The Meaning of Life

Life has no meaning without any hardship or frustrations. It gives colour to life. You will know that life is meaningful if you had survived through the storms of life. I had a story to tell about different experiences that made me strong and become a better person. I had been through thick and thin, hard times and tough times, ups and downs, good or bad or even better and worst. I could say I had passed through all those times - and I could honestly say, I had survived!!!

I have two brothers, one is older and the other is younger. Our Nanay (mother) passed away. I was only 2 years old. My elder brother was 3, and my younger brother was only 8 months. Life has no meaning for us during those times. I could even hardly imagine the face of my Nanay when she died. My auntie told me that I was crying while waking up my Nanay. She said, I told Nanay to wake up but she didn't. Yet life must go on and on and on... we need to survive and face the challenges of life it may bring.

Every now and then, Tatay (our father) would ask someone to take care of us. And at times that someone became our step mother for a moment. I could name some Madrasta we had before but they usually could not stay longer, either they would put their hands on us or unwilling to take care of us. In the end, they would say goodbye to our father. There were times that our Madrasta would leave us, locked the door and put biscuits on the floor for us to eat when we're hungry. When she got back home she would find us in a mess with a lot of dirts on the floor. And she would shout and got angry at us. I could not fully understand why it happened and what's happening around us, why we have changing mothers one at a time. Why our world is so far and deep without meaning. Then came Nanay B in the picture, she took care of us, she learned to love us and Tatay too. She trained me and my brothers in the household chores. She would even work as a cook in a rich family near our place just to help augment our needs. She taught me how to cook and fix our things in the house in a proper way. I cried a lot of times, for me life is so tough. And a lot of times Nanay B would tell me that I was a crying kid. Everytime I remember our struggles, I can't help but cry of the experiences that I had before. Those experiences made me a strong and I was glad that the Lord found me.

More stories next time.