Arsip Kategori: Refleksi

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One Giant at a Time

Refleksi

A friend of Galih once told us to try hunting the Giants of Mandurah. Last month, we finally started the journey with a couple of friends. It turned out to be one of those simple adventures that stayed with us long after the trip ended.

We drove to Mandurah and met our first giant: Seba’s Song in Wannanup, quietly sitting by the sea. We couldn’t really see his face because he was facing the ocean, almost as if he were watching over the water.

From there, we continued to Santi Ikto in Halls Head. He sits in the hills overlooking the coast, and the walk there was absolutely worth it. The journey itself was beautiful, with the sea stretching alongside us. We ended the day with a picnic near Mandurah Eastern Foreshore.

Weeks later, we decided to continue the hunt and find the rest of them 😆

This time, we started at Lake Clifton Thrombolites — we were just drawn to the lake. Then on a whim, we searched for what was nearby and stumbled upon Jyttes Hytte, quietly hiding among the bushes. Total happy accident!

Jyttes Hytte

By then, we were completely hooked, and that day we decided to hunt down the rest. 😄

The long drive became part of the adventure too. We stopped at our first WA rest area, sang along to our favourite songs on the road, and simply enjoyed being together. We’ve always loved road trips, and doing one together in Western Australia had been one of our little dreams.

Vivi Cirkelstone was resting peacefully by the lake at the Yaburgurt Winjan Memorial Park in Coodanup, right in the middle of Mandurah’s famous blue swimmer crab region. Standing there, we promised each other that we would come back to do some crabbing together someday. Little Lui was tucked away in the bushlands of Lakelands, where we also met a few kangaroos along the path. And last but not least, we visited Billie Bob in Subiaco, Perth. Each giant has its own story to tell, and a hidden meaning for you to find.

Vivi Cirkelstone
Little Lui
Billie Bob

Somewhere along the road, the trip became about more than just finding giants. We felt like we were on a mission. When we finally found them all, we looked at each other and laughed like we had just completed something much bigger than a day trip. At different stops, we even crossed paths with several senior couples doing the same hunt, and it reminded us that this is exactly the kind of thing worth doing with the people you love.

Finding the Giants meant discovering ourselves more deeply. It also gave us peace, knowing we had accomplished a mission right before going back to living long-distance again. All the laughter, the walks, the little victories along the way — we’re carrying all of that with us as we face the distance again.

In a way, the giants reminded us of all the “giants” we’ve faced throughout our long-distance journey too. By God’s grace, we’ve been able to conquer them together, and that realization gave us strength once again.

We are grateful to Thomas Dambo, the artist behind the Giants.

Galih later told me that these giants exist all around the world — there are over a hundred of them.

Now we’re officially on a mission to find them all. One giant at a time feels like a pretty good reason to keep travelling the world. 😊

Drunk Text

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Spotify says I played this endlessly. My heart knows exactly why

The Ache That Changed Shape

I’ve played this song more times than I can count this year—especially on the quiet drives home when I’m alone, replaying it until the lyrics blurred into the rhythm of my days. Sometimes I even sing louder when the chorus hits—I wish… —as if those old feelings still know their way through my voice. Every word pulls me back to the insecurity I once carried when Galih and I were “just friends,” to that messy, aching part of our transformation.

There was a time when loving him felt like a quiet bruise—soft, hidden, aching in places I couldn’t name. I wanted him, but held myself back. I hoped for him, but pretended I didn’t. That ache shaped me; it taught me how to love from a distance long before distance became our reality.

Now I’m married to the man I once whispered prayers about. My wish did come true, yet we’re still separated by cities, borders, and time zones. The ache has changed, but it hasn’t disappeared—it has grown gentler, deeper, rooted in the life we’re building.

It isn’t fear anymore. It isn’t insecurity.
It’s simply longing.

The kind that comes from knowing where home is, and waiting for the day my body finally catches up to where my heart already lives.

This song has become my remedy this year. It reminds me that we survived that chapter—and we will survive this one too. Wishes do come true: first when courage gently carried us beyond friendship, into a love neither of us expected. And each time I listen to this song, I gather a little more of that courage. Now, in marriage, our wishes are becoming real—slowly, tenderly, piece by piece—as we keep choosing each other and building the life we want.

Counting the days until we meet again… letting each sunrise teach me how to be brave.

P.S. To be honest, I don’t remember how this song came to me. But I do know this: I’m glad it found me when it did.

