"And nothing loved is ever lost or perished..." MLE
This blog has obviously been on hold for some time. It just goes to show how I cannot sustain one. Today I write briefly to honor and remember someone who I've never met but has deeply influenced my person since I was 11 years old.
Madeleine L'Engle, 1918-2007
daughter, wife, mother, grandmother,
greatgrandmother, writer,
scientist, theologian,
faithful one
"Ang nothing loved is ever lost or perished."
-- A Ring of Endless Light, M. L'Engle
"I’ve always seen teachers as expendable creatures who float in and out of a student’s life like clouds in the sky. One or two semesters, and they are never seen again, except for a few awkward moments outside the classroom days or even years after. I’ve never understood how several of my peers have real relationships with their teachers, even though they haven’t been in a classroom setting for a while now.
"I think it’s because I’ve always known teachers to be authority figures, and because of that authority, it’s impossible for us to be friends. I hold even the most irresponsible and undeserving teachers with respect, because I don’t know how else to act. I guess that that’s not the worst reaction that a teacher can ever get from a student, but it saddens me because, a few years from now, when I want to go back and visit Ateneo, whom exactly will I be visiting?"
This was something out of a reaction paper one of my students wrote for the film, Stand and Deliver. I quote it because it is something I could have written. I could still write. Despite the fact that I am already a teacher, I do hold authority figures with respect and think myself different from them because of that, and therefore, a real relationship can never be forged there.
And yet as a teacher, sometimes there is this desire to be seen by students outside this ice tower facade that teachers often have around them. But at the same time, there is also this desire to maintain the facade to serve the kids better.
it's time.
sis is going to go soon
with a guy who'll treat her right
(at least he should).
bro is going to go soon
a cap on his head to show
(i'm sure soon he would).
wounds are going to heal soon
a little angel to make sure it'd be done
(i know she could).
my task here will soon be done
my place in this world i will soon have to decide.
it's time.
what is it with birthdays
that seem to make one think
of dreams once thought forgotten
of dreams thought best forgotten?
is it the ticking of the clock
that seems to be getting to me?
is it truly search for meaning,
divine call, and, hate as i to admit,
innermost desire?
has the time come?
rocks stay firm
enjoying the occasional company
of green moss and fern
when the lights dim
it will join the earth
its purpose unquestioned
but ever acknowledged
