Proud Mary. Mary was routinely checking her parked car when she heard faint, frightened and repetitive squeaks emanating from within an empty metal garbage receptacle nearby. Curious to know the reason for the noise, Mary walked to and surveyed the bin, to find a trapped and hapless small squirrel inside. The squirrel had nothing to cling to or climb at to get out. A few boxes from a recycling bin did the trick. It formed a sort of staircase that enabled Baby Squirrel to scale the heights and scamper to freedom. It was a beautiful morning. The experience brought Mary joy and pride. I feel proud of her too. Come to think of it: How many more people would bother to do the same – be aware of and listen to the natural environment, think purposively and help a living creature of God in distress accordingly?
The Point Is. Young and exuberant Jerome emerged from the stairwell. As he passed by an apartment door, he stopped his stride and knocked. The door opened and Henry peeked out. Jerome pointed to a package a deliveryman, per Covid 19-related protocols, left on the doorstep. Henry said “Maraming salamat po” and got the package. Jerome replied “Wala pong anuman,” before the door closed and went his cheerful way. It was a beautiful day to witness Jerome’s random act of neighbourliness. Come to think of it: How many more people in a community would bother to do the same – respect and protect someone else’s property accordingly?
Beyond The Doorstep. Bob and Nash live on the same storey of an apartment building. They seldom meet. But when they do, it was almost always at the floor’s chute, as they are about to do trash disposal chores. Cordial greetings and a bit of fancy talk about each other’s epic sagas that day usually highlight the meet. Then, they would say farewell and walk to and disappear behind the doors. It was another beautiful day for Bob and Nash turn their short brush with each other worth the while. Come to think of it: How many more people in a neighbourhood would bother to do the same – consider a trip beyond the doorstep as a chance to reaffirm acquaintances and friendships and enhance camaraderie with neighbours, to share quips of more significant things that happen in the world, and to feel contented and gratified after having finished an unwritten domestic obligation?
Please Enter. Aling Charing was struggling to pull and keep a heavy glass door open. Her frail and diminutive frame did not have enough strength to keep a quite tight door-closer in control. She just wanted to enter with her small metal cart. Then Mila appeared. Her right hand pulled the door and held it wide open, until Aling Charing was in. A sweet resounding “Thank You” was overheard. It was a beautiful day for Aling Charing; likewise for Mila. Come to think of it: How many more people who are in a similar situation would bother to do the same – help a senior get over with some of the physical realities of adding more years?
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Very recently, it was reported that a dad, on hearing bursts of gunfire aimed at a Bronx auto dealership shop, jumped and covered his three children with his body. A bullet hit his leg. The wound was treated. Daddy and his kids are safe. A scar may remind him of that awful incident. That scar may also remind the world that unconditional love given will always ably shield and take a bullet for those who are loved.
Lately, a group of construction workers had to break lunch and come to the aid of two window washers, whose platform fell from near the roof of a nearby high-rise building in midtown Toronto. The window washers were holding on to safety harnesses and for dear life until their neighbouring big-hearted fellows and first responders rescued them and brought them back to safety. The workers’ spontaneity and innate drive to help peers in dire need will long be remembered.
Nursing icon Florence Nightingale, aptly called The Lady with the Lamp, has had a deep impact on Granny, a nonagenarian who just would not quit doing her rounds and delivering her profession’s Tender, Loving Care commitment to the ill and the sick, even in the wake of a Coronavirus pandemic the world is battling. Her dedication to duty is simply amazing.
Unforgotten are the still unfazed Frontliners who move on to courageously risk all to keep the pandemic at bay. Their daily unrecorded diaries are full of moments and memories that have kept their fellowmen upright.
By these and a million more random acts of humaneness and Godliness, the popular belief that the world is indeed a great place to be in will never wane.
There will always be a lingering smile behind every mask; there will always be the willingness and ability to do one’s share and help others in need in every heart.
Herewith quoting from a book that teaches lessons about stuff people face daily including love, loss, friendship, kindness, and the wonder of life: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
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OCTrivia. The octopus, a soft-bodied mollusc, ay may walong galamay. An octagon, a geometric figure, has eight sides and eight angles. The Octonauts, a TV cartoon series, ay kinakatawan ng walong cute na animals that explore the ocean in search of adventure and fun.
Nagrereklamo si Ka Pedro. Kung ang octo ay eight, bakit daw ang October ay naging ika-sampung buwan sa kalendaryo?
Si Impong Octavio naman, panganay na, bunso pa; at nag-iisang anak. Born daw siya in the month of May. Ang tanong: Saan daw nakuha ang pangalan niya?
