Happy February, dear readers!

Hi, welcome to the second month of Y2K! I hope we all feel fresh and ready to start the new millennium with new energy, new hope and exciting plans... February is a special month. It's Vietnamese New Year! This is the Year of the Dragon, so Happy "Dragon" New Year to all of us! We have a tradition of wishing each other many good things on New Year's Day but in the past few years, I've learned to do something much better than just wishing... I've decided that I will pray for whatever it is that I want for the people I love instead of just merely wishing (Chúc Tết). You see, when we wish for certain thing, we leave it up to chances - it may happens, it may not. but when we actually pray for them, we know that God listens and He will give what's best for us! So dear friends, in this new year, I pray that you all will live in perfect joy and peace and that this column - Emmaus' Journey - somehow will be a useful instrument to bring you closer to God, closer to Love!

There's also something else that's special on February too! It's the month of "love" - Valentine's month, and it's not just a month of love, it's the first Valentine of the new millennium! Wow, if you think of it that way, it seems very special indeed! Come to think of it, if we look at each day that approaches us in that sense, then each day is a special, new day in the new millennium.

Last but not least, there is also something else very special that occurs on February. Can you guess what it is? Let me give you a hint: What do religious, deacons, artists and healthcare workers have in common? Well, these folks are all the special people who are being recognized and honored by the Church in the Month of February. February 2nd is the Jubilee Day for Consecrated Life (for Religious); February 11th is the Jubilee Day for Health Care Workers; February 18th is the Jubilee Day for Artists and February 20th is the Jubilee Day for Permanent Deacons. These are the people who dedicate their life to making the world a better place for us to be in. Please join me in praying for God's blessing upon these people. May they continue to be faithful to their calling and always be motivated by God's Love. May their works always reflect their love and compassion for God and for the people they serve.

May your February be full of love and laughther. Let's all try to be true Valentine to our loved ones. Until next month, may you remain safe in God's embrace!

Your friend in Christ,

Tess Nguyen

PS: Emmaus' Journey is looking for personal faith-sharings from the readers. If you have any comments, suggestions, questions or personal stories that you would like to share, please write to:

PSS: Smile, God loves you!

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By Yellow Grass

A few years ago I promised myself never again to complain about petty annoyances in life. But often I found myself not keeping that vow when things didn't go my way. Like most people, I complained about the traffic, the cafeteria food, the guys who cut in line at the movie theater, etc., until I met a patient that inspired me to look at the world in a whole new way.

Mrs. Garcia was a 32 years old Hispanic lady with gray hair, a frail body and a face of a sixty years old woman. She just gave birth to a premature baby girl, who came out two months before the due date. Baby Girl Garcia was admitted to my Newborn Intensive Care Unit, where I was assigned to be the baby's nurse. Mrs. Garcia didn't get a chance to see her baby yet at this time due to her weakening health condition, so she was transferred to the adult Intensive Care Unit.

A few days later, Mrs. Garcia was able to come to our unit to visit her little baby. Mrs. Garcia was in a wheelchair with several infusion pumps connected to the needles in her arms to deliver medications to her. She had an oxygen mask on her face, which provided oxygen for her shortness of breath. Between her shortness of breath and her coughing, Mrs. Garcia could hardly talk. I wheeled her closer to the baby's incubator so she could see and touch her little baby. Mrs. Garcia was overjoyed and her eyes twinkled as she touched her newborn baby. I chatted with Mrs. Garcia and found out that she was at the end-stage of liver cancer! "I probably won't have that much time to live," said Mrs. Garcia. I was speechless and saddened by her condition.

There were days Mrs. Garcia couldn't come to visit her baby because she didn't have the strength. When she was able to visit, Mrs. Garcia was always in good spirit, "Thank you Lord for this day that You give me!" That was her favorite line.

A week passed, Baby Garcia was gaining enough weight to be out of the incubator. When Mrs. Garcia visited, I helped put the baby in her trembling arms. Mrs. Garcia was quite excited and started to sing wholeheartedly " DE COLORES. DE COLORES. ". I looked at her and said "I know that song too, I learned that when I went to the Cursillo Retreat many years ago." She smiled, and we both sang softly to her little infant. She said "I want my baby to remember me when she hears this song, De Colores."

One day I came to the hospital to work and received a report from the night shift nurse stating that Mrs. Garcia had passed away in the early morning. Fortunately, she was able to see her baby the night before her death. I also learned that Mrs. Garcia's family was trying to obtain a court order to restraint Mr. Garcia, her alcoholic husband, from visiting Baby Garcia or having any contact with the baby. In return, Mr. Garcia filed his own complaint to get a restraint order from the family to see their baby. Sadly, Mrs. Garcia’s battle with cancer had ended, but her family battle had just begun.

I visited Baby Garcia, held her little hands, caressed her innocent face and said a special prayer for her, her mother and their family. Despite to the fact of having an alcoholic husband, a premature birth of her baby, her fight with cancer and her impending death, Mrs. Garcia always remained cheerful. I don't recall of hearing her complain on anything. She would always find the time to praise the Lord for her daily blessings. Her faith in God was admirable. Mrs. Garcia's world was dark and gloomy, but in her eyes, she saw the world in a colorful way. Mrs. Garcia taught me a valuable lesson in finding the rainbow behind the dark clouds of life.

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Waking up in the middle of the night several times to feed my newborn baby was not as bad anymore; to me, it's the joy of motherhood. Doing house chores such as cooking, cleaning, washing the dishes is not a duty of a wife, but it is a "labor of love" for my family. Standing on my feet twelve hours a day at work isn't just a job, but it is the opportunity for me to make small differences in somebody's life. I have the chance to comfort a family in grief for the loss of their newborn baby; a chance to give my tender loving care to a critical ill child; or a chance to share the parent's happiness when their sick baby is on the road of recovery.

I believe God give us many chances in our life, at work, in school, or at home to make it better. So today, stop complaining about the neighbor who lets his dogs poop on your lawn, or your parents nagging you go to church every Sunday, or the mother-in-laws who raises your body temperature to 104 degree when you see her; but instead find the rainbow behind those dark clouds. Look at it closely and you will see how colorful your life is.

De Colores!