Another Chapter in My Life

Inspiration was the power behind all the entries in this blog and the lack of it - the reason why the latest one is more than 8 months ago. I confess that there were many things to write about in those months of drought but the words just won’t flow, and it was like I was stuck in the stinking carabao mud pit back home. Now I ‘m at the verge of a cascade of words and tears, and my throbbing heart is beating out praises to God. Why?

A few moments ago my daughter at work in the hospital, called me on the phone to tell me to send her my diploma and Transcript of Records - immediately.  There was urgency and excitement in her voice which told me that the long dry spell was about to be broken.  Two years, eight months and a week, to be precise, is the length of time that I was without employment. At the ripe or maybe over ripe age of 53 that would be a disaster for someone whose market value has already dwindled by half.

Never in my life would I realize that at this age and in this country of temples and golden Buddhas, my medical doctor credentials and age would be a liability to me. No school administrator in his right mind would hire me to teach conversational English to their kids – the most common employment for English speaking expats in Thailand, and I couldn’t practice my profession unless I mastered the language – reading and writing so I could take the licensure examinations. And again, if I did pass the exams my age would be the obstacle to getting a position. Yes, like I said… a stinking carabao mud pit… with hordes of flies.

Of course my mind I wasn’t preoccupied with the obnoxious set, and that was just a momentary thought. I was actually busying myself in my Father’s business with the poor, the orphans and my working family – wife, daughter and son, in my twenty-four hour day. The center of my attention was my adorable granddaughter who kept me on my toes with things to do at her unwitting demand.

I wasn’t really lamenting on my sordid state in comparison to my colleagues who were still fattening their bank accounts in their lucrative practices, because of friends like Ralf Oberg who tried to find excuses to give me cash. He knew that I wouldn’t take money out of his hands considering that he had dozens of orphans to feed and clothe, but yet this kindhearted German did anything at his disposal to keep my pocket warm. The latest gimmick that he had in mind was to employ me as a coordinator for his projects, and he had my training and attendance to some international seminars already paid. God bless his heart.

Another guy that kept my mind out of this pit was George Manolov - an equally handsome Bulgarian residing in Canada who regularly reminded me that he had me in his daily prayers. He also encouraged me to write some of the doctrines that influenced my decision to become a Christian, which he posted in his blog.

Now back to the drought. The skies finally opened and some drops of rain started to fall when my wife came home one night and told me that I was hired. I’m talking about the skies in my eyes and the rain - the salty liquid cascading down my cheeks. This good news erased all the plans that I had three weeks ago. It stopped me dead on my tracks in a bid to return to the Philippines to resume my medical practice there even if it meant leaving the entire family behind in Bangkok to fend for themselves. I knew that I couldn’t start a third year without working for a livelihood. It would be too humiliating I thought.

God had his plans no doubt and I had mine too, albeit in a myopic scope. Now with the floodgates of heaven opening up and my heart leaping with joy, my soul can rest on God’s bosom as my body takes on the full weight of the job. Work, work and more work… and I’ll love every second of it.