49 And What?

I woke up a few minutes before three this morning (my usual time to wake up on a regular work day!) and I thought of my birthday. Not that there was anything really exciting about it, but that was my point. Nothing really exciting! Today, I am 49 and the Lord led me to write —to write something about this day. 49 and what? Do these numbers mean something significant for the Powerball? Not that I know of, but the Lord gently asked me to write. Every day or almost every day, I set aside some time to commune with him, to listen to His Word so I would know how to serve Him and His children better.

Well, literary speaking, I do serve his children as a teacher. I also do serve my husband of 14 years, and my 10-year old son. My son gives me so much joy when I see him. I still love to kiss him and give him a BIG hug. I guess I won’t really get over it unless, unless, unless (I’m thinking…. I’m thinking……I’m still thinking….) he’s shed off his baby fat and he does not want to play silly games with mom and dad anymore. Last week, we attended his Spelling Bee contest. Twenty one students from elementary and middle schools competed. He made it up to the fourth round. We also ran in the Let Me Run 5K marathon last Saturday. Correction, he ran and I jogged and walked because I did not want to die of a massive heart attack before my birthday. I learned to accept the fact that I needed exercise and that just being in the race makes you feel as much as a winner as the person who actually received the prizes. You learn to appreciate more of life’s lessons- perseverance, camaraderie from persons you meet along the way and the gift of encouragement—“Common, you can do it.” I saw adults and young adults mentoring young boys to stay in the race and just to keep on moving. It was such a beautiful experience running on a 45⁰ F afternoon against a backdrop of slightly gray skies, a scattering of green leafed trees and bare trees and feeling the cold wind on your face. It was a moment of reflection before my 49th birthday.

Day 2. December 11, 2013. So what is in 49, anyway? Is there a secret code? I was already tired yesterday after getting home from work, so I just decided to stay home instead of dining out with my family. There was still left over spaghetti that I cooked last Sunday, so I heated it up. My son had a personal serving of pizza. We ate in front of the television set as we watched the 6:30 evening news. My husband came home at 7:00 p.m. and said “Did you know that there is diniguan and ukoy in the ref? My customer gave it to me.” When I heard ukoy, I felt this urge to eat again. Although, I know I was full, I had to taste the ukoy with the vinegar in it because that was home. This was the taste I grew up with. It was masarap and I savored the strong flavor of the onion and garlic mixed with the shrimp. Ang sarap talaga! Yummy! My husband’s customer in our balikbayan box business also included cassava cake. Wow!!!! Kumpleto talaga (What a complete meal)! What a way to finish my day with a delicious Filipino meal without having to spend a single cent! It was truly a birthday surprise from the Lord!

Out of curiosity, I asked the Lord if there was any message for me concerning my age. So, I added the numbers 4 and 9. The total is 13. Then suddenly, a thought came to my mind. One would represent me, myself. I would start with myself —alone, but as I get older I would align myself with the Holy Trinity—i.e., the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As I get older, I think of this as true. There are no guarantees in life, except God. My delight is in the Lord. One of my favorite phrases is

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.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Each day, the Lord invites me to trust more as I walk with Him. What a great God He is. So understanding, so kind, so full of love and patience. I sometimes think, what have I done to deserve all these blessings? All these little gifts brought in without need for cash, layaways, VISA or MasterCard for my 49th year! They were given free of charge and all I needed was to trust. God provided for the feast on my birthday and for all of my needs and wants through all these years. Amazing truly God is!

So on this day, I felt there was more than excitement that I needed and cherished. It was His Presence. God’s presence. That was enough for me.
Furthermore, thank you to all those who greeted me a happy birthday on Facebook. Marami pong salamat. You have all been a blessing to me. Please accept this short story as my gift of thanks to you. I hope you delighted in my story. And thanks for reading this far. May you keep God’s presence always in your heart.

A recent picture of me and my son. All smiles!!!