work on a friday

i have tons to do today. reports, reports and more reports. heck my work life has always been a monologue of writing and writing. there is a report for lapp-2, probably a proposal for pef later (which, i do not want to do). and it has become difficult for me to put down into words all those stuff about work, especially in the last couple of days.

however, yesterday rhea, beth and I went to Carmen, Davao del Norte to attend one of our business opportunities workshop. it was the usual community process of a speaker talking about possible enterprises that the community can take on. probably also just the usual farmer participants that you would see who are hopeful to get something out of the activity.

it could have been easy to reduce everything to the usual. however, when i looked one of the participants straight in her eye. i knew something struck a chord which i know so very well.

she probably is in her late 50's, her hair is almost white already, her back bent probably by the years of making a living, without actually living. i reached for her hand to shake it, and felt it leathery with the subtle touch of a mother. and her eyes were brown, that narrowed to an almost slit to focus at my face.

and that's when it happened.
i remembered the joys of being one with the people, of being able to connect with the people who i have committed to serve. the farmers and the fisherfolks that triggered a real desire to stay in mindanao and help out, in my own little way.

suddenly, all this bullshit about community economic development started to make sense again. suddenly, i remembered that the lapp-2 report, albeit indirectly, would be helping out the people in maragusan have a more transparent budget process allocation and spending, thereby creating more opportunities for businesses through the government spending that would be pouring in the projects that are actually needed by the people as articulated by them (pant...pant...pant... that was one long sentence). suddenly, the reports embodied persons, they have ceased to be just the meaningless words that they have devolved into. the words have become the hands of the men and women of rural mindanao.

suddenly, i remembered my first motivation to stay on in aadc. that is to give back the blessings what has been given freely right from the start. the printing on our batch shirt of St.Francis, LSQC paraded in my mind once again... "to whom much is given, much is also expected..." it goes.

it was colored maroon, the color that i will wear in the next four years of my college life.

so before i write too much on my blog, i stop, because work awaits... yes even on a friday.