Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Long-Distance Relationship

Nope, I’m not talking about mine and B’s temporarily being apart as of the moment. First and foremost, he’s already home since last Saturday, just in time for my being discharged at the hospital.

Yup, been in the hospital last week. Had a severe case of hyper-acidity that apparently led to another case of PTL. Translate that to – Pr-term Labor. The funny thing was, I didn’t know I was having PTL. I just attributed the pain and the weakness to the hyper-acidity attack. The good thing is, little B’s heartbeat proved to be steady and strong. He’s being monitored by the hour and hearing the steady heartbeat was somewhat reassuring. He sure is hanging on there quite well and I am truly grateful.

I’m still feeling somewhat weak and lethargic even as of the moment. I feel exhausted and tired. The advice had been complete bed rest but I couldn’t seem to bring myself to do just that. On my third day in the hospital and I was already tearing at my hair out of boredom. There was TV and all but even that was not enough to quell the restlessness I was feeling. I was very eager to go home. On my second day, B was able to find a signal and contact me. I didn’t want to inform him lest he would worry. But I felt he ought to know too so I told him I am in the hospital. I was firm in telling him though, that he need not worry and go home since I’m fine. I assured him that both of his B’s are fine. I told him too not to worry lest he would not be able to concentrate much at work. And at the rate that they are doing – enduring the rain and all – I didn’t want him distracted. It could very well mean his safety.

But I should have known nothing could keep him away from coming home. I was waiting for my doctor’s advice, fully dressed up (making it clear that I was dead-set about going home) when the door opened and there he was smiling sheepishly. Even without his backpack, he still very much look like he had come from the mountains he-he-he. But it was still lovely being able to look at his face finally. I scowled at him and asked about his work. He reassured me that everything is well and that his guests will spend the remaining days in Samal instead. When I told him he shouldn’t have bothered to come home, he smiled sheepishly and told me he had been waiting for the slightest excuse to come home. He had really been terribly homesick since their third day there and no amount of assurance could have kept him away.

Being apart had taught me a lot of things. For one, it tore me away from my dependency dramas he-he-he. I found out I could very well go home on my own, look for my own food when hungry, buy vitamins on my own, etc. etc. I could manage all these things without having to rely on him… While I’m still looking for the “comfort” that being fussed over brings, I feel humbled at being made to face that, dependency dramas notwithstanding, I could very well stand on my own two feet.

But it is not this kind of long-distance relationship that I have intended to write about in the first place. I just realized that somewhere along the way, I have distanced myself from one of the most important relationship I’ve ever had – that with my God.

Last weekend, adhering to the bed rest advice, I laid in bed most of the time. To while my time away, I read some magazines and books. At one point, I found myself being glued to the television, watching MTV. It’s one of those segments wherein they feature some local artist or band. At that time, they had on Barbie Alamabis. During the show, she would sometimes talk about her relationship with Him. She exudes nothing but positive vibe. I recognized the feeling. I identified with it. There was once a time I had exactly been like that – so in love and so awed by Him that you simply can’t stop yourself from sharing how He had created such an impact in your life. When she sang their new song, “Buildings,” my heart was totally wretched. It dawned on me that somewhere in the pit of my being, I am nursing a longing and an emptiness so big. At this point in my life, I am having a “distant” relationship with my God. Oh, I still go to church though not as frequently as before… But it’s the “connection” that I miss more than anything. If before, the relationship had been so established, right now, I could not claim that it is… I don’t know. Maybe the chasm is being created, and is becoming bigger everyday, by my not being able to attend prayer meetings for months now… Oh, how I yearn to go. Every Friday, I would dress up in the morning with the intention of going but something would always come up. Either that or I have no one to accompany me. Neither B nor Mama is keen about going and in my present condition, I couldn’t very well go on my own.

If B’s absence had made such an impact, for sure it is nothing compared to the “separation” I’m experiencing now. While I still nurture a great love for my God who had never failed to sustain me, it is different still, somewhat. Just as every relationship, in order to truly nurture it, it needed some semblance of “togetherness” where the persons sharing the relationship are spending some time together, exchanging thoughts, ideas, love… I long to profess again the love I have for Him, to tell Him how much I appreciated all the things He has done for me. He had given me the desires of my heart, even before I knew they were what I truly desire. Everyday He sustains not only me but my love ones as well. Every night, while I lay in the cradle of the one whom He had gifted me with, I can’t help but be grateful for all the contentment I’m enjoying in my life at the moment. I long to feel the familiar stirrings again, when my heart would sing and soar at being in His presence… It’s difficult to express really. It’s something that I know not everybody could identify with…

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