Manika‑Jamila 2: Chapter 3: Si Bernadette

I am Jamila. A doll. I observe everything without emotion. The day came when Eloisa and her husband returned from the hospital. Eloisa’s face looked tired but bright. She carried new ultrasound pictures. She placed one of them near me in the crib.

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Real Love: Joy in Giving Without Return

Practical Thoughts

Minsan naiisip ko, ano ba talaga ang tunay na pagmamahal? Hindi yung may kondisyon, hindi yung may kapalit. Yung tipong masaya ka lang dahil nagmamahal ka. Parang araw na araw na lang sumisikat, walang hinihingi. Parang puno na nagbibigay ng sariwang hangin, hindi nagtatanong kung may magpapasalamat ba. Ganon ang tunay na pag-ibig. Hindi transaction. Hindi investment na may ROI. Pure giving, pure joy. At ito ang practical thought na gusto kong iwan sa'yo ngayon.

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Love Bus Book 4: Chapter 3 — Bernadeth’s Curiosity Awakens

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It started with a small album that Mommy usually kept inside the cabinet. One afternoon, while I was fixing my school things, Bernadeth came into the living room carrying it with both hands. She climbed onto the sofa beside me and opened it carefully, as if the pictures might break if she moved too fast.

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Love Powers Up the 9th Commandment

Practical Thoughts

There are moments in life when old rules suddenly feel alive again, not because they changed, but because a deeper force breathed fresh power into them. I’ve been reflecting lately on the Ten Commandments given to Moses and how Jesus, centuries later, gave what He called a new commandment. Many wonder if this new teaching replaces or cancels the old ones, especially the 9th: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. But the more I sit with it, the clearer it becomes, Jesus’ command to love one another doesn’t erase the 9th; it supercharges it from the inside out.

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Accountability: Nature’s Quiet Lesson for All

Practical Thoughts

There are moments when a single word stops me in my tracks. Accountability. I used to see it as a grown-up lesson handed down through scoldings, deadlines, and consequences. But the more I sat with it, not just reading books or listening to elders, but quietly observing the world around me, the clearer it became. Accountability is not merely taught; it is woven into the fabric of nature itself. Only those who carry a strong, burning desire to truly know will uncover this truth. And once seen, it changes how we move through every situation.

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