Justin Bieber's Sorry is quite a viral song for the youth nowadays. It has a catchy tune and its message is something we can all relate to. Although the type of forgiveness the song talks about relates to love gone wrong, we all face scenarios wherein we ask ourselves as well as those we offend, “Is it too late now to say sorry?” But what does it really mean when we say sorry? What is the underlying meaning of forgiveness?

Let’s face it; we all are sinful human beings. Right from when we were in our mothers’ wombs, we have been stained with sin, the sin, often called original sin, which was passed to us from our first parents in the Garden of Eden. As we live, we continuously face challenges in life wherein we choose between moral good and moral evil. Sin is an occasion wherein we fail to love God and others, which is our moral goal in life. It is a hindrance to our true humanity.

But God does not want us to stay right there in the pits of shameful sins. That is why He gives us the gift of forgiveness. His love for us is so powerful and strong, that it can break the bonds of our sin. He is merciful and He wants us to strive to become better human beings. He wants us to be like Christ, who died for our sins.

If God has the love and mercy to forgive us from our foulest transgressions, shouldn’t we, whom He forgives, do the same to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? Let’s take a look at the Bible. In Colossians 3:13, it says “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Ephesians 4:32 also says the same thing. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”. So as Christ forgave our iniquities, we on the other hand should be living and sincere Disciples of Christ, expressing God’s mercy and love through forgiveness.

I remember one time wherein I felt truly forgiven. I accidentally hit a classmate in school. When I said sorry, he replied, “I had already forgiven you even before you said sorry.” Isn’t it a nice thing to hear how openly he forgave me?

Friends, let us be this open when it comes to forgiveness. Remember God’s love and mercy. When we have shortcomings, be quick and sincere to repent. When someone asks for forgiveness, let us make them feel the beauty of being forgiven as we are forgiven by God.

Historical Field Trip

On the anniversary of Ninoy Aquino's death and the Plaza Miranda Bombing, we went on a historical field trip to enrich Noelle's Civics class. After breakfast, we packed lunch and dinner and headed for the City of Manila to visit the historical landmarks there. Since this is our first historical field trip, we would focus on places relevant to the story of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

First, of course, on the itinerary was the Rizal Monument in Luneta which marks the place where Rizal was martyred. Aside from the monument itself, the girls enjoyed the carabao statue and the horse-driven carriages also featured there.

But the highlight of the day was our last stop at Fort Santiago in the walled city of Intramuros where Rizal was detained and spent his final days. We tried to imagine the conditions under which he lived there as we surveyed the grounds, traced his last footsteps and studied the relics he left behind.


As with Cory Aquino's story, Noelle was disturbed at the cruelty of the oppressors (in this case the Spanish colonizers of Rizal's time). She could not understand how people could treat others so badly. We did our best to explain how the colonizers wanted to suppress calls for Philippine independence because they had so much to lose.

It's still too complicated for her to really grasp. Actually, if our kids never learn how to justify such behavior, we would be very happy. Our effort at modeling to them only loving behavior (as often as possible) and limiting their exposure to television and other popular media would have been worth it. (Most so-called "kid-friendly" material actually undermine the value for life and limb and desensitize kids to violence -- despite the "moral lessons" usually added to them as an afterthought.)

At day's end we pondered Rizal's willful and deliberate sacrifice for his beloved country and how he inspired many others to do the same. Our prayer was that we would be so inspired ourselves, feel more intensely our rootedness in our homeland, the Philippines, and give our best to her and to our fellow Filipinos.

Learning Styles

Another thing that we appreciate about Noelle's school (The Master's Academy Homeschool) is how well they take care of us parent-teachers. They make sure that we get the best inputs and advice on education, child development, and parenting available. They recognize how gargantuan the task of homeschooling (and parenting, for that matter) is so they provide us with the necessary resources and build our capacities to cut the task down to size. And as an added bonus for them, they get to spread the gospel of effective parenting in the process.

