Carpe Diem

A testimony of Ptr. Cyrus Laroco

Seize the day...

Mike Portnoy has a tattoo on his left forearm. It says “Carpe Diem” and has the date of 11-16-84 underneath which is the date he lost his mother in a plane crash. “Carpe Diem” means seize the Day in Latin and was part of a lesson he was taught earlier that day in high school. A lesson that provided him with a final moment with his mom and a final hug and kiss before she left for her flight.

I was in Mcdonalds Commonwealth a few years back when I saw two boys asking for water on the counter. The crew in Mcdonalds were gracious enough to give them water to drink. They seemed happy and grateful for the simple service the crew gave them. At that time I had this feeling that I had to do something for them, it was as if God was instructing me to do something for them. I really felt that I needed to buy each of them a Sunday cone, which was only 5 pesos that time. Unfortunately, I didn’t. I felt guilty afterward. I did not seize the day. I was not a blessing to them. There are times when I remember that time and I still get teary eyed because I know I did not follow God’s instruction. A few weeks came to pass and I saw myself in the same situation. This time I bought the kids ice cream, but it wasn’t the same. I felt as if I was only covering the mistake I did a few weeks back.

Opportunities lost...

Situations like that don’t come very often. God will always give us the chance to love, care, connect, be blessings, and to reach out to people. I pray that whenever we find ourselves in that situation we choose to SEIZE THE DAY and let ourselves be an extension of God’s blessing to others.

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