The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

A Lesson from the Wild

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9

Crocodiles don't attack until members of a herd of Wildebeest show the slightest sign of weakness and weariness. So, let us never get tired of doing good... never get tired of serving our King. For just as the Wildebeests can successfully cross a river infested with crocodiles, we as God's servants will succeed in giving back to God what He deserves and that is twice as much as what He gave us. If only we never get tired.

Hey, do you remember what Manny the Mammoth said about herds in the movie Ice Age? 

Diego: Why did you do that? You could've died trying to save me.
Manny: That's what you do in a herd: you look out for each other.
Diego: Well... thanks.

Christmas Gifts

When my sister, who is in Grade 6, got home from their class’ Christmas party this afternoon, she carried a huge paper bag which contained the gifts she received. Of course, I was amazed at the size of the bag.

So, I checked out the stuff she received. There was a cell phone case, a pencil case, a pair of hair clips, a stuffed toy, one bottle of lotion and one bottle of shampoo (which she found as the most satisfying gift she received) and a basket figurine (which she has no idea what to do with). She didn’t seem so happy with the presents so I consoled her by telling her that she has to be happy about it because it is a reminder that some friends remembered to give her something for Christmas. Also, I told her gift-giving doesn’t happen very often in college anymore except for the Manito/Manita (Secret Santa) thing. It’s true, you know. Well, at least for me, it is.

I have several theories for this.

1. It has gotten harder to look for gifts worth giving (unless we can be so low and just give away a meaningless figurine just like my sister’s friend but it’s totally understandable since the one giving it is only a kid).

2. People are getting more critical in choosing friends worth giving gifts to. (This is a sad theory, really.)

 3. People have become so practical that we find it expensive and unnecessary to be giving away gifts. (People might actually be saving for something else.)

4. People simply don’t have the money. (Now, this... is SAD.)

Ironically, even when I receive lesser material things now that I’m in college, I seem to have so much more to be thankful about. Right now, I am very thankful for another year of friendship with GPP, with YFCs, with old friends I don’t get to see so often anymore and yet still are my friends.

I am thankful for every day God gave me as an opportunity to always be better than yesterday. I am also thankful for the challenges He gave me which made me see things more clearly through a different set of lens. I am thankful that despite everything, I’m still okay and I’ve never been too far away from the right track. This post is going to be too long if I list down the things I’m thankful for, so, I leave that between me and Daddy God.

By the way, did you know that even when it’s not Christmas season, God is very generous with gifts which we find ordinary but are actually really special? According to the movie The Ultimate Gift, here are some things we should be thankful for:

The gift of work.

The gift of money.

The gift of friends.

The gift of learning.

The gift of problem.

The gift of family.

The gift of laughter.

The gift of dreams.

The gift of giving.

The gift of gratitude.

The gift of a day.

The gift of love.

It’s a great movie. You should watch it. Perhaps, you should watch it this Christmas with your family and friends.

Oh, are you not curious about what was in my sister’s huge paper bag? A photo frame with a picture of a bouquet of flowers.

Haha, this I find so funny because her Manito (a Secret Santa who is a boy) probably did not know what to give her. He just had to give her something because he was her Manito. Nice packaging, pal. My only point here is that let’s avoid giving gifts just to create a huge impression (in this case, expectation…LOL) on the part of the receiver. The gifts we give don’t have to be huge (ROFL XD) or expensive. Otherwise, we’ll be like this little Manito who only felt obliged to give something. It is never about the price of the gift, either.  Whether it is huge or small, wrapped with fancy Christmas decorations or not, expensive or cheap, it doesn’t matter. It is the sincerity and the meaning of giving gifts that really matters.

I guess now that it's the season of giving, we should ask ourselves, what have we given to the people we value?

Happy gift-giving, friends. 

An Accountant's Heart

Our professor once said that there is no room nor time for despair in Accounting. I wondered if he's telling us to have a callous heart. I thought about it further and I realized Accounting does not call for a callous heart but a strong one. 

One that can accept mistakes and have the courage to correct them.

One that can rise up from previous failures and strive to do better the next time.

One that can stand up for what it believes is right despite the many temptations posed by the nature of the profession.

I'm not sure how I should respond to being regarded as an idealist but I do know that i want to change the reality of being an Accountant.

"Uphold ethics in the pursuit of excellence" 

-Atty. Eranio L. Punzalan, CPA

(The first time I met Fr. Manny, he asked me what my motto was when he learned that I was an Accounting student. But he seemed to be joking when he asked so I just smiled. I could have readily given him an answer and that is the statement of Atty. Punzalan above which I heard him say when I attended a symposium on Ethics.)