A C. S. Lewis Weekend

I'm having a Clive Staples Lewis weekend. I am listening to the musical, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" that my friend, Lito composed and Trumpets put up in the Philippines for the first time in 1998. The musical is based on the C. S. Lewis story from the Chronicles of Narnia. I dug up my CD and listened to it again with fresh ears. I have always thought the music was beautiful, but could have been biased since it was my friend's creation and a Trumpets production. Listening to it now after seven years, and its music still manages to enthrall me. It also brought back so many memories for me of rehearsing and doing the musical, as well as the late hours we spent in the studio recording the CD. It was such a good musical that I hope other people get the chance to see and enjoy it. I'm praying that a producer will be interested to put up the musical here. It's timely since Disney's coming out with the movie version this December. I think doing the musical sometime after that would be a great idea.

Tumnus and Lucy in Narnia

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

A Trumpets Production, Manila, Philippines

Another C. S. Lewis thing I am into this weekend is his book, The Screwtape Letters. He shows the same sublte but great command of biblical truths which he did in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, as well as an insight into the psyche of one whose business is manipulation and temptation. He starts off by saying, "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other, is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight." Its protagonists are two demons, Wormwood and his uncle, Screwtape. Through letters, Screwtape strives to teach Wormwood how to exploit all the weaknesses of this "foolish two-legged animals" called humans and keep their mind on everything except God. I find Screwtape's assessment of man as so true that it has me burst out laughing many times.

I wish I had an ounce of the talent and sense of C. S. Lewis, or the musical abilities of my friend, Lito. I often wonder how people can be so talented. And even more amazing that talent, when used for good, can affect lives in such a positive manner. C. S. Lewis died seven years before I was born, and here I am still enjoying and learning from his gifts. I have no doubt that Lito is going to leave the same kind of legacy somehow, someday. The good that we do with the talent that God gives us will always leave an imprint in someone's heart.

Turning Older

In a couple of days, I will be another year older and hopefully wiser. Bro, who shares the same birthday, asked me what I planned to do on our day. Nothing special, really. The past year has been so full of blessings that I really do not feel I need to do anything special to celebrate. I feel that the entire year has been one big celebration in itself. Also in the past few days, we have been up and about entertaining guests. It is a lot of fun but also extremely exhausting. Now, I want nothing more than to just have a quiet and restful birthday.

Last week, a friend from the Philippines arrived to spend some time with us. In the middle of her stay, Hubby's 17-year-old twin nephews arrived to spend a whole week. We have been taking them around to see the sights and just hanging out to spend time with them. It took a lot out of me to keep up with teenage energy. It brings home the reality of how old I really am!

First night, after a sumptuous dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, we took them on a walking tour from the Christian Science Center to Trinity Church in Copley Square, through Newbury St., to the Boston Public Gardens and finally, the Boston Commons to watch "Hamlet". I walk an average of half an hour daily. But that was a much longer walk than I was used to. We got home before midnight.

On Saturday, along with Hubby's other 7-year-old nephew and 5-year-old niece (who live nearby), we took them sailing during the early afternoon in the Boston Harbor, then went to the North End (Boston's Little Italy) to grab something at the famous Pizzeria Regina (est. 1926). We then proceeded to the Esplanade along the Charles River to watch the concert of the Stylistics, where we were joined by the parents of the younger children, their youngest and my other SIL. The Stylistics sounded as good as ever despite their years. It brought us all back to our special memories of that decade, judging from the nostalgic demeanor on everyone's face that evening. Again, we had a very late night and turned in at around 2:30 am.

Yesterday, we took them to Chinatown after church to sample the fare at our favorite restaurant there after church. After we all had our yummy fill, we spent the rest of the day in the Boston Commons. The kids got silly and wet at the fountains at Frog Pond. We also played soccer, volleyball, and spent time running after a new airhog plane that we had bought for one of the nephews. It got stuck in trees five times. We were able to knock it off the trees four times before. The fifth time, it flew so high that it got stuck on a thick branch of this particularly tall tree. Hubby's nephew tried to knock it off with a soccer ball. Alas, after several attempts, the ball decided to keep the plane company on one of the branches. We tried to retrieve both with big rocks until dusk, to no avail.

So one windy day, a soccer ball and a toy plane will fall into someone's hands. Hopefully, those hands will be that of a little boy who has just asked God for some toys! Hmm, I think that's going to be my birthday wish...

Credit Card Crapola

When I first set foot to live in this country a few years back, I quickly found out how important credit history is. Even subscribing to a simple cellphone service quickly taught me that with no history, no one would trust me. Before I could subscribe, they required a huge deposit. I didn't want to waste my money on putting in a huge deposit and gain no interest on it, so I thought that the next logical step was to apply for credit. But no matter where I turned to, no one would issue me one because I had no credit history. Even those institutions that sent me mail with the invitation to apply would turn me down. It was quite frustrating. How the heck do I build a history if no one was willing to take the risk and give me one??!! I even sent a letter to Standard Chartered Bank to see if they would issue me credit here since I was a founder member credit card holder in the Philippines and had history there. They sent a letter of regret saying that they are not in the business of credit cards in the US.

