Thanksgiving

by Buen Bontigao

Christmas blessing sisters & brothers!

In Luke 1:47 Mary says, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Savior!”

Indeed, the Lord has truly been our Savior. Despite the tough and long year, Anne and I still have a lot to thank the Lord for.

Let me start off by recalling that the Lord has brought me safely back home in Cebu about 2 weeks before the lockdown was implemented in the middle of March this year. Unlike a few of my colleagues who had scary and stressful trips as travel bans loomed a few weeks after.

I thank the Lord for my work. While the pressures have mounted due to the situation, I am grateful to just be with my family. I have the opportunity to see the kids grow up close, to play with them and tuck them to bed at night, to have family meal times and family prayers

together.

I am also grateful for the opportunity to do regular exercises this time. I have never done this before. And while I’m not exactly a plantito, I get to touch the soil again and do some

gardening on some days. Plant-bathing anyone?

And we are grateful for the gift of community. We thank the Lord for brothers and sisters like

you with whom we continue our faith-journey. Even if only virtually, we are still able to

encourage and support each another. While our hopes rise due to the availability of vaccines, we do not know exactly until when this pandemic will end and what its long-term impact is in our lives. Thus, our prayer for 2021 is for us all to grow in faith and deepen in

wisdom. God bless and keep us all!

** first published in Ang Panimalay 4Q 2020