Stories and Parables

Once upon a time, in the middle of the deepest ocean, far from the reach of humanity, is an island called Emotionisle. In that island lived all the feelings; Joy, Loneliness, Creativity, Vanity, Contentment, and all the others including Love.

One day, their leader sadly announced, “Please listen everyone. We are gathered here because of a disaster that is coming our way. Emotionisle is sinking, and it is happening too fast. We need to evacuate the island to save our lives.”

“Why is our island sinking?” some asked.

“It is because the island is too much burdened by the emotions of all the people in the world,” came the reply.

“Are you sure about this?” another inquired.

“Intelligence and Knowledge, together with Curiosity and Inquiry have been studying this for years. Their latest report says that the island is sinking at an average of five feet every minute. This means that tomorrow, even the peak of Mount Ecstasy will be submerged in the ocean,” the announcer explained.

“What shall we do?” the desperate voice of Fear trembled.

“I advise everyone not to panic. Let us all pack our things and leave this island. There is a bigger island north from here. It is called Pathos Island. We can all go there,” the leader said. “Now, let us move and save our lives.”

Everyone went home, packed their things, and prepared to leave the island.

Love was hesitant to leave the island. She loves it so much. All her life, she’s been on the island. She does not know how to live far from it. That is the reason why she did not build a boat for herself. Now, she has no choice; she has to leave the island.

Love began looking for someone to ask for help. Fortunately, Richness was passing by in a very big boat.

Love asked, “Richness, can I go with you in your boat?”

“I’m sorry, Love,” replied Richness, “My boat is filled with silver, gold, and precious stones. I’m afraid there is no room for you. You should have built your own boat.” Love almost failed to hear the last words because Richness’ boat is already far from where she was standing.

Love decided to ask Vanity who happens to be passing by in a fancy vessel. “Vanity, help me please,” Love pleaded.

Vanity quickly replied, “I’m sorry, Love. You are all too wet and dirty; you might damage my beautiful boat. Besides, you should have made a boat for yourself.” And continued leaving the island.

Next came Loneliness with his pale brown boat and a long face. “Hey, Loneliness. Can you take me on your boat?” Love asked.

“Will you please leave me alone?” Loneliness did not even bother to look up and see who is asking for help.

Then, Love saw Happiness. A very loud upbeat song comes from his boat. “Happiness, please save me,” Love said in a loud voice, but Happiness was so overjoyed that he did not hear Love’s plea.

When there's not a single boat in sight, Love began to cry. The island was sinking and all hopes of leaving the island was gone. She did not build a boat when everyone was constructing one, not because she was lazy, as many accused her, but because she loves the island so much. “I’m gonna die. I don’t want to die,” Love said to herself.

Just then, a deep voice said, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” Love looked up to see the owner of the voice. The voice came from an old man with very gentle eyes and a kind smile. His white beard is long and his physique seems strong.

Love gladly joined the old man. When they arrived at Pathos Island, she thanked the man. However, in her excitement, she forgot to ask his name. On the other hand, the old man seemed decided to live on the other side of the island because after helping Love get off his boat to join the other feelings, he went on his way.

Love asked Knowledge, “Who is the old man that helped me?”

“It was Time,” Knowledge confidently answered.

“But why did Time helped me when almost everyone blamed me for not making my own boat on Emotionisle?” Love asked.

Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom answered, “It is because only Time understands you, Love.”

This is dedicated to Miss Nympha Bengco of Mabalacat, Pampanga, a good friend who requested for a love story. Here it is. Let me name the girl after her, and the boy after a concept only the two of us know, Lionel. What does love mean?



Lionel is driving his motorcycle too fast, inviting accident on every turn. He knows Nympha, sitting at the back of the motorcycle, is very scared, but he ignored her fear. He wants to savor the moment.

“Lionel, please slow down. I’m scared!” pleaded Nympha.

“No, this is fun!” replied Lionel.

“No it is not. Please, I’m scared!,” Nympha is almost crying.

“Then tell me you love me,” said Lionel with a smile on his face.

“Fine, I love you, and you know that I really do. Now, will you please slow down?” Nympha’s voice shakes.

