swimming, writing, and several artsy things. I have so much time in my hands that I can use to develop and use my talents more.

At 29, I certainly do not feel young, but my heart is as young as it can get because of my hunger for new discoveries and the new opportunities life opened up for me. For these, I am grateful.

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Howell Uncategorized

Howell’s Half-Marathon (Cigna Round the Bays 2018)

18th of February 2018, I joined Cigna’s half Marathon, my first 21km. I finished in 2:16 and I think I did really well. Interesting though, when I look back at my experience, it was actually the “journey” towards the finish line that had more meaning than just crossing the line itself. Let me tell you four things that I find very meaningful which I had experienced during the run.

First off, we arrived late. The run was supposed to start at 7:45am (gun time for half marathon) but we arrived at the parking lot at about 8:30am (about the same gun time for 10km run). Sheen was running for 6.5km which has a gun time at 9:15am. There was a warning that the cutoff starting time for 21km is at 8:45am and so I rushed towards the starting line. It’s ironic that others are running towards the finish line while I am running towards the starting line.

The fact that I finished the race means I was able to cross the starting line before it closes, however, I was already at the tail of 10km runners. In essence, 21km runners are ahead of me by an hour and most of those that with me will only run for 10km. Imagine that by the time these people will cross the finish line, I am literally just halfway my mark (well, technically not even halfway, but close).

I find it quite difficult to start given that I have already spent part of my energy running towards the starting line plus the anxiety that I will only be the one left running while everyone is done already. Note that there’s also that idea in my head that the event might be done before I can even finish the race… and that Sheen will be left alone waiting at the finish line. A ton of pressure for me while I try to establish my comfortable pace.

There was a point, past about 1km, I noticed a guy passing behind me wearing the 21km green-coded bib. It was a relief knowing finally that I am not alone. So, I decided to run at the same pace as he is, until about 3km, I lost him. This is the part where I started to recognize and reflect on what is happening.

I can’t help but compare this run to my spiritual life, to anybody’s spiritual journey actually. There are people who starts early, on time and just in every way, always, seemingly ahead of other people. These are usually the more disciplined Christians (spiritually) who are consistent in their prayer time, reading the Bible, to the point of waking up early to do these things just to keep themselves spiritually fit. Then there are those struggling to even start their spiritual journey, which was seemingly, what happened to my 21km run.

In our spiritual journey, we can sometimes see people of great Christian faith, just like the person who passed me, who are so encouraging, so much a relief seeing them running together beside us. For a time, we feel comfortable just following their lead. The problem is, just like what I experienced, when they’re gone, we lose hope simply because our anchor is on a temporal person. This can actually extend to not just a person of great Christian faith, you can even think of material things that encourages us, or perhaps, that promotion in our job or even our relationships. We see these things enabling us to finish the race, but the real challenge is, who are we when they’re gone?  Can we still push through our Christian journey? Do we still have the capacity to run? Then suddenly I thought, if I focus on an eternal being, that eternal being will not disappear no matter what. And here comes my first lesson:

LESSON 1: Be encouraged with the things that surrounds us, even with those great Christian people, but be more focused on God.

Isaiah 26:3 says “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

I was seriously left discouraged when I lost my temporary companion, but when I realized that the race must go on, I kept my pace thinking that there’s no other way but to run in order to cross the finish line (Well, I can’t even start thinking of going back, because the end line is literally on the other end of the bay and I have to get there no matter what or else, it would be difficult for me and Sheen to meet).

As I continue the race, it felt a bit more comfortable running even just in the company of 10km runners. But there comes a time where I have to continue the race without them since I am going for 21km while they will take a turn towards the finish line. Literally, I was the only one who turned towards the path for 21km when the time came. It became more difficult as I am running against strong sea breeze (thus the name Windy Wellington), alone, no other runner to share the force of the wind.

LESSON 2: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Have something that you hold dearly to keep you on the race.

Philippians 3:14 says “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”

When you feel that you are on your own and is faced by great trouble, this is where Christian life gets a bit more challenging. Keyword: “Eyes on the prize”. In my case during the race, I always think of receiving the Finisher’s medal. As this was my first time running a half marathon, it would be a great reward for me to have it. That verse run in my head during the race. It actually pumped me knowing that I would uncover greater reflection as I go on with the race.

Side note: I also think about the time when Sheen will be waiting for me at the end. She has to wait longer if I run longer. The hard part is that we only said goodbyes on the carpark as I have to chase the starting line. I can imagine her alone, waiting on the finish line and constantly looking out for me – which, I know, wouldn’t be a pleasant experience for her. Good thing that when I finished the race, Tom was with her and they seemed to be happy just talking to each other while waiting for me and for other community members.

