Flying

Once upon a time there was a little boy who was raised in a orphanage.

The little boy had always wished that he could fly like a bird. It was very difficult for him to understand why he could not fly. There were birds at the zoo that were much bigger than he, and they could fly.

"Why can't I?" he thought. "Is there something wrong with me?" he wondered.

There was another little boy who was crippled. He had always wished that he could walk and run like other little boys and girls.

"Why can't I be like them?" he thought.

One day the little orphan boy who had wanted to fly like a bird ran away from the orphanage. He came upon a park where he saw the little boy who could not walk or run playing in the sandbox.

He ran over to the little boy and asked him if he had ever wanted to fly like a bird.

"No," said the little boy who could not walk or run. "But I have wondered what it would be like to walk and run like other boys and girls."

"That is very sad." said the little boy who wanted to fly. "Do you think we could be friends?" he said to the little boy in the sandbox.

"Sure." said the little boy.

The two little boys played for hours. They made sand castles and made really funny sounds with their mouths. Sounds which made them laugh real hard. Then the little boy's father came with a wheelchair to pick up his son. The little boy who had always wanted to fly ran over to the boy's father and whispered something into his ear.

"That would be OK," said the man.

The little boy who had always wanted to fly like a bird ran over to his new friend and said, "You are my only friend and I wish that there was something that I could do to make you walk and run like other little boys and girls. But I can't. But there is something that I can do for you."

The little orphan boy turned around and told his new friend to slide up onto his back. He then began to run across the grass. Faster and faster he ran, carrying the little crippled boy on his back. Faster and harder he ran across the park. Harder and harder he made his legs travel. Soon the wind just whistled across the two little boys' faces.

The little boy's father began to cry as he watched his beautiful little crippled son flapping his arms up and down in the wind, all the while yelling at the top of his voice,

"I'M FLYING, DADDY. I'M FLYING!"

source

Ice Cream

Last week I took my children to a restaurant.  My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. 

As we bowed our heads he said,  "God is good. God is great.  Thank you for the food,  and I would even thank you more if  Mom gets us ice cream for dessert.  And Liberty and justice for all.Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby I heard a woman remark,  "That's what's wrong with this country.  Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?"

As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and  God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table.  

He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer."

"Really?" my son asked.

"Cross my heart," the man replied.

Then in a theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream.  A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

 

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal.  My son stared at his for a moment

and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman.

With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good already."

source

Coming Full Circle

article written by APA Feliciano 

            The sky was overcast and the rain pattered relentlessly against the coaster windshield as we traversed the road to Tagaytay for the Mukha Ad graduation rites and retreat. And as we did, I am reminded of the first day we met each other, that all twenty-plus of us have seen each other for the first time. It was raining too, dampening our spirits and whatever left of our energies, enough that a lot of us hesitated to attend the General Assembly.

They called it that, the first day, and I remember only going to the Sto. Domingo Church at the invitation of some high school friends. In all honesty, I was never the type of person to join church organizations because I myself wasn’t actually very sure of my faith. But even if my faith wavers at times, my trust in my friends never do so with another high school friend in tow, we decided to go and see what was in store for us.

Yesterday

            It turned out that there was more for me than there was for my other high school friend who backed out in the middle of the year because her books and parents called her. At first I was hesitant to take part in the activities because it felt like there was still some barrier between my fellow batchmates and I, as well as between me and the Mukha Ad staff. We might have shared some laughter and jokes together but these were never really forms of assurance of friendship because quite a few of them disappears and later resurfaces when the bond that has been formed have already dissolved.

            I never really tracked the development of our relationships with each other but after endless jokes over food and charade games, we were looping our arms around each other in an obvious show of friendship and camaraderie. I didn’t really know when it was, but as time passed, acquaintances evolved into friendships and pregnant silences became boisterous laughter and endless conversations.

            Now as I looked at the fog kissing the coaster glasses, I am overwhelmed by the memories of the things we’ve experienced all together as a group and of how far we’ve come. I never really thought I’d stick with Mukha Ad since I always fail when it comes to the matter of commitments, but it was nonetheless a pleasant discovery both on the aspects of external commitments and willingness.

The Bare Necessities

            Mukha Ad has the same experience as any other youth-oriented organizations there ever is, all these will always be the same. There will always be the feeling of vibrancy, of pulsating feelings and sentiments that threatened to overflow.

In my case it was a feeling of novelty, of testing my willingness to commit on greater heights and every time I dragged my body to the train tracks to hitch a ride up north I was always bugged by the question, “Why?” Why am I furiously exercising my legs going up and down the MRT stations just to get to the sessions on time? Why am I, a person who has vowed to not let the sun rays touch my burnt epidermis, leave in the middle of the day just to attend sessions? Why am I, a person who hates traveling around Metro Manila, go on road for an hour and more to get to the picturesque Santo Domingo Church?

