A Short Visit to the Basilica

As a Filipino, one of the essential teachings passed down by my parents is the significance of showing appreciation to our dear Lord for the blessing of another year of life whenever our birthday arrives.

Thus, when my son celebrated his birthday, we did not forget to express our gratitude to the Lord for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us, especially for the extra year granted to our child.

After celebrating our child's birthday, we decided as a family to attend mass the next day and give thanks to the Lord. It has been a while since we last visited this church, and it was also our child's first time there, so we decided to go to the Basilica of Santo Niño to attend mass and offer thanks.

The next afternoon, after my child's birthday, our family prepared to leave for church. Once we finished all the necessary tasks, we headed out from home to find transportation to the city. Since we left home in the late afternoon, we easily found public transportation that wasn't too crowded, allowing us to sit comfortably during the journey.

When we got to the city, we walked to the church. Since our child was restless and running around, I carried him to make our walk easier.

When we arrived at the church, we had missed the mass, so we prayed briefly before going outside to buy candles to offer our thanks to the Lord. We prayed for a few minutes, and before the candles had burned out, we finished our prayer offering.

After we were done with our prayers, we went to the front of the Basilica del Santo Niño and took many pictures there.

While I was taking pictures of my wife and child, an elderly photographer came up to us and offered his services for 100 pesos. We were pleased because it meant we could have a photo of the three of us together, so we readily agreed. After he finished taking our pictures, he told us to wait a moment while he processed and developed our photos.

While we waited for the photographer, I contacted my younger sibling, who is studying at a nearby university, and asked him to meet us at the church because we had some food wrapped for them. When I got the message from my sibling that he was on his way to meet us, I put my cellphone in my bag and let our child run around and enjoy the area.

Since their school is close by, we didn't have to wait long. When we saw him, we called him over to our spot. We chatted for a bit and took more photos before he had to leave to finish an assignment, so we gave him the wrapped food.

While waiting for the photographer to arrive, we let our child run around freely, but of course, I kept a close eye on him. It's risky to lose sight, even for a moment, as he might wander off. As he ran around, I followed closely behind, ensuring his safety. He giggled and laughed as he ran, often darting away from me, prompting me to chase after him to prevent any mishaps on the concrete.

Exhausted and feeling the sweat on my back, I spotted the photographer approaching. When he saw us, he handed us the two developed photos, and we thanked him once again for his service.

We stayed for a few more minutes at the location before deciding to head home since it was getting late, and finding transportation might become tricky with commuters returning home.

As we arrived at the public transportation area, my suspicion was confirmed—it was nearly full. Fortunately, we found seats, although it was quite crowded. Nonetheless, what mattered most was ensuring my family's safe journey home. Looking at my child, I saw a big smile on his face, and I could tell he was happy with our journey that day.

And with that, I conclude my blog for today. Until my next entry, thank you for taking the time to read my blog, Hivers!