It All Came to Pass
Life’s Twists and Turns, A Journey of Challenges, Faith, and Rediscovered Purpose
Ever since I was young, I’ve been drawn to stories, especially those told by the elderly. Their tales, whether their own or someone else’s, held a certain weight. Perhaps that’s why I’ve always kept a notebook and pen close by. My own life, at times, has felt like a story worth telling.
Tonight, while browsing old data CD, I found a forgotten file, a narrative I wrote during a sleepless night. Dated December 22, 1998, it brought back memories that still echo today.
December 22, 1998
It’s late. I’m alone in my room in Cebu, mind racing toward Manila where my wife and baby daughter are. I miss them deeply. The wedding, the day my child was born, holding her at the clinic, all feel fresh, yet painfully distant. I wasn’t even there for her christening.
Months earlier, my job had been caught in a company restructuring. Faced with a forced resignation or relocation, I chose to keep my job, even if it meant living far from my family. On the brighter side, it brought me back to Cebu, my beloved hometown, a bittersweet return.
Life, I’ve come to learn, rarely follows the path we imagine. We plan, we prepare, yet fate often has other designs. I was raised on hardship, a childhood that felt like being tossed around on a trapeze, gripping tightly just to survive.
My teenage years were filled with uncertainty. I often felt lost, overshadowed, unsure of where I belonged. But in the chaos, I held onto something, a quiet sense that I was meant for more. I found joy in the simple things: walking through rice fields, listening to birds, watching sea creatures scurry across the shore, and chasing rainbows after rain. It was nature at its best where I always find refuge, even helped fed the family through my catch in the seas.
We moved inland after a family scare, leaving the coast for a quiet mountainside. I missed my old friends and the sea, but solitude brought clarity. In quiet moments, it made me realize that the direction of my life was up to me.
With the help of a relative, I returned to school. Though I had fallen behind two years, I worked hard to gain my footing. I graduated earning a recognition for good conduct, a reward affirming my worth of my humble existence.
Being drawn to a higher calling, afterwhich, I entered the seminary. Though the early years filled me with a lot to boost my confidence that helped heal the insecurities of my youth. But as time passed, the path felt less certain. My final years there were filled with doubts and quiet pain. Eventually, I left, returning to the “real world” unsure of what would come next.
I entered the workforce with no fancy background, just belief and grit. I knew nothing about marketing or finance, yet I somehow landed jobs of that nature and even build a career. I’ve now been in banking for over three years, the longest I’ve stayed anywhere professionally.
A few months ago, I married my partner of three years. Not long after, she gave birth to our daughter, a blessing beyond words. And yet tonight, I find myself far from home, missing them both deeply.
This is my story. A quiet one. Unfolding through hardship and growth.
And like all stories…
It all came to pass.
Good night to me, to the noisy crickets, to my pen and notebook, and to the story of my life still waiting to be written.
As I reflect on that quiet December night and all that has followed, I realize life is not about perfection or certainty, it’s about change, resilience, and grace. Every chapter, even the painful ones, shapes who we are becoming.
Some journeys are loud and heroic. Others, like mine, unfold in quiet moments, in early morning jeepney rides, handwritten letters, and nights spent missing home. But all are worthy. All are sacred.
Our stories may not always go the way we plan, but they carry meaning, in the choices we make, the love we give, and the lessons we carry forward.
So tonight, as the world slows down and the crickets begin their song, I close this page with gratitude, for where I’ve been, who I’ve become, and for the unwritten pages still ahead.
And yes, it all came to pass, and continues to unfold.
Nothing lasts forever - and that’s okay. Change is where growth begins, and endings make space for new beginnings. - Ulysses Ybiernas