I'll be Home [On Going]

Chapter 56

Nana was already outside the house waiting for Lianne to come out. Aga was inside the car doing the same. "Paki-check nga po si Lianne sa loob Nana. We-"

"Ay heto na po pala Sir, pababa na." Nana walked to Lianne and helped her with the bags full of clothes and some of her personal stuff.

"What took you so long Lianne? You should have prepared those things ahead of time nang 'di tayo nale-late."

Now here her father talking. She almost rolled her eyes.

They are on their way to the church, today is the first sunday of November and it's actually the first time they will go out for church service since her father learned to make time for her. Since her mother came back to their lives again.

"I'm sorry dad, may dinagdag po kasi ako last minute, sayang naman." she reasoned out, her father didn't say anything again until they arrived at the church.

She missed this.

The dim lights all around the church, all the people patiently waiting for the priest to arrive and start the mass. The music and the scriptures from the bible, everything inside the church that you will encounter as the preaching goes.

The priest tackled about the power of forgiveness as the bible told us many stories about it. Jesus taught Peter to forgive seventy-seven times; Joseph forgave his brothers who sold him; Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery; Jesus prayed for the people who hurt him; Stephen cried out to the Lord for those who stoned him before death; King David forgave Saul who wanted to kill him; and Paul asked Philemon to forgive Onesimus.

Her favorite is the story of Jesus. Who else? He, the son of God, who had forgiven the people who crucified Him. An hour of praise, giving back to people and learning about forgiveness. The latter made it even more difficult and she knows it.

The Lord Jesus taught us like this: when we forgive men when they sin against us, our heavenly father will also forgive us. However, it's hard to forgive men from our hearts.

She was in the pool of thoughts when Nana hugged her and wished peace to be with her, she did the same to her father with a kiss on his left cheek. Few minutes had passed and they're on their way to the Heaven's Angels. It's been two months since her last visit that's why she's very excited for today. Last week, she gathered all her preloved clothes, books, notebooks and pens, textbooks and bags that she can donate to those children at the orphanage. Nana helped her keeping everything in order, she even kept a separate bag for Nana's children. Nana's youngest is just a year younger than her but they have the same body built. And from what she has observed, they have the same style. One time she heard that she loves to read as well.

This has always been her routine every year. Her way of giving back for all the things her father has been providing her. Her father makes sure that she gets everything she needed, sometimes even wants and she couldn't be more thankful for that.

If only she has a younger sister in the house that would inherit her clothes.

She scoffed a laugh at the thought. She recalled her younger years wishing a baby sister or a brother on christmas day. Just like the other kids, she makes a wish before she blew the candle of her cake during her birthday and make another one before christmas. And who would forget about her wish each of her birthday that passes.

It has always been her.

She only stopped wishing that when she turned twelve, her last year in primary school. That was when she realized she's never coming back. She was starting in secondary school, new school, new experience, new her. Maturity hit her at that point, she made sure to herself that she will not ask for her ever again. When she does, it's really necessary, like when she needed a family picture for her project, she never actually had though. Well, that's not anymore the case. She's a grown up lady and she has learned to decide and act on her own long time ago.