“Not yet. Give me a BIG hug, first.”

Nympha obliged. The temporary comfort that that hug gave her lasted only for a moment. Although being near Lionel always gives her comfort, but the situation they are in scares her to death.

“Will you take my helmet off and put it on? It’s bugging me,” Lionel asked Nympha next. Again the girl obliged and a few seconds later, they crashed into an abandoned building.

In the paper the next day: A motorcycle had crashed into a building because of break failure. Two people were on the motorcycle, but only one, a girl, survived.

The truth behind the accident: Halfway down the road, Lionel realized that his breaks broke, but he didn't want to let Nympha know. Instead, he asked her to say she loved him, felt her hug one last time, then had her wear his helmet so she would live, even though it meant he would die.

I was waiting for the bus. I want to go home, but the bus unusually took longer to arrive.

Coming my way was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't-want-to-be-bothered times."

"I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't. He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.

After a few minutes he spoke. "You, going home?" he asked. He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly beard keeps more than his face warm. I said, "Yes," and showed impatience for the late arrival of the bus.

He sat there quietly as I waited for the bus. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, "Ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice.

"Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but profound words that I will never forget.

"Don't we all?" he said. I expected nothing from this man but an outstretched grimy hand. However, the three words that he said shook me. I often look for wisdom in great men and women. I expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, way above this bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a shotgun. "Don't we all?"

Yes, I needed help. I needed help more than most of the people in that waiting shed. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help.

I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day.

Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much we have, no matter how much we have accomplished, we need help, too. On the other hand, no matter how little we have, no matter how loaded we are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, we can help.

Even if it's just a compliment, we can give that. We never know when we may see someone that appears to have it all. But deep inside, they are waiting on us to give them what they don't have: a different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, or a respite from daily chaos that only us who have gone through a torn world can see.

Who knows? Maybe the man was not just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by God who is great and wise, to minister to me, a soul too comfortable in himself. Maybe God looked down, called an angel, dressed him like a bum and then said, "Go minister to that man waiting for the bus, that man needs help."

Don't we all?


I would like to thank Kuya Ato Sauqillo and Rojs for the messages and comments. God bless us.

For six years now, the bamboo seed has been the laughingstock of the forest. The farmer planted the seed but nothing sprouted from it. The fern, on the other hand, has grown in leaps and bounds and has already produced many offspring. The luxuriant green plant that never stopped growing and multiplying almost covered the forest floor.

There is not a single day that the ferns did not ridicule the bamboo. "Hey, bamboo. Still sleeping?" the ferns asked followed by howls of laughter.

"I'm fine. I'm growing," the bamboo humbly replied.

"Growing? Did you hear that? He's growing!" A new round of loud laughter echoed in the forest. “Can you see anything above the ground that resembles a growing bamboo?" a fern asked his friends to ridicule the bamboo. Others joined the mockery by looking around as if looking for something invisible.

"I cannot see anything. Is it I'm blind or the bamboo is lying?" another fern answered.

"Well, he really is lying... He's lying under the ground," the forest was again filled with raucous laughter.

"Whatever you say will not change the truth. I am growing, and pretty sure of it," the bamboo said.

"Ok. Whatever," the mother fern replied. At last, the ferns got tired of making fun of the bamboo.

This goes on every day, and there are times when the bamboo thought of quitting. The ridicules are too much to bear especially when he knows that he is doing nothing to harm the ferns. He does not deserve such treatments from his neighbors. He is just growing in a different way. The unfair treatment he receives from his neighbors robs him of the joy for what he is doing.

The following day, a sprout grew from where the bamboo was planted. Surprised, the ferns noticed the growth. However, compared with the ferns it was seemingly small and insignificant. And the bamboo suffered another round of ridicules from the ferns.

Six months later, the bamboo is already more than 100-feet high and his offshoots are now fifteen. The spectacular growth silenced his critics – the ferns.

"How did you do that?" One day, the fern asked the bamboo. "For six years you did not grow, but in only six months, you've already grown too high."

