Keeping Hopes and Dreams Alive

Last night, I was watching a delayed telecast of a nightly news program from the Philippines when I heard my cell phone’s message alert tone. I picked up my phone and saw 2 SMS from my wife. I looked at my time piece to check the local time and after adding 5 hours, there I know, it was half past 1 in the morning from where the message came from and my wife still wasn’t sleep at all. With random thoughts, I picked up my phone, typed few words punctuated with a “good night” phrase. After a few minutes, I got another SMS from her reciprocating my message also with a “good night” but with a tone of despair.

The following morning in the office, I sent SMS to her and to my kids as my usual way of keeping in touch with them. She responded and her messages this time unmasked her desolation. I empathized with her feelings because I know where she stands.

Barely 8 months since I left Philippines to work abroad leaving her and my 4 kids, I packed my suitcase bringing with me few pictures of them tucked in my suitcase to remind me of our hopes and dreams. It was my first time to be away from my family that long and how we spent countless thoughts and prayers looking for God’s guidance discerning this bigger decision that could make or break our lives.

Out story is not unique nor far from a common slice of life of every Filipino yearning for a better life by going abroad. Whilst not all OFW stories yield to happy ending; sad stories like philandering husbands, unfaithful wives, children yearning for a much needed attention from their parents who in their critical stage is developing the character that ultimately defines their future are common happenings; but all these cannot dissuade one from leaving their families to work abroad. The life’s difficulty and the lack of opportunity back home are what pushes people like me to look for a greener land to Pasteur and the hopes and dreams of giving one’s family a better future outweigh the underlying risks.

Going back to my wife’s SMS that’s sound in despair, I replied her with a message full of reassurance. Though I know that those encouraging words for her are easier in theory than in practice but resiliency is far better than to procrastinate with our lives because of fear of predestination.

What you think and what you do is what you will become; that’s life’s predisposition. If we think life has been very cruel to us, this is not mainly because it is our destiny but how we disposed our concentric thinking and actions.

And by the way, with the faith even as small as a mustard seed, I know I can move mountains of sand here in Saudi Arabia.