Jeep Mishaps and On Baby Stewardship

Had quite interesting experiences with the public transport over at lunch today. The office is practically empty with most of the people gone on travel for two projects. There were only quite a handful of us around. Finding myself with no one to eat lunch with, I decided to go to Mama instead. I also have to hand her, her cellfone that she left at the house over the weekend. I also had to pay her the debt I owed her hehehe

Anyway, trying to avoid the scorching sun, I immediately boarded the jeep I saw that has the sign indicating my desired destination. Much to my dismay, it had to go to some other route, making my trip much longer. Not only that, it also turned out that it will not pass by Mama's school. In other words, I had to walk a few blocks - practically baking under the heat of the sun I tried to avoid - just to get to Mama. My lesson - one could not really escape from one's destiny hehe Yeah, I know, I ought to have read the signs more carefully.

After lunch, I decided to go to the bank to settle some credit card bills. I read the sign carefully alright and yet I ended up passing some other long route again. Really! Drivers should get sued for indicating they would pass by a certain street and not travel the whole length of it! Their signs should read - "Half of Ponciano St. cutting across Bonifacio St!" or something like that and not just "Ponciano." It's like false advertising really! Again I had to walk some 2 blocks to get to the bank just to be informed that their machine is out of order and that their cut off for accepting over the counter bill payments is until 10 a.m. only. Bah!

On my way to the bank, I passed by an elementary school. Just outside the school gates are several stalls selling some shiny stuff. I took a closer look to see what those shiny things were. They were mostly stickers of anime characters, candies, curls and other junk foods. There were also some bracelets and earrings in an array of colors. I thougt it wise of the sellers to choose fares that are packaged in shiny cellophanes and wrappers. They would certainly attract the kids' attention and would urge them to buy. Then it dawned on me. Pretty soon, and before I knew it, Baby Bullets would be attending school. And there would come a time that he would be subjected to these "shiny" things also. Pretty soon he'll be attracted to some shiny stuff or another. Soon, he'll have some wants and not all of them would be good for him. Yes, soon. As it is, B and I are already amazed at how the time flies.

Looking at Baby now, we are confronted with the fact that he is growing fast right before our very eyes. It used to be that his face looked pretty much innocent, so trusting and so meek. Now, his demeanor is much different. He had always been a happy baby but his energy is much more tamed when he was just a few months old compared to now. These days he's more alert, more curious of the things surrounding him. His eyes would often drift from one object to another. It would seem at times there's no containing him. We went to SM over the weekend to buy some groceries and his neck was practically craning, working over time to help him absorb everything surrounding him. It's cute really and I appreciate the fact that he appears curious of the world around him. It's telling me his brain is developing fine hehe and that he has this intelligence about him.


At SM Supermarket. See how he holds on to the cart? I was like just a jump away from where the cart is still, I was fearful he'd fall or something. But he looks so in control of the situation. One looking at him would readily assume he's more than a year old when he's barely 8 months.

Back to the "shiny" things, I bought this Gospel lullaby some two weeks ago for baby and there's this song there that literally brought me to tears. I've always known, long before I entertained the thought of getting married and having a kid of my own, that parents really do not "own" their children and that they are but just stewards. I knew that even before I read Gibran's "The Prophet" and that bit he wrote about "parenthood." But it's different to "know" a certain thing on the level of the intellect only (cranial) from really knowing it because you're experiencing it and you're feeling it right to your very soul. Hearing the song drove home the point of stewardship to me in a big way. It felt pretty much like such a truth poured over me to fill every bit and pore of my being. I guess I felt that way because now, I'm really experiencing motherhood firsthand. Now, I'm truly going through the process of loving this tiny, little person that had been entrusted to my care. Loving him in ways that would often seem immeasurable.

I've been wanting to post the song here for the past two weeks but I kept misplacing the cover of the CD that has the lyrics in it. This song is pretty much a prayer to me these days and I would like to share it with my "parent" friends :) I know they will identify with me. It was the chorus that really shook me. It made me realize Baby, indeed is such a precious life. He is filled with so much promise and potentialities. And that I would have a hand at that, at how he would turn out to be in the future. And it is such a big responsibility to contend with... And I feel pretty much "inadequate." I am not whole myself, I am still pretty much a work in progress. If anything, I will be growing along with him. And I feel humbled to be entrusted with such a responsibility...

Train Up This Child
Martin J. Nystrom
Integrity's Hosanna! Music

Help us to train up this child
In the way that he should go
So that he will not turn from You Lord
When he is old

Give us Your wisdom
And teach us the things that we need to know
To train up this child in the way
That he should go

Chorus

Lord, You have placed
A precious life in our hands
Now give us the grace
That he may be raised
According to Your plan


Lord, help us to train up this child
In the way that he should go...