FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND (As Narrated by Alex Villamayor)

A 2024 Maundy Thursday and Good Friday message:

The message of "Footprints in the Sand" is a personal experience that moved me really big. Years 1998 and prior to 2000 were my lowest and saddest point of my life to the point I planned to change my religion. Jobless, negative savings, friend denied me, family was financially short…. Going to church, praying so hard, and attending some worships but I was still undergoing these difficulties – so I thought of going to other religion because I thought maybe I was addressing my prayers to wrong God.

But I was answered. I was answered in a way that was for me. I like reading short stories and messages, and so God gave me a reading material. I found this short article in a journal that when I saw it, the first sentences I read were exactly written like these: “why are you still looking for me? In times when you are in difficulties, in times when you are in pain, those are the times that I am with you, because I am with you who are crucified on the cross".

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST MISTAKE IN LIFE?

Maybe not mistake but my biggest lesson in life is we should live life to the fullest while still young because while we are getting older, our chance to live it to the fullest becomes slim.  I will not say what I chose to live was a mistake, it was just not the practical and witty choice.  I did not choose the popular choice.   This is the reason I think why I still do not feel I am complete.  Doing to live life to full while we are young, we are learning in life, becoming prudent, and earning wisdom and experiences.  And by the time we are old, we are happy in whatever field we have taken because we are made and happy.  If I pursued what I really wanted when I was young, I think I could have a better, happier and more contented life today.

I was so timid, hesitated, and aloof back in the days.  I was always concerned to considering the other people before I make move or decision.  Will the people like it, or will they be affected?  Will they see my flaws, weaknesses, shortcomings and defects?  Will it hit my personality and me as a whole?  And so I deprived myself to feel free, and I suffered self-esteem.  But as I get older, I have realized I don’t need to always consider the others but love myself first as long as no harming others.  I have learned that I am living for myself and not for the others, that I don’t need their validation, to please everybody, and that the more I get older, the less I become uninterested in proving myself.  But the sad thing is, it’s now quite late doing it.  I should have done it long before.

The older you become, the more likely you cannot do what you want.  At my age now, it looks like I cannot go on all the things I used to do and go into bigger and wider lifestyle.  In attempt now to make my life full and big, I want to catch up the lost chances but the time limits my capacity.  I want to enjoy what life can offer like watching concerts, joining rallies, experiencing competitions, and building great bonding with friends and family but the times and resources are practically running out.  I still want to visit at least ten more destinations on my bucket list because I still cannot get enough but the times tell me to slow down.  I travelled to places during late part of my life because back in younger days I chose to set it aside and instead prioritized to get rich, which apparently did not come true because of circumstances.  I still want to work to earn more but my time now is near to retirement and my adrenalin is exhausting, falling, disappearing.  I still want to acquire assets but how can I bravely pay them if having a decent job is no longer on my side? There is no more time, there is no more chance.

But on the other hand when I look back, how can I live the life to the full if I was unequipped then.  Maybe what it meant to live it to the fullest is to be courageous which I was not.  In life you have to be brave – in the sense of confidence to make the move to change your life.  Be brave to loan if it is good credit.  Be brave to meet strange people and be friend. Be brave to speak with veteran and erudite people to gain knowledge.  Be brave to fall in love again and again.  Be brave to take the risk of leading a group of people. Be brave to commit mistakes to learn the lessons.  Be brave to do what makes you happy, complete, and productive – in a fair way.  Life is short and quick to never leave till tomorrow what you can do today so follow your heart and enjoy life to the fullest.  Do it now, because time will come you will feel uninterested in doing these things that you are keen of doing today, or no matter how much you want it but you have no more time and no longer have the strength to do it.  And no matter what we do, we cannot really go back to the past and redo, correct and restart our life.  There is no rewind, there is no take-two.

Time is always our enemy.  The older we get, the lesser times we can do what we want to do.  We get tired while taking our life’s journey until we get old.  By the time we are old, we’re unable to complete what we have missed to do when we’re young.  Be brave to live life to the fullest responsibly.

LETTING GO

At times when we need to let go of things we have held for a long time.  They could be personal old stuffs that become pile up already, or sentimental things with value that have lost the meaning, let them go for someone may need them more than we do.  Sometimes the meaning of sentimental value becomes deceiving when the very purpose of it doesn’t serve the correct feelings.  Maybe we really don’t need them and we are just on the material than the nostalgic value.

 

Letting go is for immaterial too – emotion, behavior, character.  It could be the feelings of fear, guilt, envy, pessimism, holding grudges that become burden, let them go for our mental heath’s sake.  It could be the unrealistic goals, remorse, trauma or bad memories, and unforgiving that hold us back, let them go for our peace of mind. Get rid of being crazy, unload those personalities and experiences for your fresh start and moving on.

 

And letting go could be a person that needs to let go for good sake.  Family, friendship, colleague; we could be in five, ten, thirteen years together but if the circumstances tell, so be it.  Sometimes even we are in good term with each other for that long, even there is actually no issue between us, we need to accept one of us has to go for the good and we need to be apart because this is what it is called for.

 

It doesn’t mean that we have issue or conflict with the person, and it doesn’t mean we do not care but if it is for betterment and possible good opportunities ahead, that is indeed more than caring so why preempt either anyone or both of us?  It is better let us go because there are opportunities come that we can seize up if we are on our own.  And some people do come and go in our life to shape us and give something to make us better person.

 

Letting each one of us goes doesn’t mean that we will not be in touch anymore.  We are just at a distance and not seeing each other but in reality, there will be continued connection and open communication in between.  To sum these up, it doesn’t mean to let go per se is goodbye, but the beginning of something that needs.

 

And for those relationships that are going through difficult times and still trying to fixing the irresolvable differences, learn the art of letting go.  In relationships that are on the rock, there are things better off if separately.  There are things you can do better if you are on your own.  You are pulling each other down when you are always in contrast and this makes you both preempting your growth.  This is the realization that some people are meant to meet and know each other to be part of their life story but not their destiny.

 

Letting go someone or something you don’t have favorable feeling is easy but on the things you really want to the moon and back is a hard effort. Letting it go is always sad, accepting it is always difficult.  Change is never easy.  We need to learn acceptance.  To accept, we need to understand and understanding is not just knowing what is going on but more than that is agreeing to why it is happening.  Look at the other sides of the story and always put yourself in other’s shoe to come up a fair judgment.  True enough, letting go will make you feel better and easier.  I think this is the art of letting go.