05/05/2025
My parents and their first three grandchildren.
I remember this was a Sunday as we prepared for church. I was probably 12 years old at this time.
I wish life was kinder back then. How I wish happiness visited us more often then. The house has long been replaced but I can vividly remember every corner of this old one. Every corner with all their sad stories to tell. All struggles were severe that they still cut deep until now. It is hard to squeeze out good memories from these times. When you have no idea why it had to happen, you can only rationalize that maybe it prepared us for all the battles that we were to face years after. The predicament made us stronger but I can’t help but revisit painful chapters in our lives that seemed unending. It was even hard to get the smiles then, and more so for laughters. We longed for peace, we looked for love.
We all go through the phases. We all walk the dark paths that leave us with no choice at all. No choice but to move onward, and forward. And as it is, life takes you to a detour; surprising you with walkways you wouldn’t expect coming. During those times, I didn’t know how to pray for a better life. I didn’t pray for sufferings to stop. I would just cry. But looking back, from the time when we were in that dark hole to when everything started to turn around, it now feels like everything was laid out as perfectly as it was. No choice, almost no escape but it groomed us to whatever we have become now. Things have flourished, things have tremendously changed. Life isn’t cut out perfectly as we wanted it to be but the trajectory is immeasurable. Experiencing “fire and rain” all these years, they gave us the biggest perspectives and lessons in life that prepped us for what was coming.
The most beautiful smiles and the happiest laughters can now be seen and heard more often.
Joy, hope, and contentment are felt deep and profound.
And we can’t be more thankful❤️🙏
