A weapon of war was recently given to us, our third quarantine pass. It will be used for the month of May as the enhanced community quarantine in our place is, again, extended. Every Tuesday, we go to the market and buy our essentials for the week. Same with all the mighty men of their households today, I go to war, sanitizer and face mask on, battling the hidden enemy, while shopping for wet and dry goods and food supplies. 

With this pandemic, many dads and older brothers are doing the same for their families for the first time. Posts from social media show the misses and wrong items bought in their shopping bags. And some find these posts entertaining. For me, these men need no lessons and frequent reminders. Whether they can follow a list well or not, let them learn from their mistakes. This is now the new normal as they say, so let them cope with it.  

Nevertheless, this kind of war is not new for me. Before the quarantine, it was really my duty to go to the market. From buying meat, seafood, and other wet goods from my trusted vendors to choosing the freshest of fruits and vegetables, I think I mastered it already.  

Shout out to my current market buddies! We do not have our own car yet, so they are giving me free ride. Through them, going to the market became a joyful service. Aside from our own families, we are also helping several churchmates, who are mostly elderly, in acquiring their needs. A day before we go to the market, Rheyn will message them and collect their lists of “pasa-buys”. She will then forward those to us, “palengke boys”. This is our simple act of being a blessing to the community. 

After buying stuff, war is not over yet. We make sure to wash and sanitize all our goods. I also take a bath immediately to protect my wife. It is a discipline that we have to do nowadays. 

Every day is a war, and there are only two sides to it. It’s either you’re the enemy or not, you follow the directives of your local authorities or not, you want to give hope or you bring chaos. It is just one of the two: we end this pandemic as one or the pandemic ends us all. I choose the former. Hoping that you want the same. Let us fight this war even from our homes.

“Together they will be like warriors in battle trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.”

Zechariah 10:5

Salute to all homeliners!