The Hand of God?

He's fine now, thank you!

Early this morning, we slammed the car door on Manuel’s hand. My son’s eyes grew wide. And, as surprise quickly gave way to pain, he let out a howl that shook the car from end to end.

Recalling what little I knew of first aid, I quickly asked our helpers to get some ice to soothe our little boy’s pain and reduce the swelling of his hand. To my astonishment, we had no ice at home. I asked our helpers to ask our neighbors for ice. Alas, the widespread use of water coolers (at least in our little corner of Pasig City) seems to have made cubed ice obsolete.

My first reaction was one of despair. My health card had just expired last week, and I had no money, or access to any money, to rush my son to the doctor. The sheer ridiculousness of the situation threatened to overwhelm me. My wife and I have always tried to live simply. We got the health card precisely because we wanted to be prepared for any medical emergency. We decided that I should not use a credit card because we wanted to be prudent in the use of whatever money we have. And now, as my son bravely whimpered through the pain, I could not see any way to help him.

But my initial despair, much like my son’s reaction to the car door that hurled itself with alacrity at his hand, quickly gave way to the sort of joyful hope that characterizes not only the Christmas season, but the celebration of the Eucharist at Mass. We chipped away at the ice that lined our freezer. As we were looking for ice, we stumbled upon the Nexcare reusable cold and hot first aid pack that we thought we lost sometime ago. And my lovely wife Tina put a waterproof Lightning McQueen bandage on Manuel’s hand to commend him for his courage.

What could have been a sad, painful encounter with a car door for Manuel turned into a happy, gentle reminder about the need for vigilance when entering or leaving the car. It was also a gentle reminder for Manuel’s dad, who couldn’t imagine dealing with the situation with as much grace and good cheer as his son. People say when God closes a door, He also opens a window. In our case, God slammed the door. But only because He opened a window into what really matters: to wait in hope, act in faith, and to bear with love.

Let’s chalk this up as a win. My family and I have a great day ahead of us!

Growing Upright

 

But the last time that we went to a toy store, Juan and his brother Manuel showed just how much they have grown. To my surprise, it was Juan who reminded his younger brother Manuel that “we can only play and not buy, because other boys and girls will play with them after we’re done”. Manuel, in turn, proceeded to tell the same thing to his younger sister, Lucia.

I’m not sure just how much they understood what it was they were doing, but it was gratifying nonetheless. Sometimes, we get so caught up in buying things that we forget to enjoy them. And seeing the kids play with, and more importantly, take care of the toys they played with was a reminder of that. It is good to have things, but it is more important to enjoy what we have.

The kids are growing up right. They throw themselves into everything they do with a reckless joy normally reserved for the welcoming of prodigal sons. And when they grow old enough, if they continue to exude the infectious love and laughter that I saw that day in the toy store, their father will happily look up to them.

Wook! A Weopard!

Early this morning, my son Manuel came up to me with a question.

“Papa, what animal is this?”
“Manuel, it’s a leopard.”
“Wook papa! It’s a weopard!”
“Yes, Manuel. It’s a leopard.”
“Okay papa. I wove you.”

The “l” is a liquid, voiced lingua-alveolar consonant. This means that the “l” sound is produced when one is capable of touching the tip of the tongue to the upper alveolar ridge. Most children have difficulty with consonants like “l” because they simply don’t know where to put their tongue.

Manuel’s inability to properly enunciate his “l”s is part of growing up. Right now, he “wikes” things, and “woves” people. Eventually, he’ll become proficient enough with the use of his tongue to pronounce his “l”s and even roll his “r”s. But even though Manuel has difficulty making use of his tongue, he certainly has no difficulty using his heart.

I love you too.

Many thanks to Phonetics for the information regarding the sounds of spoken language.

>A New Look!

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One of my favorite verses from the Bible comes from Proverbs 4:23, which reminds me “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

And so, as I digest the wonderful events of the past two weeks, allow me to welcome you to the new look of my blog with pictures of those whom I guard with all vigilance.

Juan

Manuel

Lucia

Carmen

I would have loved to post a picture of my wife, Tina, but I am so “damned in a fair wife” the inevitable comparison to the Moor of Shakespearean lore would merely draw unseemly attention to my honored state.

Peace!

Papot 1, Manuel 0.

My son, Manuel, is deeply into the “No!” stage. Ordinarily, when loving, nurturing parents are confronted by the developmental stage wherein their child seeks the safety of boundaries by saying “No!” to everything that is the least bit contrary to their desires as opposed to their needs, they patiently go through the entire, laborious process of firmly establishing these much-needed boundaries by explaining matters thoroughly and setting examples judiciously.

