Build me a Son

A prayer written by Gen. Douglas MacArthur for his son:

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.


Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. Lead him I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.


Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.


And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.


Then, I, his father, will dare to whisper, have not lived in vain.

To the Women of Malolos

In remembrance of Rizal's 150th birth anniversary, a few select lines from his letter to the women of Malolos:

"The mother who can only teach her child how to kneel and kiss hands must not expect sons with blood other than that of vile slaves.

Awaken and prepare the will of our children towards all that is honorable, judged by proper standards, to all that is sincere and firm of purpose, clear judgment, clear procedure, honesty in act and deed, love for the fellowman and respect for God.  And, seeing that life is full of thorns and thistles, you must fortify their minds against any stroke of adversityand accustom them to danger.

Open your children’s eyes so that they may jealously guard their honor, love their fellowmen and their native land, and do their duty.  Always impress upon them they must prefer dying with honor to living in dishonor."

Marvin

The greatest dad in the whole wide world! 



we love you to bits!

summer 2011

some scenes from a summer now gone...

"Fulfillment is a byproduct of how people engage their tasks, and can’t be pursued directly. Most of us are egotistical and most are self-concerned most of the time, but it’s nonetheless true that life comes to a point only in those moments when the self dissolves into some task. The purpose in life is not to find yourself. It’s to lose yourself."


-David Brooks, NYT columnist