IT'S THE SMALL THINGS
I write this on Palm Sunday which is actually the official start of Holy Week. This year, it also happens to fall two days after my first church wedding anniversary. And although admittedly (and embarrassingly) it actually slipped my mind until greetings from loved ones came as a reminder, it got me into an introspective mode about the year that has been. From moving to another country (let alone continent) in the midst of a pandemic, to an adorable puppy, and having to learn a new language – truly, what a year it has been. Marked by a major milestone, but also one that promised many new beginnings.
Easter to us as children was a holiday we always looked forward to because of the perks and prizes it came with – the Easter bunny, the eggs, the egg hunt, all things pastel colored and the candies. It was like Halloween early on in the year which we all started anticipating just right after Christmas. Now that I am older, its significance has continuously evolved. And while I still very much enjoy sharing the sweets, and using the occasion as an excuse to spoil loved ones, its meaning has resonated with me in a more profound manner. The symbolic significance of Easter Eggs is a staunch reminder to us all that Easter is about another chance at new beginnings – another opportunity to restart, restore hope and renew one’s faith.
If we think about it, we have many symbolic occasions to reboot, restart and begin anew throughout a calendar year if we wanted to – there is January first, Lunar New Year, Easter, one’s birthday, wedding, wedding anniversary and any other day, actually, is as good and as valid if we are willed to do so. Milestones in our lives are celebrated, and are another opportunity for us to start, and begin writing a new chapter of our book called life. Yet, in between all those milestones, are many, many more days waiting to be filled up and written about. And what I have come to learn is that we are the author of every page and every chapter in our lives. We create our milestones, choose to celebrate and write about them, choose to share them, and choose to learn from them.
In that same light, we must also never forget that we are but a major part as well of the new chapter of the greater good. We are major stakeholders and decision makers in the fate of our country this coming May. Our votes count toward creating the future that we collectively seek. Let us not be complacent in relying on others to make the choice for us. You may only have one vote, but that one vote counts. Let your voice be heard, and your pleas as a Filipino be known. Be a part of another new beginning of the Philippines, and a chapter in its history. Remember, in as much as it is your right to be able to vote, it is also but a privilege to be given the choice. And with that privilege, you must act responsibly.
At the end of the day, we are only able to reap as much as we sow.
Happy Easter, everyone! And may you not only remember its true significance in the context of the church, but may you also be reminded to act upon its true meaning.