MY GUARDIAN ANGEL’S LIST OF BLESSINGS: PART 2: FIRST SIX NARRATIVES OF A HALF-BELIEVER
Summary
In Part 1, around the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, my guardian angel unexpectedly visited me. As we parted ways, he handed me a list of 10 blessings to ponder on https://huescribbler.com/my-guardian-angels-list-of-blessings-part-1/. In this Part 2, I share my narratives about the first six blessings. Dwelling on these blessings has negated my negative attitude of simply wallowing in my sea of regrets and multitude of misgivings. Indeed, such blessings have somehow compensated for the material possessions that I have never acquired and my ambitions that have never come to fruition.
Contents
- Overview of Part 1
- Return at Least Expected Moment
- Blog Prediction
- Narratives of 10 Blessings
- Blessing No. 1 – Supportive Wife
- Blessing No. 2 – Wonderful Children
- Blessing No. 3 – Intact Family
- Blessing No. 4 – Great In-laws
- Blessing No. 5 – True Friends
- Blessing No. 6 – Organizational Membership
- Unfinished Reflection on First 6 Blessings
1. Overview of Part 1
At the onset, my dear readers, I enjoin you to read first the blog’s Part 1 through this link https://huescribbler.com/my-guardian-angels-list-of-blessings-part-1/. This provides the best context for the sequel of my guardian story that you are about to read.
If you prefer to go back to this Part 1 later, let me first provide an overview. My guardian angel visited me around the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in 2020. Feeling depressed for being a failure in my twilight years, he gave me a list of 10 blessings (Figure 1). Only two key words constitute each blessing.
He passionately argued that rather than being an eternal whiner, I should be grateful because I am an incredibly blessed person. Moreover, he instructed me to undertake the following chores: (1) ponder on these 10 blessings; (2) write an individual narrative of each blessing; and (3) consolidate them into a full blogging article. Before we parted ways, he signified that he would return to discuss my write-up. No definitive time or place.
Reluctantly, I obliged and wrote my blog’s draft as instructed, albeit in a series of laptop scribbles and mobile phone notes. It was an act of reluctant surrender. Can a mortal human ever win with an angel as a supra-human creature or a celestial being?
This 42nd blog, therefore, is about my guardian angel’s year re-appearance in 2021 when I least expected it. I describe here our interactive discourses about my narratives of individual blessings. Paradoxically, we parted ways – abruptly and unceremoniously – as I was about to describe the seventh blessing.
2. Return at Least Expected Moment
When I completed the full draft of my 10 blessing’s narrative, I anticipated that he would eventually appear. Although COVID-19 pandemic time, I had a special health pass to visit the graduate school where I was teaching and serving as its dean or head of school; I was also permitted to walk around at the nearby sports complex (Figure 2). I anticipated that he might just surprise me in either venue – or even in the house ancestral house again. Yet he did not show up at all for the entire 2020. De nada. While waiting, I revised my draft narratives several times. My mixed feelings of agony, anticipation and excitement started to build up.
Sometime in early 2021, during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, I went to Quezon City primarily for my heart ailment’s check-up. (Quezon City, or simply QC is one of the component cities of the Philippines’ Metro Manila, which is the National Capital Region.) My homemaker wife (Lita) and second son (a free-lance architect) nicknamed ‘Jr’ stayed in QC. Nothing eventful happened in the next few days; these would be just routine and ordinary days, I mused to myself.
During one hot and humid afternoon, my wife left our rented flat to do some marketing errands. Using my Bose’s headphones, I listened to my favorite Jose Feliciano song, Love Comes from the Most Unexpected Places. (An internationally renowned musician, Jose Feliciano hailed from Puerto Rico and recorded many globally acclaimed hits, including the now classic Christmas song “Feliz Navidad”.) Before Jr went out to the construction site where he was working on its architectural building design, I requested him to take my photo out of inclination (Figure 3).
Although I closed the door, I didn’t bolt it. I was left alone at the apartment all by myself. Or so I thought. The song’s rhythmic melody transported me back into my memory lane of yesteryears. With an old flame, I was teleported into an astonishingly romantic, yet melancholic setting. I was singing together with Jose Feliciano, following the lyric’s refrain (Box 1).
