Halloween !

I won't say happy halloween because I don't see anything happy about halloween anyway. I don't consider it happy since on this day, a lot of people wear something scary and they decorate things around their yard, inside their house with stuffs that look so scary.

Two years ago, me and my husband actually experienced halloween in the US. We were visiting a friend in San Jose, California and children, wearing interesting costumes, were knocking at our friend's house and we went out to give them candies and chocolates for their trick or treat. It was fun in a way though.

In Bohol, we don't have something like that. Our children don't go out wearing crazy costumes and go from one house to another for a trick or treat. However, families go to the cemetery on November 1 and 2, to visit the tombs of departed family members, relatives or friends. Family and friends gather around at the cemetery, eat, drink and be merry, reminiscing the lives of the departed loved ones.

Halloween is always related to something scary though. How about sharing scary or spooky stories?

I don't have a personal scary or spooky experience. I am not like other people who got a 'third eye' or has the 'sixth sense' that they experience spooky incidents more than once.

A spooky story

Story #1. In one of his political trips, my father was travelling from one of the municipalities of Bohol. Tired from the day's activities, he was sleeping in the car when suddenly he was jolted due to the sudden stop of the vehicle. He asked the driver what was happening and the driver told him that he had to stop the car and has to drive very slow this time because there are many carabaos walking in the middle and on the sides of the road.

My father, who was half awake didn't realize at first if what the driver was saying was true but when he opened his eyes, he saw with his own eyes WHITE CARABAOS all over! He estimated that there were more than a hundred of those carabaos. He was wondering where these carabaos would come from and where they are going. They were on the part of the road where the road is between a cliff (of a mountain)to the right and a cliff (along the sea) to the left. They were then driving somewhere in Dimiao.

After several minutes of slow driving and with goose bumps on their skins, my father and his driver suddenly saw the white carabaos disappear from their sight. The were both wondering where did they went to and why were those carabao white? Spooky eh?

Story # 2. Just few weeks ago, my father called me to help organize the 'remembering' activities for my Lolo and Lola (their birthdays are November 2 and November 15) because my Lola 'reminded' him (again) through some spooky ways.

It was early in the morning and my father passed by our library. He looked toward the big table and the opened album on the table caught his attention and he looked at it. There, he was surprised to see the picture of my Lolo and him and on the next page, my Lola and my mother. He was wondering how come his attention was directed to the open album? Why was the album open already? Why was it open on the page where the picture of my Lolo was?

He wasn't scared though because he is already used to these happenings that my Lola would some sort of 'remind' him about the upcoming activities.

A little spooky huh?

How about you? Do you also have a scary or spooky story to share?

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Read also - Remembering the departed

I am a child of God

I attended church this morning and my dad delivered the Message. I always love it when it's my dad who delivers the Message.

Today, he was preaching that being a child of God, one don't need someone else to relay his concerns to God. Being His child, one can just directly ask from Him for anything. Pray to Him and not to or through anyone else. And I believe in that.

In my case, being a parent myself, even before my children ask for the things that they need, I already know and I have even already provided for what they need. God is like that. He provides our needs even before we ask for them. How much more if we ask for those?

But all the things that we need must also be added with our exertion of efforts. Like water, which has been provided by God for all of us to use it. However, if we don't do anything, like even exerting an effort of filling the glass with water and lifting the glass of water to drink the water, we won't be able to quench our thirst.

Man proposes and God disposes.

And in our own lives, being children of God, we will put all our trust in Him and He will take care of everything.

Are you a child of God too?

I am envious!

Being envious means having a feeling or showing envy. And I admit I have this feeling.

However, the kind of envy that I am feeling is not a feeling of envy over materials things. I don't feel envious when I see others holding their expensive LV,Tod's or other high-in signature bags (although I don't own any of them) or seeing rich gals driving their Mercedes-Benz or Jaguars (my dream cars)or mestizas flashing their diamonds. These materials things are only riches on earth. My riches are stored in heaven (naks).

So, what am I envious about? I feel so envious when I see someone jogging, jumping over a cliff to the water below, dancing, biking and other physical activities. I feel envious not because I am physically challenged.

I do have complete limbs to do all these. When I own pairs of running/walking shoes that could be used for jogginb or walking. I am not afraid of heights that I one of my fantasy extreme activity is to do bungee jumping or hand glide. I used to own a mountain bike which I used to use for long drives along the roads in Panglao Island. When I was much younger, I took ballet and jazz dance lessons and could really dance very well. I was even the main dancer during our ballet and jazz dance recitals.

So, what am I really envious about? I am envious because I can't do these physical activities anymore. Why? It is because my hormones act weird if I engage myself in these kinds of activities. Others may thought this condition might be just imaginary. I wish this is just imaginary too. But I have undergone a battery of tests, I have seen almost 20 doctors, I have been tested and admitted at different hospitals (which includes Ramiro Community Hospital in Bohol, National Kidney and Transplant Institute of the Philippines, St. Luke's Hospital in the Philippines and National Institutes of Health in Maryland, USA). And sad to note that what is happening or what has happened to me is NOT imaginary. It's real.

I still need to go for another round of stress test to determine how far can I go with regards to physical activities. The last time I had this test, I could even hardly reach Level 2 (highest is level 7). My cardiologist had to stop me because my BP was already at 170/100 upon entering level 2. Whew! I don't feel the pain, but the BP level was just scary. So, because of this condition, I can't do the physical things which I would love doing.

But having my kind of condition doesn't make me sad or bitter. At least, what I have is classified as RARE. Hahahahahhaa. Who knows someone would be envious of what I have anyway?. But please, don't be.

(picture above is that of NIH in Maryland, USA. My room was located at the 5th floor on the front right side of the picture)