My wife and I, on the other hand, just let my sister Papot loose on Manuel. The following is an exchange that Papot had with Manuel when we went to Zambales to celebrate my dad’s birthday.

“Hi dear!”

“I’m not a dear!”

“Hi love!”

“I’m not a love!”

“Hi Manuel!”

“I’m not…Manuel.”

Papot 1, Manuel 0. Tina and I are enjoying this thoroughly.

No Gifts!

No gifts.

This holiday season, I’ve decided to release people from the burden of giving me gifts. Gifts should not be an obstacle to celebrating the season of giving. Rather, gifts should represent freedom from the cheerless sense of duty that our trying circumstances have compelled us to endure. With all that we as a people have suffered this year, we deserve to celebrate more than just our resilience, or our capacity for self-sacrifice.

We deserve to celebrate what this season, to some extent, is all about: how the entirety of Christendom came about when a child was born.

This holiday season, if you can, try to avoid giving me gifts. Instead, celebrate with the joyful abandon of one to whom the economic cost of Christmas is no longer a burden, but a distant memory. And perhaps recall how by celebrating in joy, we allow ourselves, much like Mary and Joseph and a significant representation of the domesticated animals commonly associated with humble beginnings, to be surprised by sanctity.

Many thanks!

Storytelling Fun!

In the Borra household, finding common activities that are fun and involve the entire family is akin to finding the Holy Grail, and not in the fun, Monty Python sense. But the Lord is kind and merciful. Every once in a while, despite the hectic schedules that my wife and I keep, and the general level of sustained playfulness that our kids are capable of maintaining, we find ourselves in that special place where all we have to do is be thankful for the opportunity and enjoy our blessings.

Last night, prior to evening prayers, the family enjoyed the adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine before going to bed. I haven’t the foggiest what the adventures of Thomas were, but I remember everyone, at one point or the other, rolling around in laughter. My second son Manuel, in particular, is sometimes difficult to please. But when he is happy, the purity of his joy is wonderful to behold. Have a blessed day!

5:17 am: When Miracles Happen

A long, long time ago, miracles would happen at around 5:17 am. Despite the heavy carousing of the night before, miraculously, I would be crawling into my bed, dreaming of next weekend’s gimmick.

Nowadays, miracles still happen at around 5:17 am. Only this time, it happened almost, ala Whitney Houston, all at once. Lucia, of course, is no stranger to the wee hours of the morning. In fact, in the Borra household, she practically invented the late-night, early-morning gimmick. Manuel and Juan, however, normally wake up a little later, a serendipitously scheduled awakening that allows their parents time to gently nudge them into the different activities that will help them get fed and ready for the day’s activities.

Not today though. Miracles happen at around 5:17 am. And today, they all came crawling into our bed.

Life is good!

My Manny!

My dad and I had a great old time watching Manny Pacquiao demolish Ricky Hatton yesterday at BMW Libis. Unfortunately, despite the fact that I had my point and shoot camera ready, the fight was over so quickly that I didn’t have any time to take any pictures. Upon reflection, the brevity of the fight magnified the beauty of the experience of watching it live: for five glorious minutes, every single Filipino in the world was united in a victory as complete, as invigorating, and as joyful as anything else the Filipino people has experienced in recent memory.

And because I am fond of beating figures of speech to death…

The joyful conquest of Manny Pacquiao is much like this photo of Manuel and myself. Manuel is notoriously hard to photograph. He’s the strongest-willed of all my children, and his reticence is legendary in the Borra household. Manuel will do as Manuel darn well pleases. So this picture, despite the paucity of aesthetic qualities to recommend it, is as much a victory as I can expect when it comes to pictures with my second-born.

Enjoy!

Milestones

Last week, I tried on a pair of my old work pants (the ones that I used when I was still teaching in the University) and discovered, to my horror, that I could barely fit into them. My waist size, which used to be as fixed and constant as the Northern Star, went all crazy on me. I suppose life with a 28-inch waist does augur well for things to come, but I can’t help but pine for the good old days when I could joyfully claim a 26-inch waistline. Oh well.

In the meantime, allow me to share some positive milestones in my life. True to form, these milestones are all centered on my family. Comic book geeks who can’t wait for another article from Benjamin Loong will have to wait till the end of the week.

Please check out the pictures from Juan and Manuel’s Culminating Activity at Teacher Marlene J. Villegas Preschool here and here. Enjoy!