There was an interesting thing that happened to me during that stretch of the run. Note that for the 21km run, there’s a turning point at about 14km mark and therefore, while I am only at 9km mark, the opposite side of the road are those running opposite and on their roughly about 16km mark. Some of these people, for whatever reason, cheered me on while my face is being blown by the wind. Imagine, they are runners ahead of me, and they have more energy in encouraging me to run! Maybe because I was cute and handsome, or probably they saw me struggling, I don’t know why. But the important thing is that I realized that these people represent the cloud of witnesses in my life—my parents, my spiritual mentors, my community leaders, those with more experience in their faith, all of them encouraging people like me who are struggling. It was indeed helpful knowing that they’re more worn out, they have suffered much, and yet, they can still provide encouragement, and smile on me.

LESSON 3: Provide encouragement (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Going past the 15km to 18km seemed more comfortable to me as I was able to pace myself well. And during that time, I have already passed some 21km runners and am confident that I will be able to cross the finish line on time. The last 2km, however, was a different story. I am a bit competitive so I decided that for the last stretch, I will not stop, no excuses, I will finish the run exhausting all the energy that I still have.

Just 200m away from the finish line, there was this guy, in a Flash costume, who greeted me and offered to run with me until the end. We both crossed the finish line, with him all the while chatting with me and encouraging me to finish the race. I find it different when I first tried the Cigna 10km run. The feeling now is more relaxed, more happy, and positive. I do believe that’s the idea of that Flash guy. Just knowing that someone knows your pain and will be there for you on that crucial part of the race, I guess that’s what made it easier to cross the end.

LESSON 4: Being with your friend at the crucial point of his/her Christian life has a great effect on how he/she responds to the situation specially after going through the pain, trial or suffering. Sometimes just being the “Ministry of Presence” brings a huge of difference. (See Ecclesiastes 4:7-12)

All in all, it was very humbling experience. I had my Christian songs with me throughout the race, which I only selected just that morning. Just a tip, don’t use sad songs as there are parts of the race that I really got emotional. There was a sad song that reminded me of God’s faithfulness – which is a story worth telling at another time.

So, to recap, the lessons are:

  1. Keep your focus on God (Isaiah 26:3)
  2. Eyes on the prize (Philippians 3:14)
  3. Encourage one another (Hebrews 10:24-25)
  4. Ministry of companionship (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12, see also Job 2:13)

 

Keep running the race, everyone!

Categories
Uncategorized Work

Kids Go Free at Staglands on Children’s Day!

Staglands Wildlife Reserve are celebrating Children’s Day on Sunday 4th March by offering  FREE ENTRY into The Reserve for ALL CHILDREN.

In addition to their usual attractions, visitors can enjoy free off-road tractor-trailer rides. So if you are looking for a fun Children’s day outing for the whole family, meet at Staglands and connect with nature on Sunday 4th March 2018.

(*Offer is not available with any other offer.   Children (0-16 years) must be accompanied by paying adult)

Visit http://www.staglands.co.nz/staglands-wildlife-reserve-and-cafe/x,76,3,1,6976,,2107/kids-go-free-on-children-s-day-.html for more details.

#ChildrensDayNZ #PutTamarikiFirst

 

 

Categories
The Long Drive Chronicles Uncategorized

The Long Drive Chronicles – Kid on a Bike

Those who have been to Staglands Wildlife Reserve would know that the road I travel to get there isn’t necessarily the ideal road you’d take to work. It’s a windy road filled with a number of blind curves. It takes me 20-25 minutes to drive this road giving me loads of time to think about things, mainly to amuse myself and to distract me from the terrifying bends I have to drive in.

I sometimes sing, reflect, make my own jokes and laugh at them while driving there. And from here, the long drive chronicles was born. It is during my drive here that I get to take a closer look at my life and the circumstances surrounding me in an uninterrupted way. Will post a video of my way to work soon but for now, enjoy the read!

I usually go home at a certain time. There would be times when I’d come home late because I had a little chat with my boss but it’s not that often that this happens. In one of my usual travels home, I got off at an unusual time. I had no meeting or any sort of social engagement that day so I was driving at a relaxed pace.

Everything was as is until I came to a blind curve with a home right after it. I usually don’t encounter the residents there leaving the house and if they do, they leave with a car but at this specific time, a kid on a bike drove fast before me. I was in a safe speed so nothing untoward happened.

I, however, thought about what could have happened should I come home a bit earlier or later or should my driving speed have altered before that kid appeared on the road. That day, though, I was at that part of the road at that time, driving in that speed, saving me from a possible collision.

