Today was my first Easter Eve in Singapore.
No Easter Bunny. No Egg Hunt. No Easter dinner. No Easter party.
Sad? Hmm.. not really. Well, of course it would have been nice to spend Easter with the family, but am used to celebrate Easter by myself (am the only Christian in the family), so it's not a big deal for me.
Today, I went to the church nearby my apartment. I only needed to across the street, walked for 5-7 minutes, then there it was... St. Ignatius Church. When I stepped into the 2nd floor, where the gathering place was, I was confused at first, because the church was totally dark... and quiet. I thought... "Oh damn... did I miss the mass? Am sure it's at 8.30pm. How come it's so quiet and dark here?".... my minds were trying hard to figure out whether I misread the mass' schedule while my feet were still marching on the church's hall...
When I finally got in the hall, I was surprised that there were so many people already. And everyone was quiet. Silent. (and I was soooo relieved.. yesss!! I didn't miss the mass!)
Not long after that, the Priest started the whole Easter mass ceremony. This ritual is my favorite. He lighted up a giant candle, then in less than 5 minutes, the whole church was full of candle lights... held by each of us. Very pretty... :)
I usually feel sleepy on Easter Eve mass, because there are a lot of readings from the Bible. More than the ones on X'mas Eve. But surprisingly, this time I didn't feel sleepy at all! And yet, it was the longest mass I've ever attended... 3 hours and 15 minutes!! Wow... proud? Hell yeah! hehehe... Some people were baptized tonight and I really enjoyed seeing the happy faces of these people, including the Godmothers/Godfathers. Some of them taking pictures, capturing the joyful moment in life. This scene brought me back to the day when I was baptized. I was 12 years old back then. My Godmother was my friend's Mom. She had a beautiful smile. And I was so happy to receive a present from my teacher: a cross and a bookmark. That was my first cross and I hung it on the bedroom's wall :).
Then I saw a little girl and thought... what would she get as a present tonight? Whatever it was, she must've felt very happy receiving it... and would probably keep the present forever.. in her heart, like I do.
Tonight, I felt very blessed. I learned that I should thank God for whatever I have in life. For everything that I've experienced. Even on the way to the church, I thanked Him for finding me a nice apartment that is located nearby His house. Probably it was a sign that He wanted me to get closer to Him. Maybe.... :) (so, Nila... no more excuses! you live around the corner of His house now! hehehe.. the angels would probably say that :))
So, on this special night, I thanked Him for giving me such a colorful life, a not boring one ;), full of surprises... I loved all the sweet surprises, yet I also tried to love all the sour surprises
too as I knew that He knew what was good for me and always gave me the best things for my life...
Allow me to quote this phrase from "Brida" by Paulo Coelho -- one of my favorite quotes:
"Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle".
"How will I know which is which?"
"By the taste. You can only know a good wine if you have first tasted a bad one".
My thank you list was a long one. I thanked Him for my family, for all the struggles in it as I knew He had a big plan for all of us, for my career, for moving me to Singapore to work and live in this clean country, for my lovely old friends and new friends, for taking care of me all these years... for everything! I felt really blessed to have them and experienced each of them in my life...
Happy Easter, everyone! Have a joyful one! :)