WHERE MY HEART IS

WRITING IS MY PASSION. IT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I ENJOY DOING. IT IS MY COMFORT ZONE MY STRESS RELIEVER AND MY SELF EXPRESSION.

WRITING IS MY PASSION AND WHERE MY HEART IS BUT I DID NOT PURSUE IT IN COLLEGE. WHY?

SINCE I WAS A CHILD I LOVE TO WRITE. SPEAKING OF WRITING I STILL REMEMBER WHEN MY FATHER WAS TEACHING ME HOW TO WRITE MY NAME. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT THAT HAND WHO HAD DIFFICULTIES IN WRITING HER OWN NAME CAN ALREADY WRITE UP TO A THOUSAND WORDS IN JUST A MATTER OF FEW HOURS.

WHEN I ENTERED ELEMENTARY I EVEN HAD SOME ACHIEVEMENTS IN THIS FIELD. I HAD MY OFFICIAL TRAINING IN JOURNALISM AFTER OUR CLASS EVERY AFTERNOON. WE WERE SELECTED AMONG THE STUDENTS IN OUR SECTION TO BE TRAINED FOR AN UPCOMING CONTEST. DURING A YOUNG WRITERS CONFERENCE WE WERE ASKED TO WRITE ARTICLES FOR EACH CATEGORY: NEWS FEATURE EDITORIAL AND SPORTS. OUR ADVISER TOLD ME THAT MY WORKS WERE CHOSEN IN ALL THOSE FOUR CATEGORIES AND SO I HAD TO CHOOSE ONLY ONE CATEGORY TO FOCUS UPON. I CHOSE FEATURE WRITING. IT IS BECAUSE THROUGH THIS CATEGORY I CAN FREELY EXPRESS MY IDEAS IN DIFFERENT FORMS SUCH AS A NARRATIVE STORY OR A POEM. I CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING UNDER THE SUN WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS. THAT WAS WHEN MY JOURNEY STARTED.

DURING THE DISTRICT LEVEL COMPETITION I FORTUNATELY WON FIRST PLACE IN FEATURE WRITING. I WAS GIVEN THE PRIVILEGE TO WRITE A HAIKU (A JAPANESE POEM) FOR OUR SCHOOL PAPER ENTITLED SMES TRIBUNETTE. I EVEN MADE OUR SCHOOL’S VALEDICTORY SPEECH.

WHEN I ENTERED HIGH SCHOOL MY BLOOD AS A JOURNALIST STILL RAN WITHIN ME. I DID WELL IN MY ARTICLES BECAUSE I PUT MY HEART IN IT. I WAS ALSO PRIVILEGED TO WRITE A NEWS ARTICLE FOR OUR SCHOOL PAPER ENTITLED SCIRE.

DESPITE ALL OF THESE THINGS I STILL DID NOT PURSUE A COURSE RELATED TO WRITING IN COLLEGE.

I JUST REALIZED THAT IF MY HEART IS TRULY IN IT IT WILL NEVER LOSE ITS SPARK WITHIN ME. I CAN ALSO WORK AS A FREELANCE WRITER ELSEWHERE WHILE PURSUING MY JOB AS AN ACCOUNTANT. I HAVE TO PRIORITIZE WHAT IS BEST FOR ME WHILE LOVING MY PASSION AT THE SAME TIME. I WILL JUST CONTINUE NURTURING MY WRITING SKILLS FOR THIS MIGHT LEAD ME TO WHERE I WANT TO GO. I WILL ASSURE MYSELF THAT I WILL HARNESS AND DEVELOP THIS SKILL TO THE FULLEST. IF THIS IS GIVEN TO ME I WILL SURELY TAKE CARE OF IT. WRITING IS WHERE I CAN FIND PEACE WITHIN ME DISCOVER FACTS ABOUT MYSELF AND OPEN UP TO PEOPLE FOR THEM TO KNOW ME BETTER. SOMEDAY I WANT TO LEAVE A LEGACY IN THIS FIELD THAT I LOVE THE MOST. I KNOW THAT THIS IS POSSIBLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE IF I DO NOT GIVE UP ON THIS DREAM. WRITING CAN TAKE ME TO PLACES THAT I HAVE NEVER BEEN BEFORE. WRITING CAN EASE EVERYTHING FOR ME. WRITING IS WHERE MY HEART IS.

TRUSTING AND LETTING GO

I RECEIVED A TEXT MESSAGE FROM MY SCHOOLMATE AND FRIEND EARLIER. IT SAYS:

“WHEN GOD LEADS YOU TO A CLIFF TRUST HIM FULLY AND LET GO BECAUSE ONLY ONE OF TWO THINGS MAY HAPPEN ; IT IS EITHER HE WILL CATCH YOU WHEN YOU FALL OR HE WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO FLY.”

