Sparrow

There was a job fair in the city, about two hours from where I live, and I went there two days ago. They were accommodating and promising, and when they said I'll hear from them "tomorrow" (meaning, yesterday) and they didn't, well, I just prayed for God's will.

The sparrow always has been to me a symbol of God's providence, because of Jesus' sayings that birds don't worry about food because God in Heaven feeds them.

Three days ago, late afternoon, I found a sparrow hopping on the ground, not flying, just going from one potted plant to another. I didn't think much about it, and Dana was delighted to watch it, until to our horror we saw it hopping towards the gate. We feared if it gets out it might get run over, or be caught by an alley cat!

After several attempts I managed to get it gently in my hands, and then I realized it was too young, it cannot fly, the tail is too short. I put her in a birdcage. Dana was ecstatic. A pet! A pet! "What shall we call him?"

Maya is the Filipino word for sparrow, but Dana liked "Sparrow" so Sparrow it is.

We bought birdseed the next day and realized it was too young to eat it. Since Sparrow arrived into our lives, we noticed more birds have settled in the trees. Ah! They must be Sparrow's parents or family, looking for him. True enough, there'd be one adult sparrow who would get some bird seed, then put it in Sparrow's open mouth.

I thought if I got that day job I might feel like that sparrow in the cage, trapped, unable to have time for my art, for writing, for rehearsals and shows. I expect a bigger bird (the company, my employer) to feed me. I felt a pang of despair.

Dana knew that in a week's time, when Sparrow is better we'll set him free. We've made some attempts of letting him out of his cage, but still he couldn't fly.

Earlier tonight while I was at my desk and Dana was doing homework we heard the cage crash. I rushed outside and found a cat poised to strike. I quickly shooed it away. Poor terrified bird. The cage was upside down, the gate was open, the cat could have easily reached inside! Dana was inconsolable for a bit. She thought she had lost her pet!

I replaced the cage on a table outside, and surrounded it with boxes. Then I placed things that would make a clattering noise against the boxes: umbrellas, hangers, sticks... should a cat try to make another pounce. Can I blame the cat? Mother Nature intended cats to be predators, and they're very good ones at that. I left a bowl of food for the cat in case it returns.

Sparrow may not understand why we keep him caged right now, but when his wings are better, we'll let him free. Jesus said, "You are even more precious to God than a beautiful bird. If God looks after them, of course He will look after you."

Dana's third day of school

I just got home after dropping off Dana at Stella Maris Academy. I felt a little nostalgic. She didn't kiss me but hurried off, but not without saying an enthusiastic good-bye. Yesterday her teacher, Teacher Yana, said we must bring her white shoes to school. The way they do it is they change into indoor white shoes in the classroom. This was weird because we took pains scouring through two SM department stores and several shoe stores to find her the perfect white pair, and we did, made of cloth with dainty white flower stitches. As instructed we put them in a plastic box, labeled it, and placed it on the shoe shelf. I checked today and found the box and the shoes there. Whew! What a relief! I didn't want a row with the school if they lost the shoes.

I had a pang of regret, which I know I must let go, that Dana's already seven and repeated first grade. But things are as they are, and we just need to make the most of this life. She seems to be enjoying school, and only now really, truly "school-ready," marked with eagerness for school days. Veck asked how long I think this enthusiasm will last. All through college, I hope.

On Dana's second day

I hear Dana singing nursery songs lately. Three Little Indians. Row, row, row your boat. Variations thereof. I thought, hey, wait a minute. First grade! Why are they singing kindergarten songs? At any rate, I need to learn to trust and see how this goes for her. Most of her classmates are younger than she, that's true, and maybe the teacher is finding a median. I hope this was a good decision to re-enroll her to first grade...though it's too late for regrets now.



As promised, this is her journal entry about her first day in school. She didn't have any assignments from school. Good thing there's Kumon, so she had some Math and Reading to do still.

When I was in school I'm very happy. Because it's my first day of school. Because we learned so much with my best friend classmate Ethan and we all play games like Mirror games. We are all the mirror except Ben the crazy classmate. And we have fun. After that we sang songs like Happy Birthday for Prince, my birthday classmate. And we pray to God and ate food from McDonald's. I finish my spaghetti except my chicken. I wait my mom and dad to fetch me. And when I got home I was thinking all about school. I talk all about it to my mom and dad and I miss my best friend already and my teacher. Her name is Teacher Aryana. But Teacher Aryana said we can call her Teacher...Yana for short. And we did our assignment and go to bed early. The End.

Dana's first day of school

I decided to create this blog to sort of be an almost daily journal of my daughter's life. Dana Keziah is seven-years-old, and has started First Grade today at Stella Maris Academy. She woke up very early this morning and announced, "School! School Day today!"

Last year we attempted to homeschool her, even enrolled for a whole year at Peniel Academy, a good school in Cainta. Unfortunately, we were so far behind. It was already fourth grading period, the exams were in, and we were still on second quarter lessons. Homeschool has benefits and all, but it was not for us!

Now I want to say this in the face of all who say homeschooling is more spiritual. Yes, it is advocated, even endorsed--almost advertised in the church we attend (Christ's Commission Fellowship), and homeschooled children I meet are quite brilliant, but it just didn't fit our temperaments: mine, my wife's, and my daughter's. Besides, it's no secret that the son-in-law of the senior pastor of our church is the headmaster of The Master's Academy, a homeschooling program, and LIFE Academy which is based in the CCF Center itself, so no surprise that they advertise homeschooling.

We chose Stella Maris because we did our research and learned that its Grade Six graduates stand a good chance of being accepted to the Philippine Science High School, which we dream of for Dana. Veck wants Philippine Science, while I wish she can go to the Philippine High School for the Arts. So we'll see if God gave us a scientist or an artist, and we'll enroll her in the school she is better suited to excel.

Naturally, Veck and I asked her what she did on her first day, and she said, aside from the usual getting-to-know-you, and stand-up-and-tell-us-your-name-and-favorite-food (hotdogs), they did a Mirror game. Mirror! Like the classic Improv game. I am liking this school already.

She also said she has made friends already with a five-year-old boy named Ethan. She is now busy writing the story of her first day, and asking me how to spell "assignment" and how to make sure that when she writes Ethan's name that people read it right: long E sound. Looks like she's chronicling her day herself. I'll see if I can take a snapshot of her story and post it here.