BE THANKFUL TO GOD

Gratitude is a word that most of the time is misunderstood. To whom do we give our thanks? I can't remember when I learned to say thank you. Maybe when I entered grade school saying thanks when I receive a present. This present is given as an exchange gift from a classmate. This is then my beginning to understand the meaning of acknowledging something when I received something. As I grew up I experienced many times saying thank you to my teacher, to my parents and those whom I am in contact when they give me something. If I asked help from my teacher I express my gratitude by showing my obedience to her and do all my homework. The same to my parents when I ask something from them, my allowance and other things like agreeing to my desite to go somewhere for a vacation. The biggest favor that I ask them is to continue my studies that I didn't expect how it could be granted because of their hardship to support us. It is really hard to send us altogether growing up simultaneously to be going to school being six members in the family to be three of us going to high school and the rest in the elementary grades. That is when I'm going to first year high school. My elder brother and sister are taking their senior and second year high at the capital city living with our relative the eldest sister of my mother. This is a great relief to my parents. After one year of not going to school they decided that I notgo to the capital city but my mother find a way that I can also attend my high school learning. Since she was a merchant she ask one of them that I will live with them in town. To bring my kitchen utensils firewood and my bag of rice and buy groceries from the public market and other food items. I am inquisitive about learning what is there to learn very thankful that I was able to continue. Not every elementary school graduate can go to high school in those days. Maybe they are not motivated, they have lack of interest or their parents cannot afford to send them to school. I didn't mind if I use hand me downs from my sister. use a wooden shoes to go to school ( bakya in our native tongue) , not many children use any shoes not until later on when smuggled goods coming from our neighboring country exporting plastic sandals that's when I was already graduating in high school that I use it going to school. My best time to relax is going to church . I am thankful to my mother to let us practice our spiritual beliefs lighting a candle at our small altar with a wooden statue of Jesus Christ carrying the symbolic cross of sacrifice. But I rejoice going to church when listening to the beautiful music sang by the church choir especially during Christmastime what they call Misa de Gallo. The church is decorated with all the Christmas trimmings including the scene of Nativity and a decorated Christmas tree, I really enjoy going to church to recite the Holy Rosary silently kneeling infront of the religious statues to say my prayers. Slowly I learn to lean to God to ask favors like my provision in going to school and praying to God to give us food and shelter for my whole family. I learned to be kind to others helping others and serving other people. I saw people struggling like we are and I wanted to help them including my mother supporting us to help my father financially. She has a rolling store that she brings goods to market on marketday . Early in the morning we bring boxes of grocery items crates of laundry soap, soft drinks , a can of kerosene and a bag of salt and sugar. I attend to our customers and measure the sugar and the salt how many cups would they buy. The same time we packed the unsold good back to the boxes and crate when the marketplace is already empty with people. Is it not hard when at an early age we learn how to make a living? With that I am thankful to my mother and that we are growing in Faith that it can pull us through our life struggles. Being said I have three friends who talk about our church activities going to church consistently preparing our school assignments together seriously that we are able to make to the honor roll consistently. I consider high school days as my most enjoyable years spent in my life with friends at school and doing all the things I am supposed to do as a student and in my heart the fear of the Lord is very important to do good things to oneself and to others. I move to another boarding house in my senior year whom we consider as our distant relative. She was very nice to me that she didn't ask me to bring my provisions but the only favor she has asked me is to water her plants and supervise her household helpers who cook and clean the house for us. The more I became studious, the more I attended my daily routine of going to church. She sewed my dresses and even my graduation dress. I will always remember her until today because of the kindness help and generosity she has bestowed to me. I think she has planted in my heart the spirit of mercy for being kind to others and also my parents who gave me the chance to continue my studies. After graduating from high school I experience rough sails again. Unexpectedly my father lost his job and my elder brother and sister got married after graduating from college. It is a norm that since they have obtained their college degrees they must help their parents to send their younger siblings to school. Both of them turned their backs to help. I cannot see any hope that I could continue my studies. The study wheels didn't keep rolling and again my learning journey has completely stopped. I help my mother in her rolling store diligently without any complain but pray to God and His Son Jesus that I will be able to go back to school. Then something came into my mind. At the capital city where my brother and sister finished their high school years , there is a private school offering teaching course and the name is Cagayan Teachers College in the Philippines. I voluntarily enrolled myself at the teacher's college boarding at my married cousin's house. The same thing bringing provisions for cooking and buying food. I could walk to school. Going to church is not. I have to ride on a horse drawn carriage. (calesa in our native tongue). We enjoyed the traditions of the place where most people are Catholics. When they celebrate church festivals like a Saint's Day i. e. St. Mary's Day which is the Patron Saint of the village, each household prepares delicious foods to serve people. With my classmate's invitation we talk together to go to their house on that day to have lunch. It will not end at their house but we go and eat at their neighbor's house too. When we leave we are full and they would still give us a bag of food to bring home. This is not a practical tradition butchering their only pig they raised for a year and let other people eat it. Their belief is to receive more blessings from the patron saint. I don't know if it is still practice until today. Times has changed with the onslaught of abject poverty among the people it may not be the same like before. Maybe only those who can afford to prepare big food preparations to serve to the people for free. Serving food is a blessing from God whom they firmly believed in. What a wonder that I graduated in our provincial teacher's college competing to enter the teaching career in our public schools who graduated from the capital city of the country and other prestigious schools. With all my hardships and trials lack of full support from my family I am thankful to God that He blessed me when I took the Teacher's Entrance Examination I was on the Top !0 list who garnered the highest scores so I was appointed as a permanent teacher right away to the in the public elementary schools. I give thanks to God and all my teachers who were my inspirations to finish my studies.,