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My apologies for the awful pun in the title of this post, but that's as much levity as I can muster given the news that Barack Obama signed the order allowing federal money to be given to international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option to have abortions.
While there is much to admire in the newly-minted US president, there is also much which invites concern. It's not enough to mollify conservative Christian elements in the US by choosing a Catholic vice-president, especially a Catholic who invites attention by asserting that "The next Republican that tells me I'm not religious I'm going to shove my rosary beads down their throat." (Thanks to ProLifeBlogs.com for the link!)
It's more important to, remarks regarding the use of rosaries for martial purposes notwithstanding, address the valid concerns that these elements raise.
What is President Obama's stand on reproductive health? What is his stand on abortions? Will he encourage a culture that promotes and nurtures life?
My little princess, Lucia Consuelo Zamora Borra, will be baptized at 4 pm tomorrow at Sta. Rosa de Lima. Fr. Gary Soria will preside over the baptism. Delfin Jude G. Uy and Roman Miguel de Jesus, after months of casting aspersion at one another's ability to be the best possible godfather to Lucia, will accompany shoo-in godparents Bodie Zamora, Cecile Zamora Van Straten, and Tonette Reyes in welcoming Lucia to the Christian world.
Avid viewers of my talk show, Juan on Juan, will have to content themselves with previously aired episodes of my show, as my daughter's baptism takes precedence even over my loyal late night audience. In lieu of gifts, prayers would be most welcome.
Normally, my wife and I are pleasantly exhausted by the end of the day. But last night was a good night: Juan and Manuel were more or less behaving at the dinner table, Lucia was as content as any little princess about to be baptized could be, and I found that my workload had resolved itself to the point that I didn't have to slave over some thing or the other before calling it a night.
It was then when I exercised the authority vested in me as spiritual and moral head of the family.
"Sweety, we're watching Chuck!"
I don't know whether it's Zachary Levi (the actor who plays Chuck) is cut from the same mold as Tina's other favorite leading men (Zach Braff from Scrubs, Patrick Dempsey from Grey's Anatomy) or the largely wholesome nerdish good fun of the show, but Chuck's quickly become our go-to tv show of choice lately.
Besides, I'm not horribly impressed with my nemesis, Dr. John "JD" Dorian. What a nerd!
I came across this interesting article which read Greeley girls basketball team beats Boulder school 94-1. Like most people who read the article, my heart went out to Boulder school, and partly because my formative years were spent hating the Cobra Kai in The Karate Kid and rooting for the underdog in The Bad News Bears, I was ready to spew vitriol at Frontier Academy (Greeley), proof positive that I didn't really outgrow my childhood traumas, I just acquired a wider vocabulary. But then I read that:
"I've had 100 points scored on me before, and I think it's important to respect the game and to respect your opponent," Frontier Academy head coach Nathan Buxman said this morning in a phone interview. "We show the most respect for our opponents by continuing to play hard."
As my wife and I continue to struggle raising our kids, it's tempting to sometimes give both our kids and ourselves a free ride every now and then. Sometimes we all feel that, with the current state of local and international affairs, the world is harsh enough on the people we love. Shouldn't we extend some compassion their way?
Then I realize, as a parent, that I'm not supposed to make it "easier" for my kids. I'm supposed to make their every experience mean something. Whether it's magnifying a magical moment or letting them take their lumps just like everybody else, all I can really do is make sure that whatever they go through is worth it all, in the end.
So thank you Frontier Academy for not taking it easy on Boulder. It's a welcome reminder of how our struggles, in the end, should mean something.
As I had blogged earlier, my wife and I are trying to make do with less help, literally. Of course, as soon as we had decided to do so, the world went all weird on us. Juan alternately got sick, got better, then got sick again, and we're not even sure that it all happened in that order. Despite Tina's best attempts to purge her diet of all possible allergens that she could pass on to the extremely allergic bundle of joy that is Lucia, our pretty little baby princess suffered a particularly nasty attack last night that left her angelic face covered in rashes. Manuel discovered my secret stash of Belgian chocolates, which is really the equivalent of handing Manuel the keys to the house for the next few hours or so. Manuel sans sugar is already very assertive; Manuel hopped up on sugar is absolutely despotic.
Still, I was able to get to work by 10 am, and when I left all seemed well. Moreover, when I left, my boys cried out "See you later!" First, we have to bring home the cured belly of a swine carcass. After that, yes, I'll see you later. Till then, take care of your mama, without whose devoted parenting, you would be in more of a chocolate covered mess than you guys already are.
The great experiment continues! Instead of boring you with my family's many misadventures in growing, let me talk about my show, Juan on Juan. I assure you, I will bore you sometime soon.
This week on Juan on Juan, I'll be talking to some wonderful women who have chosen to take an active role in educating their kids. First, I welcome back Catherine Lanzona, who appeared on the program previously to discuss her opposition to the RH Bill. Catherine will talk about the Kolbe Academy, a Catholic homeschool program that has worked wonders in her home. Lastly, I will be talking to Chinky Castro Dionisio, who runs a preschool in the Pasig area. Chinky will be talking about how her active participation in her son's education has been a blessing to her family as well.
Juan on Juan airs live every Monday, from 10 pm to 11 pm on ZOE TV (Sky Channel 5, and UHF Channel 33), with replays on Wednesday, from 9 to 10 pm.
Sorry for not being to update this blog more often. Originally, I thought that my first blog entry would be an whapologeticy one: both whiny and apologetic. I've done that before, mind you. The entry would begin with a heartfelt apology, quickly followed by not so subtle whining about my heavy workload, coupled with my concern for my family life, and so on, in a mind-numbingly self-serving cycle. And so, after a hectic holiday season where my wife and I took on the almost unassisted personal care of our three kids for most of the break, I fully expected to unleash world-beating whapologetics on my hapless readers.
Guess what? After a period of adjustment, I'm really enjoying the extra time I'm spending with my kids. Moreover, my wife and I are trying to take care of our kids sans the usual complement of the 6th Infancy Division and the 1st Diaper Rangers. We have exactly one helper at home, the versatile Ate Imelda, and our midwife, Ate Chari for our darling baby girl, and that's it. It might not seem like much, particularly to my loyal readers from the Western hemisphere, but it's a big step for Tina and myself.
In my chat with Fr. Gary Soria yesterday, I shared how this simplified lifestyle that Tina and I have been thrust into is in fact, a blessing. Our vision for our kids includes loving self-sufficiency and industriousness. How seriously will they take our paeans to the virtue of hard work, simplicity, and serenity if they grow up in a household where they never see Mama and Papa take their turns doing the dishes, or making the beds, or cleaning up around the house? Given the precociousness of my little ones, they would see through our inauthenticity in seconds. And so, our great experiment begins. Everyday is now a magical adventure, and this blog, for better or worse, will be where I will alternately gush, whine, despair and triumph.
Happy New Year everyone!
