Silverlinings (for other editions, see Silverlinings )
Strawberry Nose
(December 3, 2006)
“Ilong! Ilong! (ee-long),” they whisper loudly to one another as they point at me. They walk slowly in front of the house, peering through the bushes along the fence. As I toss the circular woven tray of rice, I watch the girls from the corner of my eye as they come back for a second, and then a third look. The heavy rice grains fall back into the basket, and the light husks blow away—at least that is what the directions say. Most of the time, however, when I try to winnow, much of the rice falls on the floor, and the light husks blow onto my clothes and into my hair. It is difficult to concentrate on tilting the basket back and forth and tossing the rice upward and outward, while trying to keep an eye on the girls.
When they see that I have caught them staring, the girls giggle and run quickly down the sidewalk. I walk to the road and begin to rake some of the rice so that it can dry and separate on its own. A few young girls bravely return to get a longer look at the stranger on their island and hopefully a chance to practice their English skills. The thirteen year old explained in English what ilong means and with an embarrassed laugh, say how nice mine looks.
While we laughed and talked about our mistakes in each other’s language, I thought that this was probably the first time anyone has actually ever appreciated my “ilong.” I always think of my nose as being too fat and too big with its high ridge bone. In the mirror, the pores appear gigantic. My daughter Denise had a pet name for my nose when she was younger. She would tweak it and call it “Strawberry Nose.” I still don’t consider that a flattering remark at all.
In my family, the Lambert nose comes from our native Indian heritage. Even though we brothers and sisters tease and brag about passing on “the nose” to our children, I am still self-conscious with my big “ilong.” I don’t think it complements my other facial features. It is there in plain view. Short of plastic surgery to reshape my nose, there is nothing I can do for it.
I asked a friend if what the girls said was true about my nose. She replied, “Yes, it is true that some Filipinos want a European looking nose, but yours is a little too big.” So much for friends! She laughingly added that she had even pinched her daughter's nose bridge in the hopes it would become like the nose of her favorite American missionary. She finally gave up when she realized she liked her daughter’s nose just the way it was.
Most of the time, I don’t focus on shape of faces, or color of hair, or slant of eyes. Most of the time, I don’t see the size of noses or their shapes. Most of the time, I see only faces—faces of those needing to know more about Christ. It is then I remember my commitment to share the Good News. It is then that my strawberry nose is no longer an issue. It is then I remember who I want to be like. It is in Christ, I find my true being—not my culture, not my education, not my church, and certainly not my nose.
“For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
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Dr. Geneva Silvernail
Asia-Pacific Regional Literature Coordinator
Regional Education Consultant
Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary
Ortigas Ave. Ext. Kaytikling, Taytay
1920 Rizal Philippines
Email: gsilvernail@apnaz.org
ministry@genevasilvernail.org |