Finally, I just resorted to paying for a secured credit card. It was like a debit card wherein my credit limit was the amount that I had 'deposited'. The money earned no interest and the APR for purchases was ridiculously high, if you did not pay your monthly bill in full. The only advantage was, credit bureaus are not able to tell that it is secured. Through that, as well as being an authorized user on my husband's cards after we got married, I was slowly able to build my own solid history, and I eventually replaced that secured high-interest card with a few of low-interest, perk-filled, no annual fee credit cards.

Today, I scoff and thumb my nose at those companies that snubbed me before because of insufficient history. They really want my business now, it is not even funny. Our small mailbox gets stuffed with pre-approved offers daily. Today, I had three offers, a Citibank Diamond Preferred, a Chase Visa Platinum and an American Express Platinum. One even offers a free companion airline ticket! And you guessed right. Now, I get the pleasure of turning them down! Hmp!

:)

Note: To be fair to AMEX, they've treated me very, very well from the beginning. They were the only one who took a risk with me so they will have my business for a long, long time. Their Platinum program just has an expensive annual fee. A Financial Planner advised me never to pay an annual fee for a credit card. She said it was a waste of money since there are so many credit cards that offer the same without the annual fee. She's right!

Careless Words

In the heat of the moment, coupled with a desire to manipulate a situation and lash out at anybody, someone accused me today of being a gossip behind my back. People can be really careless with what goes out of their mouths at the moment of anger. They start accusing other people of stuff that they are guilty of. They suddenly project to other people what actions they might take in circumstances, not realizing that not everyone thinks and acts in the same way they do.

It just saddens me that people are so foolish as to lash out like that. They don't realize that they don't win any sympathy to their supposed plight by acting that way. They go around telling their business to everyone that listens, and they fail to realize that they themselves are the source and root of the problem.

That's what I get for being a listening ear and a sounding board at times, as well. I should really be more choosy as to whom I lend my shoulder when they're feeling down. That same person who sometimes asks for your sympathy can turn against you, the moment that you say the truth that they cannot bear to hear.

The first lesson for me is, yes, to be even more careful that anything that comes out of my mouth cannot be misconstrued as breaking confidence. The second is, to agree to be a sounding board only to people who are willing to listen to the truth and humbly receive the counsel they supposedly seek.

--oOo--

Matthew 7:6 - "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. "

The 4th of July

In 1999, I remember seeing a photo of the fireworks above the Charles River in Boston on the front page of a major Philippine newspaper. At that moment, I remember thinking how great it must be to experience that and wishing that I could be there to see the show the following year. It was just one of those things that I quietly muttered to God as a wish and quickly forgot about. The seeming impossibility of that thing happening just made my mind brush it aside to one corner of my brain. At that moment, the possibility of me even being in the US was small to nil. (This was before the whole Disney offer, which is another wonderfully weird story.)

A year later, I found myself at the bank of the Charles River, standing with thousands of people, watching that same show. I held my M's hand (we were just dating then) as we listened to the Boston Pops playing classical music to the awesome display of pyrotechny in the sky. I realized right then and there that I was living that small wish that I had made a year before. The weird thing is, we didn't even plan on being there. M and I decided to meet in New York for his birthday and stayed with his brother, L. On the fourth, M and L just decided that we would drive to Boston to spend the 4th with their two sisters who lived there. So we left late in the afternoon, undmindful of any schedule. As we entered the Massachusetts turnpike, we saw smaller displays of fireworks going off in the distance. M then mentioned that the fireworks in the Esplanade should be starting at around 10:00 pm. So they both decided that the three of us were going to head there and try to catch a glimpse of this legendary Boston tradition.

That's how I ended up there on that night. We craned our necks to watch the 40-minute display. But as grand as the spectacle was, I could not believe how much grander God's generosity was to me. Little did M and L know how God was granting one small wish of mine through them at that particular moment. Since then, I have celebrated every 4th of July here in Boston, and I am reminded of that little wish that I made. A wish that I considered impossible and forgot about, which God deemed important enough for Him to grant to me.

Humble Pie

I guess it is an acquired taste. Some people will never go near it, and some will learn to appreciate it. Much like cod liver oil, humble pie is something we all would rather not have. It does not taste that great. However, having a dose or two once in a while keeps us from what I call ‘egotistical obesity’.

I have had more than my share of this er… beneficial treat. Mouthing off or doing things on impulse for self-aggrandizement or any other selfish motive earns me the right to have it. I have eaten my humble pie, both in private and in public. When I was younger, my Mom and family made sure I had it to keep me steady. I didn’t appreciate it then, but looking back, I am thankful that they did. Now at the end of each day, I try to see if I need a piece of it just so I can keep myself ‘fit’. Having my own personal serving also seems to keep me from indulging in public. Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean that it never happens anymore.

We should all be careful to keep sweet the words that come out of our mouths, in case we might have to eat them one day. Let us try to not be the fools that we are most of the time. The words we utter will come back to comfort or haunt us someday in the future. It comes in the form of people to whom we have spewed out quoting us, or circumstances that we have set rolling with the words we speak.

I recommend a daily dose of Humble Pie. Like many things nutritious, the more you have it, the less difficult it is to swallow. Nevertheless, it is not something one craves to have. It may never become a pleasant treat, but a regular serving is good for our soul.

------

P.S. I was going through my stats, and found someone accessing this link of a blog of mine, exactly a year ago.

http://irruminations.blogspot.com/2004/07/fools-are-proud-and-wise-are-humble.html

Both are entries on humility. What are the chances?