EARLY CHILDHOOD SPIRITUAL CONNECTION

I grew up in a household of showing the pious worship of a sacred deity. On Sunday my mother lighted a candle and let it burn the whole day after saying her silent prayer infront of the statue of a Man carrying a cross. I was carried with that tradition to follow it and learned to say the Lord's prayer. Little by little I'm already counting the beads of the rosary saying the repeated lines asking some intercession to the mother of Jesus Christ. Our religious practice was very strong. My mother leads the whole community to show their strong religious belief when she invited the priest to come to our remote area to perform the Annual Mass of Easter Sunday. This is the only time when the people in the community converge in the small chapel that becomes empty after the occasion occupied by domestic animal like the carabao. There's another Christian denomination in our small village conducting Sunday School and my mother sent me there to attend also where I learned about Jesus the Son of God, planting the seed of God's Love and His Son Jesus in my mind. As I deal with the early challenges in life pertaining to livelihood money maybe scarce but food is abundant in our household. My mother as a merchant would bring home all kinds of food from dairy, poultry fruits and vegetables when people who has no money will barter their goods with my mother's merchandise. Then she brought me with her to be her companion selling her merchandise in a rolling store. This gave me the chance to practice what I learned from Sunday School to look into the needs of others where I can see the sacrifice of my own mother to earn for a living and people who come to buy our merchandise where I learned that money cannot be picked up even you walked miles after miles in a day you cannot see it on your way or my classmate in the elementary whose lunch is a piece of banana and rice or young coconut. So here my mind was absorbing and practicing the Christian way of life to look into the needs yes needs not the playful thoughts of a 12 years old as I play with my peers Im too self-conscious about my safety when my classmates would give me a special attention but my family economic situation was my number one concern since I'm helping my mother earn our livelihood. In the matter of home chores the six of us has their own assignment to do at home. And we can't sleep or stay in bed until we like because our mother will wake us up to do our chores beside that she goes to market early me going with her but my other sisters or brothers stay home. Because of my religious growth and discipline I develop the character of not complaining why I go with her and the others don't. Our eldest sister as far as I know didn't have that much of concern for us especially when she left to attend her secondary school in the far capital city of our province the same with my brother as I'm in the third line of six children in the family. Sometimes they say that the segment of a bamboo maybe classified as a tree or tallest grass because the core is empty like the tall grass you see in the open fields , there's a segment in its growth and I felt that segment was me. That's how I felt. Why? When I was already to enter my secondary school my mother asked me to give way to my elder sister to help my mother full time at her store. As I have said I didn't get the nerve to complain and the most part that I remember no matter how hard life was there was strength when there is a spiritual connection just by saying my daily prayers that strength to face life challenges as early as my teenage years. I didn't attend the prestigious school my elder brother and sister has attended but I had to bring my own cooking utensils renting a room at my mother's friend. This gave me a chance to practice more of my personal Christian belief to attend the daily mass offered for me living nearby. I met two friends that we became intimate and as growing teenagers we shared our favorite songs we heard on radio and we have our song hits to review the latest. Not only that movie entertainment is the most available means to while away our time and we begin to having our own loveteam of the moving pictures. Being a teenager maybe the happiest and joyful part when we have our night parties. We went to a classmate's farm to dig the root crop cassava and made it into sweet delicacy "linubian", pounding the rootcrop with pestle until it is soft , put sugar and ground coconut and we have a feast. My classmates in junior high school began to pick there partners on Juniors Prom but I didn't care if I had a partner on Junior's Prom even I became a wall flower because it always ring to me the role Im playing as a secondary breadwinner. So eyeing with someone didn't occur to me, besides I wanted to maintain my grades. My two friends have their Junior's Prom partners. I didn't feel anything to build any relationship with the opposite sex. I'm looking into my future to finish my studies that I could be somebody someday. Somebody means holding a position, or reaching a higher level in life like educated maybe a nurse that was my highest school ambition to attain to reach other countries like the US where most of my countrymen go. My father had lived over there when he was 27 years old. He came home at the time of depression and that's the time he met my Mom assigned at his hometown as the first teacher trained under the US government. In my young mind the thought of going to the US became a dream. I met the most caring and loving landlord in my senior high school that I didn't bring anything at all but stayed with them the reason is she goes to buy her merchandise of tobacco out of town so no one would look after her plants to be watered and the househelper was my companion staying as a livein household helper. So if you think about it I'm now considered as a member of the housed my dear Nanay Taling who introduce me to her two sons and two daughters who are professionals. That's the time I'm no longer intimidated with others who lives better in life, I felt living like the way they lived as we eat on the same table and eat the food they eat. Is that not wonderful? Still with all that special attention I feel mum to change my mind to live this ordinary life because my Faith which is growing stronger and the wave of serving Jesus Christ was getting stronger the same thing is also forming in the heart of one of my two friends having a bigger family that I am. My Nanay Taling sewed my graduation dress. So I didn;t feel that there is lacking in my life having met Nanay Taling was the greatest thing that happened to me. Our relationship didn't end until I finished my high school but her house was open to me anytime.After graduating I stopped going to school again to give way to my brother and sister education; So there my life revolved around the market place and house. After harvest time we would walk miles with my mother traversing across ricefields and creeks to reach people and collect unpolished rice to pay what they owed during planting rice season when farmers have no more

food but to live from day to day existence having consumed their last harvest , this is their life cycle. Tilled the soil, harvested the fruit of their labor paid their debt and here I saw the poverty of many people leaving in the hinterlands and the more my religious belief grew to be kind generous and sympathize with their plight. The choice to believe someone up there provides a sanctuary not only to live in the present but to look into the future of one's body and soul, It is a driving force to draw strength when face with the dangerous challenges in life. For me, raising a family is a big challenge , earning a livelihood in order to support its members must be taken into consideration and as I grew up my spiritual connection was my greatest strength to equip me to live peacefully and sharing the love God has given me which is more solid than the mortal love of man in comparison to the immortal Love of God.