THIS TEXT MESSAGE MADE ME REALIZE HOW GREAT OUR GOD IS. HE WILL NOT LEAVE NOR FORSAKE US ESPECIALLY IN TIMES OF DISTRESS. WE JUST HAVE TO PUT OUR FULL AMOUNT OF TRUST IN HIM AND SURRENDER OUR PROBLEMS TO HIM AND EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FALL INTO PLACE.

THIS YEAR IS A BREAKTHROUGH FOR ME. IF LAST YEAR BROUGHT ME TEARS AND SADNESS THIS YEAR BROUGHT ME SMILES AND HAPPINESS. I THINK THAT WHEN I FINALLY LEARNED TO LET THINGS GO AND HAD A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP TO GOD THAT WAS WHEN I SAW THE DIFFERENCE IN ME.

MY OUTLOOK CHANGED FROM NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE. IF I WAS SEEING A HOPELESS END BEFORE I AM SEEING AN ENDLESS HOPE RIGHT NOW. MY LIFE BECAME COLORFUL AND I ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHTER SIDE OF THINGS.

ALSO I ALWAYS COUNT MY BLESSINGS. SOMETIMES I DO NOT KNOW IF I DESERVE THESE THINGS BUT I KNOW THAT I DESERVE THESE THINGS IN GOD’S EYES. I WILL NOT RECEIVE THESE BLESSINGS IF IT WERE NOT FROM HIS GRACE. THESE ARE SOME OF MY BLESSINGS THIS YEAR:

*WAKING UP EVERYDAY WITHOUT REGRETTING WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY AND WORRYING ABOUT TOMORROW

*PEOPLE WHO STRENGTHEN ME AND MY FAITH IN HIM WHO NEVER FAIL TO MAKE ME HAPPY WHO SEE WHAT IS BEST IN ME WHO APPRECIATE MY POTENTIALS WHO TRUST ME WHO MOLD ME AS A BETTER PERSON WHO NEVER GIVE UP ON ME WHO NEVER LEAVE ME ESPECIALLY WHEN I NEED THEM THE MOST WHO ACCEPT ME THE WAY I AM DESPITE MY SHORTCOMINGS AND WHO LOVE ME UNCONDITIONALLY

*A FINANCIAL BREAKTHROUGH WITH THE HELP OF MY SCHOOLMATE AND FRIEND WHO SAW MY ABILITY IN GRAPHIC DESIGNING AND WITH THE COOPERATION OF ALL THE RIZALIANS WHO APPRECIATE MY DESIGN AND BOUGHT THEMSELVES A LANYARD DESIGNED BY ME

*HIGH AND PASSING GRADES IN ALL MY SUBJECTS IN SCHOOL AND GENERAL WEIGHTED AVERAGE AS WELL

*ANOTHER YEAR FOR ME IN WHICH I REACHED THE LEGAL AGE

*A JAM-PACKED AND FUN-FILLED SUMMER VACATION TRIP TO BICOL WITH MY LOVED ONES WHICH GAVE ME NEW AND MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES NEW FACES TO MEET NEW ENVIRONMENT AND NEW LIFESTYLE

*A SUMMER GETAWAY WITH MY AUNT IN BATANGAS

*AN EXTENDED VACATION IN ANGONO WITH MY BOYFRIEND’S FAMILY WHICH GAVE ME MANY REALIZATIONS THAT LIFE HAS TO OFFER

*A FULL-LOAD CLASS SCHEDULE WITHOUT HAVING TO WORK PART TIME ANYWHERE

I KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY BLESSINGS IN STORE FOR ME FOR THE NEXT DAYS TO COME. I AM JUST OVERWHELMED WITH GRATITUDE FOR WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN ME THIS YEAR. IT IS TRUE THAT AFTER EVERY PAINFUL TEAR COMES THE SWEETEST SMILE. LIFE IS NOT A BED OF ROSES BUT IT IS NOT A RAGING HELL EITHER. WE HAVE TO HAVE BAD DAYS ONCE IN A WHILE FOR US TO APPRECIATE THE GOOD ONES. WE CAN NOT BE HAPPY ALL THE TIME BUT WE CAN NOT BE SAD ALWAYS TOO. LIFE IS ALL ABOUT BALANCE. LIFE IS ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND WHAT YOU ARE PREPARED TO DO. LIFE IS ALL ABOUT TRUSTING AND LETTING GO.