Polibiz
A Christmas wish
It has been a long time I made a wish during Christmas season, as seldom my wish is ever granted.
Not because I am pessimistic but rather I rely more on hard work and perseverance if one really wishes for something to happen. Prayer, though it helps, is not enough, but action does -- and luck too plays an important factor.
I could still remember when I was a kid -- once we visited the house of a rich neighbor, as it was almost midnight before Christmas. It was in my belief then that it was the season for giving and sharing. The rich have to give even just a little if they wish to go to heaven on Judgment Day.
While ascending the stairs of my neighbor, there he was, shouting at the top of his voice cursing everyone "mga patay gutom" in vernacular.
Right there and then I was squirming in shame as I was never used to such kind of treatment. The truth is, he was addressing the thick crowd mostly children of my age accompanied by adults but felt I was his only target.
That was my first trauma and it lasted perpetually.
Once in a while that grim memory flashes back specially at this time of the year.
So, when the curtain of life has finally brought down on him, only a handful of mourners joined his funeral to give him a last glimpse before facing his Creator.
Most of his neighbors however managed to give their last spit on the ground as the casket passes along their path. It was a pathetic sight.
Years had passed by and nothing was ever heard of him again. Not even his good deeds compensated his cunning behavior while he was still alive.
Life is too short. Fame, power and fortune are not everything; but kindness and generosity for a cause is lasting.
When a beggar opens his palm for alms, extend your hand with compassion. Your act may save him for a day, but your soul may save you eternally.
Remember that biblical phrase, "it is better to give than to receive," for it is in giving that we receive more bounties from above.
As I narrate this past episode in my younger days, how I wish I am also privileged to be materially abundant, so that I could feed the hungry, heal the sick and give those who are in need.
How I wish too, I could love my enemies, forgive those who have offended me, and seek their forgiveness in return. Oh, how I wish...
But just the same, I wish everyone merry, merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
(email: roblesnelson@yahoo.com)