Fifty-Two And Surviving!

I could not believe it but am already fifty-two! To think that I could not have been more than forty or more years older? Yes, it is true. It is because I had a domestic accident when I was about seven. It was probably a Sunday morning then (because we were all home) when we were playing at the second floor of our house. The wooden "horse" used for ironing was located near the open window. I sat on the ironing horse to watch my brothers and sisters. At one point I was laughing so hard that I leaned back forgetting that I was sitting with the open window at my back. I fell down. I landed face down and my rib hit the hard ground. My heart may have gotten a shock and caused it to stop because I was not breathing when my father got to me. He immediately carried me and brought me inside the house where he tried on me everything he knew about first aid. The first thing I felt when I recovered consciousness was the splash of water on my face. I saw my mother and my siblings all seated on the stairs leading to our second floor crying. Maybe they thought I was gone. As soon as I regained consciousness, my father immediately brought me to the Rizal Provincial Hospital in Pasig. I remembered the doctor asking me to walk. I was a little "groggy" but I was very determined to show them I was not hurt and that I was good. Some more examinations were done to me and it was good. I had not incurred a brain damage (so it seems! Ha ha ha ha.), fractures and other severe effects because of the fall. After a week, I was back on my toes!

Another time, I was imitating Tarzan by hanging myself at the door. When I let go, I did not have the right footing for the fall. My feet slipped and I fell on my back. I was not able to protect my head so that it hit the concrete floor and was bouncing like a ball! I was vomiting hard after that and I was brought immediately to the National Mental Hospital (which was very near to our place). After some examinations, I was fortunate not to have incurred skull fractures and severe contusions. 

One morning, I was reaching for the kettle with the boiling brewed coffee to fill my cup, when suddenly the handle broke and the boiling coffee spilled on my body. As soon as my father (again) saw me, he immediately rubbed my body thereby peeling of the burned skin! I did not really feel the pain of the rubbing because I felt more the pain caused by the hot coffee! I suffered second degree burns. Again, I was brought to the Rizal Provincial Hospital. Incidentally, the same doctor who took care of me when I fell from the window, again attended to me. My father told me that the doctor commented that I will not die of sickness but my being accident prone! Up to now, I still have the scar of that burning in front of my body. It is similar to the map of Luzon island!

Another afternoon, me and my friends were playing in a vacant lot full of trees, particularly bamboo trees! I can not remember the reason but I climbed the bamboo tree! The bamboo tree I climbed grew inside a drum which rim was already destroyed by rusts! Suddenly, I miscalculated my footing and slid down. My knee was caught by one of the protruding edges of the destroyed rusted rim of the drum. At first I did not feel anything. Then, I just felt blood flowing from my right knee. That was the only time I realized I got a cut! Blood gushed forth from the wood profusely. I went home and saw my mother washing our clothes. I told her what happened to me. When she saw my wound, she was frantic but maintained her composure. She let me lie down, got some gauges and agua oxinada and merthiolate. I think it is better known as iodine tincture? Anyway, she was able to stop the bleeding, cleaned it and put some bandages. It took more than a month before it got healed!

I had many more accidents. I think I have mentioned them in a blog I wrote earlier. But I am writing this because I came to realize and appreciate again how much God loves me and the mission He wanted me to do. As the kumpare of my father said, I still have a mission to do. Little have I known that it will be through the priesthood. The call of God to me was simple and direct. He inspired me to embrace the call. Like Mary, I was graced to say "yes" to the call. And so here I am, striving and struggling to do God's Holy Will!