Bits of Life

IV. Accept and Protect Your Blessings

It's the eighth of May and it's drizzling. My morning walk through the light rain gave a nostalgic effect on me. When I was very young, I recall our grown ups saying whatever happens it will rain in the month of May. Indeed, it always does. We call the first rain of this month "bendita".

All the while I thought it's some kind of holy water like that is used in the Church - agua bendita. Whatever we are doing, we will change to our used clothes and run outside to get ourselves all soaked. Then before the rain comes to a full stop, we would get ourselves any container - a jar, or plastic bottle - to save some rain water since it is "bendita".

Now, as a grown up, I realized bendita literally means "blessing". After experiencing this agonizing series of heatwaves for more than a month now, I fully understood how the first rain of May is a blessing. The rain puts an end to the long hot season, especially here in the Philippines.

Realizing this, I took it as an opportune time to inventory my blessings, big and small. I'm walking towards breakfast, a blessing most often taken for granted by many. While others are not content with their eggs and fried rice because they wanted bacon and pancakes, we had bread and coffee, and we are thankful.

While some feel sad for not having the latest shoes or bags, I see school children with grocery plastics to carry their school supplies, and almost worn out flip-flops merrily parading to get to school.

There are those who rant about closing their eyes to sleep late and waking up just to go to work early again when there are many people who have to get even the most underpaid jobs just to have something to put on their tables.

We have different kinds of blessings and we have to accept them. I'm not saying we should chain ourselves to the bare minimum, but we have to accept whatever we are offered now, and work for the better.

Accepting the blessing also comes with the responsibility to protect them.

Do you like cool weather even on summer days? - Cool weather is a blessing. I see you post on social media that it helps to cool the weather when we plant trees. We are getting back to the cooler days, let's protect it by actually planting trees and not just sharing some social media posts.

Did somebody lend you money? - It's a blessing. Protect that blessing by being faithful to your promise to return what you owe on time. Being able to borrow money is a blessing. Protect that blessing by sticking to your word and showing you are responsible by taking care of your obligations.

Do you have the privilege to work at the comfort of your home? That's a blessing. Protect it by showing up when you are supposed to. You didn't even have to hit the shower and put on some decent clothes to do that. Remember that others have to leave home and endure the traffic - most people even have to commute in that case - just to come to work already draining half the energy for the day. And they have to do that vice versa going home.

There are more blessings around us that we tend to take for granted, we just have to be receptive in order to enjoy them and realize how blessed we are. You can't have it all the time when you want it, so enjoy that little rain while it pours.