“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33

I will always remember that date last year, that scorching Sunday afternoon when I would flip my world around 360-degrees. I was then on an impasse. I was tired, I was bored and I had this general sense of purposelessness. To use a very pedestrian language, I was caught in deep crap. I was wallowing in my misery and at the same time, I was reflecting deeply on my quotidian existence. Where am I? What am I going to do? WHY AM I EVEN HERE?

Delusions, delusions, delusions. Yes, I am breathing fine. Yes, I am okay. But still, there seems a lot of things that are essentially missing. I was like an empty shell. I badly needed a sense of purpose, a pursuit or something that will reignite the fire in me. That was when things started to take a turn towards the right direction.

“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desire.” Psalm 37:4

Dhaye Mendoza (I’m not going to use your real name :)). She was just then a Facebook friend, a name amidst a sea of mundane faces (it is FACE-book alright). I hardly had any inkling about her except for her writings which provided me a general picture. I’ve already come across some of her works, well through Facebook. One of her works, “Green, green grass of Home” really took me in. This one is about our home province (yes, she’s my province mate). This one reminded my why I always long to go back to “my” mountains.

There’s something about the way she weave together the words to produce a wonderful tapestry that captures the imagination of her readers. Every word is captivating. There is a sincerity behind every word that emanates from her heart, something that I could never replicate. It seems that from this seemingly minuscule body emanates a gargantuan passion, something that inspires others through the works of her genius.

On that scorching Sunday afternoon, the Manila heat confining me to the four corners of my room, we talked, or rather chatted, as if we’ve known each other for a long time. There was a just a general sense of ease with the flow of conversation. There were no reservations nor awkwardness, though it was the first time we talked. The distance between us is glaring, however, through social media, we were able to mitigate that dauntless barrier. It honestly felt like I was talking to an old friend. We ended chatting for almost six hours.

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

I used to be a campus journalist and every now and then, I enjoyed writing for personal consumption. I remember our former English Department Head telling my mom that I am a good essayist. I never personally thought of myself as a good writer. Maybe I just had the right knack with playing with words. Aiming for higher things in life made me forget how much pleasure I derived in writing, my own warped idea of self-expression. I have become idle and my skill turned blunt.

Dhaye, on the other hand, kept on sharpening that skill that brought her from her small hometown to the wild concrete jungles of the Metro. Getting to know her was definitely a step towards the right direction. I was awed by her works, but ultimately I was intrigued by the enigmatic person behind these words. In our initial talks, I got inspired to re-take writing. I promised her that I’d restart writing, and I promised myself that I will start a blog of my own blog.

A couple of weeks, later, I made good of that promise and this is born out of that promise! She reignited in me a fire that I have thought had died years ago. With renewed vigor, I exhausted my brain, my fingers and my vocabulary trying to come up with my own writings. Word per word, I built this blog, and things are slowly taking shape.

All of these would have never been possible had it not been for her. For me she is God’s messenger, making me realize my full potential. Truly, she is a blessing in disguise whom I will eternally be grateful for. Though I may not always expressly say it, she’ll always be acknowledged in my works.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

Beyond the timidity and the charms is a visionary who wants to be a catalyst for change. She dreams of traveling the world yet anchors herself to her mother land. She can be a lady of the world yet she chooses to be a dame of her country. I know she can make great impact anywhere she chooses to go yet she dreams of living simply in her hometown. In one of our conversations, she said she dream of putting up her own foundation to help her province mates who are badly in need. Currently, she is helping her town mates build a church (“A Purpose Driven Vacation”).

But beyond her compassion, her vocation for her faith is most astounding. It’s a delight to see her be inspired and be transformed by the works of our Lord (“This Time, I Found the Real Freedom”). But  probably the most important is how she is inspiring everyone, especially the ladies, by sharing her spiritual transformation. From each piece she writes emanates devout words of wisdom and praise that sing His glory.

Keep on inspiring my friend. Use that pen and that passion to empower and to inspire. I pray that you will never run out of fuel in this journey you chose for yourself. You have surely become His messenger and now your story is indeed becoming His glory. You are doing a great job. Keep it all up!

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.  We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3-5

But before I close this one and before I forget, I want to greet you a very happy birthday! You truly are an amazing person, an inspiring friend and a dutiful daughter. I wish you nothing but the best on your special day. I pray that you have all your heart’s desire. I know you are longing for your loved ones, but deep down I also know that in spite of the distance they are celebrating with you in spirit. So just smile, because it lightens you up and it defines the contours of your face. 🙂

A mountaineer, a spag-loather, and a writer, those are just the things that you are. But beyond all of those, you are His daughter and a blessing and inspiration to everyone you meet. On your special day, I thank you Dhaye, I thank you for inspiring me to write again. These, these are all thanks to you. I know I could never thank you enough for the great favor you have done for me but please accept this small token of my gratitude.

To reiterate, keep on inspiring. Use that pen to inspire and to transform. I’ll look forward to more writings from you, which I will surely voraciously devour with delight. For now, I’ll just wait and hope for that promised cup of coffee. 😉

~CLB

P.S You can follow my good friend’s works at dayebitz.wordpress.com. 🙂

 

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