We have our own problems, we often think it's never ending but God never gives you a challenge you cannot take.
Back when we were living in an apartment (2005), life's never easy. Money was hard to come by but easily spent. I couldn't find a decent work but my wife was already working at an iCafe that time. I stopped College, that's maybe the cause why I can't find a decent work so most of the time I'm at home, I do the cooking and some laundry, I do freelance typing jobs and everything for extra income. Water was a problem in our apartment, though there is faucet water, it is limited only to a certain time so I usually go out and pail some water from a deep well near a creek. When I cook, I try to budget 50 php (Roughly $1.5) for our dinner and tomorrow's breakfast. I have once thought if this will end or we continue living like this. Fortunately we haven't got a child who'd suffer more if so we happens if we did have one.
Usually before we sleep, my wife asks me to sing a song for her. Though not a singer, I try my best to do so. Of course I'd repeat the same song and my wife would interfere me to sing something else. I ask her then to talk about our lives before as I'm thinking of a song to sing for her.
My wife recalled about her childhood. Family of seven but they should have been eight since one died due to sickness, she got 3 brothers and she's second eldest among her 4 sisters. Their eldest stowed away as for personal reason she didn't knew since she was just a child back then. She told me that they lived by the shore with their house on stilts. Life was hard for them, either they have to fish for their food if they don't have money or never eat at all. What her father gains from work of making hollow blocks (bricks) was never enough. When storm came, they have to move again to another place, she said, seeing their house being torn apart by the storm was kind of heart breaking for her. I was a bit surprised, she didn't told those things before then I continue to listen. She told about when she were to go to school, she had to support her own studies when she was on Grade 2. She'd do laundry for her teacher in return of getting education. On her free time she giggled that she used to secretively harvested water spinach from a neighboor's marsh and sold it in the market, she even blurted into laughter after telling me when they were caught by the owner and chased her there. She did everything to support her studies and at the same time help her mother now that one of her sisters worked in a far place from theirs. There came a time that they have to move again to another place due to some quarrel that her father was involved, her father's back was slashed by a Bolo. Her High school years came meaning more expenses and such. She worked as a maid to support further her studies, Education was totally important for her. She worked until she stepped up to College but eventually stopped at 2nd year. She decided then to sail away from their place and came to Manila to look for greener pastures and her lost Eldest sister. As much as her mother stops her, she had no choice, good thing that she has her brothers to look after their mother. She's the only one in the family that has reached College level on her own effort, she proudly said to me. Hearing her story I suddenly felt sorry for our situation. I then shared mine.
Being eldest to a family of 4, I was totally nurtured with almost everything my parents have to offer even though I have one impaired eye due to a birth defect. My father got a good job, we had our own house on dry land and I was the only child back then. I get to study at a Private School on elementary. We had a just ok house, though it flooded inside whenever a storm came but not really much of a problem. My younger sister get only to study on a Government-run school on elementary. All my younger sisters and brother get to study only on a Public school. I can say, I am so much blessed. High school came and I get to study on one of prestigious schools in our place where only a limited and qualified people can study at. I never experienced working to support my own studies. But who would have thought, there's really a wheel of destiny and by then we were at the bottom part of it. When I was studying at College, my younger brother and sister were already at High school and my youngest sister was at Elementary. The one next to me which is my younger sister was going to graduate the next year. I didn't elaborate more but I stopped studying. "Everything else was history after then.", I told my wife.
My wife reminded me if I had thought of a song because it's already midnight and she had to go early the next day. So an old song flashed in my mind which I heard last time on a Radio Station on Sunday.
If We Hold On Together
By: Diana Ross
Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope & glory
Hold to the truth in your heart
If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I
Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end
Valley, mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Someone is praying
Please let us come home to stay
If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I
When we are out there in the dark
We'll dream about the sun
In the dark we'll feel the light
Warm our hearts, everyone
If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
As high as souls can fly
The clouds roll by
For you and I
I don't know, but she cried after that and hugged me tight. I told her that she must thank God even though she had that kind of life before because there are other people who suffered more and still suffering at that time.
I told her I'd show her something the next day before she go to work.
The next day, we went to the iCafe where I do some sidelines and show her an old pic.
I don't know how she reacted, but I think she felt sorry for the child in the picture. I said to her that we should be thankful in everything we had and having. I don't know if I saw tears forming around her eyes that she told me that dust came through her eyes. But actually I kind of cried when I saw that pic back then. We all should be thankful in what we have. Right now, our lives are not the same anymore, we're going up the cursed wheel of destiny and prepared if it so happens we go down again.
If only there's something we can do about them. I know there is.