It was not so much because I wanted to get my hands on my graduation certificate nor was it because I wanted to get away from home. Granted, I never really took Mukha Ad as something I could invest in both emotionally and spiritually but over time it changed, and it somehow felt like I was bound by the red thread to this organization and to these people. No longer was it about fulfilling some civic responsibility but being able to spend time with a set of newfound friends who saw through me. In their eyes, and in the eyes of God, I was unclothed, stripped off of my vanities as well as of my other identity as a working individual. To them, I was never the girl who rushed to meet deadlines in heels and corporate suits but rather I was a person to laugh and joke with.

Graduating and moving on

            Friendships came late and I am not sure as to whether I could really move on at this state. In the month of hearts alone, I fell sick twice—largely owing to bodily stress and overwork and while I have been warned to stay at home after the Mukha Ad graduation, I still don’t think I can sit still and let them have all the fun. The desire to spend more time with the people I’ve grown close with over time grew and it is growing still and the graduation rites and the retreat solidified this feeling even more. I wasn’t sure whether I could commit myself until I grow past the “Youth” stage but right now, it feels like I would like to stay for a few years more.

            It has been a long time since I went to a retreat, as customary of the students in Catholic schools. Like everyone else, I cried, prayed for my friends, forgave my enemies and went on and did the same things again. Mukha Ad did it lightly—there was no pressure to cry (as there was with every retreat I attended), but there was a gentle tug at my heartstrings. Be kind to your family, I was told, because you never know what will happen next. I was reminded of the basic things I needed to get through this life, such as my faith and the basics of my faith. I wasn’t sure whether it was a necessity for every retreat to have some scary stories spread around, but we still found courage to walk in the darkness and laugh till our stomachs burst. Of course we snapped endless pictures together, and still some more until the unbearable heat of the sun made us retreat in silence.

            Being with Mukha Ad was like finding a long-lost family—it wasn’t just about finding a family in the first place, but finally belonging in a group that seemed to have lost their black sheep, that no matter how black my wool turns out to be, I could still trust them to bleach me whiter than I used to be. They became my friends and it was but natural for us to become a family, and I take comfort in the fact that the prodigal son in me could still find a shelter within their midst.

Ang Saya sa MUKHA AD!(Isang Bidyo)

Ganito kasaya sa Mukha Ad!

** Mula sa Graduation at Retreat ng Batch 19 sa Caleruega.

Bidyo at larawan ni -aleckx-

Tula Para Sa Batch 21

poem written by Aizel Lambino, Batch 21  

Masiglang Ugnayan ang hatid,

sa mga kabataan ipinababatid,

MUKHA AD, grupong magkakapatid,

BATCH 21 na hindi mapatid-patid.

Sisimulan ko ang pagpapakilala,

sa aming grupong masaya,

halika na't makisama,

maghanda sa kakaibang ligaya.

RICO kanyang pangalan,

pag nandiyan kami'y naghahalakan,

iba talaga ang kanyang banatan,

Joke niya ay laging tinatawanan.

hyper itong si TOTO,

isa rin sa mga maloko,

sobrang kulit na tao,

siya rin ay romantiko.

si THOM na laging masaya,

nakangiti tuwing aking makikita,

taong marunong makisama,

kung minsan nakakaaliw talaga.

kung sa kulitan talaga,

si DON isa sa nangunguna,

kala mo tahimik siya,

kung tumawa ibang-iba.

isang magandang dalaga,

JOYCE aking pinapakilala,

sa kanya maraming nagtitiwala,

tunay siyang kahanga-hanga.

APA kung siya'y aming tawagin,

isa ring taong masayahin,

dalagang minsan mahinhin,

siya't talagang mamahalin.

ibang klase din itong si MAUEE,

kasiyahan minsan di mawari,

ganda niya'y kapuri-puri,

magandang boses na nakakabingi.

sa trip na di maubos-ubos,

si COR kung tumawa ang lubos,

aakalaing hininga'y kinakapos,

boses pa minsan ay paos.

itong si RUSS ay mabait,

may itsurang kaakit-akit,

isa rin sa mga makulit,

mukhang hindi nga ata marunong magalit.

CHITO na matulungin,

sa kanya maraming pumapansin,

kung minsa'y sumpungin,

lahat ng bagay kayang dalhin.

Genius na maituturing,

ang haba ng share tuwing meeting,

madali lang ding pasiyahin,

yan si JUDE na masunurin.

itong si SHAIRA na kalog,

para siyang walang tulog,

aakalaing laging sabog,

ngunit kakaiba ang alindog.

kilalanin ang pinakabata,

sa meeting never nagsalita,

siya raw ay nahihiya,

yan si MONIQUE na nakakatuwa.

siyempre ako ang panghuli,

ipinakikilala ko ang aking sarilli,

di ko alam kung anong pwedeng masabi,

ay! ako si AIZEL, sa sayawan matindi.

masayang ugnayan sa mga kabataan,

diyos din aking pinasasalamatan,

MUKHA AD, aking hinahangaan,

tunay kong pinagkakatiwalaan.

ito ang BATCH namin,

sana'y di kayo nabitin,

ito ang aking likhain,

kung ika'y bitin ULIT-ULITIN.