Box 1. Refrain part of the song’s lyrics titled ‘Love Comes from the Most Unexpected Places’ by the Puerto Rican balladeer, Jose Feliciano
Love comes in many ways
In lover’s arms and sweet bouquets
But if nothing said
Then nothing’s ever heard
For here I stand
Outside your door
And I’m tryin’ to tell you
Just once more that I love you
I still love you
Oohh Baby I Love You
Hmmmm
I firmly closed my eyes, shut them completely, virtually unmindful of my surroundings – while simultaneously getting lost in both space and time. I never wanted the magical moment to end, savoring every second of such transfixing music that had penetrated my subconscious, enveloping my very soul.
Such a mesmerizing instance, however, came to an abrupt and unceremonious awakening. Without any warning, the melodious music I was listening to was suddenly gone. Why? Because somebody pulled away my Bose’s headphones from behind my back. Instinctively, I opened my eyes and looked back. I was caught dumbfounded: it was my guardian angel! Without me noticing at all, he suddenly showed up out of nowhere – with no fanfare at all.
“G’day ugly professor!” was his half-mocking introductory greeting. He deliberately uttered his words in a heavy Australian accent. He had an unorthodox way of pestering me, the way he did while I was writing my doctoral dissertation during my schooling in Australia. I was annoyed, to say the very least.
“What took you so long, motherfucker?”, I responded immediately, without fanfare. I added that I had been waiting for him. “I have already completed Part 2 of my blog and you are nowhere to be found.” He simply walked before me and gazed at my eyeballs rather intently.
And then he retaliated also unkindly. “You are indeed a despicable mortal. Your reply to my truthful greetings to you is both curt and a profanity-laced statement. It’s truly unbecoming for a professor of your stature. And to even think you are the dean, the head of your university’s graduate school. You are simply a dreadful academician!”
Our verbal jousting continued for several minutes. I even asked him if he was just busy wanking in cyberspace. And then he added, “You are truly a nutty human being, and if I may add, a pervert professor! Anyway, let’s get down to business. Let’s discuss the context and the narratives of your 10 blessings.” Then, he handed me a copy of the parchment paper in earlier Figure 1 that listed my blessings.
3. Blog Prediction
Before my verbalization and our actual discourses of the 10 blessings’ narrative, he asked me first this question: “What was my prediction about your guardian angel blog, which was the 21st blog uploaded to your website?”. He posed such a question with his back behind me.
All the while, he was fiddling with a hand-held feather duster. My wife often used this household gadget to dust my books and cabinet shelves. A few small feathers gently fell on the wooden floor as he fiddled with it.
Then, he gently turned around and slowly walked towards me. Abruptly, he went to the wooden cabinet. He specifically picked a headgear with large, multi-colored feathers. It was a hand-crafted souvenir item that I bought all the way from Caracas – the capital of Venezuela – when I attended a world congress about national parks in 1992. I was unsure why he fiddled with the feathers of the feather duster and the Venezuelan memento, respectively.
Earlier, I made a print out of my top seven blogs (Table 1). Hence, I was ready to respond to his query by grabbing the printout. “You need not show me your computer print out. I already know its content,” my guardian angel mused. “My question is how long it took for the ‘Guardian Angel’ blog to attain the number one rank?” I responded unenthusiastically that it was less than a month.
Table 1. Ranked order of the top seven blogs uploaded to my website (https://huescribbler.com/). (As of March 2021)
| Rank | Blog title | Date uploaded |
| 1 | My Guardian Angel’s List of Blessings: Part 1: Close Encounter Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic (note: short textual reference is ‘Guardian Angel’ blog) | 16 September 2020 |
| 2 | The University of the Philippines (UP) Mystique: Is it Real or Just a Bravado? | 10 July 2019 |
| 3 | On Homecomings and Family Reunions: A Reminiscence | 13 July 2019 |
| 4 | On Airport Pick-Up and Dining Out of Children: Relationship Indicators with Overseas Friends? | 24 February 2021 |
| 5 | On ‘Overruling’ Oriental Wives and their ‘Surrendering’ Husbands: Close Encounters in the Midst of Pandemic | 28 October 2020 |
| 6 | Beyond 10,000 Daily Foot Steps: A Positive Health Consequence of COVID-19? | 2 June 2020 |
| 7 | Encounter with the ‘God of Death’? A Bizarre Restaurant Episode in Bangkok, Thailand (note: short textual reference is ‘God of Death’ blog) | 30 August 2019 |
“What is the reason why this ‘Guardian Angel’ blog has become number one in such a very short period, which is barely four weeks?” he queried while looking at me straight in the eyes. “It’s because I have promoted it more than my other blogs,” I lamely replied. “You are dead wrong, ugly professor! It’s because I have claimed that it will be the frontrunner,” he said with a slight smirk on his face as he elaborated on his point.
