The Happiest Hobbits

Today we celebrated my sister, Naina. Not just for her birthday, but for the beautiful, chaotic, answered prayer she has been every day of my life. I made a video tribute for her — you can watch it below. And if you’d like to read the full words behind it, you’ll find the transcript right after. Thank you for letting me share a piece of our story.   Surprise, surprise! Something unpredictable for the most unpredictable person in my life. Today, I offer you this very public shedding of my dignity on social media because it's your special day.  So this one's for you.  To my sister Rona Joyce  aka Joyce Kaiju, Nana, Tita Nana...  Mahal to her husband. Mommy to my precious niece. But first — and always — you were my very first answered prayer .  See, I was an only child until mommy and daddy taught me to pray.  And the very first thing I asked for was, "Lord God, please give me a baby sister."  I think God said, "Sure, but just so you know, she's g...

Dear kids, You’re still small now, but one day you’ll scroll. You’ll read headlines and captions. You’ll see videos — some meant to inspire, others meant to “correct.” And I want you to be ready. Because not every voice that speaks of God carries His heart. Not every post that claims to share the truth is guided by wisdom. And not every person who says they’re “just sharing” is being careful with what they share. --- I’m your mother. I work in communication, where I’ve learned how words shape people. And I’m also someone who’s grown up in faith — sometimes holding it tight, sometimes wrestling with it, but always believing it matters. So I want to tell you this now: Words are powerful. Especially when we speak about what others believe. --- I’ve seen too many posts passed around lately that claim to “expose” other faiths or denominations. Posts that call churches deceived, traditions empty, or entire communities blind. Sometimes they come with soft captions — something like...

I didn’t expect to feel this shaken by the Pope’s passing. Maybe it’s because it happened on Easter Monday, when the Church proclaims life after death, light after darkness. Or maybe because this wasn’t just  a  Pope. This was our Pope — the one we had once planned to meet. As newlyweds, my husband and I dreamed of going to the Vatican for the Pope’s blessing. But just a month later, I was pregnant — and it was a difficult pregnancy. Travel was out of the question. The dream was quietly tucked away. I hoped to bring my parents and mother-in-law too. But life had its limits — my parents busy with work here in the UAE, my mother-in-law far away in the Philippines. The timing never aligned. Then God did something none of us expected. The Pope came to us. To Abu Dhabi. To the very country I call home. Miraculously, it was exactly while my mother-in-law was visiting — helping with the baby, sharing in that beautiful, chaotic season. And by another miracle, we g...