The best New Year is the year spent with one's family, on the first day to eternity.

Whether one is in Malaybalay City, Philippines or somewhere else, the place does not matter. What truly matters is that wherever this is, you are with your family. This same perspective was said by so many evacuees when they admitted they may lack material possession but being with the family is still enough reason to be happy. This is also one reason why we grieve for those who lost their loved ones in Cavite, in Batangas, in Tondo, in Albay and other places where there were accidents, fire, terrorism.

In the case of Malaybalayan, she spent the first day of the New Year - with two of her children: the other two being in Cagayan de Oro City and Cebu City respectively working. Right in our living room, we viewed nine films: "The Soloist", "The Secret Life of Bees", "Bride Wars", "I Love You Man", "Shopaholic", "Obsessed", "Changeling", "Imagine That" and "The Accidental Husband". The films did not matter but that we stayed together to view it so we laughed; we cried; we shouted; we sighed; we sang, we danced.

It is comforting to note that more and more persons go back to the basics in life: one of which is family. Filipinos have overused sayings like: "The family that prays together, stays together" but in fact it can never be overused for it works. One religion anchors its doctrine on family when it proclaims: "No amount of success can compensate for failure in the home".

Fellow Malaybalayans and bloggers all over blogosphere: let us pursue our blogging mission with our family as context of our entries. On the first day of the New Year, 2010, may Malaybalayan be one of those bloggers who prays for your family. Let us fill the world with loving presence of peace, faith, hope and love. Now, more than ever, is the proper time to say: Happy New Year!