“One more question before we go to the narratives of blessings. What is your personal favorite among these top seven blogs?” I replied ‘The God of Death’. “And your personal favorite is languishing at number seven! If your ranking will be likened to an Olympic medal race, your most preferred blog does not even have a medal. Out of contest. It’s not a recipient of either a silver medal or a bronze medal. It’s definitely out of the race in terms of ordinal ranking, statistically speaking.”
“I am supremely confident that ‘The God of Death’ blog will eventually catch up,” was all I could mutter. “The race is not yet over,” I added. “Don’t count it out, yet. The future is a wide, open field. After all, the game’s not yet concluded.”
He added that it has been quite a problematic and simultaneously taxing chore to interact with me as a half-believer. (Among the many monikers he attributes to me is ‘half-believer’ – believing in a phenomenon’s some parts while doubting the veracity of its other elements.) The fact of the matter was I had serious doubts when he predicted that the ‘Guardian Angel’ blog would be the frontrunner among my other, earlier uploaded blogs.
4. Narratives of 10 Blessings
Below, I have described my 10 blessings, which my guardian angel sequentially lists. Essentially, he accepted most of my narratives. For a few parts, though, he either provided some additions – or urged me to include either supporting or clarificatory statements. Moreover, both of us went through the entire list, and I qualitatively rated each blessing.
Blessing No. 1 - Supportive Wife
Narrative
Overall, my wife Angelita (Lita for short while others call her Angie) has been a wonderful wife despite our myriad differences (Figure 4). Like many other wives, she nags – and she still disturbs me whenever I want to be left alone amid my writing chores.
On a few occasions, she overruled my decisions. (Feminists would rejoice in this aspect!) Otherwise, she has been invaluable, graciously giving up her nursing profession. She has become a homemaker for over three decades to care for me and our three children (Figure 5).
Discourse with Guardian Angel
“Your write-up is rather bland,” my guardian angel mused, “It’s like reading a mediocre academic essay. Your prose is akin to a bored husband, who occasionally partakes his oats outside of the house.” Despite the prickly summer heat, I started to feel fidgety, suddenly feeling cold and having goosebumps on my appendages. “Would you like me to re-write?” I apprehensively queried, sensing that he was not satisfied. He advised me to simply let my original narrative stay as written. “I am afraid, though, that you have missed a very important consideration aside from her personal family sacrifices.”
“What did I crucially miss?” I was not sure what he was driving at. “Your wife deliberately chose to stay with you during the crucial moments when your life was at stake.” Suddenly, it dawned on me that Lita was beside me during some life-defining moments. In 1986, when I was inflicted with cerebral malaria (Plasmodium falciparum, F4 category), I was not sure if I would survive that medical ordeal. I wanted to just smash my head on the wall due to my terrible headache and excruciating pains throughout my body.
After my tonsillectomy operation in 1988, I suddenly turned black and blue and she put an airway gadget on my nostril to revive my breathing. And she flew straight away from Metro Manila to Puerto Princesa City in September 2016 when I suffered an ischemic heart attack. My guardian angel added that I was a moron for missing that crucially important element. More particularly, he emphasized that in the list of blessings, he deliberately used the adjective ‘supportive’ to describe my wife – rather than either ‘loving’ or ‘caring’ wife.
“Now, the bottom line: I want you to answer my question with either a yes or a no. Is Lita a blessing to you as a wife?” I nodded affirmatively. “Then that settles it,” he replied. “Check the rating column for the first item on your list of blessings,” he added. I dutifully complied (Table 2).
Table 2. Rating of the first blessing.
| Blessing No. | Description | Rating |
| No. 1 | Supportive Wife |  |
Blessing No. 2 - Wonderful Children
Narrative
Secondly, we have been blessed with three wonderful children, now all grown-ups. They all completed their university degrees (Figure 6) and are pursuing their respective professions. Mikhail Robert, the eldest at 35, completed his B.S. in Computer Engineering degree at the Philippines’ Mapua Institute of Technology in 2007 as their class’s Silver Medalist. After working with the Hewlett Packard Company for seven years, he later transferred to Accenture, another IT company. In 2020, he followed his wife in the US.
Michael Angelo (31), the second, who is my junior and nick-named JR, earned his BS in Architecture degree at the Philippines’ University of Santo Tomas (UST). He is now a free-lance professional architect who specializes in computerized 3D design. Zarina Hannah (27), earned three academic degrees: B.S. in Nursing (cum laude) in 2014, also at UST, and two more nursing degrees at Charles Darwin University and University of Tasmania, both in Australia. This 2021, she’s pursuing her Doctor of Medicine degree as a full scholar at Flinders University in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Discourse with Guardian Angel
“Do you have any query about my children’s narrative?”, I queried my guardian angel. He said he generally concurred with my write-up, except one. “You have again missed a significant consideration of why I used the adjective ‘wonderful’ to describe your children.”
I moved closer to him and asked why with a puzzled look: “What critical factor have I failed to consider?” At that point, I could not figure out what he was emphasizing. He paused lengthily as if he was a theater actor – while simultaneously fiddling with the feathers of the feather duster and the Venezuelan headgear – who was setting a timing for a dramatic effect to tantalize his audience.
“What makes your children truly wonderful is they have accepted you just the way you are – with all your good traits, liabilities, and imperfections” (Figure 7). You have been an absentee father. Yet despite all your faults and failings as a family man, they have accepted that their dad is a workaholic who prioritizes work over family. Your children have likewise been accustomed that you are quite different from the typical father who works only on an 8-to-5 job routine.” He wrapped up that such children’s acceptance of my characteristics and circumstances also makes me a very fortunate father.
The three of them were primarily guided by my wife as they were growing up. I have largely been a part-time father, yet despite that, none of them have ended up as a menace to the larger society where they live. Overall, they have great potential to become effective helpers of humanity through their respective professions.
“Do you agree with me that you have three wonderful children?” He asked me that question while whispering behind my right ear. I could feel the guttural sound of his voice with a chill reverberation in my brain. This time, I simply nodded in agreement, concurring that he was indeed correct. “Then, rate now the second item on the list”. I then provided the affirmative tick as directed (Table 3.).
| Blessing No. | Description | Rating |
| No. 1 | Supportive Wife | |
| No. 2 | Wonderful Children | |
Blessing No. 3 - Intact Family
Narrative
My own family originally consisted of five members (Figure 8). We are still blessed to have a relatively intact family among the four surviving members. My late father, Franciso, God bless his soul, already passed away in 1997.
Our last complete and exclusive family picture was in 1983 (Figure 9). My 88-year-old mother (Angelina, or Helen for short) and younger sister (named Helen but is popularly called Onjie) remain in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. My 61-year-old elder brother (Emmanuel, a recently retired civil engineer) and his family reside in Quezon City. We are physically separated from one another, as I am now based in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Province, Philippines.
Yet we have somehow managed to retain the relatively close family ties. I still occasionally visit them. At times, I called them over the phone or contacted them through private messages or video calls. The children of my elder brother and younger sister have likewise maintained relatively good relations.
Discourse with Guardian Angel
“So, your very own family members do not have any major family feuds or significant quarrels. Is that a fair enough assessment?” my guardian angel queried. “I totally agree with such a statement,” I lazily responded. Since I was in concurrence, he instructed me to just do my tick mark (Table 4). Moreover, he advised me to add the link to my 7th blog titled “On Homecomings and Family Reunions: – A Reminiscence” https://huescribbler.com/on-homecomings-and-family-reunions-a-reminiscence/. The said blog provides the contextual background of our family history.
