Task #3 I Stop To Say "Thank you Papa and Mama"

“I’m busy!,” was everyone’s reply. My Grandmother was hospitalized last week due to some serious health problems. We were supposed to take turns in nursing my Lola in the hospital.  Sad to say, I was unable to visit my Grandmother. My two sisters and my parents likewise failed to visit my lola.  My sisters and I had classes and our parents had to work. Were we really that busy or was it just an alibi? Somehow, I felt guilty.

Incidentally, in the very short film I watched on You Tube video entitled, “Rich son Poor Son,” four elderly women were discussing about their sons and daughters. The three were boasting about how successful their children were in their careers basing on their humungous earnings. The fourth was proud of his son for a different reason. She says her son visits her and takes her to wonderful places. His son spends quality time with her. Simple joys which money cannot buy, isn’t it?

Nowadays, nobody stops to say thank you anymore. In these times of global economic recession, it looks as if people only care about money and survival. Because of our desperate efforts to alleviate ourselves from poverty, we forget. We turn our backs on our families and forget to thank them for their support and sacrifices. What a shame! We fail to realize  that our parents are the ‘wind beneath our wings.’ We soar high in the blue sky because of them. Our parents shower us with their unconditional love. They are not expecting their children to pay them back someday. A simple thank you means so much to them and it doesn’t cost a cent.

As for myself, I say "Thank You" to my parents now by being a responsible daughter.  I may not have money at present but I shall thank them with my strength. I shall to do my responsibilities as their dutiful daughter without being told. I shall study well, do my homework, and help with the household chores. I want to prove to my parents that their sacrifices and efforts are not wasted on me. Also, I wish to be worthy of the trust that they have granted me. They allowed me to pursue my tertiary education in Iligan.  My parents have high hopes for me. I do not want to let them down.

Love of the family is life’s greatest blessing. Ten years from now when I will have my own family, I shall still stop to say, “thank you Papa and Mama.” My future husband, my children, and I will share our blessings with them. Despite our busy schedules, we shall find time for them. Together we shall create more intimate and colorful moments. Then they too, just like the contented mother in the short film, will have a good reason to be proud of their daughter Amira.

 

 

Food for Thought: The measure of success

Stop, Look, and Listen. . .Closer

Have you ever once experienced that hair-raising sensation at your nape? How about that spine-tingling feeling that you are being watched? Scary, isn’t it?

Come to think of it, perhaps I was conditioned to believe that spirits can communicate with the living. Why wouldn’t I be when our bedtime stories as children were horrifying ones? My mom bequeathed to us what “Nanay”, our house helper for 38 years now, had narrated to her back then. These were certified terrifying folktales from Initao Municipality coined as “Init na Tawo”. In addition, our parents oftentimes frighten us to impose discipline around the house. It was certainly an effective way of saying “NO!”

"If there is smoke, there is fire." Is the paranormal just a figment of the imagination? The Exorcist, The Omen, Poltergeist, and Ghost are blockbuster horror movies about the Anti-Christ, demons, and spirits. CSI, a popular modern day TV series, deals on the paranormal as well. I wonder where the brilliant award-winning directors and scriptwriters of these films got their inspiration from. They must be extremely creative and imaginative if all those were baseless. Do they have secret ghost writers, literally speaking? Are they the reincarnations of some dead and famous scriptwriters? 

Have you heard of the “third eye” or the “sixth sense”? Some people say that you can only see “them” if your third eye is open. Others say everyone has a third eye but we either are unconscious of it or have failed to develop it. There are also instances when desperate clients hire a medium who can invoke a spirit to possess his body temporarily. The more adventurous even perform the Spirit of the Glass ritual. It is done by putting an inverted glass on a board marked with Yes or No and some other letters. After which, some secret incantation is chanted while two fingers are touching the bottom side of the glass. Then the glass would slowly move by itself over the writings to form answers to intriguing questions. It is believed to be moved by spirits. Even our eerie dreams at night are interpreted as messages from the other side. Indeed, the living tries to find ways to communicate with the spirits.

Personally, I haven’t experienced a close-encounter with the unseen. Still I believe that spirits communicate with the living. Alas, with the clanking and jangling of the hi-tech world, it’s quite impossible for us to hear their faint voices. If only we could take a break from our hectic schedule to stop, look, and listen closely. I mean really LISTEN to the blurry voices from the dark recesses of our room. Scared? 

MY MISSION IN LIFE

My Mission in Life

“You’re borne. You grow old. Then you die.”

That’s what Marty, the angel of death, said in the film ‘Click.’ Well, it bugs me! I wish life was that simple but we all know it isn’t. In Islam, Muslims will be asked this question on the Day of Judgment, “How did you spend your life?” So, I guess each one of us was sent to this earth with a mission. How should we know what it is! Wouldn’t it be wiser if a set of instructions was attached on an infant’s wrist instead of a name tag? Fulfilling his destiny would have been easier.

As such, I am bound to create my own mission in life. The poem ‘Invictus’ ends with these lines “I am the master of my soul, I am the captain of my fate.” Why not? Having a mission is like setting your goal in life. This would be my compass as I travel through the wild jungle called life. It would provide the focus and the guidance I need so as not to wander in the wrong direction. Hence, I should hitch my wagon to the sky. This way, even if I fail to hit the target precisely but still close to it. In any case, I should expect the unexpected because there are lots of detours and humps ahead. Good luck to me!

I aim to graduate from college in four years. My desired campus when I took the SASE was MSU main but to avoid my barkada I tried to squeeze myself here in MSU-IIT campus. Accordingly, instead of pursuing my preferred course, Bachelor in Secondary Education major in English, I had to enroll in whatever slot that was still open for students in my case. Nonetheless, I am grateful that I was given a second chance. Beggars cannot be choosers, right? That is why I shouldn’t waste this opportunity. “Doors are closed for us to open them.”

I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I am not ashamed to admit that I come from a very humble family. Both my parents are minimum wage earners. We live by the necessities and abstain from the whimsical, the fancy. It’s simply because we couldn’t afford them. I am proud to say however that our education is top priority to both my parents. We may not be used to festive meals but our parents sent us to private schools both in the Elementary and Secondary levels. They keep reminding us that quality education is the only legacy they could leave us. How could I disappoint them then when I see how hard they labored to provide our needs?

Next, my other mission is to land myself a job after I graduate. I promise to shoulder the expenses of our youngest sister who is still in preschool now. We are only three siblings, by the way, and our gap is almost twelve years. I want to spoil her! I plan to send her to private school, buy her fashionable clothes, and exciting toys. This would be my way of showing my gratitude to my parents for their sacrifices. Then both my parents could relax quite a bit. I pray to God for the strength to withstand all temptations so that I could fulfill this mission.

Moreover, I want to build my dream house. It should be spacious enough to accommodate my parents and my immediate family. Presently, we are residing in our grandparents’ house in Marawi City. Two other families are living in the same house. My Titos and Titas with their children live with us. You know the typical clannish culture of the Maranaos. Well, that will soon change when I build my own house. Our family would then move out and enjoy the privacy we never had. I will choose a location that would be conducive to blissful family living. Perhaps, a modern subdivision outside the polluted city with clean fresh air and much grassy space for children to play would be great.

Lastly, to ensure that I succeed in my mission in life I should put God in the center of my life. Nothing is impossible with God. I should pray to him for strength and guidance. I offer all the things I do for his greater grace and glory. By God’s will, I shall achieve my mission in life - my dreams. It may not be my destiny for nobody can tell what the future holds but at least I once had a dream. Besides, aren’t dreams for free?