Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

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Vacation Musings: Christmas Mass in Manila

I've entered a time machine and it's called the Christmas Mass in the Philippines. All of a sudden, long dormant habits are awoken as I bathe in the experience. The flick of my wrist as I open and close my fan. The feeling of air blowing on my neck and shoulders as the electric fan swivels back and forth, back and forth, trying to keep the sweat at bay. The words of the hymns and prayers in Tagalog, long unsaid and unsung, spring to my lips. I am home. They feel familiar and strange on my tongue all at the same time. In them, I taste my past, my teenage years.