I forgot exactly, was it before NY had been born or right after? Must be before...so they did have sonograms back then.

Little brother and I were given a responsibility to personally choosing a name for our new must-be-oh-so-adorable little sister. "It has to be ended with a 'da' just like both of your names," was the only thing Papa instructed us. Mama and he will take care of the task of choosing her baptismal name. A very task oriented family we were, we still are.

We both didn't mind. The task was enticing enough. The 5 and 6 years old us, we spent days and nights looking for THE name, carefully perusing one particular favorite book for inspirations. It contains selected stories and parables from the Old and New Testaments that are accompanied by the nicest depictions by artisans of the old world. How I adore those stories and those paintings!

Moving on to two years after. By this time, we moved back from the metropolitan Jakarta to our little town. I was in the third grade in a beloved private school. Religious Ed classrooms for the Catholics and the Protestants were separated by a thin particle board wall. Everyone was bound to be aware of what's happening everywhere. Mr. T, next door, conducting his teaching mostly in the form of Bible Trivia.

"Who is the wife of Jacob?"

His kids were silent. We too were silent. Someone suddenly spoke up. "Leah".

"Good job." He came over to our side of the room to see who was this little girl that correctly answered his question and then turning on to his side of the room, "see kids, if only you read the Bible once in a while," Mr. T sighed.

Here I am, 18 years later wondering, how did such childhood passion turn into general blissful ignorance? I haven't even finished reading the Bible since then, much less understanding them. What about the cathecism, those encyclicals, those inspirating literatures. Oh, I am so far behind.

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Since I missed two masses these past two weekends, this is sort of a reminder to attend Ash Wednesday mass this Wednesday. Times flies. It seems only yesterday.

Hope you have a blessed Pre-Paschal.