We attended a talk that was part of TMA Homeschool's parent-teacher enabling efforts. Given by Marissa Adviento of the Ateneo de Manila Psychology Department, the talk was about Learning Styles.
Each person tends to have preferred modes of absorbing new information and is thus more open to particular ways of presenting such new knowledge.
These learning styles are...
Visual -- learning through images and spatial understanding
Auditory -- learning through sound and music
Verbal -- learning through words (written and spoken)
Physical -- learning through the body, hands and sense of touch
Logical -- learning through reasoning and systems-thinking
Social -- learning through interacting with others
Solitary -- learning through working or studying alone
Each learner has a natural degree of receptivity in each style. Teachers could appeal to the student's most dominant styles as "entry points" for new content to facilitate learning.
The primary challenge though in applying this theory is in identifying each student's unique set of learning styles. This is where homeschooling parents have a special opportunity. They are in a position to observe their students not only in the "classroom" setting but also while playing and doing other activities. The kinds of activities and ways of accomplishing things that their kids gravitate towards give clues as to their learning styles.
Once the student's dominant learning styles are established, the teacher may then design lessons according to these styles. This is where we find another advantage of homeschooling: Because of the very low teacher-student ratio, lessons can easily be tailor-made to fit the learner.
It might be helpful to also mention one point about the match-up of the learning styles of the teacher and the pupil. Those who teach, especially if not aware of the learning style theory would tend to teach in a way that targets students who have similar learning styles as theirs. Special care must be taken to overcome these "teaching blinders" and be truly responsive to the pupil's learning needs.
Our experience of homeschooling Noelle and Faye is enriched by the challenges of applying the learning styles theory. We constantly push ourselves to be more observant and understanding of our children's learning needs. For example, we noticed that it doesn't seem to be enough for Noelle to read about the things she needs to learn in her lessons. She needs to see and hear them, and if possible, even touch, smell and taste them. We realized that these indicate her need to learn in the non-verbal styles as well as the verbal. Accordingly, we began to incorporate visually and bodily stimulating activities into her lessons to facilitate her learning.
The learning style theory is a valuable tool for optimizing the learning of our kids. And it's usefulness transcends the teacher-student context, deepening the parent-child relationship.
For more on learning styles please click on the following links:
http://www.learning-styles-online.com/
http://homeschooling.golmipitas.com/weblinks/assets.htm
http://www.leapingfromthebox.com/art/kmg/learningstyles1.html

NOELLE & TITA CORY

We awoke to very sad though not unexpected news this morning. President Corazon C. Aquino died at 3:18am today.
We very seldom let the kids watch tv, much less the news. But their eyes were glued to the set in our bedroom this morning learning all about Tita Cory from the tributes being shown.
Noelle was particularly impressed that Cory stepped down graciously when her term ended in 1992. It seems Noelle had assumed that it was an option, if not a temptation, for people in public office to extend themselves beyond their terms.
It then occurred to us that although Noelle often listened to and sometimes participated in our discussions of the shortcomings of the current administration, she rarely saw models of good civic leadership. Today was an opportunity for her to get acquainted with one of the most shining examples.
Tonight Noelle had trouble sleeping. She came to us saying Tita Cory's story disturbed her. How could anyone find anything about Cory Aquino disturbing? Upon further probing, we found out that it was Ferdinand Marcos that troubled her. It was so hard for her to process some of the horrors of the Marcos administration (the "milder ones" that we could tell her about) that she could not sleep. She could not assure herself that the same things would not happen again.
All we could offer was one of the lessons we all could learn from Corazon Aquino's life: Prayer is the only defense we have from the things that we fear. And the surest way it works is by keeping us open and responsive to God's loving guidance.

Blessed with Joy

We attended a family reunion early this month. It was the first in many years for the clan. The ones who were most evidently looking forward to it were those who were the oldest in the group. Presumably we all develop a longing for some sort of homecoming of the heart as we age.
One of our elderly uncles, Tito Ber, has a habit of getting emotional during these gatherings because he always remembers his second son whom he lost in a fatal car accident around a decade ago. As usual, he broke down while addressing the attendees.
But what was striking about his speech was his expression of gratitude for being blessed with his patient and forgiving wife who stuck by him throughout their life-struggles. His wife, Tita Nette, was visibly touched, although also somewhat embarrassed, by her husband's outpouring of emotion.
The same story is true about most of the other elderly couples present: Families founded on the sincere and enduring love between husband and wife, actively nurtured throughout the years are blessed with abundant joy. And the blessing comes not only to the couple, but also to their children and their children's children and so on....
We wish the same for all families who happen to come across this blog.