The bamboo replied, "As I told you before, I am growing. Maybe not in your way, but I am growing. In those six years, I am growing roots, while you are growing leaves. And my growth in the last six months is dependent on the roots that I have grown in six years."

"That's brilliant!" the fern admitted. "I wish I could grow my roots like yours."

"That is impossible. We have different nature and purpose. I am created to build, you existed to beautify. I grew roots for that purpose as you grow leaves for your purpose." The ferns look up as the bamboo wisely explains. "We grow differently, because we will be used differently."

The ferns now understand and never will they ridicule another great creation again.

A little girl was sitting on her grandfather’s lap. She intently listens to the old man as he reads the story of creation.

From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. Then, she will touch her own cheek and listen to the story again. She was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again.

Finally, she spoke up, “Lolo, did God make you?”

"That’s right, sweetheart,” he answered very proudly because the girl is getting the point of the creation story. "God made me a long time ago,” he said.

“Ohhh” she nodded, “Lolo, did God make me, too?”

“Yes, indeed, honey,” he said, “God made you just a little while ago,” he explained, because he noticed what the girl is doing with their cheeks.

The girl once again felt their respective faces. Then she knowingly observed, “God's getting better at it, isn't he?”


Remember:

Well, God is not getting better at what He does. It is just that we are getting to know Him better, and we appreciate what He is doing in our lives better.

He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.

Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me."

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good a she headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her.

The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase.

The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back The waitress wondered where the lady could be.

Then she noticed something written on the napkin. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do:

Do not let this chain of love end with you."

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard.

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's gonna be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."

There is an old saying "What goes around comes around." Today, I sent you this story, and I'm asking you to pass it on. Let this light shine.

A Sunday School class teacher asked her students to draw pictures of their favorite Bible stories. Everyone eagerly took their paper and colors and started drawing.

After a few minutes, the teacher asked, “Who wants to go first, telling his favorite Bible story?” Many little hands went up. “Okay, Joshua, you go first.”

Joshua showed a picture of a kneeling man, with some animals around him. (What is that story?) “This is Daniel in the lions’ den,” Joshua explained. “I liked this story because God cared for Daniel.”

“Very good!” the teacher said. There was a round of applause. “Now, Elaine, it’s your turn.”

Elaine showed a picture of a boy facing a very big man. The boy aims at the man with a slingshot. (I hope you know this story.) “This is David and Goliath,” started Elaine. “David was able to kill Goliath because God helped him.” Another round of applause.

It was then that the teacher noticed Rodney, with his head bowed. Rodney is shy and needs some encouragement to participate. So the teacher went to him and asked, “And what do we have there, Rodney?” Rodney shyly showed his picture to his teacher.

The teacher was surprised. The picture shows an airplane with four people in it. (Can you guess what did Rodney draw?) “Okay, Rodney, can tell us which Bible story is this?”

Rodney slowly stood up, shyly showed his picture, and said, “This is the flight to Egypt.” (Now you’re smiling. Wait for more.) “This is Joseph, this is Mary, and this is Jesus.” (Now who is the fourth man?)

“And who is the fourth man here?” the teacher asked, pointing to the man in front of the plane.

“That’s Pontius – the pilot,” (Pilate???) Rodney said.

(Now you are laughing.)


I will try to update this blog more often. Please visit this site once in a while. I thank Revs. Ferdie Mercado, Jonah Caballes, and Josue Albaniel for their emails and messages.

Once upon a time, a king commanded his army to place a boulder on a roadway. Then he told a trusted servant to see if anyone would try to remove the rock.

Some of the king's bravest knights passed by, ignored the rock, and simply walked around it. Many thought they have better and more important things to do than moving a rock. They are too noble to roll up their sleeves and do such a lowly task.

“What kind of king do we have?” some merchants blamed the king. “He cannot even keep the roads clear. How can we go to the market to sell our goods? What are our taxes for?” However, they did nothing about getting the big stone out of the way.

A peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon seeing the boulder, the peasant put down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. Beneath the rock is a purse with many gold coins. A note from the king says, “You deserve these gold coins because you care enough to remove the rock. Proceed to the palace for more reward.”

The peasant learned what many others never understand: Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.