by Telly G. Ocampo

Women and the New Year!

At the start of the New Year, let me have a reprint of the top New Year’s Resolutions of Pope Frances. This beautiful stuff from the Pontiff has lessened my disgust over the way our New Year celebration is done. I don’t know why I just can’t tolerate the noise of the celebration ever since I was young. In those days lantaka ra man ang mga gigamit bahala na lang ug masunog imong pilok ug hujophujop sa pabuto.

These days, people really spend a handsome amount of money for the sophisticated kind and brand of fireworks. Dugangan pa gyud ug sikadsikad ug pahaguros sa motor nga banha kaayo. While we have a short respite in the early morning after the noise, dili pa gyud nato malimtan ang kabanha sa disco sa gabii nga milabay. Dili lang makabungog ang sound; maglagubo ug mag-gubogubo pa gyud sa imong dughan. Tiaw bai madungog madungog man sa entero barangay ang sound.

I ended up without sleep for 2 nights as a result of all the unhealthy sounds during the SUGAT SA BAG-ONG TUIG this year. In fact my 5 dogs were shaking with fear during the late evening sound blast – a moment when the bigger dogs wanted to share my bed.  Yes, the big ones. The smaller dogs? Well, they slept in the other bedroom with my apo.

So, what did POPE FRANCIS GIVE AS HIS “TOP NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS?”:

  • “Take care of your spiritual life, your relationship with God, because this is the backbone of everything we do and everything we are.“ 
  • Take care of your family life, giving your children and loved ones not just money, but most of all your time, attention and love.” 
  • “Take care of your relationships with others, transforming your faith into life and your words into good works, especially on behalf of the needy.”
  • “Be careful how you speak, purify your tongue of offensive words, vulgarity and worldly decadence.”
  • “Heal wounds of the heart with the oil of forgiveness, forgiving those who have hurt us and medicating the wounds we have caused others.”
  • “Look after your work, doing it with enthusiasm, humility, competence, passion and with a spirit that knows how to thank the Lord.”
  • “Be careful of envy, lust, hatred and negative feelings that devour our interior peace and transform us into destroyed and destructive people.” 
  • “Watch out for anger that can lead to vengeance; for laziness that leads to existential euthanasia; for pointing the finger at others, which leads to pride; and for complaining continually, which leads to desperation.”
  • “Take care of brothers and sisters who are weaker … the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and strangers, because we will be judged on this.”

I hope and pray that the other senior citizens feel what I felt. I hope, too, that the local governments will introduce measures to regulate the noise during the New Year celebrations. I really hope we can determine the amount of destructions caused by fireworks, not only to our environment but more so to our health.