First come, first served. Unahin nating sagutin ang tanong ni Ka Pedro: Originally, ang Oktubre ang ika-walong buwan ng ten-month Roman calendar, na ginamit matagal na panahon na ang lumipas. Pero nuong 46 BC, nang pinalitan ni Julius Caesar ang kalendaryo, idinagdag ang Enero at Pebrero at ni-retain ang iba pang pangalan ng mga nakaugaliang buwan. Kaya bagama’t hindi tugma sa translation ng bilang, September, October, November and December respectively became the ninth, tenth, eleventh at twelfth months. What most people of the world use today is the Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in October, 1582.
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Ka Pedro, alam mo ba na sa October 12, ipagdiriwang ng mga Canadian ang Thanksgiving Day? ‘Yun lang, dahil sa mga gathering restrictions na ipinatutupad ng pamahalaan upang sugpuin ang pagkalat ng Coronavirus, cancelled muna ang magarbong turkey party at dinner dance. Paalala po: Huwag tipirin ang pasasalamat sa Maykapal for all the biyaya and blessings na ating tinatamasa.
Thanksgiving Throwback: In 1578, explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew celebrated and thanked God for a successful journey through the Northwest Passage, amid ice storms and extreme cold weather. This is said to be the earliest account of a thanksgiving in North America.
From 1604, French settlers who crossed the ocean and came to Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, celebrated their safe trip with regular feasts of thanks. The settlers and members of the First Nations later came to share food and thanksgiving practices in a mutual celebration known as the Order of Good Cheer.
In 1763, the people of Nova Scotia marked the end of the Seven Years War with joyful gratitude. After World War I, Thanksgiving and Armistice (later Remembrance) Day were marked in the same week in November.
Celebrating Turkey Day, as it was to be conveniently known later, moved from date to date, usually in either October or November. Only on January 31, 1957 did Canada’s Parliament proclaim the observance of Thanksgiving Day every second Monday in October.
Much earlier observances of thanksgiving, however, may be traced to members of the First Nations. Besides occasional festivals, they daily recognized and acknowledged God’s benevolence and graciousness. This was thousands of years before Europeans set foot in Canada,
With that perspective, it may be apt to call Thanksgiving Day as the ‘You’re Welcome Weekend’?
Giving thanks to a Being that one perceives and believes to be Higher Authority, by whatever name it is called, is as ancient as the cavemen who have been blessed and gifted with the sublime tools of intellect and free will to figure out things and perform easier tasks, to live, survive and be happy.
Thanksgiving Day is a practice of all peoples of the world, unique and different it may be in form and application. In essence, Thanksgiving Day is a traditional activity to meet and greet, sit together on a table, say in unison a prayer of gratitude to Bathala, share a meal, and exchange pleasantries.
Be that as it may, a Thanksgiving Prayer may be said anytime, even daily, alone or in public.
Following is a Thanksgiving Prayer from American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson:
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything that goodness sends.
For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass so fresh and sweet;
For song of bird and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see;
Father in Heaven, we thank Thee!
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Nursery Rhyme Time. Remember? “Mother, mother, I am sick. Call the doctor very quick. Doctor, doctor shall I die? No, my darling, do not cry.” Makes sense, huh?
Just thinking out loud: Do you smart-phone a politician or pay a speedy visit to a political office when you are sick? Do politicians say they are to accept blame when you get sick or when your loved ones are in grief and misery? Or will they point fingers to the sources a.k.a. fall guys they say they get solid advice from?
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Ooops! I nearly forgot. May tanong nga pala si Impong Octavio.
By the way, Impong Octavio, ang tanging makasasagot ng question mo ay ‘yung nagpabinyag sa iyo. Don’t worry, malapit na ang November 1 at 2.
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Importante po ito. Upon its availability, join the smart queue and get that flu shot!
Okay, I heard you. I promise not to dodge the needle.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. #####
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Photo Caption
Squirrel & the Nut. I held out my open hand. On my palm was a peanut. I never expected that an untamed animal would even come near. But of the four curious squirrels cautiously circling us, one dared. It was caught on candid camera as it picked the peanut and nibbled at it. It did not do the hit-and-run wild thing routine. It squarely stood its ground and finished off the nut before rejoining its kind. Gee! The calmness I felt might not even come close to the holiness St. Francis might have experienced after the birds freely perched on his shoulders. Butch Galicia (Photo taken by Teny Ocampo at Niagara Falls in the summer of 2018)
Photo Caption:
Oktoberfest in Munich. (From left) Burmese newsmen Cho Tun and Thiha and Jamaican journalist Trevor Riley – batch mates during the 49th Advanced Journalism Training Course at the International Institute of Journalism in Berlin in 1986 – join me in savouring the taste of German beer to celebrate one of the country’s vibrant traditions, biggest festivals and tourism come-ons — the Oktoberfest. The long-standing beer festival is popular worldwide. However, the true Oktoberfest had its roots and spirits in Munich since 1810. Munich’s Oktoberfest now begins in late September. About that time in 1986, we were at the Viktuallenmarkt while visiting and exploring Munich. So, we got our share of great beer and good cheer. Butch Galicia (File Photo)