MY BEST FRIEND

Bunso is a Filipino word which means the youngest in the family. In reality, I am the youngest in our family but we consider him as the youngest. And being the youngest, family attention is focused on that person.

Actually, Bunso was a dog. He was my best friend. He was given to us by a friend of my mother. He was still a puppy then. Bunso had no breed. He was only an ordinary dog which Filipinos call “askal” which stands for “asong kalye” or a stray dog. But he was distinct and loved in his own ways. He was placed in a small box when he was given to us. He was a cute puppy with white and brown mixture of hair. He had lovely and convincing eyes that were surely attractive to everyone.

At the start, he slept inside the house and whenever I woke up, he would lick my face as if telling me “good morning.” He never stayed in the house long enough. Like other dogs, he would do his things everywhere that kept me cleaning the house.

We made a dog house for him but he never used it. He slept in the balcony where he kept guarding our house against strangers. He was like a little child as he was growing up. He was afraid of lightning and thunder that made him knock on the door by scratching the screen-door to say that he wanted to enter the house.

Whenever meal time came, we always called him by name and he would come running. He was used to calling him by his name that even though he was far, Bunso would run and hug us. He even liked dancing. Of course, a simple dance. He would stand up and walk towards us to hold him and do cha-cha.

He accompanied me outside just to stare at the stars and sometimes I even talked to him and told him stories and he would look at me as if he understood what I was telling him.

He was really a special friend. When I entered the seminary, he did not forget me. Every time I went home, at first he would bark but as I called him, he would immediately run towards me and hug me like saying how he missed me.

I know that he was my friend for a friend is someone you trust to be with him when you are at your weakest and most vulnerable. You always get your strength from a friend. Friends are people who, no matter how painful it is to see, are willing to be with you when you are so helpless and weak. If you would trust your life to him, and vice versa, you are friends. It’s not about whether he is trustworthy, or whether he is friendly. It’s the actual act of trust that is the basis of friendship.

I miss my friend towards the end. I realized how grateful I am to have Bunso as my friend. He was the first dog that lasted in our family for years. Before him no dog lasted for months for they were either afflicted with diseases or met an accident. He actually lasted more than eight beautiful years in the family. He would always be my best friend until the end.

He saw me grow up and vice versa. He was my protector, my guide. The more than eight years that he spent his life with us were indeed memorable. When it was time for him to go due to old age, I felt a pinch in my heart. I lost a special friend but his memory will forever linger on my mind.

WHAT IS A FRIEND?

A friend is someone you trust to be with him when you are at your weakest and most vulnerable. You always get your strength from a friend. Giving advices, listening to the problems, giving hand whenever falling apart. A friend does all of this to make you strong.

They are people who, no matter how painful it is to see, are willing to be with you when you are so helpless and weak. If you would trust your life with him, and vice versa, you are friends. You trust him to the point that ever advices he gave is what you always do, every thing that he say, you keep them in mind.

It’s not about whether he is trustworthy, or whether he is friendly, it’s the actual act of trust that is the basis of friendship. If you trust him to be truthful, then you’re a friend. If you find you must be careful how you say things, then it’s something other than friendship. He is not careful of what he says that no secret between you. He never hides anything even to the last drop of details.

Sometimes, Choices come to our way either our friend or our love. But always remember that a true friend accept and always respect our decisions. He will never try to leave you but there are times that leaving is the only way for us to stand. We may not understand the reason but keep in mind that a true friend loves us.

THE CORE OF CHRISTMAS

Of all the events and seasons in a year, Christmas is always looked forward to with excitement and cheer. It brings out the goodness in man and woman. It is a day when we expect the coming of someone in our homes but we do not really see who the visitor is. No matter how invisible that someone may be, we feel in our hearts the message of His coming.

People celebrate Christmas differently. It is said that the Philippines has the longest Christmas celebration because at the onset of September, some start decorating their houses while others start making Christmas list for gifts to their loved ones. People love everything about Christmas Day - the nativity scene, carolling, scripture reading and concerts. November onwards, it is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. Colourful lights decorate many town centres and shops, along with shiny decorations, and artificial snow painted on shop windows. During the Christmas season people delight at the sight of a brightly decorated town especially when Christmas bulbs are twinkling.

We do not do these things because we are compelled to or because tradition says we ought to. We do them simply because the spirit of Christmas is upon us. Peace and goodwill, familiar words of the Christmas story suddenly become positive and meaningful. It is part of us, part of our heritage and of our national as well as individual behaviour.

