We do not expect surprises to come but we invite them  by leaving a space for them to intervene.



As my birthday tradition, I never shut my eyes  on the 11th of April unless I will have a concrete plan on how to make April 12 extra special. I had lists of things to do, places to go and people to be with. There was even a year that my plan was to sabotage my own birthday surprise! My ever thoughtful friends organized a suppose-to-be-surprise-birthday-party, yet luck and favors were on my side that  I ended up walking in a dimmed room, holding my own birthday cake while singing, "Happy Birthday to ME". I saw a mixture of frustration and irritation in their eyes with the reality that they were the ones who were surprised instead of me! (I promised on that night that I will never spoil surprises again!)

I used to have plans on "how to make my Birthday special"; but this year, I closed my eyes on April 11 with just 3 things in mind:

1. Cook and have breakfast with my housemates in the mission house
2. to have mass at Edsa Shrine and spend quality time with God after
3. Go to Mall of Asia to meet my dearest friends from UAE

technically I still had a plan but I was inviting surprises to come!

After I had mass, I went to the Adoration Chapel and spent an hour with God. When I laid down and poured out my whole self  to God, I felt  His presence, so close and intimate.  He spoke to me through the gospel reading on that day: John 6:1-15 "Multiplication of the Loaves". It was not planned but my birthday message for this year is the loudest and the most vivid one!

"Give what you can and present your reality to me; My grace will multiply it. My child, this is how I perform miracles."

It came to me that for 27 years, never a time that He let go of me even there were times that I did. For 27 years, I have experienced the greatest miracle ever --- my story of water turned into wine, my story of transformation.

"What do you want to do on your birthday?", it was the hardest question that came to me on that day but then the people that I spent my birthday with had plans for me, and that is to make my 2013 birthday remarkable by making me experience things that I have not experienced yet!


They asked, "ate have you tried ice skating?".
 "Nope", I was then a  bit worried with the consequences of my answer.

 "Let us go Ice Skating then!", they were so full of excitement while there I was, imagining how funny will I look like in the ice skating rink! NO WAY!!!!

But then, because their decision is final and my protest is not valid, I did Ice Skating on my Birthday! Thank God that  I did! I had 3 painful realizations while trying my best to manage the adventure and challenge of skating on ice:



1. You will never know how capable you are unless you let go of your safety harness - I spent minutes holding the wall of the rink while trying to glide or at least look like gliding.  :)) I was left with two choices when the dreaded dead end of a first timer came:
        A: Let go  and try to glide
        B: crawl to the next side of the rink

the first option was scary cause I might trip and fall but then the second option is outrageously hilarious!!! :))
the moment I let go of that wall, I started to learn ice-skating!

2. The people who journeyed with you made themselves accountable to you; so let them know when you are falling - I fell hard on the ground twice! Mind you it was painful and shameful! :)) If only I can manage to stand on my own after I have fallen so my friends will not notice that I fell; but then I cannot, so I looked around and asked for help even though they were laughing at me! hmp!

3. Achieve and maintain balance: never dwell unto where your feet is setting, look ahead instead. - Balance, it is the basic element of ice skating, expect to fall when  you will lose it! There are external and internal factors that lead us to lose our balance, do not dwell unto these but set your eyes unto where you are going.


I did not plan to go ice skating on my birthday not even planning to dine in a cozy authentic Chinese Restaurant. I did not expect to get these things for free not even expecting to receive a cake on my Birthday. I did not expect to be surprised but I am inviting surprises to come into the picture.

My April 12, 2013 is an extra ordinary special day that is filled with surprises! I thank the Lord for people who made His love tangible and real, people who are funnels of His abundant grace.

I went to bed with a heart filled with joy realizing that human plans may fail but God's plan will not.

Whatever lies ahead of me this year, God has prepared me long before my 27th year came. He will perform miracles when I  let go of my harness and surrender my fishes  and loaves of bread.

Praise God for another grace-filled year! Praise God!