I was having a hard time to while away the time yesterday. It was so difficult to think of things to do when you know all that will appease you is to sleep.. Do you also get that most of the time? Sigh.. I do especially when I underslept the night before. Since the coming of my beautiful violin, I have not been sleeping well.. I wonder when I can play it properly.. hehe..

Today, I painstakingly prepared for the dawn Mass. It took me almost 30minutes just to get up and get myself going. At the church, again, someone took one of our regular seat–but not the same person as yesterday. Thank GOD.. maybe this man is not vainglorious enough not to hold hands during the Ama Namin.

The Gospel was about the birth of John the Baptist. Father Jess said that each one of us, like John the Baptist, was born for a purpose. Each one of us has a mission. And that each one of us is GOD's masterpiece and that we are all special in our unique way. This is why we must all act like we were gifts to our parents. And that we must prepare ourselves in the same way that the people of Judea were prepared by John the Baptist for the coming of Christ.

Father also talked about GOD always being in control. Yes.. GOD is always in control of our lives. I remembered that yesterday, my Today's Advice was: 'Remember, GOD is in control.' You will never really get to know what it means unless something happens to you during the day and suddenly realize that it was just what you were supposed to learn from that experience! It never ceases to amaze me. This is exactly why we (my seatmate and I) share these inspiring Today's Advice thing to our confreres. He even asked, 'At this point in time, if you look back to the past years, would you say that GOD was really in all of what happened in your life–good and bad alike? Did you ever think that GOD led you to and from those events for a reason?' I thought about a girl I know who suffered much but have miraculously recovered in GOD's time. It pierces my heart for that kind of experience. One of which I can't even begin to tell of. I just know that GOD is ever knowing and really never fails. I'm only happy that she was never angry with GOD.

I said to myself, 'My, my, I cannot compare me and my family's fate to that. And just for today, I ought to be thankful for all of the days of my life. It had led me to know of so many lessons in life. I wouldn't have my life happen in any other way.'

As usual, I prayed for a lot of things, and thanked GOD that I have received so much blessings from HIM. I felt so sleepy. It has been almost a week.. I am happy that I felt the Christmas spirit as early as the 16th. It is really a blessing in disguise. I will always miss this feeling of overflowing happiness inside me whenever it was time for simbang gabi.

For all of those who are in dire need of prayers, I will pray for you for the last day of the novena. Be faithful that GOD will hear you through me. See you all tomorrow for our final day of the Misa de Gallo