Oh, it's Two-Oh-Oh-Nine!

Since I started blogging, I’ve welcomed the New Year with a year-end summary.

There’s nothing spectacular with my memory, of course, so it helps writing things down. Nothing’s changed much this year. 2008 hasn’t been as life-changing as, say, 2004 when I first entered college. I’m pretty much the old me but not quite the same—if you know what I mean.

So how do I go about this? I say, a list of the things I’m thankful for. I mean, how can I not be thankful?

This gratitude isn’t a feeling one has toward a “good force” or “luck” or whatever it is that people believe in these days. Mine is toward God. Jesus Christ died for me when I should’ve been the wretched sinner hanging on that cross. He’s given me eternal life, but he’s also sustained my daily needs and given me joy.

What I am and what I have I owe to him.

Here’s the list:

1. Spiritual growth
2. My local churches—I have two, actually: Higher Rock in Manila and Marbel Evangelical Fellowship in Koronadal
3. My family and friends—what encouragement they’ve been
4. Good health—I was only down with fever once
5. My lab (Laboratory of Molecular and Cell Biology), especially my thesis adviser
6. My affiliations in UP
7. The prospect of finally graduating this April and what comes after that

I can go on and on with this list. I realize that if we only count our blessing and name them by one, we end up content and thankful for what we have, despite our wants—even needs.

A pen and paper—in this case, a computer connected to the Net—is more reliable than the best memory.