A Mountain of Hope
Submitted by m_arcedas on Thu, 02/19/2009 - 09:14.
"Our family, our early experience of relationships, do in fact become “prototypes” of how we view people and life. In this sense our family serves to provide us roots from which our personhood is founded. But as we grow through the years, we begin to expand our experiences to other relationships outside the family which may somehow alter our existing view of people and life. It is in this experience of tension that we look back and review the way we have learned to look at people and life. It is in this very process that we redefine ourselves. It is only then can we tap our inner capacity to be free to find newer dimensions of our self."
- Earnest Tan
from Human Intimacy
Going to the mountains is always a source of joy to me. I have plenty of good memories associated with the mountains. The heights, the view from above, being at the top of the world and the sense of “nearness to heaven”. These keep my spirits high!
The class exposure I had showed me the other faces of the world I used to look at from the other side. I saw life from another perspective. Life is different from one place to another. I could not help my self but compare people from schools, people from business offices and people who live life just to make it through the day. Each of the person I met during the exposure has a set of stories painted on their faces.
When I entered the threshold of the Women Crisis Center, I saw innocent faces of children radiating hope and a promising new life. Spending some time with those children, seeing them laugh, looking at them forget the nightmares they had with the family that uprooted them their roots of personhood, almost brought tears into my eyes. They had gone through the worst chapters of their lives yet there they were, full of hope, full of dreams, smiling and laughing as I played with them. I was very glad I was there, for even just an hour I have brought smiles to their angelic faces.
Those little angels finally found a home and a family who will provide them the roots, which will instill a new life in them and a new foundation of personhood. In that part of the mountain, hope shines. Heaven is nearer in the mountains indeed!
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Mountain Moments
As I come to think of the mountains, I remember that if some of us have wonderful moments, others had traumatic and not-so-good experiences with it. We're just blessed that we have great memories instead.
And I'm happy for you who had such a new great experience with the mountains.
Me, too, feel good whenever I'm in the mountains as I also had very memorable experiences with it. The feeling is sometimes indescribable but surely it's a great feeling. It leaves me in awe seeing God's works. I feel renewed and so free. It can actually help one to return to his being, as led towards an intimate moment with God.
May God grace us with ears that can listen, eyes that can appreciate and hearts that can ponder as He speaks through His creations.
God bless us all!
(",)
'Love is embracing all and loving especially the unlovables.'
Mountains: Memories and Humility
When I was about seven or eight, my mother would bring me with her in the mountain. Mahalang is a mountainous area in Himamaylan City and in order to be there, we have to ride in a long single motor known as ‘habal-habal’ and along the way were stones and slopes going upward. If you will going to look back, you will then be surprised to see that you are going higher and higher. That was my experience of mountains---being at their sides...being at their foot. I had never literally and actually experienced standing at the mountaintop. I don't know what is the feeling of being at its peak yet I know what it feels to climb a mountain, to sometimes slide, to be almost there, to come down again to return to the plain. The altitude brought about for being in that part of the mountain can then give me a glimpse of the world and can give me the privilege of inhaling the air before it reaches the land. Mountains remind me of many memories such as my childhood adventures, our field trips in high school and of course our tree-planting activities in college. Last year, we even traveled long way for an outreach activity in the mountain. We were carrying with us a sack of rice and other goods...We were sweating all over but we are happy and thankful for the one-of-a-kind experience. Yes, there is a different joy doing such things in that challenging mountainous community...
Being at any certain part of a mountain, higher compared to my usual position, would teach me again and again that I should be humble. I may be able to see so many things above that appears so small yet it never occurred to me that I am already superior because I know that in reality, we are still the same. The position doesn't guarantee us of our supremacy. Living our life can be viewed in this way. There are those who after accomplishing so many things in their life and being at the top, becomes arrogant and boastful. As a result, they are losing important aspects of life and essence of true relationship.
Whatever success we could ever attain in this earth, may we all recognize that we didn't do them alone. Those became possible because of God...May we all remain humble...May we all remember what is written in the Proverbs 29:23, "A man's pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor." To God be the Glory!
"For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and future."
-Jeremiah 29:11-
James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
-James 4:10
Humility Quotations by Saint Augustine
Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation.
It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.
Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.
Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.
There is something in humility which strangely exalts the heart.
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