Table 4. Cumulative rating up to the third blessing.
| Blessing No. | Description | Rating |
| No. 1 | Supportive Wife | |
| No. 2 | Wonderful Children | |
| No. 3 | Intact Family | |
Blessing No. 4 - Great In-laws
Narrative
My fourth blessing is having great In-lawson the side of my wife. I could only say positive words about them. My wife belongs to the large ‘Carlos’ clan that hails from the village of Inagawan, Puerto Princesa City. We affably called our late father-in-law and mother-in-law Tatay and Nanay, respectively.
The names of the five sisters correspond to the first five letters in the English alphabet. As the eldest, my wife’s name is Angelita (Lita), followed by Benilda (Ida), Cynthia (Butchie), Divina (Bonang), and Elvira (Elvie). Their lone brother is Reynaldo (Bugoy). Our kids freely move around with my in-law’s abodes and happily intermingle with the children of my lone brother-in-law and five sisters-in-law (Figure 10).
My deceased parents-in-law (God bless their souls) were very generous to me (Figure 11). They cared for my family, particularly when I was overseas or during my extended job-related trips. In fact, I stayed with them while they were still alive while our house was being rented out.
Discourse with Guardian Angel
“Your narrative is overall fine,” my guardian angel said. “However, it’s best that you add the kind gestures of your sisters-in-law and brother-in-law. He gently paused as if trying to compose his thoughts. “Never mind for now. Just describe the specifics about their generosity in a special blog that you may craft later,” he casually added.
Indeed, our three children were recipients of incredible generosity from my in-laws. As the first grandchild, Mikhail Robert was showered with affection and gifts from my parents-in-law. As a clan, we have had many get together despite and/or amid the pandemic (Figure 12). “You better tick now the fourth blessing,” he concluded (Table 5).
Table 5. Cumulative rating up to the fourth blessing.
| Blessing No. | Description | Rating |
| No. 1 | Supportive Wife | |
| No. 2 | Wonderful Children | |
| No. 3 | Intact Family | |
| No. 4 | Great In-laws | |
Blessing No. 5 - True Friends
Narrative
True Friends are hard to find, which indeed is my fifth blessing. I have some very close and intimate friends in my professional and business circles who continuously enrich my life. Many have extended their helping hands in times of need and difficulties. I started verbalizing my written narratives as if I were lecturing in a class.
During my tertiary education at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños, we formed an informal social group called ‘The Hijackers’ (Figure 13). We were kitchen boys who cooked our meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As a closely-knit informal group, we had our special initiation rites (including being paddled by pillows!). At present, we are still in touch with one another on occasion either face-to-face or through our Group Chat.
During my previous work with what is now called the WorldFish Center, we had a special circle of people called the Fisheries Co-Management Group (Figure 14). Occasionally, we still gathered together informally for meals or catch up in Metro Manila, Philippines.
Within WorldFish, I may single out Gerry Silvestre and Len Garces as two of my closest friends (Figure 15). The three of us and other colleagues often get together for drinks and meals at Greenbelt in Makati City. We’ve worked together in many foreign places, such as Brunei, Malaysia, and Thailand. And we have crafted our very private jokes to simply tease each other!
In Palawan Province, I have an exceptionally very close association with three colleagues in the workplace (Figure 16). A/Prof Eva Marie Ponce de Leon and Prof Marissa Pontillas are academic colleagues at the Palawan State University, while John Pontillas was a former co-worker at the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development. They are among my most intimate friends, and our association has spanned several decades.
“Stop from there!”, my guardian angel spoke in a rather bored tone while simultaneously motioning with his palm.
Discourse with Guardian Angel
“Why did you stop me?”, I queried. “I am not even halfway on my list of friends”. He responded that he already agreed that those I mentioned are among my friends for life. The list, however, is becoming overly long for a blog. “Your true friends will understand why their names are not specifically mentioned in this blog,” he added.
Hence, for lack of material space, I apologize in advance to the other equally intimate friends whom I cannot cite now. These include – but are not limited to – other close friends at Rotary, PSU, former classmates, previous co-workers, and OZOOMS. I also have a special clique of social gamblers whom play with Chinese mahjong and tongits (Filipino version of American poker).
As I was about to tick the 5th blessing, with the Venezuelan head gear now encased on my guardian angel’s head like a crown, he again signaled me to put the motion on hold. “I want you to add to this blog Janet ‘Jaja’ Funtilon (Figure 17).