"Homies"

We published a post on 8 July 2009 about close family friends whose occasional visits we value greatly because of how much they encourage us to stay "home for good". Here are a few other encouragements we received through personal messages from other friends:

You definitely have a knack for writing...and from what I've seen of your girls, you & Cathy have a great talent for parenting, too. Keep up the good work! -- Brian Weninger (Wisconsin, USA)

i love your house bound dad article! good for you [both] that you're in control of your time and can be there for your kids. i agree that makes all the difference in their formation. -- Rufi Parpan (Alabang, Philippines)

Wow, a home library. I do believe that's the best "playground" a child can have. Kudos! :)
Good values and wisdom are among the few riches we as parents can pass on to our children... -- Jessan Catre (Davao, Philippines)

Malalaki na pala 2 chikiting ninyo. It's nice naman that they like to read. Mana sa mommy and daddy nila. :) -- Elaine Ymbol (Cagayan de Oro, Philippines)

i just read your blog and some other posts on the blog....i'm glad that i got the gist of where life has taken you; or in your case, where you've taken life. i absolutely admire what you [both] have done and continue to do. -- Rica Bolipata-Santos (Quezon City, Philippines)

I will be reading your blog posts after I send to you this message. I am interested applying the healthy lifestyle but I know that it's easier said than done. I am planning to create a blog regarding my family life as inspired by your blog so we can check on each other's blog as a sort of update din sa mga buhay natin. I am also a full time wife, mother and last year a homeschool-parent teacher din to my son. -- Jaysarie Chee-Gundran (Maguindanao, Philippines)

an insightful blog on family and family life... -- Ingrid Daba (Cagayan de Oro, Philippines)

I read your blogs. Really impressed by both of you home schooling your girls. -- Marizza Tangcongco-Catre (Davao, Philippines)

Your children are so fortunate that you're so involved in raising them, particularly in Manila where child-rearing is automatically entrusted to yayas. Looking forward to reading more about you and your family. I'm particularly interested in how Faye and Noelle develop through full-time parenting and homeschooling. You're the first set of parents I know who are doing this. What an admirable vocation--it no doubt involves a lot of patience, planning, and perseverance. Well done, you two! -- Melissa Salva-Ramos (Singapore)

I am so happy to know that there really are people who make conscious efforts to make this world a better place to live in...e.g. homeschooling the kids. All my respect to the both of you. :) -- Mabel Olegario-Rodenburg (Tilburg, Netherlands)

More friends including Yve Paredes, Mark Rivera, Stef Soriano, Jong Pimentel, Joy Maulit and Joey Valdez said they like the blog.

We hope this blog can help develop a community of families that inspire and encourage each other as these friends do us.

We welcome comments from anyone visiting this site. Also, if you would like to become a "homie", please go to the "Become A Homie" section on the upper right corner of this blog. Please click on the Follow button found there. You can also Request Updates by clicking on the button of your desired update content in the section of the same title also on the right. Then just follow the instructions that will be shown.

Family Friends

Last weekend, we had a couple of house guests from Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City. Jong Pimentel and Ingrid Daba are former colleagues in the Campus Ministry Office. Jong is a veteran campus minister and is widely respected in the university. Ingrid is now the Campus Ministry Director (Congrats, Ing!). They are also among our daughters' godparents.
They come to Manila almost yearly in connection with their work. This time it was to attend a spirituality seminar sponsored by the Emmaus Center for Psycho-Spiritual Formation. It has become our custom to always invite them to stay at our house at least on their last day in the city.
We consider them two of our most precious friends. Although our circumstances have diverged, they were with us during a time when we were at a crossroads in our family life at which we struggled to discern how best to proceed.

We are so grateful to have been able to spend some time (short as it was) with them. Aside from being an opportunity to catch up with each other, their occasional visits are a time for us to remember what brought us together in the first place and how we have tried to be faithful to it throughout all the twists and turns of our lives.
Salamat, mga higala. Ug padayon.

