Sandalwood

Carmen Valdes, whose nickname is "Pinky", has produced an audio C.D. which is called: "Sandalwood". Reflecting on this C.D., she says:

"After I had my stroke a year and a half ago, I asked God why He let me live. The answer came to me slowly, in God’s own way. He was asking me to add my voice to those offering the country a MESSAGE OF HOPE.

"One of my contributions therefore, is a C.D. of my own compositions that I trust will inspire others to believe in hope.

"I recall the Greek myth about ‘Pandora’ who opened the jar that sent every form of suffering and evil loose on human kind. But what is usually forgotten is the second part of the myth, that within the jar was also ‘Hope’, that must be released.

"The C.D. is called ‘Sandalwood’, based on the Spanish proverb: ‘Be like the Sandalwood which perfumes the ax that wounds it.’ "

I had the privilege of listening to this C.D. It was a touching experience, a joy. The lyrics of the songs are sheer poetry, flowing from the heart of one who has suffered. They are a realistic view of God’s world, born of deep reflection, born of prayer, born of pain. Listening to Sandalwood, you are listening to the mind, the heart, the soul of Pinky Valdes.

The message comes through clearly in every song:

• Sandalwood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . True love is born in a

• Broken Alleluia. . . . . . . . . . . . in my soul. Reflections on the lights and shadows, mountains and valleys, laughter and tears that come to everyone.

• Ballad of the Daisy . . . . . . . . . Lift your face to the sky

• I Cannot Do It Alone . . . . . . . We’ll ride the wind. We’ll ride on the wings of God

• Be Gentle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If we want to live We must forgive . The river flowing home to sea I will be

• Your Mother’s Standing by. . . .Little baby, don’t you cry. Your mother’s standing by –But it is the Virgin Mary, singing to her Baby

• Reach Out for a Friend . . . . . . Reach out for a friend — Reach out for a moment. Let somebody touch your heart and you’ll be free.Whenever you need a friend, Reach out for me

The heart of the album, for me, is found in the central song:

Lift Your Face To The Rain.

There’s no life without pain.
Lift your face to the rain.
Don’t you know it takes fire to make gold?
And the night must fall
Before the stars appear
Soon the rain
And the pain
Disappear.
When you’re hurt
Give your hand
When you’re hurt
Understand
Don’t you know
Pearls are made
Out of sand?
And the seed must die
To let a flower live.
Give your hand,
Understand, and forgive.
And a friend must die
To let another live
Give your hand.
Understand, and forgive JUST FORGIVE!

But it is not only the poetry, the prayerful lyrics, the beautiful thoughts. The music itself is beautiful — modern, vibrant, alive! Psalm 46 is a touch of the deep south in the United States. It is the kind of a song that could be sung with joy and passion by the new American Idol, Fantasia.

What captivated me, from the beginning, was this: the singers really sing! So many of our popular singing stars, these days, do not sing. They howl!

The four stars — Marilen Liwag Reambillo, Loudette Zargoza Banson, Joey Albert and Cicy Campbell — sing with heart. They understand the depths of the message they are delivering. Listening to them, you feel that you are in the company of sensitive, thoughtful, gentle women. They can be just as bouncy as those who howl on your television screen. But what they produce is music.

They are helped, of course, by the lyrics. Their songs really have something to say. Many of our popular songs repeat the same four words forty times. It is mental bankruptcy. They make the artist sound like a retarded child, or a candidate for Mandaluyong. The songs of Pinky Valdes make the artist sound like a woman with a keen perceptive mind, a warm heart, and a pure soul.

The only boy who stars is Cocoy Laurel, singing with Joey Albert in: "I CANNOT DO IT ALONE." He is superb. Mellow, crystal clear, effortless, he understands the song and sings it as if all the thoughts were his alone. He comes to this performance with years of theatrical experience, here and abroad.

This C.D. is a real gift to the world. It is Pinky’s apostolate of music, it is her life crystallized in song. It will be launched in a concert at the Manila Peninsula Hotel Ballroom on Tuesday, August 7, 2004.

* * *

There will be a Vocation Seminar on Sunday, July 25, 2004, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the GARAGE, Sonolux Building, Ateneo de Manila University Campus, Loyola Heights, Quezon City

It is for male college students and for young professionals, who are considering the priesthood or brotherhood in a religious congregation of men.

The seminar will offer all the basic information needed to become a priest or a brother. It will cover the discernment of vocation – how to discover what God wants of you–the stages of formation; the studies needed to be a priest or a brother; the meaning of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; and the apostolic works that are open to a young man in a religious order.

For details:

Phone: 426-6101, local 3408

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.ignaciana.org

There is no cost for the seminar. And previous enrollment is not necessary.

There is a crying need for priests and brothers in the Philippines. In many parishes, one priest must minister to 20,000 people. And the religious brother is an endangered species. This seminar is an answer to the words of Our Lord in the Gospel: "The harvest is great, but the laborers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest."