(From E mail of my friend)
ONCE IN A WHILE YOU RECEIVE GEMS IN your e-mail that really make you stop, think and count your blessings.. Last week, I received one from one of my husband's classmates, Dr. Toby Dayrit, dean of the School of Science and Engineering at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Such story of hope, resilience and faith is set in Cebu . If the story is real, it would be wonderful for a good Samaritan to find these three children and give them a memorable Christmas.
"Ever since I was diagnosed with a possible heart enlargement, I have followed a fitness regimen. I jog during week days and take a bike ride to the mountains every Sunday.
"This Sunday turned out to be a meaningful one for me. On my way to the mountains of Busay, I encountered a heart-breaking scene that changed me.
"I had just passed the Marco Polo Plaza (formerly Cebu Plaza Hotel) when I decided to buy bananas at a small carinderia located along the road. I was almost done eating the second banana when I noticed two children across the street searching the garbage area. I couldn't care less for these children for I do not like them and do not trust them at all.
"I was about to embark on my bike when I heard one of the two children, a girl of about seven or eight years of age, say aloud to the other, a boy of about 12 years: 'Kuya, si Dodong kunin mo kasi tumitingin sa mga kumain, nakakahiya.' Only then did I notice a small boy standing near me biting his fingers. He's a few inches shorter compared to my own 5-year-old son.
"Though he did not ask for food from anyone in the carinderia, the way he was looking at the customers was enough to convince me that he was craving for food.
"The older boy then crossed the street and gently pulled out the little one. As I watched the two cross the street back to the garbage area, I heard the tindera say, 'Kawawa naman yang mga batang yan mababait pa naman.' I learned further from the carinderia owner that the children were from a good family. Both parents were working before and that their father had a stroke three years ago and became partially paralyzed, while their mother died of heart attack while their father was still confined at the hospital. The children became basureros since then to meet their daily needs and the cost of their father's medication.
"Deeply moved by what I heard, I went to a nearby bakery, bought bread and gave it to the children who initially refused, including the little boy. I explained that they needed to go home because it was starting to rain.
"I explained that the rain could make them sick and if they get sick there'll be no one to take care of their father. Upon mention of their father, they nodded and accepted the bread but I noticed that the older boy did not eat.
"When I asked him if he does not like the bread, the little girl interrupted, 'Linggo po kasi ngayon, pag Sabado at Linggo, hapon lang po siya kumakain, kami lang po ang kumakain ng agahan pero di na po kami kakain pagdating ng hapon si kuya lang po. Pero pag Lunes hanggang Biyernes, kasi may pasok, si kuya lang po ang nag-aagahan, kami naman hapunan lang. Pero kung marami kaming benta, kami pong lahat kumakain,' she continued. 'Bakit hindi nyo na lang hati-hatiin ang pagkain kahit kakaunti para makakain kayong lahat?' I countered.
"The young girl reasoned out that their father wanted her older brother to go to school with a full stomach so he could understand the day's lessons easily. 'Pag nagkatrabaho na si kuya, hihinto na kami sa pamamasura, first honor kasi siya,' the little boy added proudly.
"I bid them goodbye and they in turn cast their grateful smiles at me.
"I handed them my last 100 peso bill which I had reserved for our department's bowling tournament.
"These children reminded me of how life can change in the blink of an eye, and that anyone may be caught completely unprepared.
"Through them, I learned that even the darkest side of life cannot change the beauty of one's heart. Those three children were able to hold on to what they believed was right.
"What a contrast to many of us who are quick to point to our misfortunes to justify acts of impropriety. Because of them, I've learned to hope for deliverance even when things seem to go the other way."
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