“That’s interesting. What’s the rationale behind Jaja’s last-minute addition,” I ask attentively, quite surprised by his interjection. “Jaja deserves an inclusion in this blog because of her unique role in your life for the last 22 years. She not only provides you with a ready shoulder to cry on; she also offers a helpful hand anytime and is an attentive listener. Moreover, she has always defended you against your enemies and detractors.”
He added that Jaja is my ‘consummate loyalist’. “Please explain the meaning of that phrase,” I queried as I have a few other friends who also meet the criteria he mentioned. “It simply means Jaja will remain loyal to you – no matter what crazy thing you may undertake – or any other stupid chore you will ever do. You can practically fuck a lamp post with a skirt in broad daylight and full public view. And despite that embarrassing act, as far as Jaja is concerned, you will remain his beloved Mike Pido!”
My guardian angel then urged me to tick the 5th blessing (Table 6). Before moving on, he advised me to keep these friends close to my chest as they constitute real treasures – beyond the monetary values of gold and silver.
Table 6. Cumulative rating up to the fifth blessing.
| Blessing No. | Description | Rating |
| No. 1 | Supportive Wife | |
| No. 2 | Wonderful Children | |
| No. 3 | Intact Family | |
| No. 4 | Great In-laws | |
| No. 5 | True Friends | |
Blessing No. 6 - Organizational Membership
Narrative
The sixth blessing pertains to my Organizational Membership within the Philippines and abroad. Internationally, I belong to three high-profile and prestigious organizations that I briefly describe below. I belong to Rotary, the world’s first service club organization established in 1905. We are a global network of more than 1.2 million neighbors, friends, and leaders who volunteer their skills and resources to solve issues and address community needs. Membership in a Rotary Club is solely by invitation – you need to be sponsored by a member and, more importantly, be unanimously approved by all the other members to get in. I have been a member since 2013 of the Rotary Club of Puerto Princesa, District 3830, Philippines (Figure 18).
As a Rotarian, you are welcome to attend any club meeting or activity anywhere in the world – a welcome intruder so to speak. I enjoyed showing up without invitation at Rotary Clubs in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA (Figure 19) and Sydney, Australia, in 2016 and 2017, respectively. I distinctly recall barging unannounced at a Rotary Club’s evening fellowship in General Santos City, Philippines, and was treated to a sumptuous dinner. And the members even gifted me with a variety of take-out food! (Yes, there is a free meal among visiting Rotarians!)
Secondly, I am a member of the International Union for Conservation of Natural Resources – Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (IUCN – CEESP). Established in 1948, IUCN has evolved into the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, bringing together governments and civil society with a shared goal to protect nature. The CEESP is one of the seven IUCN expert Commissions that provide sound know-how and policy advice to drive conservation and sustainable development. More specifically, the CEESP focuses on harmonizing nature conservation and human societies’ critical social, cultural, environmental, and economic justice concerns.
Thirdly, I belong to the Asian Fisheries Society, popularly called AFS, a non-profit scientific society founded in 1984 (Figure 20). The society aims to promote networking and cooperation among scientists, technicians and all stakeholders involved in fisheries (including aquaculture) production, research and development in Asia. Its ultimate objective is to enhance food security and income-generating opportunities for fisheries workers via sound management practices, environmentally sustainable development and efficient utilization of the aquatic resources. Among others, I have participated in various AFS scientific conferences within the Asian region. (A Chinese colleague is quite ‘unhappy’ with why I listed Taiwan on my blogging website as a country and not a province of China. Ouch! You cannot please everybody.)
At that juncture, my guardian angel again motioned me to stop. It was as if he were a traffic enforcer, using the feather duster as a motioning gadget and urging a pedestrian to stop walking.
Discourse with Guardian Angel
“Your narrative is rather too long,” he said. “Adding details of your other international involvement such as the Socioeconomic Monitoring (SocMon) Network, International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and United Nations Environmental Program – Global Environment Outlook would take up too much writing space for this blog.” He then issued this instruction: “Just be brief in the ensuing description of your affiliation with Philippine-based organizations.” I simply nodded and proceeded as directed.
