the Earth-bound adventures of the Lost and Found

http://www.issacusi.iamafilipina.com/ Issa Cusi is one of the leaders in my church in Cebu. We only met again last July, on the day Ana died, when I went back to church after more than a year since I'd left Cebu. We sat beside each other that day as we worshipped, me crying, and she remarking to her husband "Doesn't she remind you of Ana?". Only at the funeral the next day did I find out that she knew Ana, too, from their couples bible studies way before I met either of them. Strangely enough (or rather, providentially, I guess), after years of not seeing each other, Ana had contacted her to be witness at a family conference just a few days before that fateful day. She asked me if I wanted to be part of her daily text group. I said, Sure. Here are some gems she's sent me that I want to save: Wisdom is the ability to do God's will in God's timing; and though we don't know exactly what the future holds, we can always say, "If the Lord wills..."...

Sorry, this is a selfish post, but something that I had to do. I went through my photo archives yesterday (incidentally, exactly four weeks since she flew) to dig up these 12 shots that barely represent the short time I was privileged to have her light in my life. I realized that we took a lot of pictures--of each other, of our cats--but only a few with the two of us in it, mostly taken by timer or with one of our outstretched arms. We didn't take pictures of our leisurely dinners talking about our planned book of essays, which inevitably never got done, because the conversations always strayed off to more urgent things. Like family and growing up. And love =) We never got to go on our writing retreat somewhere south, or anywhere on a trip together. I don't even have a picture of the last time I saw her, the day before her 29th birthday. We had a pictorial at her house, and I used her SLR to take pictures of her with Vince and Nino. I don't know where those photos are now, ...

lost and found by Jeneen R. Garcia to be published on 28 July 2007 As you can see, it has taken me awhile to get my thoughts together. It still feels strange to be writing this, never in my life imagining I would be writing this. But I found there was no other way to say what must be said, but through this overdue letter. Letters--you always found a reason to write them. All throughout your life, you kept writing them, kept the ones that were written back in precious boxes that moved with you to wherever you made your home. Even when email became the popular choice, the impersonal fonts on a white screen did not diminish your eloquence and warmth. I know, because that is how our friendship started, with an email about cats and words and mothers. Even when we lived less than five minutes away from each other, you would send off a letter in the middle of a drab work day to celebrate the afternoon light, or a new poem about the rain we loved. Love. We talked abou...

forgive me if i have no words for now. they have never come at my bidding as easily as they did to you, but especially now, when i myself refuse to listen and to receive them. because to listen would be allow myself to grieve, and to grieve would be to say that you are no longer part of my world. and i cannot do that just yet. not when so many still grieve and need to be comforted. they need to hear the stories first, how you made this world beautiful, and all the unanswerable questions about why you decided to leave it without even telling us you were planning this new adventure. i will let them have their time with you. and when everyone else is done, i will embrace you one last time, and perhaps finally know how let you go. when i held your hand at the hospital, it was still warm, and i could not believe you would ever choose to leave. how would you expect me to when we have always both believed in the constancy of the moon and the early mornings? somehow, during the course of...

Description: Supermarket offers reusable bags By Kate V. Pedroso Inquirer Last updated 04:22am (Mla time) 06/17/2007 http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/talkofthetown/view_article.php?article_id=71730 MANILA, Philippines—The GreenBag, a reusable shopping bag made of durable nonwoven fabric, was introduced to 29 SM supermarkets across the country last week. “It’s a response to a concern in the environment—shopping bags contributing to solid waste,” said Chito Macapagal, vice president for Corporate Development of Unilever Philippines. SM approached Unilever in January, looking for a partner to help it to launch a reusable shopping bag. The result: a 19-by-17-inch bag—approximately the size of two regular shopping bags. It is the first project of the SM Concerned and Responsible Eco-Shoppers program (SM Cares). Ingredients: Made of 100-percent polypropylene, the GreenBag may not be biodegradable, but it is recyclable. Polypropylene, also known as PP or Plastic No. 5, is nontoxic...

Description: i've always loved the look of dried leaves carpeting the ground. reminds me of the forest, and it comes with that earthy smell, too. wonder why people always insist on sweeping them up (and burning them--grr!) when they can spend their time better tidying up inside the house. Don’t burn grass, just ‘recycle’ it By KATHERINE ANDRANEDA The Philippine Star, 24 June 2007 Grass does not have to go up in smoke. In fact, a broad network of environment organizations is encouraging garden keepers to forget their usual practice of bagging or burning grass trimmings after mowing their backyard, urging them to just leave the cut grass on the lawn and let nature take its course. The Ecological Waste Coalition has launched an information drive on “grasscycling,” believing that the simple act of leaving grass trimmings on the lawn after mowing would contribute to a healthier environment. Manny Calonzo, secretary of EcoWaste, said grasscycling is an easy application of nature’s system...

Description: BUILDING A “GREEN HOUSE" by Gigie Cruz (an abrdiged, featurized version of this was published on the front page of Inquirer ) Greening our houses A recently released report by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change) shows unequivocal proof that the earth is indeed getting hotter. Climate patterns have extremely changed as a consequence of rising carbon dioxide due to the burning of fossil fuels. Government and non-government organizations are aggressively promoting alternatives to address what is considered to be one of the major environmental dilemmas of our time. However, climate change should be addressed along with pollution in air, water and ground. Greening begins at home One of the things that we can do, in response to the changing temperatures and the warming of the planet, is to make positive and eco-friendly changes to the spaces that we inhabit. Despite the undeniable consequences of climate change however, green building initiatives have...