Christmas is not only neither gifts nor decorations. We do not say, “Have a nice gift or decoration on Christmas.” We greet them, “Merry Christmas.” It must be merry not because of the things we receive but it is the quality time we spend with our family and loved ones that counts. We sometimes forget to know more about our family or loved ones because of our hectic works. Let Christmas be the time to know more the people who are dear to us, those people whom we consider special in our heart. A special gift is not worth it but your presence and talks to them will surely be meaningful.

Christmas is a reminder for us that we are one nation. One means helping each other especially those who are in need. Let us not ignore those brothers and sisters who need our help. As embodied in a song that says “give love on Christmas day,” let’s open our doors to them.

The tradition of Christmas blossoms with fun and celebration and carries along with it faith, hope and love. Let us look about us and within us and count our very obvious blessings. Let us remember that, for all our shortcomings, we embody for the rest of the world the charity and generosity and goodwill that are the essence of the Christian and the Christmas spirit.

Let Christmas be really merry not only for ourselves but also to those people whom we should help. Christmas is the coming, the birth of Christ and on this day, God gave us His son for us people who need His help.

More than the material things that come with Christmas, let be that invisible spirit of love live within us and be felt by others not only during Christmas but throughout the year.

We can make this world a better world to live in if we celebrate Christmas daily in our lives.

THE FORTUNATE YOUNG MAN

I wish to tell you the story of a young man whom you have never heard, whose name was not written on the scroll of fame, but of one who was lucky enough to be saved from death several times.

He was born on July 20 in 1988, where the weather was angry the entire week. He was not born in the hospital as expected but instead in their house. He grew up of honest parents, that modesty, humility, patience, and veracity he learned from them.

When he was still a baby, he nearly died out of suffocation. His aunt left him covered by the pillow but luckily his mother had the chance to check on him. He was so reddish and gasping for his breath after having been freed from the pillow. It was not only the incident he almost died but the start of his luck.

When he was a year old, his testis became very large like a tomato but his luck went on again. His mother brought him to a doctor for check up. On the day of his operation, his great grandfather died and the family attention was focused on the wake. Few weeks later, miraculously his testis went back to normal size without undergoing any treatment. It was like his great grandfather died in exchange for his well-being. We may call it an equivalent exchange, a life for a life.

When he was growing older, he thought everything was perfect but something changed it all. It all started when his grandfather, who was very close to him, died. On the first night of the wake, a revelation was made. It came out that his father had another family. His father met the woman in Dagupan City and bore him a child. At the start, it was hard for him to accept what had happened to them as it happened so fast, like a split second. After that, he never had the chance to see his father again, even just to hear him say “Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas.” He only wanted to see his father, after all he was considered as the favourite child between his sister and him.

Years had passed but still he has not heard anything from his father. He told himself that it was time to move on and accept the fact that he cannot change anymore what had happened.

Another incident happened to him during the birthday of his mother. It was night when they were in the swimming pool. He did not yet know how to swim back then so he was just holding the corners of the pool. Suddenly when he was in the deepest corner, his mother passed by and he waved his hand at her. He forgot that he was holding the bars. No one noticed him until one of their companions passing by saw that a child was drowning and he was immediately pulled out of the pool and helped him vomit the water that he had swallowed. It was another incident that could have taken his life but God is so good that He did not permit it to happen.

He entered the Mary Help of Christians Minor Seminary during his high school years. There, he had warm friends with many brilliant young men with whom he remained on terms of close intimacy, some of whom he treated as his own brothers. He did not know why he entered the seminary. All along, his mother was asking him to try the seminary but no one could convince him then until one day, he suddenly smiled and told his mom, he would try it.

His stay in the seminary filled up the things that he was missing in his life. He had lots of brothers who helped him to move on. Sometimes, there is still that loneliness, thinking and wishing his father will visit him someday.

On the completion of his high school year, he received an award that was unexpected. The crowd, as well as his classmates and his own family, thought it was for their other classmate but when the emcee announced his name, he doubted if he heard correctly his name. All his classmates made noise like animals on the loose. He received the spiritual award, a major award given to the seminarian who excelled in his spirituality and expected to be a priest someday. It was his most glorious day in his stay in the seminary. From then, he thought that life is not that bad at all. There are also times to celebrate.

Bryan Jeric V. de Leon is now a second year college seminarian studying in the Mary Help of Christians College Seminary with the thought that God has greater plans for him.

As a young child, he experienced a sad childhood. But, he is not at all discouraged because in between his trials are moments of triumphs like saving his life three times.

This young man realizes that sufferings are important to savour successes in life. He understands now that trials make him stronger to face life’s greater challenges.

He knows that God is good. He knows that there are mysteries in life beyond human comprehension but we just have to let God lead the way.