Diary Of A Hermit: Intimacy With GOD

Day 22 Climbing Down

11 Jul 2016  6:45 am

I slept a little bit late because of some strange noise outside.  I heard some footsteps and a knock on my dear.  In fact, I was already on a deep sleep, as if I was surprised, I answered yes and opened the door.  Nobody was outside.  I used the torch of my phone and checked the surrounding.  The place was completely dark and you only hear night birds.  So then, I went to bed very late.  I got up really early.  It was till 3:35 when I woke up, and since then I was already fully awake.

I just sat on my bed and started writing my journal, trying to ruminate my sharing with Fr. Gene, which will appear in my journal Solitude 4.  I waited for the surrounding to get a bit brighter to urinate and take my bath.  When I got out, people were still very much asleep.  I went to the bathroom, for personal business and to bath.  The deep well is just at the side of the toilet, so I filled the bucket and bathed inside.

After fixing myself, changed clothes and groomed, I went out for a walk.  I saw the mother of Fr. Gene sweeping the surrounding.  We had a good chat.  I realized that she is also from Antequera, Bohol, from the side of the Barbarona.  I remember somebody telling me that the Barbaronas are our relatives.  Of course it was so difficult for us to trace, but she said that we just consider ourselves relatives, which I gladly accepted.

I was invited to enter their house, and I did.  It is very old, very simple but still good one.  She is the only one staying in the area, living like a hermit.  She preferred in here than in town.  A grand daughter comes in the evening to accompany her.  Like other hermitages, they also do the normal work and pray, hora et labora etc.  the area is designed really like a hermitage with surrounding small huts.  I like it very much, and hoping to do the same one day.

11 Jul 2016  3:50:20 PM
We left Lupon, Davao Oriental back to Sanctum.  It was a bit faster, but on the way, I was not really feeling well.  I was having terrible headache and I just wanted to vomit.  I just controlled myself, trying to get a sleep.

They left for Cotabato before lunch, so I had the rest of the morning in silence.  I am now seriously asking myself what to say when I go back to Manila.  I have to review my journal. Now is the time for going down from the mountain, organize my thoughts and report.  Let us see what will happen after.

I went straight away for my siesta after lunch to recover myself from ill feelings.  I had a good siesta.  When I got up, I organized my journal right away and started reflecting everything.  Dear Lord, help me!

9:20 pm
I was just in the chapel in the afternoon after my siesta.  It was a very calm afternoon, so I had more time for silence and prayer, preparing also for the mass.  This has become my custom in the days of being here in Sanctum.

We had a sharing mass, and we reflected on the family cross, personal cross, community cross and social cross.  I love their reflections, especially the one of Kenneth, very deep and experiential, probably because of his family background which is so very troublesome.

He never experienced love and peace in the family.  He has a cross too, very personal, and that is his real father, whom he had never seen.  His mother got married three times and all of them, they came from three different fathers.  It was so very touching.  They all thank me for the mass and sharing, especially for my reflections which they said, were very much centered on each one of them in different degrees.

After dinner, I just stayed outside to relax.  It was so silent under the trees, a bit dark and full of mosquitoes.  I just stood under a huge mango tree, as if I was a ghost!  I was trying to reach my sister to get some news from home.

I entered into my hut to rest.  It was still early, but my eyes and head asked for a rest.  I put my music on, laid on bed and closed my eyes while listening songs.  It calmed me down.