Kitchen Duty

The girls volunteered to help in the kitchen today. That's not surprising. They're always looking for a chance to help out getting our meals ready. What's remarkable is how serious Noelle is about food preparation. One of her favorite aspects is assembling the food on each diner's plate. Here are her masterpieces:

She even names her creations. The one that has the tomatoes encircled by the lettuce is entitled "Flower" while the one with the rows is "Garden". She dreams of putting up a restaurant some day.
Faye's contribution was in cleaning up after the meal. Sometimes she helps in plating the food, too.
Every aspect of home life is a potent opportunity for learning. We take it upon ourselves as parents to seek out and take advantage of each opportunity. And the benefits are maximized when we move with the momentum generated by our children's interests. It's a lot like slow-dancing -- with the kids leading.

Our Little Home Library

Having changed residences eight times since 1998, we never unpacked our books. That is until a few days ago when we finally installed bookshelves in our latest (and possibly, our last) house. The shelves put our distinctive mark on the house. They reveal our fondness for the written word. Here are some photos of the kids enjoying our new little home library. It's such a joy to see them so serious about reading. Even our youngest Faye "reads", making up stories as she looks at the pictures and words on each page.

Our eldest Noelle has been reading since she was around five years old. When she learned, we were so happy and said to her, "Noelle, you are now a reader. You now have the freedom to find the answers to your questions for yourself. You no longer need to depend on us so much for knowledge."
There are moments though when we sort of wish Noelle didn't know how to read yet. Today she had read something about King Solomon and asked, "Why didn't God disapprove that King Solomon had so many wives?"
After a quick glance at each other, we gave our best answer at the moment, "Let's read some more about that and talk again later."
Oh well.

Empowering The Family For Health

Last weekend, we read an article in the July/August 2009 news digest of Healthy Options entitled Alternative Medicine: A New Understanding by Burton Goldberg. It discusses another aspect of life over which families can regain control: health.
Our family members can be much more effective citizens of the world if they are in the best of health.
However, there is a general impression that peak health is elusive because sources of illness abound in the environment and protection from them can only be gotten from the products of medical science. But it's difficult to believe that human beings can be so fragile having survived as a species for so long before medical science even existed.
In the article Goldberg explains that conventional medical thinking is disease-oriented and not exactly authoritative when it comes to maintaining health.
Goldberg further discusses that health is achieved not merely through the application of cures when sickness is already present but ideally through the proper care of the whole organism which will make it impervious to most causes of disease. This, he says, is the basis of alternative medical practice.
It was cancer that caused us to seriously inquire how we could take charge of our health. Close relatives became afflicted with the disease. After getting over the initial shock, we started talking to doctors and reading some books about it. We eventually found out that the prevalence of cancer as well as the seeming explosion of other strange diseases in recent decades is an indicator of how ignorant we have become about taking care of our bodies.
We also learned that certain changes in lifestyle would dramatically improve our health. We tried these suggested behavior modifications ourselves particularly those concerning our eating habits. We made the changes gradually, starting in the year 2000. First, we took out pork from our regular daily diet, then other meats one by one until in 2005 we became vegetarian-at-home. (We almost always eat home-prepared vegetarian meals unless there are gatherings with relatives. Food is an emotional issue with some of our relatives so we eat the healthiest that is available during these occasions.)
What also helped is that we made the changes as a family. The fact that we are in solidarity with each other as we improve our lifestyle strengthens our resolve and our commitment. Incidentally, the kids are stricter vegetarians not having been conditioned to prefer animal products early in their lives as the rest of us were.
We have been vegetarian at home for over four years now and are satisfied with the results. We have, to an extent, become healthier and more resistant to illness. We still get sick but it's not a big deal for us. For example, last week we had the flu. But it wasn't debilitating. We all felt a little weak and some of us ran a fever while others had diarrhea but we were still able to go about our daily business and recovered in a couple of days. How we would fare against more serious illnesses, time will tell -- or a general check up that we're undergoing soon.
At the very least, the fruit of our efforts is a greater understanding of the workings of our bodies. We no longer feel helpless in the face of health issues such as illness.
We all need to inform ourselves well regarding how to take proper and holistic care of ourselves and our family members and apply what we learn so that we reach a point where we don't get sick at all.
There are links in this blog that provide the information about health that we believe everyone should know. Please let us know what you think about them or if there are other sources you'd like to recommend. There's so much more that we could learn especially from other families that have read on and tried out healthy lifestyle changes themselves. Hopefully we can enrich each other and help each other become healthier through dialogue.
Our health is truly in our hands.