Growing up along the sea while exposed to different kinds of weather is quite exciting and dangerous. I can still remember my childhood days raised up in a remote area away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. Mind you, our nearest neighbor is half a kilometer away from our home.
Thank God! We are big family of 6 girls and 2 boys as we enjoyed playing and helping our parents in our farms, gardens and lawns. That exposed my early years in gardening and farming as well as from operating the generator to light the lighthouse in the evening.
As a small boy, we had to wake up early at 5:00 in the morning starting to pick up yellow leaves of our Ivory plant mixed with Violetas and Hibiscus known as Gumamela in well trimmed hedges lined along the soft Bermuda grass road.This leads to our colonial white cracked painted house in a neatly wood lattice wall. This memory lane that Dad maintained is free from weeds and leaves on the ground. Through those hard work, perseverance and discipline pave away when it was awarded as the cleanest and beautiful lighthouse during that time and even featured in a Daily Express newspaper. As youngster, we consider picking dry and ripe leaves like playing both exercising (it takes on body bending) and work at the same time while everyone is enjoying. That's a good part of it enjoying while working, sad to say that's lacking now a days. That made our early morning work so fast rushing to the kitchen for breakfast.
The remarkable part being a lightkeeper son is to be sure that when my Dad is out of town to buy our food ration I have to be sure to light the lighthouse the moment the dark sets in. The main purpose is for the passing ships along Tablas Strait going to the south of Visayas and Mindanao and then to North going to Manila and other Luzon provinces. This is to guide and direct them to right destination. Ask any captain of the ship the benefits of this free standing structure that shines through the night unselfishly giving light to every vessel.
Lighthouse serves as a warning to every passing vessel for a shallow reef, thick fog and most especially treacherous storms in the night. This is to guide them on their journey to reach their destination. It's nice to know that when you see a beacon of light.....a sure sign that land is near and reachable but most of all a sense of hope to every sailor.
Lighthouse symbolize salvation for everyone who is in danger in the midst of the darkest storm in the night. There is a spiritual parallelism of the lighthouse in the Word of God when the famous psalmist King David said "The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? (Psalms 27:1)
When fear, worries and troubles grip you? How do you deal with it? Afraid? Panic? and Hide? or find Courage and Hope to the one who is greater than all these things. Because even in midst of the darkness and desperation you can find HOPE and SALVATION for there is Beacon of Hope that comes from the true source of LIGHT and that is JESUS our CREATOR and REDEEMER of the world.
Today, let HIM be our light and our salvation...live free from fear and worry!
Let's meet again, and learn from the INSIGHT OF THE LIGHTHOUSE
and HIS lightkeeper SON.
Let JESUS light shine upon you!
SONlight,
P_RAY
Ptr. Raymund Murchante Dagampat
CANADA
