A Strand of Truth

Here are 10 selected and intriguingly fascinating data and trivias about our hair that I googled-up recently.

1. A single strand can support 100 grams in weight. That means, a whole head of hair could (in theory) support the weight of two elephants.
2. There is one thing about you that your hair cannot reveal: your gender.
3. hair is the fastest growing tissue in the body, second only to bone marrow.
4. 35 meters of hair fibre is produced every day on the average adult scalp.
5. The average scalp has 100,000 hairs. Redheads have the least at 80,000; brown and black haired persons have about 100,000; and blondes have the most at 120,000.
6. It is normal to lose 100 hairs per day from the scalp. (Are they kidding?)
7. Over 50% of men by age 50 have male pattern hair loss. (What a relief to know that I will be in good company that time! – glass half-full attitude)
8. Hair consists mainly of keratin, which is also responsible for the elasticity of fingernails.
9. A single hair has a thickness of 0.02 - 0.04mm, so that 20 - 50 hair strands next to each other make one millimetre.
10. The trait for baldness can be passed down through paternal or maternal genes. (Ouch! This one validates all my apprehensions)

But the most amazing medical fact of all is that hairs are actually dead cells.
Say what?
You read that right, they are dead cells, so other than the aesthetic side and the claimed vitamin D collection, our hairs on our head are basically one of the least necessary part of our body. So it comes not a surprise why our Lord use this “least” part of us to assure us that He knows us inside-out, up to the minute details of our inner being, our littlest of concerns, our deepest passions, our highest dreams, our lingering resentments and our lowest and darkest moments.

Nothing escapes His infinite knowledge.

Matthew 10:29-30 – “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted.”

So the question we should ask ourselves is this – Why should we worry? Why be afraid?
If God loves us as His own children and God knows our every need, then there should be no room for us to entertain any doubts about ourselves and what’s going around us. Being afraid and worrisome only exposes our lack of faith on the goodness of God and shows our unbelief that He knows and meant for good everything that is happening to us.

Let us pause for a minute of silence and search our hearts for those things that are hindering us to have a normal healthy relationship with God.
Did you lose a loved one recently?
Is your family breaking apart?
Are your finances in deep trouble?
Is someone persecuting you and telling hurting lies?
Are you dealing with a lingering illness?
Do you feel alone in this world?

Now hear Him speaking to you, “I know and I am with you. Do not be afraid.”

God bless.

1 Peter 5:7 – “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you”

God's voice

John 10:4 - “……because they recognize his voice.”

This verse reminded me about one former Kerygma forumer, coming from a different bible-based sect, criticizing some Catholic lay preachers for saying that they heard the voice of God. His contention is this simple – anybody who claims to hear the voice of God is crazy.

Which leads anyone to wonder that how can he claims to have read the bible from cover to cover and yet found no biblical proofs of people of God hearing His voice.

Adam heard Him and talked to Him while circumventing his first sin to Eve’s presence.
Eve passed the buck to the snake when asked by the Lord afterwards.
Cain denied to God what he did to Abel.
Noah listened to God’s command for him to build the ark.
God’s voice was audibly clear when He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
Moses has a lot of conversations with God before, during and after the Israelites fled out of Egypt.
There are just to name a few.

But the most compelling proof of man hearing God’s voice is when Jesus came down to be one with us.
Our blessed Mother and St. Joseph converse with Him during His growing years.
And throughout the 3 years of His public ministry, hundreds upon hundread heard Him preach and talk everyday.
The apostles were even direct recipient of His verbal final instructions before His ascension.

After Jesus went back to heaven, God still speaks to his people.
St.Paul heard His voice which led to his conversion.
Stories of Saints passed over the ages are testimonies of God’s desire to let us know His will.
I just read the story of Sts. Cosmo and Damian (http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/stc06001.htm) and on how God intervene between the brother’s quarrel when Damian accepted a cured woman’s reward for their ministering.

So unless we think that the God of the Old Testament is different from the God of present time and unless we believe that Jesus is not God when he became man,
then we have no way to doubt that God can speak to us.

The problem of man in the present time is that God’s voice is drowned by the concerns of the world, the self-righteousness and conceitedness of man that continues to deafen our perception of God’s influence in our lives. It will take a pious and humble heart to really detach oneself of all distractions and truly listen to, with the intent of hearing, God’s voice.

Believe that He can and He does if we only recognize His voice.

Nine

I remember so well seeing her silhouette walking through the entrance of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Minor Basilica in Binondo on that early sunny Sunday morning. As she, in her white gown draped in silk, slowly walks on the red carpeted aisle nearing the altar, I caught a glimpse of her most beautiful face behind her thin veil.

If I was dreaming then, I was glad nobody woke me up.

Because a few steps away from me was the first and only woman that I made the decision to be with for the rest of my life. She is the most caring and sweetest woman I have and will ever meet. She is prayerful and religious. She is not only a dreamer but one who works hard to make her dreams come true. She is strong-willed and resolute to be a better person. And I believe those to be facts after our eight years of getting to know each other before finally tying the knot.

But the best part of it all is in knowing deep inside my heart that she also made that decision long before that momentous day of our lives. She does not need me to complete her but she made the choice just the same. She wants me to be her husband and father to her future children.

And so with God witnessing our holy union, we consummated our marital vows in front of our families, relatives and friends. That happened on the seventh hour in the morning of April 11, 1999.

It has been nine years eversince.

Nine years of blissful companionship, of fun and laughter, of making and building dreams for our family, of blessings and stewardship.
We have been missing our regular romantic dates because of two hyper-energized toddlers on the prowl but we do make it up with more not-so-spontaneous but nevertheless unplanned moments – those late-night talks and coffee chats, energy-hugs out of the blue.

Like all marriages, we also have our fair share of misunderstandings and hurts but we always try to deal with them swiftly and amicably, forgetting the small stuffs and forgiving each other lovingly. We grow in maturity with each other and forge a stronger bind after each trial.
We move on together and we will continue to do it in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer until death do us part.

If someone will ask me nowadays what is the secret of our great marriage, I can honestly reflect upon a lot of God-given graces and providences but there is one that will always instantaneously pop into my mind.

Menchie.

Because my heart resides in her.

Happy Anniversary to you honey.
I love you with all of my heart!