Dipeluk dari Awal hingga Akhir

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Ketiga patung Bunda Maria ini adalah hadiah. Masing-masing datang dari orang-orang terdekat yang saya hormati dan kagumi. Beda bahan, beda warna, beda ukuran— tapi semuanya punya satu kesamaan: Bunda Maria sedang memeluk Kanak-kanak Yesus.

Di Katolik, kita mengenal banyak jenis patung Bunda Maria. Tapi entah mengapa, ketiga patung yang sampai ke tangan saya selalu menunjukkan Bunda yang memeluk.

Tanggal 2 November 2025, saya mengikuti misa peringatan arwah semua orang beriman di Gereja Kim Tae Gon bersama Mama. Petugas mengantar kami ke bangku dekat relief perhentian ke-13: Yesus diturunkan dari salib.

Di sana, Bunda Maria kembali memeluk-Nya. Tapi kali ini bukan Kanak-kanak Yesus yang mungil, melainkan tubuh dewasa penuh luka, dengan mahkota duri yang terlepas.

Rasanya pilu sekali.
Tiba-tiba, sebuah lirik lagu muncul di kepala:

“From the cradle to the grave, my love remains the same.
You will find me by your side, by your side.”

Saya menunduk. Air mata jatuh tanpa izin.
Karena saya tahu—ini bukan kebetulan.
Tidak ada yang kebetulan.

Bunda Maria yang memeluk tubuh Yesus yang penuh luka, adalah seorang ibu yang paling tahu rasa kehilangan terdalam ketika anak yang dicintainya direnggut ketidakadilan dan kematian. Melihat relief itu saja sudah membuat dada terasa sesak.

Rasa sedih karena kematian adalah sesuatu yang sulit dicerna dengan cepat. Semua datang begitu mendadak, sering kali tanpa sempat memberi waktu untuk bersiap.

Saya pernah merasakannya.
Kehilangan yang datang tiba-tiba— dan sedikit saja rasa itu sudah begitu menghantam. Saya pernah kehilangan seorang sahabat dan guru secara tiba-tiba, namanya Romo Ardi H. Hari itu, saya juga membawa namanya dalam doa.

Romo Ardi adalah salah satu orang yang membuat saya ingin dekat pada Bunda Maria. Suatu kali, Ia pernah membawa saya misa di Gereja Kemutiran, dan di sana dia menunjukkan kaca patri kisah hidup Maria. Bukan kebetulan pula, di saat itu sedang ada persiapan misa requim. Ketika itu Romo Ardi berkata: “Lihat, ika, kematian orang baik membawa banyak bunga”

Saya sudah tidak ingat persis kata-kata Romo Ardi waktu itu, tapi saya masih ingat maknanya: bahwa kematian seseorang yang baik tetap memancarkan keindahan, karena kebaikannya terus hidup di hati orang-orang yang mengenangnya.

Romo Ardi pun menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya di hadapan patung bunda yang memeluk kanak Yesus… maka saya tidak bisa lagi mengabaikan semua tanda ini.

Di misa peringatan arwah itu, saya merasa Romo Ardi seperti mengajarkan hal yang sama sekali lagi: Per Mariam ad Jesum.

Bunda Maria sendiri mengalami rasanya kehilangan dan duka mendalam karena kehilangan anak yang dicintaiNya. Dia yang pertama memeluk bayi Yesus yang menangis. Bunda Maria jugalah yang menyaksikan hembusan nafas terakhirNya dan memeluk tubuhNya yang penuh luka.

Di kayu salib, ketika Yesus berada di ambang kematian, Ia menyerahkan Bunda-Nya kepada murid yang dikasihi-Nya: “Inilah ibumu.”

Sejak saat itu, pelukan Bunda Maria bukan hanya milik Yesus, tetapi juga milik kita semua. Pelukan yang menemani, menguatkan, dan mengajarkan bahwa kasih yang berasal dari Tuhan tidak pernah benar-benar pergi.

Ia hadir—diam, lembut, tetapi nyata.

Mungkin lewat setiap pelukannya,
Tuhan ingin bilang:
kasih sejati tidak berhenti di kematian.

Ia tetap memeluk,
dalam kenangan, dalam doa,
dalam hati yang masih mencintai—
dalam hati yang sudah penuh luka,
namun tetap bangkit menjalani hidup yang telah diberikan-Nya. 🤍

Dan melanjutkan perjuangan mereka yang telah meninggalkan kita dengan kasih dan harapan, bahwa suatu hari nanti kita akan bersatu dan dipertemukan kembali.

In loving memory of Romo Ardi, whose kindness still blooms in the memories of those he touched.