I remain an associate member of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP). The NRCP’s mission is “to advocate frontier science and humanities research and evidence-informed policies with the highest ethical standards committed to impact national and global sustainable development.” As a charter member, I have been active since 1978 with the University of the Philippines at Los Baños Zoological Society (OZOOMS). The majority of OZOOMS have become medical doctors – and thus – my entire family has become recipients of free medical consultations from them! We have had informal gatherings in Metro Manila whenever an opportunity arose (Figure 21).
Within Palawan Province, I belong to the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) (Figure 22). The UPAA provides various volunteer services to several constituents and clients. Although inactive for some time, I still attend the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) breakfast services. They offered massive prayers for my wife and two children who were infected with the COVID-19 virus.
“The reader may readily decipher that you have an extensive organizational network – from the local up to the international levels,” my guardian angel interjected. “You cannot argue to the contrary that this is indeed your sixth blessing. Would you?” I nodded affirmatively. Hence, I simply affixed the check mark (Table 7).
Table 7. Cumulative rating up to the sixth blessing.
| Blessing No. | Description | Rating |
| No. 1 | Supportive Wife | |
| No. 2 | Wonderful Children | |
| No. 3 | Intact Family | |
| No. 4 | Great In-laws | |
| No. 5 | True Friends | |
| No. 6 | Organizational Membership | |
5. Unfinished Reflection on 10 Blessings
As I stared at the old parchment paper, I began to feel a bit of both physical tiredness and mental exhaustion. These first six blessings may be called human blessings as they relate mainly to families, friends, and organization affiliations. As if reading my thoughts, he hummed the lyrics of an old song that says, “Persons are gifts of God to me that come all wrapped so differently.” Four more blessings to be narrated would wrap up my session with him.
As he was about to speak further, his motion was suddenly stalled. As if his body was sprayed with invisible sheets of ice, just like in the 2013 movie titled Frozen. Then, my guardian angel’s body started to violently shiver as if he was convulsing from an unknown medical ailment.
“What ills you, man?” I worriedly queried. Medically, I could relate as I experienced the same uncontrolled shivering when I got infected with cerebral malaria in the 1980s. “Got to go now, my Archangel is summoning me,” he replied hurriedly.
“We aren’t done yet,” I replied in a mixture of appeal and annoyance. “I still need to describe the last four blessings. But my appeal to my guardian angel was useless; it was utterly pointless. Instantaneously, he was airborne.
The image was like an Olympic diver who somersaults himself in the air on the way down to a deep swimming pool. “Catch you later, ugly professor!” he shouted half-mockingly. I immediately retaliated with my verbal tirade in a shouting voice: “Hey dick head! Let’s properly wrap these first six blessings before you go.”
To my utter amazement, he flew through the jalousie window (Figure 23). I mean he passed through it without breaking the glass partitions. The scene was simply magical – outstandingly mesmerizing, to say the least.
Again, in a blur, he was gone into the netherworld – as fast as he had appeared. This time, though, some feathers from his wings were left as sort of evidence trails. Such plumage remnants were mixed up with those feathers from my wife’s feather duster and the Venezuelan headgear’s feathers.
“This is a ridiculously insane moment,” I muttered to myself. I did some deep breathing actions a few times, trying to compose my thoughts and holding on dearly to my sanity. In exasperation, I shouted at the top of my voice: “Come back here, you imbecile m©therfu*ke#!”
As my loud, reverberating voice faintly faded in the air, the room’s door suddenly swung open. And an even more familiar being just showed up from nowhere!
P.S. Watch out for the even more exciting Part 3. It will be uploaded very soon this February 2025!!!
An Afterthought for Readers:
How did you find this Part 2 of my Guardian Angel blog series? Based on the Judeo-Christian tradition, each human being is born with an accompanying guardian angel. Have you seen yours – or have you ever encountered one in your entire life? Or do you even believe that these celestial creatures or godly beings exist at all?
I would appreciate it if you could also share your feedback on the blog. In this way, this website becomes interactive with the readers.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael D Pido
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Sir Mike, you really have a way with words! Aside from the obvious intellectual prowess, your writing style tugs at the heartstrings. Made this reader laugh at one moment, and then shed tears in the next. Looking forward to part 3!