Something great happened to me recently…

When I thought of writing this blog post, the first question I have in mind is “how should I name it?”

After a lot of thinking (and procrastination LOL!), I came up with that title which I admit I did not exert much effort to.

This is my first post on my first ever blog and the pressure is real! I have been reading some ideas on Pinterest, Google, Instagram, Etsy and a lot of websites about how I can make a good blog entry and the first thing on every article is to create a catchy title which I now realized I’m totally bad at but might as well give this a try. Right?

Well, I guess the reason why I cannot give it a better title is that what it has right now says it all – Something great happened to me recently!

Here’s why…

I’m currently in a 7-year relationship with my boyfriend named Chicco. We started the relationship when we are in the second year of our college years (2014). Believe it or not, he was my college crush way back in 2012 but he was in a relationship back then so I moved on. LOL! Later on, things did not go well for both of them. Two years later, from just a regular friend, he became my special someone. Of course, he wooed me to get the “Yes, I agree to be your girlfriend” moment and that’s when my life changed. I’ll tell you more in my next blog post because first, 7 years won’t fit here, and second, that’s not the story I wanted to tell you. It’s just a brief overview so you’ll have an idea about what I’m gonna share next.

During our journey as a couple, we had our ups and downs and we were able to stay together after everything we’ve been through. There were those oh-so-joyful moments that even just the thought of it both makes us smile up until today. There were also those moments that we both agreed to forget about (of course after fixing it) such as the regular couple fights, the jealousy, misunderstandings, and the list goes on and on. I’m not saying that we have eliminated the arguments from our relationship because that’s normal and everyone goes through that. I guess for me, it will be peaceful (Yes!) but boring. HAHA! What I’m trying to say is that those moments that we’ve been through made this day special.

Before, I used to ask myself if I am worth it. If I am this type of woman a man brings in front of the altar. Why? Because I see these couples getting married even when they’ve been together for just 1,2, or 3 years and even when they just met each other. I let those thoughts eat me alive which often results in a fight. That lasted for years! But, recently, Chicco and his family visited our home in the province, bringing food and family members, for a “pamamanhikan“.

“Pamamanhikan” is a Tagalog word derived from the word “panhik” which means to ascend in someone else’s stairs. It is a Filipino custom where the groom-to-be along with his parents and family members formally ask the bride’s parents for her hand in marriage.

Everything went well. Chicco and I were both very happy. I can see our families are happy as well. In fact, he cried! (Not cry – cry but a man-cry, if that’s even a word LOL and by my definition, it means crying while being as manly as he can be. Holding up all the tears he could hold but a tear or two came out. You know what I mean. HAHA)

When the “pamamanhikan” ended and when Chicco’s family left and went to each of their homes, when my parents went back to our small store, when my siblings are out playing with my cousins and I was left alone inside the house, my tears started to pour.

That very moment as I cry, I closed my eyes to speak to someone who knows everything. I’m this type of person who has difficulties in apologizing and controlling my pride but at that moment, all the pride went away and I pour my heart and tears out in a prayer asking for an apology. I realized that all those years, I was rushing everything. God never said “no” but He was just telling me to wait all along. I did not listen and it almost broke the relationship I had with the person I love.

There, I understood that while God’s intentions may be hidden from us, we may be certain that every event has a purpose. God hears our prayer and answers it. It may not be in accordance with what we wanted to hear but in time, we will realize that He answers our prayers as to what is best for us so even during the most difficult times, let’s acknowledge that God is sovereign, He is good and no matter what happens, our trust should be in Him. I’m also glad I have this partner who is firm in his beliefs and loves me more than I love him and Yes! We’re getting married!

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:17-19).