It reminded me of one of the prayers of a member in our prayer group where it says, “thank you, Lord, for saving us from things that we know and the things we are not aware of…”. 

Sometimes, we wonder why we are stuck somewhere we feel we shouldn’t be. We are in relationships we feel we shouldn’t be in anymore, we are in jobs that are not rewarding and fulfilling anymore, we are awaiting for answers that wouldn’t come. We feel stuck and forgotten. No matter what we do, nothing moves.

We may or may not know it but there is Someone at work in our lives, protecting us from things we cannot bear. We are in circumstances we need to be in at the moment. We can take comfort in knowing that we are provided with what we need when we need it. It may be a difficulty we need to grow from, it may be a short supply of resources we need to get by. We have the right amount of good and bad we have to deal with on a daily basis. Nothing is given to us beyond our capacity.

My takeaway for this day, from the kid on the bike, is that I am where I should be now, nothing more, nothing less. I am not a day over or a day under the things I am supposed to go through. Everything is in place because Someone is in charge of me. I am thankful for the times I was saved from things that I am aware of, more so, from the things I am not.

P.S. On the flip side, parents of these kids should teach their kids basic road safety to ensure they are secure when they go out of the house. 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

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A Tribute to Gallantry

gallantry

NOUN (plural gallantries)

mass noun

1 Courageous behaviour, especially in battle.

‘a medal awarded for outstanding gallantry during the raid’

2 Polite attention or respect given by men to women.

‘no young man offers to carry this burden for her: such gallantry is out of fashion’

 

As I mentioned previously, swimming is one of the things I consistently do. I usually go to this specific pool once to twice a week so I am pretty familiar with it and with the guidelines they have put to those who will be using the pools.

My visit today was the most annoying visit I had. I was quietly doing laps in one of the lanes when a group of four, late twenties, early thirties, rowdy guys, (calling them men would be a disgrace to all the men I know) arrived.

There were four swimming lanes, all of which were occupied. Of all lanes they could go in to, they chose mine. I never had issues with sharing lanes here since most people I come across are polite and good swimmers and so I didn’t pay much attention to them though I found it rather odd that all four of them chose to swim in my lane.

It was until I came to the end of the lane and I already had to deal with them so I asked them politely if they will be swimming so that I can give way. Their answer wasn’t in English and I was assuming they’d just want me to go ahead since they weren’t moving at all. They were just splashing and fooling around in a lap pool where everyone is expected to, well, do laps. It was already annoying since it is part of the guidelines clearly written out for all visitors to read that if you are not swimming in laps, then you shouldn’t be hanging around in that pool.

It wasn’t until I bumped into one of them, who was in the middle of the pool, in the side of my lane, floating, that I sensed what was happening. Yep, they were ganging up on me. It kept on for a few minutes until I knew that I already had to speak up. I was already supposed to go to one of the lifeguards to inform them of what was happening when a man swam closely behind me, making me feel relieved and safe from these guys. I did not know who he was until I took a short break on the other end of the lane. It was my husband!!! When I looked to the other side of the pool, the four rowdy guys were gone.

Just to put a context to it, Howell did not want to swim because he had a training for ultimate frisbee later that day so he was kind of reserving his energy and opted to go to the spa instead of swimming.

I love the presence of my husband but these was one of those standout moments that I am joyful that he is with me. It really felt like he was a hero! I asked him if he knew what was happening when he came to the pool and he said that he saw one of the lifeguards talking to the guys and when he looked, these guys were in my lane so he came to my aid promptly because I may be in trouble.

What contrast it was! Here is a man who almost instantaneously went to protect a woman from guys who would instantly jump to disrespect whoever they’d want to. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a damsel-in-distress awaiting for a knight as I was already on my way to do something to protect myself from these guys but here was a man who came through for me.

There still are gallant men these days. Some men will give you attention, but be very discerning of the attention they give. Some will only seek to take advantage, especially in times you are weak.

How do you know a gallant man? These men rise to the occasion. They are courageous in pursuing things that are of worth–principles, faith, respect, responsibility, accountability. They will treat you as equals but they will come through for you when the going gets tough.

To all the gallant men out there, the world is a better place with you in it. Continue to be courageous because our world needs men like you, most especially these days. The world needs men who will be brave and be brave enough to pursue the right things.

To the first gallant man I have ever loved, Dad, thank you for showing me that there still are good men, that there are things and people worth waiting for. And to my most gallant man, thank you for standing up for me even though you knew so well that I am capable of standing up for myself.