We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter’s evening. Some of us let these dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who hope that their dreams will come true.

- Woodrow Wilson

Tomorrow, I am celebrating my 30th birth anniversary. 30!… There’s something about this age that tells me that it’s not to be taken lightly.

Those who didn’t make it.

In my search for the significance of being 30 years old, I scoured the internet and found a website about famous people who died before the age of 30. Why did they choose the age of 30 as a cut-off for saying that these people died young? So if I die tomorrow, I won’t be allowed in this list anymore. Hang on, I’m not famous so even if I die tonight, I still won’t make the cut. I need to become famous within the next few hours. I hope my friends and people all over the world will read this blog and they think it’s the best blog entry ever and award bodies will give me a blog award for being the best blogger. This should secure my place in history and my spot in the list of famous people who died young.

The man who made it

But wait, What if I reach the age of 30? Obviously, I won’t be included in the list anymore. So now I should look for people who reached the age of 30. This isn’t too hard to do. Growing up Catholic, I know that there are countless of books written about a man who started to become famous at the age of 30. On his 30th birthday, he asked his cousin John, who was a famous prophet at that time, to baptize him in public. According to Biblical recounts in the books of Luke and Matthew, when Jesus was baptized, the heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a bodily form like a bright dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” After his baptism, he fasted in the desert for forty days and forty nights and encountered the devil. And then he began his public ministry by preaching to the people and calling his disciples. And the rest is history, as they say.

What a great way to celebrate the 30th birthday! Tomorrow, I’ll spend a few extra minutes in the shower and I’ll have my own baptism ritual. I have to light as many aromatherapy candles as I can to set the mood. I need to put myself in a trance and feel that the Spirit of the Living God is in me, blessing me and my dreams and goals in life. I will invoke the most powerful spirits in the universe to shower me with the same blessing that they gave to Jesus on his 30th. And who knows? Maybe I can also begin my public life at this ripe age.

Senti

As an overseas foreign worker, one of my favorite songs is Daughtry’s Home. The lyrics of this song definitely hit home especially the lines: Well I’m going home, Back to the place where I belong, And where your love has always been enough for me; I’m going to the place where love, And feeling good don’t ever cost a thing. Birthdays have the effect of making me more sentimental and homesick than usual. These are the times when I really wish that I was back home. I’d like to spend time with my sister Lindsay Joy, my Dad and my Mom. I love hanging out with old friends. I simply love the Philippines. I am proud to be Filipino. And one day I hope to come back to the Philippines and live there. Having said that, I am still grateful for the opportunity of being able to work overseas. I love teaching at UNIS-Hanoi. All the parents, the staff, the school leaders, the whole community, the environment, and of course the children, are so nice. And I am so happy that Michelle and I are together here in Vietnam.

My Birthday Wish

Another line in the song says, Be careful what you wish for, ‘Cause you just might get it all. And then some you don’t want. Which leads me to the question, What’s my birthday wish?

I wish that I can have a constant feeling of gratitude for all the things that God has given me in the past 30 years of my life. I am grateful for my Dad, my Mom, my brother Leddy and his family, my sister Lindsay Joy, my partner Michelle, my relatives, my friends, my upbringing, my education, my abilities, all the blessings that have come my way, my achievements, my failures and what they’ve taught me, the challenges that make life exciting, and so many others.

As I look back on what I have achieved and what I have become, I cannot help but feel happiness in my entire being for my self. And I pray that I may continue to grow in wisdom and wealth and that I may forever be in favor with God and man. I pray that I may always enjoy good health and meaningful relationships. As I write these words, a couple of Jesus’ teachings come to mind: In the Parable of the Talents, he said, For everyone who has, will be given more, and he will have an abundance; and in a teaching is about watchfulness, he said, From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. As I reflect on these pearls, I realize now what my birthday wish is. I wish that I may be able to meet the demands of the abundance that I am entrusted with. Lead me Lord. Amen.

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